It’s almost the end of the year so I guess it’s time for my annual “Things I Bought” post. Fun!
This year is my 4th year of tracking all the things I have bought. Over the years, I have changed the definition of what goes on the list. The first year it was any products/physical objects I bought (10 things that year), and then the second year it was only ‘unnecessary’ things, and it also did not include any supplies for creating artwork/crafts (9 things that year). Last year I kept track of all the things and forgot about the ‘unnecessary’ part and still only ended up with a list of 7 items (again, not including supplies.)
This year, I kept track of all the things, and then divided them up into necessary and unnecessary afterward. After a few years of not buying, I did spend some money on clothing staples that had worn out, and I put those on the ‘necessary’ list because all of the items were pretty boring and practical and they were basically just replacing other items. As much as possible, I tried to get those items second hand.
As it turns out, the Unnecessary Things list ended up being something of a highlights reel for the year because my purchasing weakness is souvenirs. This is super handy because now this post can also serve as a “Best of 2022” post.
In chronological order:
- Eddie Vedder concert souvenirs
February – Trip to Seattle to see Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard in concert
I am including this as one item. I went bonkers during our first trip across the border post-COVID and had a shopping spree at the merch table. I don’t regret any of it! I got a T-shirt, a poster, a travel mug and an enamel pin and I love all of them dearly.
We waited in line outside in the freezing cold, 2 days in a row, for quite a while to get all the specific items I wanted, but it was a bonding experience with our fellow crazies and we got to talk to Glen Hansard in passing too!
- Pearl Jam poster
- San Diego T-shirt
May – Trip to California to see 5 Pearl Jam shows
During our whole 2 week trip I only came away with one concert poster and one T-shirt, so I think that is pretty good. It was a trip to remember.
On my to-do list now is to get both of these posters framed so I can put them on display.
- Harvest Moon Weekend merch
Summer – Harvest Moon Weekend (2017)
Let me explain that one. Five years ago, we went on a weekend trip to Port Townsend, WA with some friends to what turned out to be one of our favourite dance weekends ever. To this day, almost every time we meet up with those friends, at least one of us is wearing a Harvest Moon T-shirt, which would lead to us expressing our regrets that we hadn’t bought more of those shirts when we had the chance.
Imagine my surprise when the organizer of the event posted that he had leftover stock he was trying to sell off to raise funds for his upcoming wedding! Between the 4 of us, I think we bought at least 2 of every item available. I bought a couple more T-shirts, a hoodie and a tote bag. We should all be set for life now.
- Pentastic T-shirt
September – Pentastic Jazz Festival
Though the Pentastic Jazz Festival was amazing, I do regret buying a red T-shirt. It was so cheap that I couldn’t pass it up, but it’s very red. I am still working on not getting sucked in by discounts.
- Capital City Stomp T-shirt
Just last month we spent a weekend in Victoria for Capital City Stomp, which I mentioned briefly in my last post. The dancing was great, the instructors were great and we stayed in a float house! A very fun weekend and we are definitely planning to attend again next year. As an added bonus, the event logo is very nice and it is a shirt I will get a lot of use out of.
- Harlem Muse dance shoes*
- Lilikoi dress
- Zesty Lemon dress
The last 3 items don’t represent one single event, they represent all the balboa dance practices we have attended this year, plus Northwest Balfest in Seattle in July, and all the live jazz events we go to.
As I am planning to do a lot more of the same next year, I feel pretty good about treating myself to a couple of new dresses.
The shoes were purchased with the intention of being my practice shoes, because they have a bit lower heel than my regular balboa shoes, but so far I am still finding my old shoes more comfortable. I am still breaking the new ones in though.
*Michel paid for these for my birthday present, so technically I could leave them off the list, but I’m including them anyway because I was planning to buy them myself.
One of my favourite parts about keeping track is looking back on the year and determining if I feel like the purchases were worthwhile or not. Usually, no matter how short the list, about half of them would not make the cut if I had to go back and do things again. This year I am pretty happy with everything I spent my money on… except that red shirt.
Lastly, if I am doing a ‘best of 2022’ list, I can’t finish without mentioning the best ice cream I have ever had in my life. It was seasonal fall flavour at Rocky Point Ice Cream and it was called Skor Caramel Apple. If they ever bring it back, I am stocking my freezer.
Dancing In Irreverence 