Recall by Overcommitted is a new app I noticed when it was written up by our good friend Federico Viticci on Macstories.
The gist of Recall is that you can search for apps, books, TV shows, movies and other products that aren't yet released and then save them in a smart queue. The app will send you a reminder when the selected item is released and also provides links into the respective stores for easy purchasing.
At first, I thought this was the kiss of death for someone like me who likes to be on top of things when they release and generally likes to try apps or read books as soon as they become available. It just gave me an easier way to part with my money -- hardly welcome given the great stuff releasing lately.
After a few days of use, it struck me that this app was turning out to be a way to save me money. What I've been finding is that just adding something to Recall, especially if it is immediately available, gives me a nice spot to hold ideas until I can thoroughly think through how I might use them. Or, in the case of books, it serves as a reading queue until I can find time to read them.
What was happening before was that I'd buy something to try it out because I knew I would forget about it a week or two later. Having a place to simply hold the thought has cut down on the impulse buys so far (it's only been a week or so). In the case of books, my Kindle library of purchased books was my reading queue. The problem I faced was that things would be added to it my virtual library faster than I was able to read the books that were already there. The result was a lot of unread books and, ultimately, wasted money.
Having a handy place to park stuff is a good way to provide the space I need to avoid silly impulse purchases. It is an experiment but one that appears to be working. I'll report back if it continues. For now, my wallet is thanking me.