One of the best things to come out of tracking every purchase I made of 2018 was that I got to see my biggest mistakes and successes. A purchase could have been good or bad for a rainbow of possibilties. Reasons for bad purchases include the cost, the functional use, a scam, etc! Reasons for good purchases include getting that bang for buck, generating fantastic memories, making orgasmic sounds as I consume the food item in question, etc. In each listing I will mention each price, when I bought it, and why is was so bad or good.
The Worst
#5.) Caverna
Date: 1/6/2018
$: 89.99
Caverna was a poor purchase due to the price. Getting it for the full and monstrous price tag of 89.99 was a large and expensive undertaking for a game I have so far only played twice. I love the game but I should have considered that my friend group at my location at that time wouldn’t have been interested into a multi-hour investment. Didn’t help that the day after I bought and ripped it open it was on sale on Amazon for half the price.
#4.) Wacom Drawing Tablet
Date: 1/23/2018
$: 79.38
I bought the drawing tablet because I thought it could help me out with my video game art development. I carefully planned and looked at reviews before purchasing and thought that even though I was doing sprite art I could still find a use for it. So I wouldn’t be wrecked on trying out a drawing tablet I started out with a cheaper model at under 80 bucks. If you’ve never drawn with a drawing tablet before, it is certainly a significantly different beast than just using pen and paper. I didn’t realize just how difficult the transition would have been. To this date I still use my mouse because I am so inefficient with the drawing tablet. If I was doing a different art medium this purchase would have made more sense but for now collects dust.
#3.) Kirby Star Allies
Date: 4/8/2018
$: 60.11
If there’s any trend to the worst purchases, it’s certainly that I’ve paid too much for something I barely used. Kirby Star Allies is a fantastic example of that. In an era where I can get 4 incredible indie titles that give me memorable experiences, 60 bucks should be a hard sell in 2018. Unfortunately for me, Kirby came at a time when the Switch games lineup were pretty dull and I was itching for a new reason to play my Switch. To be frank, this game is just meh. For my records I gave it a 6/10. It just lacked a lot of…everything especially for a $60 price tag. I didn’t even finish the short game I was so bored with it.
#2.) Legendary Collection Kaiba.. x4
Dates: 3/14/2018, 3/17/2018, 3/17/2018 3/31/2018
$: 29.99 ea, total $120
I am a sucker for Yu-gi-oh cards. There’s an old adage in really any trading card game. You never go positive when buying cards from booster packs. Even the hottest ones, like Legendary Collection Kaiba was when it hit the scene this March. This set was loaded with tons of ways to “get your money’s worth.” Not only did I get unlucky in pulling the really expensive cards each time, but I also rolled the dice of hell four times. Plus it’s not like I was going to sell my cards I got because I’m a damn collector. Don’t pull from packs kids.
#1.) Razer Deathadder Mouse
Date: 9/24/2018
$: 43.99
What could be worse than blowing 120 bucks on pieces of shiny thin cardboard? How about no product at all! That’s right, I purchased a mouse back in September from the Razer Gamestore. What a disaster of an experience. The mouse I paid for was tied to a code I had to punch in basically within 24 hours before it expired. I didn’t realize this and didn’t do that. After four months of going back and forth with customer support who is incapable of doing anything for me, I still do not have a working code nor my order. I’d rather have had my package stolen because I have already wasted over 15 hours to this company. I will never buy from Razer again.
The Best
#5.) Adidas Traxion Cloudfoam Shoes
Date: 5/6/2018
$: 53.08
These Adidas shoes were such a great purchase for me because they were well priced, well endured, and really made me feel like myself. Yes they admittingly look a little goofy but that’s me! I have worn them just about everywhere since I got them. Usually tennis shoes last only a couple times if I rashly worn them to a basketball outing but I have used these shoes several times with them holding up. I am impressed by their quality.
#4.) Stardew Valley for my Girlfriend
Date: 4/16/2018
$: 14.99
For the low price of 14.99 I got to spent a ton of quality hours with my girlfriend playing a video game we both adore while working together and building a neato farm. I also get to support a solo indie developer (I have probably purchased Stardew about 5 times at this point..). SDV is a masterpiece you should play it if you haven’t yet! And if you have played it and you are my girlfriend we should play this morreeeee.
#3.) The Most Delicious Burrito I’ve ever had
Date: 5/29/2018
$: 9.75
In Late May til the start of June I had the opportunity to travel to Portland with my girlfriend. Since I was familiar with all my favorite places in the area, and because we are big food people, I took her to all kinds of eateries. It was a slow Tuesday morning as we were preparing for a hiking adventure. We got breakfast at an eatery called Radio Room. Oh. My God. That “Radio Room Burrito” was such an orgasmic magical burrito for both of us. It was definitely the best 10 bucks I ever spent on any food and really hit el spot. In case there’s curiosity, this is the pitch/ingredients list:
“Chorizo and roasted green chile scrambled eggs, refried black beans, pepper jack cheese, and french fries all rolled into a flour tortilla. Served with home fries, cilantro cream and pico de gallo.”
#2.) Captain Falcon Knee Poster
Date: 4/21/2018
$: “15.00” $: 0
What could have easily made the top 5 worst purchases vaulted to #2 on one of the best purchases. I wanted to support an up and coming Smash Melee tournament in Colorado with the Flatiron 3 tournament that took place in April this year by buying a Smash Bros poster made by a small time artist to help fund the tournament. To by surprise the poster didn’t come in the mail. After contacting Smash.gg, the coordinators of this event and funding, they rapidly responded, apologizing for the lack of order, and they also sent me the order I asked for AND on top of that my money back. They will certainly be getting my business again.
#1.) 4 Carnitas Tacos, Some Beers
Date: 1/16/2018
$: 33.54
In all honesty, those tacos were absolutely delicious and the beers were tasty too. Buuuut that’s not why this is my #1 on my best purchases of 2018. And it’s also not because I got to see my old guitar teacher of several years perform live music and my friend Chandler and I got to ask them for song recommendations from their own band’s hits. No. This night will forever be magical for me because it is where I get to say I met the love of my life. Through the power of four delicious tacos and beer, I somehow managed to pike the interest of a lovely lady who wanted to get to know me better. Fast forward to now and I only wish I took more pictures!.. Of the tacos of course š
And that concludes my list of the top 5 worst and best purchases of 2018! Cheers to smarter purchases, more satisfaction with purchases, and more tortillas.
huesteus 