the january 2024 list
the january 2024 list
a monthly list of non-consumer things that i loved; how the month went emotionally, financially, and personally; and an update on my intentional buy
I’ve always been a new year resolutions type of person. During a team meeting in December, our “question of the day” was to rank Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s from best to worst. Mine was 1) New Year’s, 2) Christmas, then 3) Thanksgiving. I know it’s because my brain works in years. As December hits, I mentally begin to prepare myself for a fresh start. I do a full life reset and spend lots of time reflecting. It has become somewhat of a routine for me over the past couple of years; reflect, reset, and refresh. The transition from 2023 to 2024 was extra special because I got to spend it with Mr. Beans for the first time. For context, we’ve been long distance for the past two years (and we’ve been dating for almost three).
A list of items, feelings, or experiences that bring me joy without having to contribute to the worsening of the environment or my wallet.
Companies with great customer service
I experienced a surprising money win from this. I won’t mention the company as I’m not trying to influence anyone in buying items from this brand just for the sole purpose of returning it. I purchased a big ticket item (spent way more money than I should have, but if it were worth it then I would’ve justified it). The quality on it started deteriorating after a couple months, and when I realized I wanted to return it, I noticed I missed the return policy. After some back and forth (non-aggressive) emails with the company’s customer service, I was given the full refund back and was not required to return the actual product back to their warehouse. Truthfully, I was extremely nervous about returning it because it is a physically huge item that requires two strong people to pack up and carry. I’ve had this experience before with some other brands (not all, just a select few), and it makes me want to support them even more, knowing that they do stand by their products and that sometimes, defects happen.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
This was the first book I read in 2024. Keep in mind, I am a firm reads-book-for-free-first-before-buying type of person. I was able to find a free ebook online, and devoured this in 2 days. I think my in-depth Goodreads review explains how much I loved it. I also discovered later on that there was a television show adaptation of this book — let’s just say, watching the show with Mr. Beans made me feel so grateful for our relationship and the work we put in to get to where we are today. Here are some of my favorite quotes from my Notion Book Tracker.
“He seemed to think Marianne had access to a range of different identities, between which she slipped effortlessly. This surprised her, because she usually felt confined inside one single personality, which was always the same regardless of what she did or said. She had tried to be different in the past, as a kind of experiment, but it had never worked. If she was different with Connell, the difference was not happening inside herself, in her personhood, but in between them, in the dynamic. Sometimes she made him laugh, but other days he was taciturn, inscrutable, and after he left she would feel high, nervous, at once energetic and terribly drained.”
“If he silently decides not to say something when they’re talking, Marianne will ask ‘what?’ within one or two seconds. This ‘what?’ question seems to him to contain so much: not just the forensic attentiveness to his silences that allows her to ask in the first place, but a desire for total communication, a sense that anything unsaid is an unwelcome interruption between them. He writes these things down, long run-on sentences with too many dependent clauses, sometimes connected with breathless semicolons, as if he wants to recreate a precise copy of Marianne in print, as if he can preserve her completely for future review. Then he turns a new page in the notebook so he doesn’t have to look at what he’s done.”
“He said he wished he could show her, but there were always people around. He often makes blithe remarks about things he ‘wishes’. I wish you didn’t have to go, he says when she’s leaving, or: I wish you could stay the night. If he really wished for any of those things, Marianne knows, then they would happen. Connell always gets what he wants, and then feels sorry for himself when what he wants doesn’t make him happy.”
“When she thinks about how little she respects him, she feels disgusting and begins to hate herself, and these feelings trigger in her an overwhelming desire to be subjugated and in a way broken.”
“Not for the first time Marianne thinks cruelty does not only hurt the victim, but the perpetrator also, and maybe more deeply and more permanently. You learn nothing very profound about yourself simply by being bullied; but by bullying someone else you learn something you can never forget.”
If I convinced you to read this book or watch the show, then please let me know so I can proudly pat myself on the back.
Reddit
To clarify, my usage of Reddit is for information, not social media. I guess it makes sense as to why people can get addicted to Reddit (could never be me because that’s just too much reading and unmoderated, brainless arguments), but I use it for inspiration, productivity, or review purposes.
My favorite subreddits of all time are:
r/nobuy — Where people can discuss their plans for a “no buy” year. Very engaging community, and great if you’re also planning on embarking on one (low buy, intentional buy, etc.).
r/BuyItForLife — The best place for high quality recommendations! And this includes every item possible, from luggages to silverware to bedsheets.
r/Anticonsumption — This one is fun, more discussion and less adviced based. Lots of great websites, sentiments, and controversial opinions shared here.
r/digitalminimalism — If you’re looking to go on a social media detox, find ideas to simplify your digital life here.
r/HerOneBag — Similar to r/onebag, but geared towards women. I love the idea of bringing a simple, minimal bag when I go out or travel. Posts on r/onebag focus on more utility or male-oriented one bag ideas. r/HerOneBag is better simply because women naturally have different everyday purse needs than men (i.e., feminine hygiene, makeup, skincare, etc.).
r/declutter — As an ex-decluttering addict, I find myself vicariously living through other people’s declutters by reading their posts. It’s quite therapeutic.
I follow some other subreddits (i.e., r/minimalism, r/MinimalistBeauty, r/simpleliving, r/sustainability, r/ZeroWaste), but they’re not as interesting as the ones I’ve listed above! Oh, and honorable mention to r/TaylorSwift.
Experimenting with various to-do list systems
I’m actually a tad bit annoying when it comes to to do lists. I feel like I alternate between digital and physical every other month. At the start of January, I tried jotting down my to-do list in my journal. It was great… for some period of time. Then, I migrated to the Ellie Planner. I loved how minimal it was, but it was just too minimal for me, if you know what I mean? If I were to pay for an app (which this charges $5/month after the free 14 day trial), then I’d at least except more advanced functionality. I’m allowing myself to take time with these free trials until I find an app that makes me feel like I have my shit together.
Letterboxd
I am quite aware I’m very late to Letterboxd, but I love reading people’s reviews on the movies I’ve watched. I remember signing up for it, but hating the ads so much (they’re everywhere!!), that I stopped using it for a couple months. I’m dealing with it now, and the goal for this year is to watch 52 movies (one per week). I think that is very reasonable, considering I tend to watch more than one movie per week.
Here are some of my thoughts (beyond my short and quippy reviews from Letterboxd) from this month:
Interstellar (dir. Christopher Nolan)
Interstellar (2014) I remember when this movie first came out, I saw the trailer and felt bored. High school me was bored at this multiple award winning movie (the audacity!). I did not have an appreciation for film production back then, but now, I’m playing catch up as a result of my ignorance. I’ve been so used to the dramatization of space as a result of watching many Marvel films (~20) late last year, so the calm but realism in this movie made me feel much more stressed than I usually do. This was my first Matthew McConaughey film, and I didn’t expect him to be as yeehaw as he was. Also, is Anne Hathaway in all the greatest films made? I swear that woman gets cast for at least 30 roles per year.
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (dir. Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan)
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2023) If Michelle Yeoh were my mother, I would be the most obedient daughter ever. This movie had me on the edge of my seat with neurons firing right and left. If you asked me what I thought of the movie when it finished, you would’ve found me going “what the hell just happened, but wow that was incredible”.
Get Out (dir. Jordan Peele)
Get Out (2017) This is the first Peele film I’ve seen (I’ve only ever seen him on Key & Peele, of course), and I am beyond beyond impressed at the production. I’m not too keen on psychological thrillers but I would say this one is more of a political commentary disguised as a horror film. The script, directing, production, sound effects — chef’s kiss.
Beach walks
Mr. Beans and I went on two beach walks this month and both agreed that this must be a weekly activity. We live near relatively quiet beaches, so the walks are incredibly peaceful and relaxing. It also allowed us to reflect on our relationship, life, gratitudes, highs and lows for the week, our goals, and how we’d like to improve moving forward. We tend to be more reflective the closer we are to water, and this is the best place for us to seek solace after a long week of work.
Income ($5895.37) — This month, I made $5734.79 from my full-time job (includes 1 rollover paycheck from December), $94.79 from savings interest, and $66.79 from Money With Beans.
Mandatory Expenses ($2219.64, 37.6%) —
Rent ($1425.31). This annoyingly fluctuates per month because we are hit with a bunch of random fees, including trash valet, pest maintenance, cleaning, water, and occasionally one or two more utility charges. It usually adds around $80 on top of what we’re expected to pay (outside of our electricity and internet bill).
Therapy ($330). Each 45 minute session costs $165, and I go twice a month.
Doctor/Medication ($23.79). 90-day refill for antideps, which actually is a better deal than using my previous (mom’s) insurance. Downside is I don’t get reimbursed for my therapy appointments (my mom’s insurance covered around 60% of my out-of-pocket costs since my provider is out-of-network).
Spotify ($16.99). I am on a family plan with 5 other friends.
TV Streaming ($12). Asked a friend if I could share his Netflix and HBO Max plan with him.
Groceries ($44.40). This was purely a frozen fruit and frozen aloo parathas haul from the Indian market. I went home a twice this month, and my parents packed me 2 weeks worth of food when I drove back to my apartment.
Dates with Mr. Beans ($142.71). Celebrated his birthday, did some pottery, had a nice brunch. No gifts! See post about our date here. Pottery was paid for in December, which is why the total amount is higher on the Instagram post than what is stated here.
Socializing ($120.42). Really happy with this spend! Had three social “dates” this month!
Home/Life Maintenance ($51.60). Restocked on bulk foaming soap and tested out this new laundry detergent brand called Dirty Labs (pretty good so far).
Non-Essential Expenses ($1945.67, 33.0%) —
Cushion ($13.45). Upgraded my Peacock subscription at the beginning of the month because I absolutely hated the ads, and ended up canceling it halfway through the month. I also caved and got coffee during work one of the days.
Intentional Non-Essentials ($1932.22). I am still expecting a $360ish return that has yet to hit my account, so the actual spend is around $1600. See here for what I mean by this category. This was quite a steep spend — keep in mind, I rarely shop for clothes. However, when the new year started, I realized I needed a more work appropriate wardrobe. I will outline all the purchases that belong in this category under a section of this post called “Intentional Buy Update”.
Savings (Income - Expenses) ($1730.06, 29.3%) —
Truthfully, I don’t track how much I put into each savings bucket. On YNAB, I have two categories: beanie babies (small sinking funds) and bean bags (large sinking funds).
Beanie Babies include my Canva 2024 subscription ($24/mo), Mr. Bean’s gifts ($25/mo), and gifts for others ($5/mo).
Bean Bags include my Japan 2024 trip (Goal: $3500), Music (Funded for $700), and a new car (Goal: $60,000).
Pre-Tax Investments ($4865.20) — This is not part of the Income total; therefore, I haven’t assigned a percentage next to the total amount.
401K Match ( $793.84). My employer gives me a 8% match.
401K Contributions ($907.28). This is the amount I contribute.
403B Contributions ($3164.08). I’ve assigned 30% of my pre-tax paychecks to be allocated to this.
Some of my favorite highlights from this month include: 1) going my first art museum date with Mr. Beans, 2) doing pottery for the first time with Mr. Beans (together and also outside of art class in middle/high school), 3) getting a new journal and finding inspiration to bullet journal again, 4) finalizing my draft for the colon cancer paper, 5) having one article in press for publication, 6) slowly refreshing my capsule wardrobe with work-appropriate pieces, 7) late night calls with Bumble Beans, 8) allowing myself to binge television shows simply because I want to, 9) catching up with an old friend from graduate school, 10) being on top of my errands and life admin tasks, 11) finally took the time to list everything I wanted to sell!
All the books, movies, shows, and YouTube videos I read/watched this month.
literature
Normal People by Sally Rooney, 4.5 stars
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, 5 stars
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, 4.7 stars
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood, 4 stars
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings, 4 stars
film
The Twilight Sage: New Moon (dir. Chris Weitz), 1 star
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (dir. David Slade), 3 stars
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (dir. Bill Condon), 3.5 stars
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (dir. Bill Condon), 3 stars
Interstellar (dir. Christopher Nolan), 5 stars
Get Out (dir. Jordan Peele), 5 stars
Everything Everywhere All At Once (dir. Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan), 5 stars
Ant-Man (dir. Peyton Reed), 3 stars
Short Term 12 (dir. Destin Daniel Cretton), 3.5 stars
Little Women (dir. Greta Gerwig), 5 stars
shows
Normal People - S1, 5 stars
Bel Air - S2, 3.5 stars
Anne with an E - S1-S3, 5 stars
My Life With The Walter Boys - S1E1, 0 stars
youtube
These are my favorite videos that I’ve watched from start to finish.
third places, stanley cup mania, and the epidemic of loneliness by Mina Le
3 tips to make getting dressed easier and faster! (without buying new clothes!) by Jennifer Wang
How to tell the difference between good and bad quality clothes (in 5 easy points!) by Jennifer Wang
my plans to ACTIVELY avoid the LIFESTYLE INFLATION! by Catchy Cravings
I only wore 33 pieces of clothing for 3 months. | project 333 recap, minimalist capsule wardrobe by Anika Green
I posted my rules a month ago, so I won’t be copying and pasting them onto this newsletter to avoid redundancy. However, this is a summary of my guidelines:
No more than 36 purchases.
No Amazon.
Gift experiences or something homemade/edible instead of a physical gift.
Explore secondhand instead of buying new.
Pre-fund all non-essentials.
Repair first.
Stop swapping a product out with an eco-friendly version if it’s lower quality.
No more experimental items.
Limit subscriptions (no more than one subscription per category)
my purchases
Here is everything I’ve purchased (and kept) so far: 10 items for $977.94.
MD Paper A4 Journal ($25). I’ve been using my old notebook from 2021 that’s now a hodgepodge of work tasks, random notetaking, journal entries, and sketches. It’s been stressing me out quite a bit, so when I went to a local stationary store, I decided to pick this journal up. So far, it’s been great. Not much to say — I got the dotted version and the bleeding is very slight while using a 0.3 mm pen.
Green floral washi tape ($5). This is my first washi tape, and I’ve been really loving the color green.
Custom font ($4.14). I’ve been feeling a bit tired of using one font for my graphics, so I decided to purchase a new font to switch things up (at least for the title of each graphic). Also, this purchase was inspired by Winie who asked me where I found my fonts (it’s Etsy, for those who are curious).
Sézane Betty Cardigan ($170). Saying the Betty cardigan is beautiful is an understatement. It’s delicate yet structured, casual but also business appropriate; the dichotomy of two style desires captured into one item of clothing. I need this in all the colors. I’m also sure there are Swifties who work at Sézane because Betty? Cardigan? (and you’ll see this again in item #6).
Sézane Leontine Cardigan ($125). Oh, what a beautiful little cardigan. It’s a little baggy but in the best way possible. Plus, I love the ecru/camel colorway together!
Sézane Auguste Jacket ($235). “Salt air, and the rust on your door…” This was quite a splurge, but I love it. It gives little Asian grandma energy, and what more could I even ask for?
Everlane The Dream Pant in Tiger’s Eye ($88). So happy that this fits me!! It’s extremely comfortable, soft, but heavyweight (no unnecessary lines showing). Plus, it’s super bloat and period friendly!
Not Perfect Linen Puglia Straight Cut Linen Pants ($103.50). I will admit, I was inspired to make a purchase from NPL after watching Eugenia Diaz’s video on her minimalist wardrobe. I haven’t felt inspired watching anyone else’s capsule wardrobe videos until I came across hers, and I now want to give off a cozy corporate but farmhouse fairy vibe (through my clothes). Disclaimer: I have not received NPL items because they are made to order. I expect to receive them in late-February. It is possible for me to return #8 & #9, but not #10 (due to customization).
Not Perfect Linen Doolin High-Waisted Linen Pants ($110.70). See #8.
Not Perfect Linen Doolin Short Sleeve Midi Mama Linen Dress ($111.60). This video sold me on this dress; I used some of the same adjustments that this creator used for hers. This item isn’t return-able.
my returns
Here’s what I’ve returned (to be transparent about the massive volume of clothes I’ve purchased this month and how grateful I am for flexible return policies): 12 items for $1690.99.
Sézane Matthew Trousers in Hazelnut ($175). Too big on me.
Sézane Matthew Trousers in Navy Blue ($175). Too big on me.
Sézane Chlo Shirt ($125). Fit weirdly. Ruffles did not lay flat (perhaps it’s because I got the poplin version; I wonder if the silk one looks better).
Sézane Betty Cardigan ($170). Wanted to size up so I could wear sweaters underneath.
Sézane Tomboy Shirt ($110). Fit was uncomfortable.
Sézane LouLou Trousers ($180). Too long.
Sézane Damon Trousers ($170). Gave me a wedgie.
Banana Republic Lido Wide-Leg Italian Wool Pant ($139.99). Not lined so it was quite itchy. Also very long!
Banana Republic The Oversized Shirt ($90). Fit weirdly.
Everlane The Washable Clean Silk Relaxed Shirt ($150). I actually found a similar shirt when I visited my parents house, that my mom told me to use for work. There’s no need to own two silk white button downs!
Everlane The Washable Clean Silk Short-Sleeve Square Shirt ($98). Fits too boxy on me. Doesn’t look very flattering.
Everlane The Dream Pant in Dark Forest ($98). I bought a medium and large, and ended up keeping the medium. The large was in this dark forest colorway (beautiful, I might add!).
a reflection
*awkward silence*. Truth to be told, I didn’t expect myself to purchase this many items. It is quite embarassing, and there have been numerous times where I felt tempted to not share this information because I didn’t to be viewed as a financial fraud, struggling to reach goals. I am still motivated to reach my Intentional Buy goals. It might seem unrealistic at this point, since I’m already through a third of the number of non-essentials I’m allowed to buy, albeit it only being a twelfth of the way through the year. I know that once I have my wardrobe in a state that feels good to me (I’m not greedy and I don’t need much to be happy), then I’ll stop. The goal for February is to have zero non-essential purchases (because if I keep going at this rate, I will most definitely surpass 36 items).
I will be posting about my capsule wardrobe in a couple months — if you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I’m trying to minimize my closet down to 33 items (all seasons, as I live in Southern California). If I were to successfully sell the items that “don’t spark joy”, I’d be left with 29 items, which gives me ample-ish room for the new pieces I just added.
Instagram, where I’m the most active and post stories every day about my life, every non-essential purchase I make, my Goodreads/Letterboxd reviews, my progress with my academic papers goal, and more!
I use Wealthfront for my high yield savings account, and if you use my link, we both get 0.50% added to their current APY for the first three months! The base APY at this moment is a whopping 5.00%
All my Notion templates can be found and purchased here. Follower favorites are the Capsule Wardrobe Tracker and Digital Goal Setting Toolkit.
Here’s my Bento for all my links consolidated into one webpage!
See you next week!
