Hi, I’m Dave Miller. I Have a Problem.

I’m a mid-40s dad living in Crofton, Maryland, where I am outnumbered four-to-one by my wife and our three daughters.

If a normal person needs a new garden hose, a kitchen baking sheet, or Friday night carryout, they just walk into a store or open an app, pick the first thing that looks decent, and move on with their life. I can’t do that.

If something breaks in my house, I have to take it apart on my garage workbench just to see which 10-cent plastic gear the manufacturer cheaped out on. Before I spend $12 on a hardware store tool or kitchen pan, I’ll spend ninety minutes at 11 PM reading commercial spec sheets and trade forums so I don't get fleeced by a fake "Heavy Duty" sticker. I maintain my own pool chemistry so you can read the mint date on a quarter in the deep end without paying retail pool-store markups, and I measure my backyard cornhole boards to a non-negotiable 27 feet with a Stanley tape measure before my neighbor Greg walks over.

My wife thinks this habit is exhausting. (Though I notice whenever I find a $9 umbrella or a braided charging cord that actually survives our three kids, it mysteriously migrates to her side of the car within four days.)

I started Dave Overthinks so my obsessive homework doesn't go to waste. No 2,000-word life stories, no trendy $19 burgers without fries, and no paid fluff. You get the crib notes.

How I Rate Things ("Was the Rabbit Hole Worth It?")

• 5/5 — Stop Researching, Just Buy It (or "Worth Route 3 Traffic"): End of the rabbit hole. You won't find a better version without spending triple.
• 4/5 — Worth the Trip / Solid Buy: Does exactly what it should at a fair price. Zero buyer’s remorse.
• 3/5 — Only If It’s on Sale / Already in the Shopping Center: Fine, but don’t pay full retail or make a special trip.
• 2/5 — All Hype, No Follow-Through: Great marketing or a big line out the door, disappointing in real life.
• 1/5 — I Wasted My Money So You Don’t Have To: A public service warning. Leave it on the shelf or drive right past.

The Fine Print & Garage Fridge Disclosure

Keeping a garage fridge stocked with 34-degree lager isn't free. Nobody can pay me for a positive review, and if a product is junk, I’ll tell you it’s junk. When I link to a product I genuinely recommend, it may be an affiliate link (including through the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com). It never costs you a penny extra, and it helps fund the next workbench autopsy.

Contact Dave: dave@daveoverthinks.com