Free Pitfall Checklist | Life Pitfall Guide

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01 Before buying

01 Write down first-year maintenance, consumables or accessory costs beyond the purchase price. 02 Estimate how many times you will actually use it each week or month after six months. 03 Check the repair, replacement or shutdown cost if the item breaks. 04 Convert selection, learning, waiting and rework time into a cost. 05 Divide total cost by expected uses and compare it with an alternative.

02 Subscriptions and auto-renewal

06 Confirm the introductory offer, the date the price changes and the renewal period. 07 Confirm whether cancellation works in the app or requires customer support. 08 Review authorized payment methods, passwordless charges and family-sharing access. 09 Check actual use over the last 30 days before deciding to keep it. 10 Before cancelling, confirm whether paid but unused benefits will remain available.

03 Instalments and borrowing

11 Separate the interest rate, monthly or daily fee, and one-time charges. 12 Confirm whether the total repayment includes service, guarantee or insurance fees. 13 Confirm whether early repayment triggers a penalty or remaining fees. 14 Review late-payment fees, credit-reporting effects and collection terms. 15 Compare the monthly payment with income and protect essential living costs.

04 Contracts and paid services

16 Confirm that payment milestones, deliverables and acceptance criteria are written down. 17 Confirm that refund, termination, transfer and breach terms are written down. 18 Confirm that intellectual-property ownership and data-use rights are written down. 19 Put verbal promises into the contract or keep a durable written record. 20 For legal, medical or financial risk, consult a qualified local professional.

Run these 20 checks before you pay

Put the numbers into the true-cost calculator.