Who this is for
People weighing a meaningful purchase who want to capture the case for and against before impulse or amnesia decides for them.
The moment this saves you
I agonize over a $1,200 decision for a week, finally decide, and a month later can’t remember why, so the next big purchase I re-do the whole debate from scratch.
See it work
Messy spoken thought in. A clean, structured artifact out.
I'm going back and forth on the new laptop. The current one is fine honestly but the battery's getting bad, like three hours now, and I travel a lot so that's annoying. The new one is 1600 which is a lot. The case for is I'll have it for like four years and the battery alone changes my work-from-anywhere thing. The case against is the current one still works and I could just replace the battery for way cheaper. I think I'm going to wait until the fall sale and decide then, not now.
Purchase decision, June 5, 2026
- Item: New laptop (~$1,600)
- Trigger: Current laptop's battery degraded to ~3 hrs; I travel a lot.
- Case for: 4-year lifespan; battery transforms my work-from-anywhere setup.
- Case against: Current laptop still works; a battery replacement is far cheaper.
- Decision: Wait, revisit at the fall sale, not now.
- Revisit: Fall sale.
The workflow
Record a voice note
Hit the hotkey and talk, no formatting, no typing.
Tag it with this context
Contextli shapes your words into the structured output above.
Find it later
Everything's searchable and organised by context.
Pull it into Claude or ChatGPT
Bring your contexts straight into your AI tools with the Contextli MCP.
Your raw recording and transcription stay on your device, so you can always go back to the original.
The prompt behind this context
I'm going to think out loud about whether to buy something. Turn it into a dated purchase-decision note with labeled lines: a bold "Purchase decision, [today's date]" heading, then Item (with price if I said), Trigger (what's prompting this), Case for (the reasons to buy), Case against (the reasons not to), Decision (bold it, buy / don't buy / wait / undecided, based on what I land on), and Revisit (a date or trigger if I mention deferring). Keep my actual reasoning on both sides; don't add pros or cons I didn't raise, and don't push me toward a choice. Output only the note.
Make it your own. This is a starting point. Once it's in Contextli, tweak the instructions so the output comes out exactly how you like it.
Use this context
One click copies it and shows you exactly how to drop it into Contextli.
Next, open Contextli, go to the Contexts page, click Import, choose From JSON, paste, then Import Context. It is ready to use.
Make it your own. This is a starting point. Once it's in Contextli, tweak the instructions so the output comes out exactly how you like it.
Your raw recording and transcription stay on your device, so you can always go back to the original.
Related contexts
Expense Log
The receipt's already in the bin and 'later' never comes. Right after you pay, just say what it was, where, and whether it's work or personal. It gets categorized and totaled, so month-end isn't a forensic investigation.
Code Decision Log
Right after you make the call, while the tradeoffs are still fresh, talk through why you went this way and what you rejected. Three months from now when someone asks 'why a queue here?', the answer is already written down.
Daily Journal
It's 11pm and a blank page feels like a chore, so you skip it again. Instead, just talk the way you'd process the day in your head. You'll wake up to a warm, honest entry in your own voice, not a transcript.
Questions people ask
Questions personal finance ask about Purchase Decision Log
What is the best way to track expenses on the go?
The most reliable method is to log each item the moment it happens, before you forget it. The Purchase Decision Log context lets you speak the details in plain language and produces an expense entry with amount, category, and date. You capture it in under 20 seconds, without a receipt app or a spreadsheet.
How do I keep track of expenses without a complicated app?
Open Contextli, select the Purchase Decision Log context, and speak it as it happens: what it was for, how much, and the category. The context formats it into an expense entry. At the end of the month you have a log of every entry in a consistent format, ready to hand to your accountant.
Can I log expenses by voice instead of typing?
Yes. The Purchase Decision Log context is built for exactly this workflow. Speak the details in natural language and the context structures them into an expense entry with the relevant fields. The recording stays on your device.
What should each entry include for tax purposes?
For tax purposes, each entry should include the date, the amount, the business purpose, the vendor or payee, and the category. The Purchase Decision Log context captures all of these from your spoken description. Consult your accountant or tax advisor to confirm what records your jurisdiction requires.
How do I add this context to Contextli?
Copy the context on this page, then open Contextli and go to the Contexts page. Click Import, choose From JSON, paste it into the Import from Clipboard window, and click Import Context. It is ready to use in under 30 seconds. If you do not have Contextli yet, you can download it for free first.
Is my voice recording private? Does Contextli send it anywhere?
Your voice recording and the transcription are stored on your device only. Contextli processes your audio locally and does not send your recordings or transcription text to any server. The structured output it produces is text you control, and you decide where it goes.
Can I change what the output looks like?
Yes. Every context in Contextli is a starting point you can edit. Open the context in the app, change the instructions to adjust the structure, tone, or fields, and save. The next time you use it, the output reflects your changes. You are not locked into the default format.
Do I need to install an app to use this context?
Yes. Contextli is a free app. Download it, then copy this context and paste it into the Import from Clipboard window on the Contexts page. The whole process takes about 30 seconds.