Best of 2024: Purchases
The best things I bought in 2024.
And here we are with the best things I purchased in 2024! We had some furniture, some apparel, a bit of artwork, and some random bits and bobs that served me well over the course of the year. All the links are up-to-date and working as of this posting but are always subject to change, particularly as clothing sells out.
It was time for a new pair of Tevas at the top of the year and the Hurricane Xlt2s came highly recommended by Sarah, so I got a new pair ahead of my trip to New Mexico and they are amazing. They don’t need any break-in time, they fit beautifully, and almost a year later I continue to be obsessed with them. amazon affiliate link
I finally got a tv! Yes, that’s right, nearly 8 months after moving into my apartment — once March Madness and the T20 World Cup started — I finally walked myself to the appliance store in Astoria and picked out a television. I had never actually bought one before, always inheriting them from roommates, so it was nerve-wracking and also exciting. I got a good deal on a Samsung QLED, and I love it. full disclosure: this was a belated Christmas present from my parents that I took a few extra months to cash in on
Amber Share’s Subpar Parks jigsaw puzzle finally came back in stock so of course I ordered one for myself and immediately assembled it. ed note: as of this writing it is out of stock again, but if you sign up for email alerts you’ll be notified when it’s back
One of my purchases of the year was this shirtdress from Everlane. Shirtdresses are usually tough for me but this one hits perfectly in all the places and I’m obsessed with the cut, so much so that when they had a 25% off sale I bought it in a second color. I pretty much lived in these through summer and fall and got compliments each time I wore them.
ed note: I made some other great late spring clothing purchases, but of course by now they are all sold out so you’ll just have to use your imagination :)
A new friend opened an Etsy store last spring and I used her Mother’s Day sale to order this print that reminded me of my trip to New Mexico.
As an early birthday present my parents sponsored the final few items I needed for my apartment, so when Sarah was in town in May we ventured to the Red Hook IKEA and then spent most of her visit assembling everything:
KALLAX shelf unit that serves as a nightstand / bookshelf / extra storage in my bedroom
SKRUVBY cabinet for extra kitchen items and also because that blue is dreamy
ALEX drawer unit so that I now have a place for office supplies / sharpies / tax documents / etc etc
After a big shopping month in May I cut back on expenditures in June, but I couldn’t resist ordering a Hula in a Sari print and this Swinging in Saris tote bag from Namrata Kumar’s online store. ed note: the tote bag sells out quickly so if you want one be sure to act fast
I didn’t mention this in a monthly recap but back in July I purchased two of these Muji oil-based twin tip permanent markers and they have become indispensable in my life. I use the thin tip for underlining in books and writing postcards, and the marker came in very handy when writing my St. Jude thank you cards. They’re incredible and I will be purchasing more so I can have one in each bag.
REI had one of their “Member Day” events and I had rewards to use, so I got this fleece, a narrow-mouth Nalgene, and this Patagonia tote/pack. My mother liked the fleece so much we had to go purchase one for her, and Patagonia pack has been used multiple times including on my most recent India trip.
I got two new sweaters from The Gap for Diwali — this one and this one. Shout out to fall sales and rewards points and cozy sweaters. The purple has been a particular favorite this winter.
I took advantage of the holiday sales and claimed my Christmas presents early — this coat [in that lovely deep green color and 40% off] from my mother that I am low-key obsessed with, and a new laptop from my father so I could finally retire my old one after 9 years of service.
I took advantage of Cyber Monday to trade in my old Kindle Paperwhite for a new one. With the 20% off plus the $30 trade-in value for my 2019 version I got a great deal, and now my phone and my AirPods and my Kindle all use the same charging cable which makes travel so much easier [until they all change again]. amazon affiliate link
I have had my eye on a new pair of Nike sneakers, and thanks to a discount plus two gift cards cobbled together from credit card points I scored two pairs for a total of $50 so I decided to get both — these Air Max SCs and these Air Max Correlates. Strictly speaking I don’t *need* two more pairs of sneakers, but they were such a good deal and are both very comfortable and so here we are.
Got myself this rechargeable lighter and am happy with it. amazon affiliate link
A huge shoutout goes out to my parents for assisting with a lot of the big purchases in 2024 — the tv, most of the IKEA furniture, and the laptop. Life would have looked a lot different in so many ways without their support.
Would love to hear what your favorite / best purchases of 2024 were!
xx
in case you missed them: 2024 books // 2024 movies + tv // 2024 podcasts // 2024 recipes