Try Before You Buy: The Smarter Way to Spend on Big Purchases
There’s a certain kind of regret that only comes from owning something you thought you’d love.
It happens all the time. We picture the life that comes with the thing.
The idea of being the kind of person who sails on weekends.
The kind of person who road trips in a converted van.
The kind of person who has a $3,000 espresso machine in their kitchen.
And then reality sets in.
I was recently quoted in Bloomberg talking about this. I suggested that before you buy something big, or something that might change your lifestyle, it’s smart to think in terms of experiments, not commitments.
“Give yourself a taste of the thing you’d like to buy, just with less strings attached.”
— Me, feeling very official in Bloomberg
The point is simple: before you commit to owning something, try living with it. Even if it costs a little money to try, it could save you a lot more in the long run, not just in dollars, but in headaches and hassle.
Here are a few real-world examples where this idea applies:
Boats
Few things spark more lifestyle envy than the image of a family cruising across the lake on a summer weekend. But owning a boat also means storing it, maintaining it, insuring it, and dealing with all the things that break mid-season. My family has a sad history with boats. Always. Broken.
Before you buy, try renting one for a few weekends. If you love it and keep finding excuses to get back out there, great. But if one or two weekends scratch the itch, you just saved yourself thousands in annual costs. You also might realize the storage part was enough to make you glad you didn’t own it permanently.
Camper Vans
Van life is romanticized everywhere, from social media to #wanderlust YouTube channels. But the real version often includes cramped quarters, middle-of-the-night bathroom runs, and emptying your own waste tank behind a Walmart (so I’ve heard).
It’s better to find that out before you spend $80,000. Rent one for a week. Hit the road. See how it actually feels to sleep, eat, and live in 72 square feet. You might realize you love it…or that you just liked the idea.
Home Gyms and Fitness Gear
The idea of working out from home is appealing. No commute, no crowds, no excuses. But for many people, the novelty fades quickly, and the expensive gear ends up collecting dust. I even found it HARDER to workout at home with young kids, when I thought the opposite would be true. “Daddy! Stop! Play Go-Gos?” - My son Moses asking me to play with his Hot Wheels cars in the middle of a set.
Before building out a full setup, start small. Buy a few pieces used, or split time between home and your current gym. Pay attention to how often you actually use it. Convenience is only helpful if it leads to consistency.
Vacation Homes
That cabin up north or the beach condo might sound perfect in theory. But after the first few visits, you may find it starts to feel more like a second mortgage that demands justification.
If you're seriously considering buying, try renting in the same spot for a full season. Go often. Notice what feels energizing and what doesn’t. The view might be amazing, but if the upkeep or travel time starts to wear on you, that’s good information to have before signing on the dotted line.
Bottom Line
We’re allowed to test things out before we make them permanent. That’s not wasteful, it’s wise.
There’s no prize for jumping straight to ownership if what you really wanted was a short-term experience. And in many cases, the cost of “trying” is far less than the cost of committing to the wrong thing.
So the next time you're excited about a big purchase, slow down.
Ask yourself: do I want this… or just the idea of it?
