#270: The One-Word Process I Use to Make Minimalist Purchase Decisions

August 9, 2020 — I went down a five-hour DLSR rabbit hole this morning, and it reminded me that I need to recommit to my one-word shopping process: Only buy stuff that helps you own LESS stuff.

Today, I went down a DLSR rabbit hole.

I’ve been drawing daily comics for nine months, but I’m doing a bad job of the whole “show your lifestyle” thing.

SO…I convinced myself a fancy new camera was what I needed to prove there’s a real live human behind my art — and not just a disembodied hand.

After the first two hours, I settled on a Sony a6500. But it was only the body, so I had to find a lens (another hour). I spent hour three watching YouTube reviews of camera monitors, then hour four comparing softboxes.

By the fifth hour, I looked up from a $1,200 eBay invoice to check my phone, saw it was 4 pm.

What…the hell…just happened?

Tip: Buy Less More

What I realized today is that there’s no such thing as a one-off purchase.

Accessories, warrantees, repair kits…

Products have children. They breed like rabbits.