It's A Wrap! Best Purchases of 2024!

I can't believe 2024 is pretty much over. Not going to lie, this year was hard for me. Especially the last half of the year. In July I lost my grandma who was like a mother to me. So, I did a lot of therapy shopping. Like A LOT. Mostly on bags. Retail therapy at it's finest. I decided for 2025, I really want to cut back on the purchases. And I'll kick off January with a hard spending freeze. Some people need a Dry January, I need a No Spend January. I really want to be more selective in 2025 and onwards. Do I really need it? Probably not. And I know my blog is all about reviews. I'll still review items. I just have to find a balance. Maybe I visit stores more often to do try-ons. I'll figure it out.

Here are my best purchases from 2024. Definitely leave me a comment below on what your favorite purchases were from 2024.

For reference I'm 4 feet 11 inches tall.

Not in any particular order, we will start with the best pair of jeans I ever bought. One of my goals for 2024 was to find a pair of jeans that were as comfortable as my Vuori joggers. The winner goes to Mother Denim. They come in petite sizes and the fit is hard to beat. I have three pairs and wear them on the weekends when I'm not wearing my joggers. 

Mother Denim Petites Lil Insider Crop Step Fray

My Review

The best item I bought for the office goes to Frank & Eileen's Dublin Blazer. It's super comfy, feels like your favorite sweatshirt, but totally fit for the office. It's casual enough that I would wear it on the weekends as well. 

Frank & Eileen Dublin Blazer

My Review

Now that I'm in my 40s, I really try to practice self care as much as time allows. I bought these collagen hand masks to try and love them. They really do make my hands feel softer and gives them a boost for a day or so that makes them look great for my Youtube videos. 😅 I wear them for 30 minutes while I watch a tv show. Totally worth it.

Collagen Gloves

The best Allbirds shoe purchase for this year goes to Tree Gliders. They're a great everyday walking shoe and I love the natural white/beige colorway. They go with everything.

Allbirds Tree Gliders

My Review

Best summer hoodie goes to Athleta's Retroterry Hoodie. I bought two and wore them a lot. It's the perfect lightweight hoodie and super comfortable for those summer days when you want a thin layer.

Athleta Retroterry Full Zip Hoodie

My Review

Favorite all around hoodie still goes to Aviator Nation's 5 Stripe Hoodie. I purchased a few this year, they are just so comfortable and cozy. I will wear them until they fall apart.

Aviator Nation 5 Stripe Hoodie

My Review

Best tank top goes to Athleta's Essential Tank. I wore these all summer long and now that it's colder, I still wear them as a layer underneath cardigans and blazers. I hope Athleta brings them back next year. 

Athleta Essential Tank

My Review

Best jacket for this year goes to Athleta's Aire Puffer Jacket. It's great for mild winters here in the south. It doesn't get super freezing so I don't usually need anything too bulky and I don't really want to look like the Michelin man. 😆

Athleta Aire Puffer Jacket

My Review

You may have noticed that there's not a lot of Lululemon items on my list. I do wear my Hotty Hot Shorts and Ebb To Street Crop Tanks every single week. About 4 to 5 times a week. But I have so many that I don't really need new workout clothes. I do love their Softstreme items, especially their Softstreme Wide Leg Cropped Pants and I wear those every week to the office, but other than that, I didn't reach for any new Lululemon items as much as I thought I would when I made the purchase. Maybe I will write a post on 2024 Regrets? However, I am glad I picked up two more Scuba Plush Hoodies. They're my heavier hoodies for colder days. 

Scuba Hoodie Plush

My Review

And now, time for my favorite category, handbags! Here are my favorites for the year. These are also some of my most carried bags. I will probably do a separate post and go into more detail on this topic.

Best summer tote goes to Lululemon's Two Tone Canvas Tote 4.5L. I used this bag easily a couple times a week all summer long. Such an easy bag to carry and super comfortable.

Lululemon Two Tone Canvas Tote

My Review

Best summer crossbody goes to Louis Vuitton's Keepall 25. This is actually my most used bag the entire year. I purchased it in March and I used it over 60 times. Which is A LOT for me, considering how many bags I own. This is probably my best purchase of 2024. 

Louis Vuitton Keepall 25 Denim

My Review

The best quiet luxury bag goes to The Row's Slouchy Banana Bag. The runner up goes to the Margaux 12. The Row makes the best minimalist high-end luxury handbags. 

The Row Large Slouchy Banana Bag

My Review

The Row Margaux 12

My Review

The best carryall goes to Coach's Empire 40. I've always been a Coach fan ever since they released their Rogue line. The Empire 40 is their new "it" bag and it is such a great tote when you need to carry a lot of things. It sort of reminds me of a Mary Poppins bag but more chic. 😆

Coach Empire 40

My Review

I have to mention Snoopy, my Tiny Terror. He's super sweet when he's the only kitty around, but when he's with the gang he gets wild. He's like a rowdy teenager. But I love him to death. I'm going to keep calling him my sweet boy. It'll eventually become true!

Snoopy! aka Tiny Terror aka Snoop Snoop

Hi everyone. Leslie's husband here.

So this list is Leslie's best purchases and I wouldn't feel that it was complete without telling you about the Mother's Day gift she got me. (Yes, she gets me a gift on Mother's Day as a joke, since I do the cooking and a decent amount of the cleaning).  Now you should know that I'm not easy to shop for. I spend a lot of time doing research for months before I make a decision. I've been eyeing a set of headphones for probably about a year, but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. So Leslie decided to pull the trigger for me.

What you're looking at are the Meze Audio 109 Pro headphones and these are fking amazing. Firstly, I like beautiful and pretty things (it's one of the reasons why I married Leslie) and these are gorgeous. I love the subtle gold accents and the dark wood that surrounds the cups. The look and the craftsmanship is just amazing and they're so light and comfortable. But as amazing as they look, they sound incredible. Like, I honestly can't imagine how much better more expensive headphones can sound. I know you're not here for audiophile jibber-jabber, but I've mainly been listening to songs that are 20 or more years old that I loved as a kid and I'm hearing things that I never noticed before and it's like experiencing these songs for the first time again and I love it.

Previously, I'd play video games with my friends each night, but when Leslie's job required her to get up earlier to get to the office, I traded video games for 2 hours each night of just diving into music and I look forward to it each night. It's the part of the day that I look forward to the most. Just sitting on the couch, with the lights dimmed, covered in our cats and listening to music. It's an amazing way to end my day each day. I keep telling Leslie that no gift has ever been as great as these headphones and I'm not sure there is anything that will ever top these. One thing to note is that these are open back headphones, meaning people will hear what you're listening to and you can hear people around you, so the ideal use case for these are for when you're at home or someplace private. I do bring these with me when I head home to NYC and use them in my hotel room each night. They're just that amazing. That's it for me, now back to Leslie.

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If you made it this far, let me know in the comments what your favorites are and if you agree with any of mine! That's it for me, hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Only 5 more sleeps to go! 👀