How I track prices before I buy

I never pay the first price I see. Not because I enjoy waiting, but because the first price is almost never the real price — it is the price the retailer hopes you will accept before you learn the range.

The system is a spreadsheet, and it is deliberately boring. One row per item: what it is, where I saw it, the price, and the date. I watch for two to four weeks, and by the end I know the item's real range — what it actually sells for, not what the crossed-out tag claims.

Then I set a target number and an alert for it. The alert matters more than the spreadsheet, because it removes the daily checking. Most sales emails get ignored; the only ones that matter are the ones that hit my number.

The rule that keeps the system honest: buy when it hits the target, or when I actually need it — whichever comes first. Patience is the system. Everything else is just noise dressed up as a deal.