Crippled by indecisions on purchases

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Well I put my big boy pants on and ordered a mouse pad today, one off the list of things to agonise over.
I ordered it from here too, not going to say which one as I’d then get peoples views on it :D

Glad I’m not the only one to struggle with this stuff though
I find once I've got it it doesn't matter.

Tvs are a classic. You can spend ages fussing over 2 models. But you'd never know what you were missing if they weren't side by side.

Really. It doesn't matter. But I guess many of us suffer with perfectionism
 
I suffer with this, I use to enjoy doing a bit of research but I feel like it's just got out of hand. I've spent months researching for a new backpack and still undecided, when I finally decide on one it'll probably be from some bespoke company in a far away country that'll cost me a fortune.
Maybe I should put all my requirements into chatgpt and whatever it spits out buy that one or just go to some big Outdoors store and simply buy the one that I like best.

I have been looking for the perfect backpack for ages! My current one is knackered and still haven't reached a decision.
chatgpt spat out a few options also! For me it is not being able to test them out that is the biggest issue. Size, texture, trying the kit in it.
 
I find once I've got it it doesn't matter.

Tvs are a classic. You can spend ages fussing over 2 models. But you'd never know what you were missing if they weren't side by side.

Really. It doesn't matter. But I guess many of us suffer with perfectionism

Actually, I have been flip flopping between whether I should get 16G or 24G of Ram in the new Mac Mini.....still not decided! It's been like 2 weeks.
 
A friend has a theory (he may have stolen it from somewhere else), that you only get so many decisions in life and not to be bogged down with them. He almost always buys what he needs pretty quickly.

I'm like most of you, sadly. Very jealous of those who don't get themselves wrapped up in the nonsense that x is better than y marketing.
IIRC there is a psychological thing that has been noted, that these days the number of choices people have to make every day is far higher than it used to be, and every one no matter how small can add up in terms of unconscious stress for a lot of people, to the point where people will get stuck on or snap violently over really minor things because they've hit a tipping point.

I think one example I saw was how even just getting to work can be stressful because you're trying to work out the route, making dozens of decisions in regards to how you get there (if not hundreds if you're driving), and potentially worrying about the traffic and if you made the right choice on that last turn etc, and that's before you get into work where you might be making hundreds of fairly important decisions, then things like choosing what to eat and where so you can balance getting something you like and having time to eat it comfortably and that's before any really major personal decisions, so by the time you get home and start looking at stuff to buy for yourself you're already basically tired from making decisions.
Basically 100 years ago you simply didn't have much choice about a lot of things, especially where you worked, how you got there, and food, clothing etc so things were easier in terms of making routine choices.
Even just 25 years ago I remember if I wanted a TV I had basically the choice of size, brand and where I bought it (and if you ruled out say Dixons it automatically ruled out some brands and sizes), these days if I want a 32" TV I've got 100+ brands (some I'll never had heard of before) and often multiple models in that size from the same brand.

Personally I'll spend hours trying to decide about buying something for a tenner, then buy a £100+ model kit or limited edition blu-ray without thinking much about it if i've got the cash on hand.
 
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Yeah completely on board with this. I research almost everything I buy. And it also took me a while to choose what desk pad to buy (I wanted a quality felt one).

Part of the enjoyment is the research and for some products that could involve hundreds of hours of YouTube videos.

Often I find when the product arrives that it didn't really matter. Probably I'm just bored and need an outlet.
 
I've stopped using a mouse mats when balls were removed from mices....

a few years back I got a desk mat at work, and ever since then, I've been getting bigger and bigger ones... the one I have goes from one edge of the desk to the other diagonally across a corner desk. It's great as helps my palms of my hands as I type on the macbook keyboard, and I don't run out of "mouse mat" when moving it across three different 4k screens.
 
Can't really relate. Making the decision on whether I'm going to buy a thing at all sometimes takes thought, but choosing which one is pretty straightforward.

Prefer to do only limited research as much as possible. Experience tells me knowing too much actually ruins the enjoyment.

An interesting contrast is meals out with Mrs Cheesyboy. She loves to read through the entire menu, narrowing down to the exact perfect thing to eat. I just read a few and stop when I get to something I'm happy with. Don't care about the stuff I'm not ordering, and thinking about that would spoil the thing I'm actually getting.
 
For me, I tend to know exactly what I want… and it doesn't exist. Or there are two products that are more or less the same but each has a feature the other doesn't, and I want something that has both. Or I find the 'perfect' product in terms of features but it doesn't come in the correct colour or there's some other aesthetic issue with it.

So my purchasing decision often comes down to 'what compromise am I willing to accept' rather than 'what do I really want'.

What often happens is that I find something that ticks enough of the boxes, but it's inevitably the most expensive example of [the thing] and then I either resent having to pay that much or end up settling for a worse product because I'm not prepared to pay the premium (or my wife vetos it :D).

I also find that once I've got [a thing] I quickly find issues or things that could be improved with it.

So I'm rarely satisfied with my purchases, even after researching the **** out of them.
 
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It’s terrible, I agree. Money isn’t exactly an issue, but I still hate parting with it, still worry I’ve not picked the best option. It’s why I post a lot of the options here on things I’m buying. Weirdly I’m incredibly decisive on house purchases!
 
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Yeah, yet another one here with similar thoughts.

Though i often find the cheapest items are still bad as they're all generally terrible items that don't work properly or as should. My OLED TV 4yrs ago was at a good price of £800, ticked near enough boxes and just delivers what it's supposed to. Was looking at camcorders a few months ago, but there simply is no choice and they all suck in one spec or another vs the price. So i guess it varies.

I've managed to buy some new clothes recently, but it was an ordeal. Looking in shops, sending stuff back, washing it but then changing mind on fit, urgh.

New car due, and wow, what a pile of crap there is for the price.

I just loathe wasting money, unable to sell a newish item for anywhere near a fair value thanks to consumers (rightfully) not trusting the quality of an item these days. So consequently i just don't buy things i would like if not certain i'll keep it. I guess if i didn't have to save for house and car maintenance (or worry), then purchasing willy nilly wouldn't be of concern.

Reviews on most websites now are unhelpful, filtered out and deleted if negative, even if justified.
 
Can't really relate. Making the decision on whether I'm going to buy a thing at all sometimes takes thought, but choosing which one is pretty straightforward.

Prefer to do only limited research as much as possible. Experience tells me knowing too much actually ruins the enjoyment.

An interesting contrast is meals out with Mrs Cheesyboy. She loves to read through the entire menu, narrowing down to the exact perfect thing to eat. I just read a few and stop when I get to something I'm happy with. Don't care about the stuff I'm not ordering, and thinking about that would spoil the thing I'm actually getting.

I envy you. I even agonise over whether I want food from pizza takeaway A or B.
I know it's stupid. I know it's a waste of time. But damn.. I can't seem to stop it



Also. Way I was brought up was to waste as little money as possible.
So I'll look at an item and try and get the cheapest seller. I'll then look for discount codes and cashback etc. Then check Aliexpress. As often you can get it there for 50pc less.

Worst (and I have shaken this off) on ebay if I see a bit of tat I want. Like a cable. If it's 79p at one seller and 99p at another I'll always go for the 79p one wasting time looking.
Its 20p ffs. It literally doesn't matter!

This partly serves me well. I'll always switch broadband for example. But like the above.. It can get way to excessive!
 
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I envy you. I even agonise over whether I want food from pizza takeaway A or B.
I know it's stupid. I know it's a waste of time. But damn.. I can't seem to stop it

Really?

Things like that are easy, they are temporary, they are "low value".

You must be that customer in a restaurant who stares at the menu for ages and keep asking the waiter for more time lol
 
Really?

Things like that are easy, they are temporary, they are "low value".

You must be that customer in a restaurant who stares at the menu for ages and keep asking the waiter for more time lol

Its not the value really. It's more the "perfectionism". The more unclear the decision the more time it takes me. If I think I'm going to like 2 things (your menu example is apt) my mind will try and figure out which one I'll like more
 
I honestly believe this is nothing to do with trying to find best/maximising benefit/positive emotion, and everything to do with fear of making the wrong decision and minimising regret and the pain that will cause. I think everyone understands these concepts, and they of course exist hand in hand to a degree, but it stands to reason that those who admit they exhibit the behaviour to a pathological level must be significantly more neurotic than average.
 
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You must be that customer in a restaurant who stares at the menu for ages and keep asking the waiter for more time lol

Well it saves the response of "yeah it's alright" when asked "how's the meal, sir?"

Although i generally don't go to restaurants as that'll be my response most of the time anyway. Hard for to justify the money for something that's alright. I'll settle for my abysmal cooking skills :cry:
 
I honestly believe this is nothing to do with trying to find best/maximising benefit/positive emotion, and everything to do with fear of making the wrong decision and minimising regret and the pain that will cause. I think everyone understands these concepts, and they of course exist hand in hand to a degree, but it stands to reason that those who admit they exhibit the behaviour to a pathological level must be significantly more neurotic than average.

Agreed, for myself anyway. But to justify it i'd say that it's a byproduct of the insanity that is consumerism.

Once burnt, twice shy.
 
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