With the year coming to an end, it's time to reflect on the important things... like 🎶the best buys of the year🎶 (sung like Tom Haverford and Donna).
I feel like there was a big shift in my relationship with shopping this year. Shopping had always been a fun distraction from anxiety or a quick pick-me-up. But this year, I began to notice how much of a crapshoot it is. When you buy something, it's impossible to know if you'll really love it and use it as much as you think you will. You buy something because it seems perfect, like the exact item your life has been missing. Sometimes, that does turn out to be the case, and you use or wear the item all the time. And then there are things that you buy and barely use or wear and then end up donating. At least for me, it doesn't seem to matter whether it's an impulse buy or a well-researched purchase, perhaps because you can never know just how much you'll use or love something until, well, you have it.
I guess this is ultimately an argument for shopping less--the less you buy, the less you spend money things that might not work out. My 2016 budget posts have shown this trend, as I've been shopping way less than I did last year. (Ok, having less of a disposable income due to a life-changing purchase--#1 on the list below--has also helped to curtail my shopping!)
With no further adieu, here are the six things that I bought in 2016 and now can't live without:
1. A car: Let's get the biggest, most life-changing purchase out of the way first! Sure, it's bleeding me dry compared to a monthly transpass, but it has given me the freedom to actually have a life, instead of just riding trains and buses all the time, or not being able to go certain places at all because Septa just doesn't travel there. My cute li'l car has become my safe haven, and I love getting to control the temperature, music, and passengers that comprise my daily commute, for a change! ;) Plus, being able to practice driving every day keeps my fears of driving from becoming overwhelming again. (I'd rather not have to revisit exposure if I can help it!)
2. Extra-long iPhone cord. If you too are sick of having to leave your phone across the room to charge, or are constantly pulling it out of the socket by accident, this guy has been a game-changer. (And is under $10 too!)
3. Hera UV Mist Cushion Compact. I had serious reservations about ordering this $40+ compact without being able to test it in a store first. (When you have the same coloring as Casper the Friendly Ghost, finding a matching shade of makeup is a challenge.) Fortunately, it's worked out great! The shade "N21" matches my fair skin really well with a decent amount of coverage (even though the "N" indicates a more "natural" finish), and the cushion + sponge make it really easy to apply. It's still-my go-to foundation, nine months later.
4. Netflix. I had actually never had my own Netflix account before this summer, but after sharing B's for a few years, I couldn't live without it. I mean, it has all the seasons of Grey's on it, as well as D2: The Mighty Ducks, soooo... #blessed
5. Tatcha Pure One-Step Camellia Cleansing Oil. This oil has been great at cleaning/moisturizing my skin without leaving it all greasy. Honestly, I like it better than that K Beauty holy grail, Banila Clean It Zero. *gasp*
6. Now Aromatherapy Diffuser. I had been debating getting a diffuser for awhile before finally pulling the trigger in March... and I've used it to diffuse lavender oil at bedtime pretty much every night since. This particular diffuser also lights up in different colors (as in the picture at the top of this post), but I usually turn that feature off, so as to not have a bedtime discotheque!
What things have you bought and loved this year?
