Tool · from Episode 3

Before you buy

Before anything expensive, ask three questions. The aim is not to stop you buying. It is to make sure you are buying the object, not the signal.

From Episode 3, chapter 8:45.

UtilityWill I use it often enough that it changes my days?JoyWill I still enjoy it once nobody else has seen it?ConstraintDoes it keep my future choices open, or create a new monthly obligation?

Wait. It narrows your future choices. That cost lasts longer than the joy.

The full idea is in Episode 3. Why Looking Rich and Being Wealthy Are Almost Opposite Things