Under $20 Pleasures

In my frugal era!

When I started making Everyday Luxury videos on TikTok, it was never about expensive items but to exemplify that life can be luxurious without spending a ton of money. Of course I crave the sweet, sweet dopamine hit that follows swiping my credit card. But this month, I’m trying my hand at frugality and enjoying the small pleasures along the way — getting my kicks where I can. If you would like to join me, lets take a cheap thrills joy ride!

Small Price Tag, Big Reward

1. The Target candle section has been a loyal friend to me throughout the years. I can always depend on her to pick me up when I’m feeling down, nothing brightens up my day quite like taking a stroll down that aisle. I hate to play favorites, but Rustic Palo Santo is the most pleasant and sultry scent. Smells more expensive than it is. Also, the jar is very inoffensive!

2. Perfume sampling is my version of a wine tasting. A journey of the senses that comes at a low cost but provides hours of exploration! My routine is to first peruse Fragrantica to pick a few perfumes to sample — I like to read the user reviews, most of them are articulate and entertaining, and then I head over to either Scent Split or Lucky Scent to purchase my batch of samples. Scent Split is good for purchasing larger sample bottles and Lucky Scent tends to have more in stock; but both offer a wide array of both mainstream and niche perfumes. I love sampling perfumes at home, without the overstimulation of a department store.

3. I’m trying to stay consistent with my reading, I grew up a book worm but scrolling on TikTok has killed my attention span. So now, reading requires a concerted effort! One of my favorite writers is Eve Babitz; her depictions of her fabulous and bohemian life in 1970s LA transport me right where I want to be. I read through Eve’s entire portfolio years ago but this week I finished her biography: Hollywood’s Eve by Lili Anolik. I was craving more 60s-70s LA after watching Daisy Jones and the Six, so I started reading The Goodby People by Gavin Lambert yesterday. An added bonus, the cover of this book is stunning!

4. Life is confusing! Personality tests, Astrology, and Enneagram types are all fun because they help us make sense of who we are and what we want. This week I discovered Dimensional— an app that will help you make sense of your inner world via numerous personality tests. The app gives you a Myers Briggs type and a number of other archetypes and attributes. You can connect with friends or partners to compare similarities and work through differences. It’s like a data backed co-star! Best part? It’s free.

5. Shopping at Brandy Melville is a humbling experience, because I always feel judged by the cool teen employees. BUT, for their tank tops I will risk feeling like the oldest person to ever exist. Seriously, their tank tops are everything to me and the perfect little retail therapy for when I’m feeling weak.

6. There is no better anecdote to buying pointless junk than cleaning out all the pointless junk you already have in your closet. I try to do a closet refresh 2x a year, and I think of it as less of a cleaning exercise and more of an anthropological study of my own consumption habits.