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5 recent purchases that I love

As a frugal blogger, I tend to write about how I avoid buying things.

A pink piggy bank.

But, to state the obvious, I do think that there are legitimate reasons to purchase things.

I think that if a purchase is useful or particularly joy-inducing, that’s a good reason to drop a few dollars. In fact, that’s how most mindful purchases should be: either useful or joy-inducing (or both!)

And I think that if you make a habit of keeping purchasing to a minimum, you really appreciate your purchases when you do actually buy something.

So, here are some things I’ve bought recently.

1. A second utensil crock

Two metal utensil crocks on a kitchen counter.

Please enjoy my lived-in kitchen look

I read an article the other day about Julia Child’s kitchen, which mentioned that she liked to have multiple utensil crocks.

I don’t know why it never occurred to me to have more than one, but this was a light bulb moment for me!

Our single utensil crock is usually jam-packed once the dishes are done, and a second one is really making the whole utensil situation more tenable.

2. A piggy bank

This is a funny purchase, but it’s making me very happy!

Pink piggy bank.

Often in the course of my blogging, I have wished that I had a photo of a classic piggy bank; there are so many times it would have been useful in a post.

I could grab one from Google Images, but I would prefer not to get sued for copyright infringement, thank you very much.

(Also: I’d like to be a kind human and not steal other people’s photos.)

So it occurred to me that I could just… buy a piggy bank. For photographic purposes.

I found this super adorable one and I am just thrilled. I can promise you will be seeing more of him once I have a chance to properly photograph him.

A cat looking at a piggy bank.

The cat was not sure what to make of this pig.

In between photo shoots, I plan to have him live on my desk. He can be my mascot. 😉

3. A shower razor holder

As you know, the girls and I use Dollar Shave Club razors, and we all had been setting ours on ledges or shelves to dry after use.

But then I saw that Dollar Shave Club has suction-cup mounted razor holders and I added some to our order.

So much better!

My razor can sit up and dry, and I never have to worry about knocking it off of the shower shelf. The girls love theirs too.

4. A new bike helmet

My other helmet probably dated back to the late 90s, and all of the padding had disintegrated or fallen out.

So, Mr. FG and I stopped by our locally-owned bike shop and bought a helmet there for me. This one is so, so nice!

Mr. FG and Kristen with bike helmets on.

Helmet technology has improved a lot since I last bought a helmet and this new one has a lovely dial adjuster in the back of it to fit my head perfectly.

Plus, having padding in the helmet has dramatically increased my comfort level while biking.

5. A bulletin board

I had a big empty space above my desk now that I moved it into Lisey’s old bedroom, and I thought it would be nice to have a large bulletin board for the space.

A bulletin board with drawings on it.

I poked around on Facebook Marketplace and Craig’s List to see if I could find anything good on the used market, but I struck out. So, I ordered a new one, and I love it!

An office wall with a huge bulletin board hanging on it.

I thought it might be too big, but I think it’s perfect. I haven’t filled it up yet, but I did add some drawings from my kids, since all of them are quite good at drawing/painting.

A black cat watercolor painting on a bulletin board.

And it’ll be great to have a spot to hang up things that I need to keep my blogging life organized.

Full disclosure: I did temporarily consider making my own bulletin board (using something like this tutorial), but then I thought better of it. When you are deep in anatomy and physiology, it is probably not the time to take on extra DIY projects.

I have muscle terminology to learn!

What’s something you bought recently that’s bringing you joy?

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Suellen J Roley

Tuesday 26th of October 2021

Bought a fleece and jersey comforter on clearance at Walmart. It's so warm that I don't need other blankets, I'm sleeping better, and having less pain.

New shoes with a wider toe box and went up a size and a half. My job is all on my feet for anywhere from 8 to 14 hours per day 6 days a week and my Skechers were KILLING my feet (1/2 size too small and not wide enough). The AVIAs were much cheaper and my feet thank me every day

Amy Snook

Sunday 24th of October 2021

Hi Kristin, Where did you get the bulletin board? I love that one! Thanks, Amy

Kristen

Sunday 24th of October 2021

Amazon! https://amzn.to/30QDqTv

Katy in Africa

Friday 22nd of October 2021

I didn't know they were called utensil crocks, but I use 2 on my counter.

Renee

Friday 22nd of October 2021

A second planner. Now that I'm splitting my work hours between the office and working from home, I bought a second day planner to keep at home. It's undated and perfect for keeping my daily to-do list and notes. I feel so much more in control when I have a physical planner helping me stay organized.

Colleen Gold

Thursday 21st of October 2021

I can happily say half of my Christmas shopping is bought &paid for. This makes me very happy. Books both used &ebooks. They r my main source of enrollment but I am always afraid of running out. I know it makes no sense but it makes me happy.

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