The Mozo Team’s best and worst purchases of 2021

By Maria Gil · · 4 min read
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woman trying on some new hats as part of she 2021 buys

For a bit of fun - and maybe some helpful insights- we’ve asked members of the Mozo content team to tell us some of their worst and best purchases of 2021. Here are their responses:

Maria Gil

For the most part I didn’t go too crazy this year with weird purchases because I am saving up to repay my American student loans. However, there are a few things in my house that mock me every time I stare at them … if only I could time travel to stop myself from making those purchases.

My worst:

  • A fancy ladle holder from Muji that can’t hold any of my ladles!
  • Self-watering plant pots (avoid Mr.Kindly at all costs) and finding myself with a gnat infestation.
  • Bulk bubble tea ingredients that came with no instructions. Now it just sits in my pantry because the internet has mixed instructions on how to make the pearls and I could never get it right.

My best:

  • 13 new house plants. I started 2021 with zero plants. 
  • A small rice cooker that fits perfectly on my kitchen benchtop. 
  • A new couch from Koala that has become my go-to place to take naps.

Cooper Langby

I don’t often spend too much money on myself, but when I do I look for a good deal. I too have student loans to pay off and I’m constantly topping up my savings accounts. Any leftover cash usually gets spent on something I think will help spruce up my day to day life, to varying results.

My worst:

  • Blue-light glasses - I don’t know if it’s just the glasses I bought, but they don’t seem to help at all. If you’re going to buy a pair, maybe don’t buy online as I did.
  • A bluetooth-enabled colour changing light - This was a fun gadget that sat on my shelves for a few weeks, until our next energy bill rolled in. It added more than $100 extra in energy costs by always drawing power in standby mode, and hasn’t seen the light of day since.

My best:

  • Airpods pro - I picked these up on a deal from Amazon, and they’re in my ears all day from work meetings to the gym. I was so happy with my purchase that I bought my partner a pair on her birthday as well.
  • VOD services - Netflix, Disney + and Amazon Prime, what else was I going to do during lockdown?

Felicia Willeam

Most of my purchases this year were from lockdown online shopping ...this is my confession.

My worst:

  • Lockdown was a weird time - I was half asleep browsing Ebay and found this cute purple iPhone case thinking it's for my phone type (iPhone XS Max) - but it arrived a month later and it was for the iPhone 11.
  • A dog bed from Kmart for my six-year-old spoiled Pomeranian. But he refuses to sleep on it and keeps sleeping on my pillow instead.
  • A crockpot from Amazon during lockdown because I really got into cooking. I’ve used it a total of three times.

My best:

  • AirPods Pro that do a good job of blocking lawn mower noise and the loud Italian nonna who lives across my unit and always yelling on the phone 24/7. 
  • The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch - it has kept me sane during lockdown.
  • Replaced my Kmart hand mixer with a Russell Hobbs hand mixer. It's not perfect but it was affordable and I feel that it’s made a difference to my baked goods.

JP Pelosi

I’m not a huge shopper, so it’s easy for me to resist sales. However, I did splash out on a couple of items during lockdown to give myself a little excitement.

My worst:

  • A pair of brown boots that I like but don’t really have much cause to wear at the moment. So maybe not so useful. 
  • I went overboard on books. I downloaded one too many on the Kindle which I’m yet to get to, so not the best purchases as far as getting value.

My best:

  • A new guitar, a red electric one from a local Sydney company called Axiom. It’s not fancy but I really like it, it has a nice clean sound.
  • Also got my Sony headphones that I use for work, both inexpensive and lightweight.

Olivia Gee

My worst:

  • Kale guinea pig treats. My cavies, Samantha Peterson and Wombat II, were not impressed with a handful of sugary green nuggets for $9. They prefer free grass from the neighbours.

My best:

  • A regular delivery of natural wines from P&V Wine and Liquor Merchants. These gems do free delivery in my area for orders over $100 and take 10% off when you buy at least six bottles of their fabulously fizzy, tangy, textured ferments. A godsend during lockdowns. 
  • Birthday dinner sourced from the Australian Meat Emporium. We feasted on prize cuts – think dry aged and sized to feed a small army – alongside chimichurri made to order by a skilled friend.

Tom Watson

I’m usually not a massive spender and this year's lockdowns really exacerbated that. Looking at my transaction history for months on end you’d find nothing but takeaway coffee, but there were a few exceptions throughout the year.

My worst:

  • Funnily enough a certain sports streaming service has turned out to be my worst purchase of the year. Not because I don't love sports, but because (to my own surprise) I barely ended up watching anything during lockdown. Go figure.

My best:

  • A good pair of wireless, noise cancelling headphones at the start of the year has turned out to be one of my best ever purchases. They weren't exactly cheap, but boy have they been useful for listening to podcasts and music without bugging my girlfriend in our small apartment. 
  • A close second on the list is a few board games which helped us through the boredom of lockdown. A special shout out to Splendour which has given us hours and hours of entertainment.