I wanted to reflect on my purchases in 2020 and properly analyse which purchases have really impacted me in a positive way, and which purchases have been unnecessary. And hence, this post.

I'll start with the best purchases :) I'll try my best to best as honest as I can to myself.

Best Purchases in 2020

(in no particular order)

1) Kenwood Chef XL KVL4100S Stand Mixer

Price: RM1,956

I know. Me myself was utterly shocked at myself when I made this purchase. I bought this mixer there and then at a physical shop in a mall...when I knew I probably could have gotten it cheaper online.

(Anyway - the price has dropped by RM200 ishh :((( but oh well this happens)

Dog to scale...it is a...huge mixer

Butttt. It just felt right after viewing and having the salesperson to answer my queries and concerns. I was worried that I might regret my purchase since it was done rather a haste. *trying hard to justify my haste purchase)*

Okay yes I admit it was bought off an impulse. A strong impulse. But I think this is definitely one of my best purchase in the year 2020. Owning a stand mixer has been a game-changer. Making bread and cakes has never been easier. I did a very brief review of this stand mixer and also documented how I chose a stand mixer in this blog post.

See how tot and tight the dough produced by the stand mixer is!

I can easily make bread at home, even on weekdays as most time is passive! I'll just leave it on and do my work at a side and tend to it the dough is almost ready. The only downside of owning this machine is that I am using the oven really frequent now and my electricity bill has since skyrocketed...oopsie. But honestly, I felt much more confident trying out new recipes after I've acquired this stand mixer :) This stand mixer is like the fuel to my already burning bright hobby of baking :p

2) IKEA Flintan Chair with Armrest

Price: RM289

With the prolonged remote working arrangement now, having a proper chair has been more crucial than ever. I used a simple plastic chair from IKEA that costs probably around RM30 ss my work chair. It works fine, BUT, I realised that it wasn't ideal for working long hours after two weeks into the WFH situation and decided to invest in a proper chair. I opted for the Flintan after much research, because it seems to be the most affordable chair that provide ergonomic support.

However, as I tend to slouch (unconsciously)...I still do get neck and/or backaches. But it's a lot better compared to when I didn't even use a proper ergonomic chair, as the structure of the chair forces me to somewhat sit properly. Not 100% properly, but at least better than before.

3) Foldable bamboo lap desk

Price: RM48.88

I have always wanted to buy one of these lap desk because I'm a lazy bump that enjoys using the laptop on her bed. I bought this the moment CMCO 2.0 was announced in October, knowing that we will be spending more time indoors, I thought why not try out one of these.

In the end, I barely used it on the bed because....one day my laptop slid and fell off the bed while using this. Ouch.

(Laptop is doing well so far. Hope it stays okay. Yes I know I am careless human being)

Despite so. This has been one of the best purchases I've made last year because:

1) It helps me ensure that my eyes are 180 to the screen. I now use it to level my laptop screen and my eyes on my desk.

2) I've never used my laptop on the bed since (after a painful lesson huhu)

4) Cast Iron Skillet

Price: RM55

Having a cast iron skillet allowed me to explore recipes that I wasn't able to explore previously such as pork Carnitas, Dak-Galbi, baked pasta, Japanese Char Siew. I use my cast iron pan as a "steamer" too in my oven when baking crusty bread.

I love that I can dump the cast iron skillet straight from the stovetop to the oven.

Dak-Galbi on my cast iron (:

Note that you can still try out the recipes I've mentioned above without a cast iron pan :) I just love the extra "char" from the cast iron pan.

5) Getting my hair dyed professionally at Kimarie SS2 hair saloon

Price: RM259

I was surprised by the fact that I opted to go to a saloon, to be honest. If you know me I'm one of the biggest cheapskate when it comes to these kind of spending. I am the type of people who believe that it's much more worth it to buy a box of dye for about RM30-50 and DIY at home! Why would I pay like ten folds more when I can do it for cheap myself!

But somehow. Somehow. Not sure how and why. But when I saw a targetted advert on my Facebook account by Kimmarie SS2, offering a cut & wash + dye + hair colour lock treatment service for RM199 (extra RM50 surcharge for hair length that exceeds shoulder), I decided to give it a go.

Good job, Facebook ad algorithm. Because I think that was one of the best decision I've ever made. LOL.

~SyOk sEnDiRi zone~

but hey! this little makeover made me feel good and confident about myself :) It wasn't a drastic change but I liked the change it brought to me :)

My hairdresser was Chong Iu, he was really patient in explaining the types of hair colour that would look good and last longer with my hair colour, which was pretty jet black at that time. He recommended me to either go for Copper Black, which has a nice brown shade BUT is higher in maintenance as the colour tend to fade to a dirty brown colour, or ash brown, which would go lighter as time passes and is deemed more 'low maintenance'. I decided to go for the latter.

It's been six months since I dyed my hair and the colour is holding itself strong. I still like how it looks till date, even though my black hair has since grown out. I quite like the change in the shade of colour from black to brown!

6) New pillow from Akemi

Price: Less than RM10, purchased using vouchers given by my school as a farewell gift

I've had my old pillows for...god knows how many years. I've gotten myself a contour pillow from Akemi and I absolutely love it, been sleeping much better after the swap :) ! Pillows are an investment worth splurging on as it ensures a good night sleep!

And my little Aussie get to inherit my old pillow

7) Reusable Face Mask from Aeon (A Mask Story)

Price: RM15

I love these masks from A Mask Story so much! Despite being 5-layers with filters built-in, I find them comfy and breathable :) They fit nicely and the straps are adjustable.

I am currently using my second face mask from them. I've read somewhere that it is recommended that we change our reusable face mask once every six months or so. I've tried Uniqlo's one but I find that Uniqlo's one is not as breathable and it doesn't fit me as nicely as this one from A Mask Story :)

Reusable mask = reduce the usage of disposable mask!

You may get these mask on Aeon online store or in-store :) You'll see them everywhere around the payment counters. Wow it's only RM9.90 now on their online store :O

8) This RM10 dress I thrifted

Price: RM10

I love this dress so much. It fits me just nice. I love the design. AND it's RM10. It's from H&M. This dress brought me so much joy! Bought it from 2nd Street SS15!

9) Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic

Price: RM39 (thank you 11.11 sale! Original price was RM129)

Wireless earbuds are an absolute gamechanger. These wireless earbuds gives me the freedom to walk around, perform my mundane everyday mundane task (Eg: put the kettle on, make coffee) while listening to podcasts.

I used to have a Jabra wireless earphone many years ago but I don't use it often as it doesn't fit comfortably on my ears, the Bluetooth connectivity was kinda slow, and the battery life was short-ish, even though that cost me almost RM200+! (PS this was like back in 2016, and I believe wireless products now have much better connectivity and battery life)

I was a little sceptical when I first purchased this, I only bought it because it was on sale, RM39, from RM129 :P Happy to report that I'm loving it! The fit of Xiaomi's one felt much better, the Bluetooth connection has always been fast an on point and battery life is not bad, a full charge typically last me around 4 hours :)

I have to say though last week one side of the earphone just stopped working, despite my numerous attempts of trying to restart it. It then miraculously started working again after. a few days...hmmm, let's hope it stays like this!

10) These linen shorts

Price: RM9.84 each

I WAS RATHER APPREHENSIVE WHEN I BOUGHT THESE. Because it seems too good to be true. Linene shorts??? RM9.84??? Whattt???? Reviews were also mixed, but I decided to give it a go since it's only RM9+

I bought four pairs at once just to qualify for free shipping. And my gosh these shorts the comfiest pair of shorts ever. I'm so glad I bought four of these in different colours. I wear them at home as my house wear, wear them to jogging, and sometimes I wear them out too.

The only thing I don't really like about these pants are the pockets - they are made out of polyester which feels flimsy. But hey, they're not visible AND they cost less than RM10 each AND I wear them at least once a week which makes their average cost per wear super worth it.

I'm trying to deduce if there are any patterns I can observe from my best buys of 2020, and it seems like cheap but good quality clothing is one of them x) Also, things I use every day (Flintan chair, bamboo foldable lap desk, pillow & face mask) and things that support my hobbies (cast iron skillet & stand mixer) are other trends I notice :)

Now let's move on to the worst purchases I've made for the year 2020.

Worst Purchases

Disclaimer: worst purchase doesn't mean that they're horrible items. It may be things that are great but just that I didn't really need it or it doesn't fit my lifestyle.

1) Suit from G2000

Price: RM200+

Don't get me wrong. G200's clothing is great. I love their styles and their fit is tailored more for petite Asian built body. It's not that the quality is bad, but I've only worn it once just because...we went into lockdown one month after my purchase. And hence, one of my worst purchase.

I was rushing to do a complete overhaul of my wardrobe last year, probably due to peer pressure and also I felt that my closet was too cikgu. I remember spending hundreds on new work clothes during the first two months into my new job.

From this experience, I learnt to not rush into buying clothes.

2) Cheap earphones

Price: RM10-20

Note: Cheap doesn't necessarily equate to bad. I know there are cheap earphones that are well-built and of good quality but somehow...I've been unlucky T_T

I bought a couple of pair of earphones for RM9.90 on Shopee and Lazada...and in just about 2-3 of them failed on me after a month or so of usage :( One of them got snagged on something when I was jogging and one side just stops functioning.

Perhaps the problem is in me, the end-user, for being rather careless. But I can't help but feel that I've just wasted money and resources when I had to change earphones every one month or so when they fail on me :/ Perhaps I should invest in one that is much more sturdy, shock-resistant one.

I am currently using earphones from Xiaomi (bought at RM39) and they've been serving me well for about 2 months. Please let it last long.

3) This blue off-the-shoulder top from Jin Hayari

Price: Somewhere between RM50-70

Sneezing in 3...2...1...

Now similar to (1), don't get me wrong. I absolutely love Jin Hayari. I've a pair of skorts I got from them that I adored greatly.

In fact, I bought the skorts along with this top because you can get 50% off the second item you purchase. I bought the top feeling 50/50 about it.

I've only worn it once since my purchase in July 2020. Somehow I feel that it doesn't really resonate with my personal style and hence I am kinda regretting this purchase.

4) Kitchen Timer from Daiso

Price: RM5.60

It went bust less than one month after purchase :( Again, it might be just me. Because I've bought their kitchen timer before and that one lasted me for at least a year.

I also realised that I can't change the batteries for these? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't seem to remove the batteries from the battery slot.

I'd prefer to buy one that is sturdier, knowing how clumsy I am as a person. ANd preferably one which batteries I am able to replace to reduce wastage.

5) CHILIPULVER Plant watering sensor

Price: RM19.90

This is a neat product - this watering sensor starts flashing when your plant needs water - perfect for fussy plants.

The watering sensor is helpful for fussy plants like the calathea, they act out dramatically when you miss watering

HOWEVER. I've stopped using it after it ran out of battery, and I have no idea where I've place it...

It is a good product, just that nowadays I learnt how to gauge whether or not my plants need watering. Or perhaps it's because I'm home much more often now so I can roughly tell whether my plants need watering.

My Takeaway

1) Never rush into buying things

Unless they're essentials that you need (eg: food, medicines)

Do your research. Try to compare the different prices on different platform or shops.

Things typically will go on sale. Be wise when you want to make your purchase. If you know there's a sale coming up (eg: 9.9, 10.10), you might want to check out if the product will have any additional offers, or your card provider/bank might throw you some additional coupons/vouchers!

For example my stand mixer. I could have waited till 12.12, or Black Friday to steal some deals. I admit that was rather rash of me to rush into the purchase and I was feeling quite down about it for a while, which lead me to my next point

2) To not beat yourself up for "bad" purchases

It happens. No point beating yourself up. If you really regret it, check the refund policies (but please don't abuse it!) and see if you can make a refund.

This is why I am extremely careful with my clothes purchases, especially online.

Definitely, I want to be more mindful when buying stuff. To properly think through whether I need that item, will I be using that item every day, would it bring vast improvement to my life.

Here's too more mindful shopping in the future!

Monday, 18 January 2021

My Best & Worst Personal Purchases for the year 2020