A Want List

For the last week, I’ve been having this debate in my head about whether or not to create a want list.  A want list would be a list of things I want to buy when I get out of debt.  It seemed like a good idea at first.  That way, instead of obsessing over something and debating whether or not to make a budget exception and buy it, I can say no for now and put it on a list for later so that it’s out of my mind.

The down side is that I worry this perpetuates the same thinking about material objects that contributed to my debt in the first place.  Maybe the better thing to do would be to stop focusing so much on the things.  Rather than think about the things I want, I can focus on the things I want to do.  The other problem is that what started out as a very selective list suddenly ends up a mile long and includes things even like a new car.  Do I really want to get out of debt only to buy a bunch of stuff I don’t need?  Is that the point of all this work?

There are other upsides, of course.  I can’t so easily put the things in my want list all into the Useless Junk category.  Some of the things I want will help me do the things I want to do.  Some will help me see the things I want to see.  Some are fun.  And others are necessities that I need to live well.  And maybe adding things to a list of stuff I won’t purchase for more than a year is just something I can do to make myself feel better right now, but when the time actually comes when I can afford those things, I’ll no longer want them.

It’s still a debate for me.  I think I can make a list without becoming further obsessed with things and doing so will allow me to stop thinking, obsessing about things.   Because when you write stuff down, you no longer have to think about it, worrying you won’t remember.  It’s just that I like so much to cross things off of lists, so this could be a problem for me.