My Best Buys of 2019

Lucky 13, ha ha! I have to say, I did a LOT of purchasing in 2019!

Reason #1: The Move.  I do generally buy new of several kinds of things when I move: litterbox, dish drain, sheets, towels. But for this apartment I also needed a vacuum as the space is carpeted, a  cat scratching post (which Jane did NOT think I needed, so I ended up re-selling it through Facebook Marketplace mid-year), a full-length mirror, and shoe storage.

Reason #2: I had a little more disposable income than in past years. In the past few years I’ve paid off several small debts and last year paid off my car loan, which was a biggie…so even with the increase in rent coming here and putting more into savings, I had some “fun” money leftover.

And boy did I have fun! Probably a little TOO much, as I discovered when I recently went back and tracked all my 2019 clothing purchases by month. November was a BIT (and by “bit” I mean a LOT) over the top. I reined myself in, personally, for December, but then there was Christmas shopping, so…I’ll revisit future shopping and spending in January.

But for now, here are my top purchases of 2019.

#13 BLACK & DECKER CORDLESS STICK VACUUM

Ha ha, not a fun purchase At All, but I have always HATED vacuuming, and was one reason I always looked for apartments without carpeting (besides it just being gross to walk on someone else’s carpet). But I had to have one here, so this was one of the first purchases I made when I moved in last February. And I STILL don’t hate vacuuming with it! For one, it’s cordless, which I’ve never had before and it’s a dream. It’s bagless so I’m not always running out of bags. It goes from carpet to floor with the touch of an easy-to-reach button. And for some unknown reason, Janey is not afraid of it. So, not a wheee! purchase, but a very useful one.

#12 WHITE REEBOK CLASSICS

These were the “Sneakers to go With Dresses” of my dreams. They’re comfy, I can wear them with anything, they’re a win.

#11 OVER DOOR SHOE STORAGE

Another thing that doesn’t seem all that exciting, but it keeps my shoes up off the floor where it’s hard for me to see them or reach them. This holds 26 pairs of shoes which is way more than the old school “pocket” type over-door shoe holders.

#10 DAILY RITUAL WOMEN’S PLUS SIZE JERSEY SHORT-SLEEVE SCOOP NECK SWING T-SHIRT

I have them in striped, white, and black…and will probably get a grey one this spring. I love these tops!

#9 SEAGATE 5TB (FIVE!!) EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

I have 4 external hard drives of various sizes each holding specific years’ worth of photographs. “I want that picture of Katie in her Halloween costume in 2009. Which hard drive is that on? WHERE is the hard drive that is on?” UGH, enough. I got ONE GIANT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE that will hold ALL THE PICTURES so they will ALL be in one place. What a relief (that will be when I finally do it)!

#8 Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar Adapter

This was a game-changer for me. 1) I like my phone to be charged as close to 100% AT ALL TIMES. 2) I use gps to go EVERYWHERE. 3) I am ALWAYS listening to an audiobook or podcast when I’m driving. I can’t hear the phone over the road/car sounds when I’m driving so I always have earbuds in. If I had earbuds in to listen to book/podcast/gps then not only was I not charging my phone battery, I was also using it up at a fast rate (gps!) and when I got to my destination I would have little juice left on my phone for the day…and the phone is usually the only camera I carry around anymore. This little device lets me charge AND listen – so I arrive on-time, entertained, and ready to shoot! Love it!

#7 ZEN BREEZE ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSER

I’ve looked at these for years but didn’t take the leap til I moved in here…and I love it!. Scented oils are much more economical than candles…and there’s not that nasty “burning the house down” matter to concern yourself with.

#6 J CREW BOILED WOOL CAMEL COAT

The coat that finally made me feel like a grown-up. ‘Nuff said.

#5 BABYLISSPRO CERAMIX XTREME DRYER

I had my last hair dryer for well over 10 years (as I usually do). And my hair dryers have always been fine. You know, the $15-30 kinds you get at CVS or in the grocery store. But I ALWAYS SAID…I don’t need HEAT as much as I need STRONG BLOWING. This one has BOTH. It has AMAZING “blow.” It dries my hair SUPER FAST. AND it has the best “cool” feature I’ve ever had. It’s actually COOL. Like a little hand air conditioner. I use it to cool-blow the sweat off my face when I’m done drying my hair. It was not $15-30 but it has felt worth the price every time I’ve used it (I got it around a year ago when I was still in the old apartment).

#4 CASHMERE

I know this sounds so…priviledged. I know because for many many years *I* could not afford it. But in hindsight, I’ve bought sweaters over the years for $25-50 that in a few years looked outdated or I was just tired of or that hadn’t worn well over time. For the price of 2-4 of those sweaters that are no longer in my closet, I could have had a nice cashmere crewneck or turtleneck that will never go out of style, will retain its value if I ever need to sell it, and if I care for it well will last for years to come. And it just feels so good. It makes me feel good. And that’s worth the cost.

#3 CANON 6D CAMERA

I have wanted a new camera for years. I wanted to step-up to a full-frame camera (I’ve only ever had crop sensor cameras), which, rather than go through all the technical stuff, let’s just say full-frame is Mo Better. Also, always having cameras lower down on the food chain, I always struggled with sharpness. If every condition was not PERFECT and you were not shooting in just blinding light…images were soft. For a long time I thought it was ME. It wasn’t me. Because now I have a camera that takes sharp images, works better in low light, and captures “more picture space” (let’s just leave it at that).

I knew the only way I could afford New Better Camera was to trade in my old (camera) body and three of my four lenses…leaving me a little short in the focal-length area, but I thought it was worth it. So, trades and a couple hundred $ on the credit card later, I was the proud owner of a practically new Canon 6D. And the combination of Canon 6D/50mm 1.8 lens and the wireless shutter remote and tripod I bought last year makes a great substitute for an Instagram Boyfriend/Husband/Neighbor/Landlord/Co-worker/Dog!

#2 BOOKS

I’m speaking of buying books in general, not of any book in particular. I know the library is the best source of books, but I’ve been banned from all Long Island and Brooklyn libraries, so that’s not an option for me (I’ve told you guys that story, right?). But this year I really leaned into reading, in a way I haven’t in a long time. And the “part escape part relaxation” benefits that reading affords you make it a pastime well worth the price.

That said, I never pay full price for books and I try to keep my obsession as economical as possible. I get books in one of several ways:

1) Amazon. If I want a “new” title I look to Amazon, but I always go straight to the used books. Sometimes I have to wait a bit for the used prices to come down, but I rarely pay more than $6 (including shipping) for a book.

2) Thrift Stores. Not my favorite option as you have to sift through a lot of duds and commercially popular titles that aren’t necessarily your jam, to find a gem. But if I’m in the store anyway, I’ll always take a quick look through the shelves for something from my list.

3) PaperbackSwap. This is a website for people to “swap” books (and not just paperbacks, they also list audiobooks, books on cd, hardcovers, etc) by listing books you want to give, and searching lists of books others want to give. You pay a .50 swap fee on each book…but you only pay shipping when you send out a book. When you request a book, the shipping is on the sender, so it works itself out. The caveat here is there are rarely new titles being shared…so when I read a book I like by a new-to-me author, I look to PaperbackSwap for previous books that author wrote. It’s also good for classics…and relatively-new commercially popular titles.

4) Audible. This is an audio-book subscription. $14.95/month buys you one book a month. So I usually select the longest book on my wish list to get the most bang for my buck. But I just paused my subscription for Jan/Feb and I MAY cancel in March because I just discovered….

5) Chirp. another audiobook company, but instead of charging a monthly subscription fee, they charge by the book and they have a LOT of specials. So I’ve bought two books so far, one for .99 and the other for $1.99. So if you pay attention to the special offers (they email you daily) you can get MANY more books for $15 than you could with Audible. But like PaperbackSwap, they don’t have all the new titles like Audible does…so there’s that.

So, between those five methods (and my niece sharing her Nook book list with me!), I keep myself well-stocked with books in a pretty economical way. And I always consider book purchases as money well spent.

#1 Wellbutrin

As much as my doctor’s visit in the spring for a full physical irritated me no end, he really made up for all of it by prescribing me Wellbutrin. I realize this is not something anyone can just run to the corner drug store and buy, but…for me it has been life-changing.

I’d always sort of feared anti-depressants. I didn’t want to feel foggy or overly-stimulated or just not like myself…but this didn’t do any of those things. It just made me feel Not So Bad/Sad all the time.

I’m still no Suzy Sunshine, cuz that’s just not my nature, but…I FEEL better than I have in a very VERY long time. And when you feel better in your mind, you can do other things that will make you feel even better, like getting out more, being more active, taking control of your life.

So this one little thing, one little pill that I pay for monthly, has been, at the risk of being annoyingly repetitive, life-changing. And I’ll say, if you’ve been feeling poorly, depressed, sad, beaten down, low…do go talk to someone who may be able to help you. It can make a world of difference.

There you have it, my best buys of 2019. I feel like I have “all the essentials” now so this year can be a little less spendy. HA HA HA HA HA.

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