Articles/Organising

How to research a big purchase without forty open tabs

Updated 13 October 2026. 2 minute read.

Buying something expensive rarely happens in one sitting. You read a review on Monday, compare three models on Wednesday, see one in a shop on Saturday, and by the time you are ready to decide, the tabs are closed and you cannot remember which model had the problem with the hinge.

Open tabs are not a research method. Here is one that is, and it takes no more effort.

Collect as you go

Each time you find something relevant, save it. Not into a tab, into a library.

• Product pages for the models you are considering.
• Reviews and comparisons, including the critical ones.
• Forum threads where owners describe what broke.
• Photos you take in a shop: the item, the price tag, the label with the model number.
• A voice memo on the way out of the shop, while the impression is fresh. "The grey one felt sturdier, the salesman said delivery takes six weeks."
• Measurements, as a note. The width of the alcove, the height of the door.

In Stashy all of these go into the same library through the Share Sheet or the plus button. Put them in one category named after the purchase.

Let the summaries do the first pass

Every save gets a short summary written on your device. After a week of collecting, open the category and read the summaries. Without opening a single page you can usually see which reviews are detailed, which are thin, and which three models keep coming up.

Write down what you are looking for

Before comparing, make one note with your actual requirements. Three to five lines:

• must fit a 140 cm alcove
• washable cover
• under 1,500
• delivery before the move

It sounds obvious. It is the step that stops you from buying the one with the best photos.

Compare

• Search within what you saved. "Warranty", "delivery" or "noise" finds the passages that mention them.
• Ask. "Which of the sofas I saved has a washable cover?" is answered from your saves, with the sources shown so you can check. See ask your library.
• Check prices and details at the source. A summary can be out of date or simply wrong, and prices change. Open the shop page before you decide.

Sleep on it, on purpose

Set a reminder on the front runner for two days from now. If you still want it when the reminder arrives, buy it. If you have forgotten about it, you have saved the money.

After you buy

Keep three things and delete the rest:

• the receipt or order confirmation, as a PDF or a photo,
• the manual, which is usually a PDF on the manufacturer's site,
• a photo of the serial number.

In two years, when something needs repairing, searching for the product's name will bring up all three. See photos as notes for more on keeping receipts and labels.