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Reviewing My 2022 Purchasing Habits

Posted in Fountain Pens

As should have been obvious in my Pen Collection post, 2022 did not go as I’d planned. My stated goal was to limit my pen purchases to 24 pens. I failed in that. Miserably.

However, I sold 17 pens last year, and none of them was purchased in 2022. So at least I’m keeping up my streak of zero same-year sales.

While I disposed of more pens in 2022 than 2021 (14), my purchasing skyrocketed from 42 in 2021 to 54 in 2022. That puts last year as the second highest purchasing rate since I started collecting. It also had the second highest net collection increase : 37.

To be honest, I’m embarrassed by how many pens I purchased. The only thing that keeps me from berating myself is that my average pen price is half of last year’s, lower than 2018’s, and equal to 2020’s. But still, I went back through the year to see where I went wrong.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FP629262372511
RB311211

I definitely didn’t start out the year well. I’d surpassed my goal by the end of May. But, the latter half of the year went better — if you ignore August and the DC Pen Show purchases. I’m hoping I can keep that energy going in 2023.

Despite the increase in purchases, I am still purchasing thoughtfully. I had few impulse purchases, which was reflected in the relatively small amount of pen regrets this year.

Plans for 2023

Once again, I’m hoping to put a cap on my purchasing. Maybe this time I’ll do better. I’m giving myself a goal of 36 pens or less. If this year goes well, I’ll try limiting to 24 next year. I will focus on indie brands again as I’d like the majority of my purchases to be from indie brands this year.

Overall, I’m happy with my continued thoughtful purchasing behavior. But, I need to be more vigilant to ensure that I don’t overbuy. Time to bust out my anti-shopping mantras.


How did your pen collection change in 2022? Did you buy more or less than 2022? Did you sell any pens? Let me know in the comments.

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