2024 was an incredibly busy year, full of ups, and downs and growth. This is a list of a few things that helped me get through the year, and made my 2024 better!
Bang Maintenance
My hair has seen so many phases. The last phase she saw, prior to my natural hair journey, was my bang phase, but this year, I finally found a way to combine the two. I’ve been on my bang shit so hard, they call me the Black Sabrina Carpenter. I was inspired by my bang foremothers (Donna Summer, and Lisa Bonet circa the late 80s) and committed myself to perfecting my bangs while minimizing heat exposure to my tragically damaged curls. My saving grace has been the tried and true Velcro roller– which gives me the perfect little vintage bang look. I am not above wearing my roller on the train to keep my bang intact during my commute and make sure the bangs are banging by the time I arrive.
Tinned Fish
As a college student in New York, I can think of a million things more fun to spend my limited income on than groceries. If it were up to me, I would exist on a diet of cheese, bread, and fruit, but it’s been brought to my attention that I do need protein, but meat is so expensive. This year, I discovered tinned fish as a cheap source of protein and omega 3s. It’s also shelf stable, and so easy to create recipes around. Two of my favorites are tinned salmon bowls with sriracha, kewpie mayo, rice, furikake seasoning, a fried egg, seaweed, and cucumber. I will also never knock a good tuna melt. A bonus of always having tinned fish on-hand is that when a stray cat finds itself in my fire escape. I always have a snack for it!
Electric Kettle
Listen, I know the Brits have been trying to put us onto these for years, but as an American, I simply had to discover it for myself. This has been a game changer for my tea consumption. Gone are my days of microwaving mugs, now I can simply put on a kettle and instantly have enough hot water for me and my homegirls to enjoy a lovely cuppa. I keep mine in my room, just so it’s available for my late-night tea impulses.
Drugstore Lippies
When my $10 CVS monthly reward hits my extra care card, I cannot speak for the girl I become. One thing about me, I love a cheap lip product, so treating myself to one every month is the ultimate retail therapy. I would NEVER advocate for theft but I’ve heard lipgloss is incredibly easy to slip into your pocket….
Comically Large Mug
This story starts the same as any other, me aimlessly wandering the isles of 5 below after work. On my hunt, I spotted the holy grail, a giant cake-shaped mug. It wasn’t until I took my treasure home that I realized truly how massive it was in comparison to my other mugs. Drinking out of it makes me feel both dainty, and like Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. It’s bottom has enough surface area for it to sit comfortable on my bed without spilling, and it’s large enough to complete a proper bed rotting session without having to get up to refill. The only flaw of my beautiful, giant mug, is that I find myself with the desperate need to piss more than the average tea drinker.
Cheap Sunglasses
Sunglasses automatically make me feel 100% more chic, but I’ve realized you don’t have to spend an insane amount of money to look expensive. One of my favorite places is the sunglass section of Deadstock dollar stores. You can easily find the Y2K paparazzi shot sunnies of your dreams for under $5. For the ultimate diva look, pair a cheap pair of sunglasses with a babushka scarf.
At Home Matcha
This year, I really tried to self-reflect and acknowledge the frightening amount of money I spent on matcha lattes. While I do believe in rewarding yourself with a little treat, at home matcha lattes have definitely saved me a ton of money. I find the actual ritual of preparing matcha to be very grounding and relaxing. Personally, I use Ito En culinary grade matcha, because you can buy it in bulk at Costco for relatively cheap! When I’m feeling lazy, I use the Muji instant matcha latte powder, which tastes just as good as a $8+ matcha latte for way cheaper and quicker.
The End by Fernanda Torres
I grabbed this book completely by random at a bookstore in Seattle while visiting home for my birthday. Despite putting absolutely no thought into this book beforehand, it was my favorite read of the year. Without giving away too much, The End follows a group of five men coming of age in 1960s Rio de Janeiro. The book recounts their hedonistic party days, as well as each of the men’s last living days. Initially, I was skeptical about reading a book centered around men, and their sexual exploits, but the way Torres writes from the perspective of the macho psyche is equal parts fascinating, devastating, and hilarious. The book explores toxic masculinity and sexuality in a way that never feels heavy-handed or preachy. The way the book is divided by characters makes it a quick and engaging read.
Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii
I knew Doechii was that girl in 2020 when I first heard ‘Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” off of her sophomore mixtape __ . I was immediately drawn to her world-building and found the track extremely relatable as a weird black girl who also loved Paramore, Lisa Frank, and Junie B. Jones and lusted for thigh-high Converse. I’d loosely kept up with her career, what it is was an obvious hit, but it didn’t grab me the way Yucky Blucky Fruitcake had. Then, I heard Alligator Bites Never Heal. I listened to the project all the way through on a bus ride back from Bushwick after a night out with friends. STANKAHPOO, the opening track on the album instantly brought me back to what I loved about Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, but with mature storytelling and production. I sent the mixtape to my parents, because the way Doechii raps her ass off is reminiscent of Lil Kim and Missy Elliot’s days of yore, and I can proudly say they are both Doechii stans now.
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