2021 in Review
As I did for past years (2020, 2019, and 2018), I went through my 2021 posts and picked out the most read blog posts that were published this year as well as a few of my favorite looks (click each look to go to the original outfit post). When picking out my favorite outfits, I consider how pleasing it looks to my eye/how interesting it is and also if it’s something comfortable to wear. Basically, any of these outfits are outfits I could see myself wearing again in the future. It’s hard to narrow it down!
New this year: I recapped the books I read and picked out my favorites!
I also recapped my travel and looked back at my purchasing trends, including spilling how much I spent on clothes this year (as always, I’ll be sharing my best and worst purchases of the year in their own post next week). Let’s hope for a better, healthier 2022! ✨
READ NEXT: 2020 in Review
2021 in Review
Most Read Blog Posts
MY FAVORITE OUTFITS
READING RECAP + FAVORITE BOOKS
I started reading for pleasure regularly again in 2020 and finished 6 books last year! (I shared those in my Reading Lately #1 and Reading Lately #2 posts.) In 2021, I finished 10 books (actually, it was 13—but those three at the end will be included in my next Reading Lately post going up next month, so we’ll just count those as 2022). Read my 2021 book reviews in Reading Lately #3, #4, and #5!
I recently started using StoryGraph to track my reads! Have you heard of it? It’s an alternative to Goodreads that’s getting rave reviews; plus, it was founded by a Black woman! We love to see it and support! I’ve been having so much fun importing my books (you can import your Goodreads data if you use that app!). The best part is it gives you STATS!!! Fun stats, though, haha—stats you actually want to look at, like your most-read genre, how many pages you read every year, etc.! Plus, you also get curated recs. If you join, add me as a friend—my username is cottoncashmerecathair!
Out of the 10 books I read this year, I have to say that my favorites were I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Becoming, So You Want to Talk About Race, and Matchmaking for Beginners!
TRAVEL RECAP
I definitely traveled a lot more in 2021 than 2020! (Thank you, scientists!!!) In the spring, I traveled to Logan and Salt Lake City, Utah, for gymnastics (two different trips two weeks apart). Our trip to Logan was a whirlwind weekend—we only stayed one night and drove home the long way, taking Logan Canyon up to Bear Lake and into Idaho. It was my first time seeing Bear Lake from land! (I had seen it a bunch from the plane.) My referee chic spring outfit was shot in SLC! We had absolutely gorgeous weather that weekend.
The first big trip of the year took us to Utah and Colorado. One of my younger brothers graduated college in the spring, so we took the scenic route and visited a bunch of places I had on my bucket list in southeast Utah and southwest Colorado! It was mainly focused on national parks. I shared where to stop between Moab and Cortez as well as a packing list and what I wore to hike Arches!
I still have sooo much content from that trip that I haven’t shared—I only shared a little bit from Canyonlands and Arches, and I also left out basically all of Colorado. I have a bad habit of sharing only parts of trips in a timely manner! I hope to share more in the new year. If you have any questions about that trip, please let me know so I can be sure to address them in future posts!
After zero work travel in 2020, summer consisted of a LOT of work travel for me—four trips in four weeks! All that sitting in cars and planes inspired me to share three comfortable work travel outfits I wore more than once during those trips.
In early September, we flew up to Seattle to visit my mom and step dad on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington! I also didn’t share much from this trip, but we didn’t do a whole lot of adventuring. We spent a day in Port Townsend and checked out their sailboat, and we also spent a day in the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park (we also stopped by Rialto Beach).
At the end of September, we went on a last-minute trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone (again!). It’s become a favorite tradition in the fall! We detoured the first night and went down to Logan for a BSU football game and stayed in a lovely B&B. After that, we drove up to Yellowstone taking the scenic route through southwest Wyoming, and stayed two nights at Lake Yellowstone. We actually left the park on our only full day there to drive out the east entrance to Cody! It’s a gorg drive in the fall. I added a night in Driggs so we could spend a day at Grand Teton. It was so much fun and the weather was absolutely excellent (dare I say warm?!) until our final day driving home.
Our final trip was recently—to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, earlier this month! That trip was pure relaxation. We stayed in a beautiful villa with Korri’s mom and step dad and my mom and step dad, ate delicious food, drank yummy drinks, swam in our private pool, and relaxed by the beach. It was exactly what I needed to recharge. I miss it already! I shared my packing list + outfits from that trip.
While not entirely travel-related, I did beef up my Idaho content quite a bit this year! I shared 18 blog posts with content ranging from fun places to visit in my new Idaho Gem series, things to do in Boise, local experiences, gift ideas, and more! This content was well-received so I plan to share even more in 2022! (My Shoshone Falls Instagram reel was my most successful of the year!)
CLOTHING BUDGET RECAP
Because most of my winter wardrobe additions happen in December, in January and February 2021, I added only 5 new items to my wardrobe. I added 14 new items between March and April (ended up with zero in May—I can probably thank travel for distracting me!). I included 2 items from early June in my spring budget as well as added new sports bras that didn’t count against my budget.
For some reason, even after I went back into the office, I kept buying loungewear LOL. I guess I was hoping that I’d work a hybrid schedule at some point, and that still hasn’t happened. I added 15 new items in the summer and 16 new items in the fall (a couple of which were swimsuits that were not included in the budget). Compared to past years, I did a really good job limiting my spending in December (once again, I think I can thank my trip and general busyness for keeping me preoccupied). You can find all of my 2021 wardrobe additions in one place on this Pinterest board.
In total, I spent $3,157 on clothes this year (more than I spent in 2020), and that number includes the gift cards and store credit I spent. Even after those and the money earned from Poshmark sales, I was way over my $2000/year ($500/quarter) budget. I did experience a size change this year that I haven’t had to deal with in years past, so that was part of it…and I also went back to the office…but I also just shopped more in general because, well, that’s how I cope sometimes.
I have been thinking about raising my budget; it hasn’t changed since before I graduated with my PhD. I’d like more flexibility to spend with smaller brands that cost more than fast fashion brands, and even though I definitely allowed myself the flexibility this year (lol), it’s still embarrassing to admit that I went way over budget! I don’t know yet what that will look like for 2022. $750 per quarter feels too high, so I’ll probably end up somewhere between $500 and $750 per quarter.
Even more random facts from 2021:
Total number of items added: 50 (including December; down from 68 in 2020) (Note that this number includes loungewear but may not include things not counted in the budget!)
Total number of items from my “main” closet sold on Poshmark: 24
Added 8 new tees
Added 5 new pairs of lounge/sweatpants, 5 new pairs of jeans, and 5 new pairs of shoes (4 pairs of sandals, 1 pair of boots)
Added 4 new sweaters, 4 new tank tops, and 4 new hats (2 baseball caps, 2 beanies)
Added 2 new jackets, 2 new blazers, and 2 new one-piece swimsuits
Added no new jewelry
Purchased 1 new-to-me replacement item via Poshmark
Spent the most money on my Madewell lugsole lace-up boots ($141; worn here) and the least on two Everlane organic cotton box-cut tees ($13.50 each; worn here)
Top brands/retailers: Everlane, Madewell, Nordstrom, ABLE, Amour Vert
New-to-me brands/retailers: One/Third, Parks Project, Vuori, MATE the Label, Quince
