non-essentials i bought in 2023
non-essentials i bought in 2023
disclaimer: i did not go on a low buy until november 2023
december is my favorite month of the year, because it’s usually bombarded with reflection. i’m somewhat of a daydreamer, a introspective thinker, a “let’s make lists and organize our life in calendars so we achieve all that we can”. do i usually achieve everything? absolutely not. but am i satisfied with my project by the end of each year? absolutely.
if you found me through instagram (which most of you might be coming from), thank you for supporting me and the little projects (e.g., my notion templates, discord server, instagram post collaborations) i’ve started as a result of creating this account. i’ve always wanted to be a blogger growing up, and this is me achieving my middle school dreams.
last but not least, some of my posts (such as this one) will be heavily inspired by one of my favorite writers of all time, amy gijsbers van wijk. you can subscribe to their substack here.
winter 2023
every year, i find myself being suddenly motivated to care for my hair in the month of january (i’m saying this in present tense because i want to revamp my whole haircare routine as i’m typing this, and we’re two weeks away from january 1st). earlier this year, i was working from home at a (cursed) job i absolutely hated, and i didn’t have a lot of friends who i could hang out with on a weekly (or even bi-weekly) basis. life was cold, dreary, and rough. oh, and i also was navigating a long distance relationship with mr. beans.
spring 2023
this was a good season for my finances. the list of items i regret buying is the shortest here. i was also dealing with a lot of anxiety and depressive episodes from the (cursed) job (that sucked the living soul out of me). as a result of my mental health problems, i switched therapists from one who took my insurance to an out-of-network provider who i used to see in 2020. life didn’t miraculously become better after switching therapists, but i began piece my behavior and thought patterns together. my sadness began to make sense, and i began to identify ways to address these in a healthy manner. oh and relationship-wise, mr. beans and i celebrated our 2 years of dating in may!
summer 2023
i transitioned into my current job around june. it felt like a breath of fresh air, and my mental health improved significantly. i suddenly, randomly, for absolutely no reason wanted to add dresses to my capsule wardrobe. i find that every year, there’s always a clothing category that takes over my mind and makes me so convinced that i need it. during the summer, i went to two music events (the iconic eras tour and head in the clouds), met bumble beans (for those who are new, i call the woman who i matched with on bumble bff “bumble beans” — she’s become my best friend instantaneously and i’m so grateful for her. this is proof that bumble bff works!). i also was gifted a beautiful fujifilm x100v from mr. beans, so i think you could say that this was when i embarked on my photography era.
autumn 2023
mr. beans accepted a job offer at a company that was extremely close to where i currently work, so we moved into our new and beautiful apartment in august. ultimately, this was my highest spend month because of all the furniture-related expenses. it made ill to see everything i purchased, but i did put aside $15,000 for the sole purpose of making my apartment warm, cozy, and mid-century modern. i wanted it to feel like me, you know? so quite a lot of financial damage was done. i was able to take advantage of black friday deals during this period of time! i think i spent around $11,000 - $12,000 altogether, while mr. beans spent a couple thousand more. by the end of this year, both mr. beans and i sat down to examine our finances and felt sick to our stomachs. we were both raised with frugal-ish parents (mine more than his), and if our parents know how much we spent on furniture, we would never hear the end of it. the announcement that mint was shutting down was frustrating, but also a blessing because i learned to use the budgeting tool, you need a budget (it’s free for college students). i’ve never felt this in control of my finances and sinking funds until using this app. a bonus—we’re able to get our subscriptions for free since mr. beans is enrolled in a master’s program and he was able to invite me to his plan.
here is the list of non-essentials i bought in 2023
sports bra - cute for the time being, but inadequate coverage. i will consider selling this in the future. i should have stuck to my tried and true lululemon one and purchased another in a different color.
makeup oil cleanser + body wash - the oil cleanser triggered my rosacea but luckily the brand accepted returns! the body wash, however, was a waste of money because it didn’t foam up well.
as mentioned earlier, i was in my “i need healthy hair right now” era in january. i purchased some mini hair products from sephora to test after getting some recommendations from wendyskin (the girl who dyes her hair every month and somehow still has more hair than i do). the only product i liked from this haul was the fable & mane pre-wash oil.
continuation from above, the k18 hair mask was a dumb decision (i’ve never dyed my hair but i know it’s great for colored/damaged hair)…
…vegamour shampoo was no better than a drugstore one…
…and the kerastase elixir serum did not do anything for me (plus it smelled like old grandma)
hair growth serum - a complete waste of money. unless it’s prescribed by my dermatologist, i’m never spending money on products like this ever again. i missed the return window but was able to sell it on ebay
related to the hair products journey, i purchased jojoba oil from amazon. after spending so much at sephora for expensive hair care products, i went back to basics. while jojoba is fine in itself, i really liked how luxurious the fable & mane pre-wash oil smelled and felt. however, jojoba oil is extremely versatile because when i ran out of my makeup remover, i used this to take off my waterproof eyeliner and mascara.
over the door hooks (x2) (amazon) - these are actually really great. there are two in each pack! i use them to hang towels and my microfiber hair turban.
drawer organizers (amazon)
handheld vacuum (amazon) - still very happy w/ this purchase! it is extremely convenient to clean elevated flat surfaces (like my coffee table). battery life is quite impressive - to be honest, i don’t know where the charger is so i’m praying it doesn’t die any time soon
mascara primer (amazon) - wouldn’t repurchase. i realized the craft of keeping lashes curled and voluminous is to use two different kinds of mascara (one for lengthening, one for volumizing).
i was in my “i want to be creative with my lattes at home” era and bought too many syrups. the vanilla syrup is probably my fav bc it’s the most basic…
…the biggest regret was the brown sugar cinnamon syrup (it was disgusting). what’s worse is that i purchased two and didn’t return it in time…
…the caramel syrup was meh. i didn’t like the aftertaste but it was tolerable…
…not torani branded but i was influenced to buy an apple puree infused syrup bc i wanted to make a caramel apple latte. it was disgusting
12oz oxo squeeze bottle (amazon) - life changing item, i can’t live without it (kind of an essential but not really?). it drives me nuts when condiments spill on the side of the bottle when capped. this happens a lot with oil and maple syrup. no more with these bottles!! they are leakproof to a T…
i also own the 16oz version which i like more bc i mean, they fit more and are the same circumference
two tiered drawer organizer (amazon)
round ice cube tray (amazon) - waste of money, too much work to take out from the molds. cute though!
reusable pet hair remover (amazon) - similar to a lint roller, but reusable! what an innovative little item.
64 gb memory card (amazon) - pursued photography as a hobby this year
uv lens filter (amazon) - pursued photography as a hobby this year
soft release shutter button (amazon) - pursued photography as a hobby this year
camera wrist strap (amazon) - pursued photography as a hobby this year
ummon matcha powder - forgot to cancel the subscription and was unable to return these. big fail.
vanilla bean paste (amazon) - same with above
hand soap dispenser (amazon) - for the guest bathroom
mini stainless steel funnels (amazon)
linen storage bins (amazon)
bamboo expandable drawer organizer (x2) (amazon)
shower caddy (x2) (amazon) - these are great. love love love. one for my products and the other for mr. bean’s
microwave lid (amazon)
bath mat rug (amazon) - one for the guest bath
electric candle lighter (amazon)
tree bookshelf (amazon)
i got the book beach read (my goodreads review here)…
…and people we meet on vacation (review here) bc those were the only emily henry paperback books (i just really dislike hardcover). the goal is to annotate in them next year!
philips hue led lightstrip (amazon)
led connectors (amazon) - for one of the lightstrips
box cutter (amazon) - not going to lie, these are actually life-changing; no more struggling to open boxes with a pair of scissors. they also came in a pack of two!
shoe rack (amazon) - debating whether this is a need or a non-essential because it does save us from a headache of shoes piling on top of each other
bar stools (amazon) - also hovering between essential or non-essential. my new apartment has a kitchen island so bar stools just made sense to buy. however, i could have either purchased cheaper ones or not buy any at all
plastic stackable shoe organizer (amazon) - a pain to construct but these are quite nice. i bought them because i once saw them go viral on tiktok.
shower curtain (amazon) - for our guest bathroom
silicone self-adhesive hooks (amazon)
candle warmer (amazon)
stainless steel straws (amazon)
photo frame (amazon) - idk why i spent $53 for this but i regret it
tombow pens (amazon)
pentel 0.3 mm pen (amazon) - these are officially my new fav writing/journaling pen, replacing the muji 0.33 mm pen
culinary knife (amazon) - wow this was expensive. purchased this specific one after scouring r/BuyItForLife
all purpose kitchen shears (amazon)
i find myself wanting to buy korean beauty at least once a year. i put in an order on yesstyle and ordered the beauty of joseon radiance cleansing balm (did what it’s supposed to but not my favorite)…
the cosrx snail cream, which i was surprised with because it did irritate my skin! i remember using the snail essence years ago and really liked it. ended up giving it to my mom..
mineral sunscreen, which irritated my rosacea. it was recommended by liah yoo on youtube and i wanted to find a more blendable mineral sunscreen. this one was not it…
lastly, the brown pencil liner, which was surprisngly the best purchase out of all of them. this was literally $6.63, and i still have it in my collection! i would 100% repurchase this because it’s so easy to use + looks beautiful
nail polish - another phase i entered earlier this year bc of instagram
spf lip balm - added lip balm to my order for sunscreen get free shipping. it ended up irritating my lips bc the spf in it was chemical (not mineral)
madewell jackets, one for me and another for mr. beans - this jacket looks so good on mr. beans but a bit clunky on me. i hate to say i’ve only worn it around 4-5 times
so… i bought a total of 5 christy dawn dresses. i got the katrina dress in lavender gingham for the eras tour. it was my attempt to channel speak now (my fav era) and a lil bit of folklore…
…the nicks dress for that special occasion…
…the serena dress because it looked cute but it kind of looks frumpy on me? i actually tried to sell it but i saw a picture of me wearing it for friendsgiving and i quite like how it looks on me! i also got this on sale…
…the haiden dress, which caught my eye because it had this beautiful blue flower print. it is a bit frumpy but i have worn it quite a number of times and it’s growing on me. i also got this on sale…
…lastly, the margaux dress, probably my favorite one so far. it gives vintage sailor moon vibes and i love! it’s work appropriate but i am also able to wear it out and about.
eyeliner - smudges. still on the hunt for a good gel eyeliner for the waterline that does not smudge
uniqlo sling bag - yes, the viral one. ended up replacing it with the baggu one since i could never keep anything organized in the uniqlo one. i actually made a post about it!
beanbag + ottoman - probably my stupidest purchase all year since it was $1K+. everyone who has come over loves this dang thing, but i should have found one that was $900 cheaper. a plus is that two people can fit and i could easily fall asleep on it
poly-fil (amazon) - to stuff the item above bc the fill they originally used was way too hard and uncomfortable
eras cups + bucket - not sure why i decided to get two eras specific drink cups but i got a medium and large size. the medium is holding my tombow pens and the large size is somewhere collecting dust.
however, the bucket is insanely cute and made of aluminum!
anthropologie reed diffusers and diffuser oil - something i really want for my apartment is to make it have a unique (but beautiful) scent. this specific scent has received so many compliments from friends, so yet again, this is an item that is hovering over essential/non-essential territory
medium compression packing cubes - i can’t seem to find the ones i purchased in 2020 so that’s a money fail in itself. it also isn’t a need particularly but i do like organization (especially when it’s travel-related; do you see a pattern here?). i got these in a beautiful pink color! i get two per pack!
small compression packing cubes - see above, but this time i got it in a beautiful matcha flower print.
travel organizer to keep my loose charging cords when i travel
key pouch - mr. beans thinks this is one of the dumbest purchases i’ve made but i think it’s cute! it was absolutely unnecessary though
baggu crescent bag — my everyday carry. love love love this bag so much
baggu reusable bags — this are surprisingly sturdy! i now own 5 of them (mr. beans lost one of mine sigh)
mr. beans lost my go-toob squeeze bottles at a hotel, so i’ve been on the lookout to replace them. i didn’t like how fat the go-toobs were because only 2 really fit in my toiletry bag. now enter, cadence capsules - i’ve wanted this for so long! they had a black friday sale so i finally got them. expensive as hell, and not sure if it’s worth it just yet.
neiwai underwear - big regret. i emailed them saying i wanted to return, but they don’t allow undergarment returns so i ended up getting partial store credit
freja paloma tote - i did a whole post about this on instagram; long story short: it was way too bulky for my liking, and quite heavy as well! i sadly was only able to return this for store credit. i hope to use the credit for a small purse that i can take to fancy occasions, since i only own my baggu.
mysweetchub’s chubby fruit sticker pack - for my discord server’s emojis. join for free here! i’ve been following maisy leigh and her sister (mysweetchubs) for the longest time! i’ve been really tempted to buy one of the wallpapers that mysweetchubs designed… she is so beyond talented!
wanted some more so i also got the part two of the chubby fruits sticker pack
merit beauty brow gel - not sure if i like this product yet but i did throw out my anastasia brow freeze (even though it was still usable) because i did not like how there was white residue on my brows after application. it’s not as lifting as the brow freeze, so i’m a bit meh about it. i would love to find a tinted brow gel that has as strong of a hold as the freeze but doesn’t leave any residue
matcha keycaps
key switches - i used to have blue (?) switches but they were way too clicky! i switched to silent linear switches and they’re amazing
i found myself down a ceramics rabbit hole on instagram and really wanted them as accent decor for my apartment. i found this small biz and knew i needed ceramics - just wanted to support a small business! i ended up choosing the chubby cow mug….
…a chubby shiba mug for mr. beans…
…a mushroom planter with horns…
…and a mushroom planter waving hi
entryway organizer - this is quite a practical purchase, albeit expensive. we installed it right at the entrance and it has a mirror, little tray to keep keys, wallets, etc., and hooks!
for ~entertaining the guests~, i got the azn flush og pack vol 2 (my fav pack)…
the fire chicken noodle pack (prob more fun if i were in undergrad - i regret spending $20 on this)…
and keep face, a charades game that i haven’t tried yet w/ friends!
gantri table lamp - i bought three in total; however, two are necessary, and one is just for the aesthetics that we keep on our entertainment console
canva pro membership - i don’t make much from instagram, but it is nice to have a cohesive feed that brings me joy to look at
etsy font - if anyone’s curious, i use a custom font for all my graphs on instagram!
money with beans custom icon - prior to my current icon, i had an adorable little bean graphic that i found on canva. it was functional, but i wanted to have something a bit more unique as i’m trying to create this brand for myself
desk cart - this is actually really practical but i bought it from west elm and shiiii- it was expensive.
plush rug - $800 for a rug that sheds like crazy? never again. this was also a complete pain to set. i’m currently trying to see if i can return it (even though i’m past the return period sigh)
please note that i did not include purchases that i personally deem as essential (but it might not seem essential to you!). they include but aren’t limited to a new bed frame, comforter, bedsheets, and skincare that i know works on my rosacea-prone skin. i’ve really debated whether organizers are an essential or non-essential. some of them are so incredibly useful that the apartment would be a chaotic mess if it weren’t for them. however, could i have makeshift some cardboxes from other purchases we made and used them as organizers? absolutely.
experiences and takeout/food delivery were removed from this list. while going to a festival or getting take-out is not particularly essential, this list might be 4x as long if i included the places i regret eating at or the times i succumbed to doordash/uber eats for a quick meal.
last but not least, the items are listed in no particular order.
what now?
one thing i preach on my account is taking the time to analyze your data, especially your financial data. it’s not all about “oh, i now need to cut down on this category” but instead:
what time of the year do you tend to purchase the most?
what are your spending triggers?
what are the items you deeply regret (if you had the chance to return it, you would do so in an instant)? what could you have done differently to avoid this purchase?
do these purchases align with your values? to answer this, you should already know what your values are and why you’re pursuing a no/low/intentional buy.
what are systems you can implement in place to stop you from impulsively buying something that isn’t an essential? some ideas include having an accountability partner (join my discord to find one!), using a wishlist that you can reference during sale seasons (i offer a free notion wishlist tracker here!), and removing your credit card information from websites, unsubscribing from amazon prime
according to the information i’ve presented above, here’s what i’ve found
time of the year: it’s always been march-may and aug-oct where i tend to spend the most. though this year is an anomaly since i moved into a new apartment, it just so coincides with my high spend months (how dangerous!).
merchant: amazon was a big one. it is just way too easy to buy things with a click of a finger, which is why i need to take a step back from this. since my dad uses prime and lets me borrow his account, i’ll only use this platform when i want to watch movies/tv shows (waiting for the next season of the summer i turned pretty). also also also - the subscription option on amazon is so dangerous because so many clicks are necessary to cancel the subscription. it’s not worth the effort and potential waste of money if you forget to cancel it (refunds aren’t allowed)
values: i really struggled with supporting brands that align with my sustainability-oriented values. it’s easy being a minimalist and finding high quality pieces. however, not every company that sells high quality items does good work for the planet and their people. i hope to explore these values more deeply and honor them in the upcoming year.
the hobby trap: i really fell into the “hobby trap”, a term i coined three seconds ago. it means being sucked into a specific and niche hobby that spans less than the amount of money you’ve invested into it. i thought i’d be a coffee connoisseur and an amateur nail artist. ultimately, i’ve landed on photography, content creation using canva, and reading as my current hobbies. i really don’t need any more, because knowing me, i will get bored easily and move on
stop flaring your rosacea: if i didn’t have rosacea, i’d probably have a 5-6 step skincare routine. i just love skincare so much, but my skin can’t take it - it gets angry at me every time something new is introduced. i’ve wasted a bit of money this year thinking my skin could handle products that market themselves as “eczema-friendly” or “for sensitive skin”, but the reality is la roche posay is the only brand that could truly handle my problematic skin. period.
what’s in store for 2024?
i’m still finalizing my 2024 intentional (not low) buy rules—this will include items that i’m allowed to purchase without hesitation, items that i can buy if i do have the money for it and will count towards my “non-essential” list, and items that i’m not allowed to buy.
thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. let’s chat! feel free to direct message me on instagram about your thoughts or leave a comment below!