Every great now and then, annoyed by a scramble of checklists, I sit down and write out a list of all of the things I’ve been meaning, wanting, or considering to buy. In some ways this is great, because it pulls all smaller lists together, addressing both immediate needs and someday-kinda wants, and can be a great reminder of what else to add to your Amazon cart to get it to $35 for free shipping (if you staunchly resist Prime the way I do). But there is also a dark side to creating a list like this, and that involves trying to check the boxes off simply because they exist.
I am a checklist guy, and I love checking those items off. I tore through my overflow discretionary spending budget last month – typically reserved for the occasional big purchase, car part, or administrative fee – all in the name of checking those boxes off. To be fair, some of it was necessary, such as new wiper blades ($60, ugh!), since mine were several years old and struggling to fully clear the window, but some of it was also filler, such as an extra shave soap ($15) and a video game I’m not even ready to start ($55) (simply because I’ve wanted it for a long time), among many other things. It really added up. And now that it’s a new month, my budget is free again, and I’ve recompiled another list that I’m a little too eager to start checking off. My metal detecting pinpointer is a crappy cheap model, so I’ve really wanted a nice one that doesn’t need to be constantly adjusted, but I only really use this on the farm when I visit my grandma, which tends to be a once-per-year thing, and I only stayed there 3 days last year. Do I really need to spend $100 on a nicer pinpointer right now? I’ve also been meaning to buy a serious soldering iron due to the small collection of embedded system dev boards I’ve collected, but I’m not ready to get serious with those, and my [ass] cheap-o iron still got the job done for the rear speakers in my car, which desperately needed to be replaced, so…how necessary is it to buy a nice $80 soldering iron right now?
These checklists are THE DEVIL. They really are. There are times when you really need something, and a small list can be a nice reminder, but if you forget the other things, it’s usually because you don’t really need them. And the thing is…the list is never done. It is never truly complete. See, after checking off so many items last month, I simply found more for this month. That’s how these things work. They always have, and they always will be incomplete.
I think I’d better just assemble a new list of 10 or fewer things I actually need, and shred this one.