Yesterday’s post talked about creating a daydream file to save items you want rather than impulsively buying them. I think it’s fairly obvious that the list you create could become a pretty handy wishlist if the occasion ever came up…So what about using it to give?

I’m probably more apt to compulsively buy something if it makes me think of someone else. “Oh, my [sister | mom | bff | boyfried | brother | dad | friend] would LOVE that!” is a phrase that commonly precedes me immediately clicking “add to cart.” But then a birthday finally comes around and now I have all this stuff to give them and maybe the inside joke that prompted it is so old by now it makes no sense anyways…well you get the picture. I had a cluttered closet with gifts that never even saw a gift bag.

Using the same concept as a daydream file, I created a digital presents file. If you use the Amazon wishlist feature, you can easily create additional lists for people you shop for often. In Evernote you can create a gift notebook and tag each gift with names of friends and family. (Make sure to set them to private!) 

This way I still get the joy of finding something that fits someone’s style oh-so-perfectly, without overburdening my closet or my credit card. When a gift opportunity comes around, I go through the file and pick out the best option. The ones that don’t make it? You can always send the person a link to the product (even if it’s just a random Tuesday) with a little note saying “this made me think of you! hope you’re having a great day!” on Facebook or email or wherever, because as you know, it’s the thought that counts.

*Photo credit: Muffet (Flickr)

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• Five Best Wishlist Tools [Hive Five] (lifehacker.com)
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In my line of work I spend a lot of time online, and I work with a lot of clients from different industries. That mix has a lot of potential to lead to a bad case of wanting things that I don’t really need or wouldn’t fit into my life right this second. That could be really cool furniture, clothes, accessories – you name it! And the way that advertisers have gotten so good at targeting and retargeting – it’s hard to resist sometimes.

The best way I’ve come up with to deal with this daily battle against desire is to start a daydream file. Anytime I see something I want – for me, my home or my future, I digitally clip and save it. It doesn’t matter how you do it, I use a mix of an Evernote notebook for big future items (furniture, vacations, etc) and an Amazon wishlist for personal things (clothes, games, books, etc), as long as you’re consistent. (Side note: both of those tools provide a browser button for easy clipping.)

It feels good at the time, because while you’re resisting buying it today, you’re still ”saving it for later.” Then when later rolls around, and you get a bit of money saved up and you decide to redecorate the living room, you can flip through the file and pick what you really want. Maybe all of a sudden that table you HAD to have a month ago isn’t as cool as some of the other tables you saved over time.  By resisting the impulse buy you can save money and avoid cluttering your house with things you don’t really want.

*Original Photo Credit: Juan23for (Flickr)