I have only written a handful of Friday Favorites posts, but I have always really enjoyed not only writing them but reading what other friends say are their own favorite things. I love sharing about a product or item that has changed my life. Some of my best purchases have come at the recommendations of close friends. Honestly, if you have something you love, and you don’t tell a friend, I think that should be considered a crime! Ok, maybe that’s a little extreme, but I’m sure you get my point.
So, I am starting the new year off with some new favorites. These favorites are all centered around the New Year theme — which to me means organization, planning, health, and a fresh outlook to take on the months ahead.
1. I love a fresh planner. I love the blank pages and planning out the weeks and months. Our busy lives make staying organized-ish a must. I use my iPhone calendar quite a bit, but I still enjoy writing things out the old fashioned way. I have bought many planners throughout the years. I have even caved and bought the expensive yet awesome Erin Condren planners, twice…but….confession….I NEVER wrote in EITHER one because I was too afraid to mess them up. How STUPID is that? Like, stupid stupid. So, I decided that I would never spend that kind of money on a planner again. Instead, I opted for this much less expensive Target version. It’s cute. It’s functional. I’m not afraid of it.
2. When buying a new planner, you need new pens. It’s just a thing. So, I always enjoy trying to find my next favorite pen. These fine point Sharpie pens are great because they actually do not bleed through. I have used them on the new planner, and I don’t have any ink going through to the other side. I picked these up because I liked the colors. I try to color-code things according to the type of event and which person is participating. It makes life just a teensy bit simpler. I found these at…you guessed it…Target.
3. My new best friend is this Yeti cup I got for Christmas. It’s probably my favorite and most practical gift. I love my drinks to be super cold, and this guy really does the job. This is the 30 ounce version. They make smaller and larger ones. I have been refilling it at least 3-4 times daily since I got it, which is nice because that means I am getting well over 100 ounces of water a day (far more than I was consuming pre-Yeti). I will even fill it up before bed, leave it on my nightstand at night for when I wake up at 3 a.m. in a dehydrated, cotton-mouthed panic (thanks, Pregnancy), and the water will still be cold. The Yeti isn’t cheap, but I know that there are other cups that are similar and do a great job keeping your beverages at your desired temperature. Go getcha one.
4. I wrote about MantraBands last year. I love the three I purchased at the beginning of 2016, and I just added this new one to my collection. I love the simple, minimalistic reminder that I need to take it one day at a time. It will be so easy in this exciting year to lose my patience and worry about the future. I am really hoping this bracelet will keep me in check. They have dozens upon dozens of different mantras in silver, gold, and rose gold finishes. I just read through them all and found the one that took the weight off my chest. This was the winner.
5. We have used Hello Fresh since April. I love it. Each week, I get a box of all the ingredients to make 3 meals for my family. The produce is all fresh, the meat is well-sourced, and everything down to the teaspoon of spice I need is included. I only have to use my own olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper. I absolutely love this service. This takes so much stress away from meal planning all 7 nights a week. Knowing that we will have three unique, healthy, and flavorful meals gives me peace of mind when I sub in mini corn dogs, breakfast for dinner, nachos, and takeout for the other nights of the week. You can preview the meals ahead of time and make substitutions if you don’t like the meals offered. You can also easily skip a week as much as you’d like. There are different plans to choose from to meet your budget, your diet, and your number of mouths to feed. The best part is that if you click the link above, you can save $40 off your first box (and give me a $20 credit – yahoo)! That’s a pretty cheap way to try the program and see if you like it. We are hooked!
I would love to know what your New Year Favorites are! Don’t be afraid to comment and give me another reason to head to Target…
