S
Summons
What summoned my money?
The real question beneath the purchase
A purchase can serve more than one need.
We spend for practical reasons, but also for comfort, identity, belonging, convenience, and hope. Naming the reason helps you decide whether the purchase deserves your money.
“Money can leave your hands without leaving your life.”
Start with the desire.What made you notice this purchase?
Then check the numbers.Can you buy it without crossing the savings boundary you set?
A decision framework
Meet the S.H.O.U.L.D. method.
Use six questions to examine why you want the purchase, what it may add to your life, and whether it fits the direction you want for your money.
The method can lead to a yes, a no, or a decision to wait.
H
Hope
What do I hope this purchase will provide?
O
Outcome
What relationship begins after the transaction?
U
Underlying Values
Does this fit what I value and want my money to make possible?
L
Life Participation
How will this allow me to participate in life?
D
Direction
Is this the direction I choose for my money?
THE DECISION EDITION
Should
Should
I Buy
This?
The book
Keep your joy.
Choose with clarity.
A practical guide for examining purchases before you make them. Use it to understand the desire, assess the full cost, and decide whether to buy, wait, or walk away.
See the triggerUnderstand what brought the purchase into focus.
Name the promiseIdentify what you expect the item to change.
Count the full costLook beyond the number on the price tag.
Choose on purposeBuy, wait or walk away without shame.
A guided decision practice
Let your decisions leave a record.
The Decision & Gratitude Journal turns the S.H.O.U.L.D. method into a practice you can return to. Use it to examine a purchase, record the choice you made, and notice what your money helped you protect, enjoy, or create.
Guided S.H.O.U.L.D. decision prompts
Space to record Buy, Wait, or Skip choices
Gratitude reflections for what you already have
Download the journal ↓Printable and fillable PDF
Clarity in your pocket
The question travels with you.
Open the app when you are considering a purchase. Enter the item, price, savings, income, and expenses. The app reviews the numbers and gives you a Buy, Wait, or Skip verdict.
The book explains the thinking. The app helps with the decision in front of you.
Download on the App Store
The Decision Journal
Ideas for the choices behind the purchase.
Read reflections on money, desire, identity, and the small decisions that shape a life.
The Journey to Publishing Should I Buy This?
What creating this book taught me about action, openness, and the unexpected ideas we meet when we begin.
Read the first journal entry →BO
About the author
Beatrice Oreta
Beatrice Oreta writes about the decisions behind everyday spending. Her work combines financial self-awareness with AI decision support to help people examine purchases before they commit their money.
Review the purchase
before you spend.
Choose one purchase you are considering. Answer the questions and review the result.
Start a free Decision Check →