Most objects outlive the moment someone desperately wanted to buy them.

The urgency around wanting something has a short life. The object stays, sitting in a drawer or a cupboard long after the feeling that bought it has completely evaporated, which is why most homes contain a small archive of past desires nobody can quite remember having.

Before the next purchase you feel strongly about, picture the object two years from now with the wanting gone. Would you still be glad it was there. That single question removes a surprising amount of spending without requiring any discipline, because it targets the feeling rather than the budget.