Scale the Pause

The 24-hour rule is a starting point, not the whole system. Scale your waiting period to the purchase size:

• Under $50: Sleep on it overnight
• $50-$500: Wait a full week
• $500-$5,000: Wait 30 days
• Over $5,000: Wait 90 days and get a second opinion

Big purchases deserve proportionally bigger pauses. A $30,000 car or a $2,000 vacation should never be decided in the heat of excitement. The bigger the number, the more your future self will thank you for waiting.