Big Purchase Decision Worksheet

Who this is for

Think it through before you buy. List the whole cost, how it is paid, the alternatives and a date to decide by.

Anyone about to spend a large sum on a sofa, a car, a laptop, a kitchen or a holiday, and households where two people need to agree before the money goes.

What this helps you track

• The full cost: price, delivery, fitting, running costs and disposal
• Where the money will come from and what paying that way costs
• The alternatives you considered and their prices
• What you would give up and what you still need to find out
• A clear decision to buy, wait or not buy

How to use it

1. Write the item, the price, where it is from and a date to decide by that gives you time to think.
2. Fill in the full cost lines using the seller's own figures; add running costs for however long you expect to keep it.
3. Choose how each line will be paid: savings, cash, card or finance, and put any fees or interest on the cost of paying line.
4. List the alternatives you looked at, including repairing, buying second-hand or not buying.
5. On the decide-by date tick buy, wait or don't, and write your reason, what the money would otherwise do and any questions still open.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why a decide-by date?

Because offers and showroom pressure push decisions into the moment. Choosing a date in advance gives you room to answer your questions and compare, and still stops the decision drifting forever.

What counts as running costs?

Anything you pay to keep using it: energy, fuel, insurance, servicing, subscriptions, consumables or repairs. Use your own estimates or figures from the seller; the sheet supplies none.

What if I am paying with finance?

Choose finance in the paid with column and put the interest and fees on the cost of paying line, not just the monthly amount, and fill in the before you borrow checklist for the agreement itself.

Does choosing wait mean no?

No. It means the answer is not ready, perhaps because a price may fall or a question is unanswered. Write a new date in the decision row, and use the price watch log if timing matters.