💸 How Do You Decide to Make a Big Purchase? (Asking for… Also Me.)

Let’s be honest: deciding to make a big purchase is a whole emotional journey.

Some people say they “sit down and crunch the numbers.”
Me? I sit down, crunch a cookie, stare into space, and ask myself if this is how adulthood works.

Here’s how most of us actually decide:

Step 1:
See something shiny.

Step 2:
Convince yourself you’re “just looking.”

Step 3:
Read reviews, watch three videos, and become a certified expert in the product within 20 minutes.

Step 4:
Say, “Well, I work hard…” at least once.

Step 5:
Go stare at your budget like it’s going to start speaking in tongues.

Step 6:
Ask the universe for a sign.
Anything.
A bird chirping. A coupon. A sudden warm breeze.
Something.

Step 7:
Add it to your cart. Remove it. Add it again. Remove it again. Threaten it. Add it again.

Step 8:
Finally hit purchase because “life is short” and also because you’re tired of thinking about it.

And listen — making a large money purchase doesn’t mean you’re reckless. It means you’re human. It means you want something to make life easier, prettier, smoother, or just more fun.

Sometimes the purchase is practical.
Sometimes it’s emotional.
Sometimes it’s a cordless snowblower and we’re calling it self-care.

Real talk?
Whether you’re buying something big or choosing to wait, the energy you put into deciding is the rite of passage into adulthood — the one no one warns you about.

Because the truth is…

Most of us don’t make big purchases by logic alone.
We make them by feeling, instinct, a sprinkle of justification, and the sudden belief that Future Us will figure out the details later.

And honestly?
Future Us always does.
Eventually.
After a nap.