10 Favorite Purchases Worth the Money

Right after I tell you I’m a minimalist I’m going to tell you about stuff I bought. But first I’m going to tell you I hate Garnet Hill.

Because I bought some sheets that showed up with cuts in them. So I contact customer service and they tell me they’ll issue an exchange but because the price of the sheets went up I’d have to pay the difference.

Okay, on what planet does this make sense? I tell them to forget it and I’ll send them back for a refund, and they give me one for the sheets but not for the shipping.

So I contact them a second time to find out that’s their policy: We send you cut up sheets and you pay for shipping.

I think this is so ridiculous that I google their CEO and reverse engineer her email so I can tell her how much time I wasted on something her customer support should be empowered to resolve.

CEOs hate hearing some part of their company is broken.

And I get a call right away from customer service offering to fix the situation, but I tell them it’s too late because I took my sheet business somewhere else.

I’m telling you all this because I’d been buying sheets from Garnet Hill forever. This is because I only want to spend time researching and testing products once, and then I’m your customer for life.

Anyways, here are my 10 favorite purchases over the last 12 months. They’ve either given me a ton of value or improved and optimized my life (saving me time and money). Usually both.

1. Aura Cacia bubble bath

Yes, I take hot baths because hot baths promote the flow of endorphins which studies show relieves anxiety and depression and improves sleep. And yes, I always add a tablespoon of this lavender bubble bath because it facilitates deep muscle relaxation and recovery.

2. Books

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I think books are the best investment you can make. I get recommendations from friends and through podcasts and add them to a Google Doc. Then every few months I’ll filter through the list by reading the Amazon reviews and buy a batch of five.

3. Brooklinen sheets

Because spending 3X more now saves you 7X in the long run I purchased these high-quality sheets at a reasonable price (I was also considering Parachute). I purchased a duvet cover, fitted sheet, and four pillowcases. They’re amazing.

4. Comforter / duvet insert

Having a duvet without a flat sheet is new for me, and I’m finding it takes less than 30 seconds to make the bed now. I was going to invest in a down version but I googled where down comes from and learned it’s mostly live-plucked from ducks and geese by people called “rippers” so I went with this synthetic version.

5. Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars

Like clockwork I buy a black pair of these every two years. They last forever, have zero-drop soles, can be dressed up or down, and never go out of style. I wear these for everything from fancy dinners to working out.

6. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap

The only soap I use. And rather than buy small bottles at the store I buy one gallon which lasts me about four years. A little of this goes a long way so I dilute to 25% soap and 75% water and fill dispensers for body wash, hand soap, and cleaning.

7. Iron Gym workout bar

I do this bodyweight workout 3X a week. In Wisconsin this can be done outside most months, but I had to move it inside for the winter. This bar was recommended as the most economical option in the bodyweight fitness subreddit. I’m using it for pull-ups.

8. The New Yorker

I don’t read much news online and that’s why I subscribe to the print edition of The New Yorker. Because no one does long-form journalism as good as they do, and the wide-range of topics exposes me to things I wouldn’t typically seek out.

9. NOW Foods whey protein isolate

Every day I make a smoothie for breakfast. Here’s my recipe: 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries, 1 banana, 1 scoop whey protein isolate. This 5 gallon tub of unflavored protein will last me 3-4 months.

10. Yes4All gymnastic rings

These rings are portable and incredibly durable. I’m suspending them from the Iron Gym workout bar for dips and incline rows. Many people recommend more expensive wooden rings but I found without chalk I don’t have slippage. (Here’s what the whole rig looks like.)