The 5 Products I’ve Bought That Actually Made Me Happier

A Mindful Guide to Purchases That Have Really Improved My Daily Life

It’s 2025 and people buy a lot of stuff. Stuff they need, stuff they don’t need, stuff they eat, stuff for their house, stuff for their kid’s homework assignments… The buying of stuff unites us. Causes us to watch YouTube review channels on a lawn mower we’re thinking about and drive to 7/11 on a Wednesday night to taste test a new candy bar that keeps showing up on our FYP. But how many of your purchases are products that actually make you happier?

Buying stuff is this deeply human experience that is wrapped up in so much more emotion than I think we often stop to examine. We buy stuff because we want to be healthier and live long with our loved ones. We buy stuff because we want to meet our soul mate. We buy stuff to get the grades for acceptance into our dream school. We buy stuff to figure out who we are. We buy stuff to pursue our happiness. To become whole. 

Just like our pursuit of a happy life, buying stuff can be tangled up with all of these obstacles and negative feelings. Needing more than you can afford. Having more and not being happy with it. Feeling guilty for buying or not buying. Buying more than you need or even want. Every day we go on this emotional odyssey of how we spend our money and what we spend it on. And it’s stressful. 

Why we buy is more important than what we buy.

I buy stuff. I try to only buy stuff that makes my life better. I try not to buy too much and also try to make my life easier through my purchases. I want my purchases to push the world towards a more peaceful future. And that’s really hard. I don’t always achieve those goals. But I try to remain rooted in what is good and important to me when I go to tap my card or put something in my cart. 

On this blog, I will at times recommend to you products and potentially profit off of those recommendations. My intention is to recommend things that make peoples’ lives feel easier, happier, and healthier. Things that create space in people’s lives for resources you can’t buy: love, friendship, adventure, healing, joy. I believe honest, well thought out purchases towards these goals are worth it. I like to spend mindfully but money spent on products that improve daily life genuinely is always money well spent to me. 

But we all define happiness differently and that is okay. I wanted to share some purchases that have genuinely brought me happiness so you have an idea of how I define it. I have also created a little digital download workbook that is attached at the end of this post! It’s four pages of simple journaling prompts that will help you define the unique values that you want to spend your money on. Doing this has saved me dollars, stress, and a lot of wasted closet space. It has also helped me form a life that feels really good, not for it’s rare excitements but for its simple daily pleasures.  

We can’t buy happiness but we can buy tools that support us in our formation of a happy life. Here are some that helped me form mine with the assistance of the Money Bunny. She’s going to tell you fun facts about how mindful spending and taking care of your health can be cute instead of a chore.

The Best Water Filter for Health and Happiness

The most important thing every single human will consume in their lifetime is the same no matter who you are: water! Clean, uncontaminated water is an obstacle, not only for people in less developed countries but all over the world and the U.S. 

While water treatment facilities (which is where most water from a tap comes from) are very effective, water is simply very hard to clean. It is the most effective chemical solvent that exists meaning it is going to absorb a lot of what it comes into contact with. Old pipes, chemical spills, plastic trash, poo… Some of this can end up in the water you drink as hard as we try to remove it. 

The Epic Pure Water Filter Pitcher is extremely well rated by the Environmental Working Group at removing everything from pesticides, to metals, to microplastics. They’re also a great company that works to remove plastic from the environment! Which you will also be doing by using the filter. 

I just started using this on a whim one day and the way that it has transformed my health is crazy. My skin, chronic pain, digestion… All wildly better functioning just by simply drinking cleaner water. The filter is one of the most effective affordable wellness products I've found, especially for my skin. And boy have I tried PILES of products for my skin. 

To reduce plastic consumption, I just fill up my water bottle before I leave the house. (Bonus tip! You’re a human, you might forget to fill your water bottle before you depart. I keep a small metal bottle in my purse at all times and all Coke Freestyle machines have a very high end water filter in it. Save money! Save plastic!) 

Bonus: An Affordable Showerhead Filter and a Filter Bottle for Travels

Why a Kindle is the Actual Ultimate Wellness Investment

If I’m not reading, I’m not as happy. It’s just a metric I’ve found to be true about my mental health. Reading has an amazing slew of scientifically proven benefits and it’s just plain fun. I really think our times are in a fun deficit! Real fun, the kind that kept you going for hours as a kid. Not distraction or stimulation or entertainment. Real fun! I bought the new Kindle recently and am in love with how tiny and cute it is.

I always say books are the only thing that you can be addicted to that will make your life better (except for like, vegetables, but I’m just being realistic here.) It can get pricey though. Books ain’t cheap nowadays! A Kindle Unlimited subscription is about $13 a month and they have a really amazing selection, even stuff that is really popular and well known like Madeline Miller. 

The Kindle itself is an investment but they have a great free trade in program so you can gather up any old unused electronics and send them in for big discounts and recycling. Mine only cost me $30 which in my opinion makes it a budget-friendly self-care tool for mental health that packs a lot of bang for its buck. 

I love paper books but I find I just read so much more on a Kindle. I can buy books in milliseconds, it’s comfier when reading in bed or outside, and it’s not that much bigger than a phone, so I reach for it instead of the dreaded scroll box. Plus, there are some books I’ll never read again and can save the paper on. (I don’t need guests seeing that I own every Katee Robert novel when they come over.)

Comfortable Hiking Boots That Actually Last

The greatest salve on my consistently neurotic mental health has been nature. A long walk, a dirt path, some sun, a cool breeze… It’s the only thing that always makes me feel better. Of course you can walk in any shoe really. But if you like exploring national/state parks or even just want to get off the beaten path, a comfortable hiking boot is life changing and will banish the horrific wet sock. 

The Danner Mountain 600 Hiking Boots for Women don’t have to be broken in which to me is their biggest highlight. They feel perfectly worn after the first lace up. They’re super durable, very waterproof, and have lasted me years which is a huge feat for hiking boots. I know in the hiking community, whether or not you need ankle support is very contentious. I say yes, and these provide just the right amount. Since these don’t need replacement as often as other hiking boots, their price point is justifiable as far as sustainable lifestyle purchases go. 

My Personal Best Non-Toxic Yoga Mat for Home Workouts

I don’t really believe you need to formally “exercise” to be healthy and happy. Walks around the neighborhood, fun hobby sports, gardening… The pursuit of a full life is enough to maintain physical wellness. But I’m not a naturally athletic person and as an adult have been on a long journey to develop a positive and respectful relationship with my body. I want to move, to get my heart rate up, to pursue new abilities because I enjoy being in my body. And for that I need a yoga mat.

I LOVE the texture of The Gaiam Cork Yoga Exercise Mat. It only really sticks to skin and nothing else. The materials are very sustainable and non-toxic as well. All yoga mats break down but for the price point and the sustainability factor, this is the best one I’ve found. 

A practice of intentional movement with the goal of building strength and having fun while doing it has healed so much in my relationship to me. Yoga, pilates, YouTube cardio workouts that I’d rather die than have anyone watch me do… It all happens on my yoga mat. I’ve purchased many over the years, mostly the lululemon rubber 5mm one which was my go to for a long time. But it is so expensive, harbours a smell that never goes away, and breaks down quite quickly. Its also just like, too sticky? It grabs every bit of dust and grease it can find. 

An Small Electric Toothbrush That Doesn't Need Batteries

You only get one set of teeth and fillings are so expensive! I used to take terrible care of my teeth and would always pay the price. I replaced my sad, crusty toothbrush with the Phillips Sonicare 4100 not that long ago and am filled with delight twice a day when I actually use it. 

Did you know you’re supposed to change your toothbrush every 3 months? These heads aren’t the most sustainable out there but I’ve found your health should really be an exception to plastic use. I’ve yet to find a sustainable toothbrush that is as effective as this one. And between you me and the wall I do not see how the more expensive versions would make any difference. Plus this toothbrush doesn’t need batteries which is not only more eco friendly but prevents me letting mine die and just half heartedly brushing on manual cause I don’t have any triple A’s for like a month.

Water, books, nature, movement, clean teeth… These are the things that have bought me some of the most happiness and comfort in my life. So I buy things that support my pursuit of them. If you want to do a little formal reflection on what brings you your bliss, I made you: 

The Why I Buy Workbook: A Fill in Guide to Help Build an intentional shopping for happiness mindset

That’s all folks! Thanks for reading 🫶🏻