6. What kind of jeans do you gals wear? I’ve always been pretty cheap with mine, I just couldn’t imagine spending $100 on something I could get for $30. That is until I tried this Madewell version, which changed my wardrobe. They haven’t stretched out at all, which was my biggest complaint with less expensive jeans (I’d get droopy drawers, big time) and I wear them multiple times a week (this length seems to go with everything). And they’re 40% off right now!

In fact, I’ve been so happy with them, I ended up recycling my old, cheap skinny jeans (Madewell turns them into mattress filling) and bought this pair of skinny jeans over Black Friday, which are now the only ones I wear. Yes, you can call me the Marie Kondo of Jeans, if you must.

7. We travel quite a bit and for years I have tolerated difficult suitcases. To be honest, I didn’t know they were difficult. I assumed that dealing with suitcases that didn’t roll or zip very well was just part of the adventure. IT IS NOT.

My husband bought me this suitcase last year for my birthday and outside of it being so GORGEOUS I want to live in it, it’s easy to roll, has tons of pockets to organize your travel life, and just feels like they thought of everything. It’s a grown up suitcase, ready for grown up adventures.

8. Along with the new suitcase, my husband also splurged on these packing cubes (yes, he is a doll). Every time I open my suitcase, I’m all “WHO IS THIS PERSON AND HOW CAN I GET HER LIFE?!?” They make it so easy to find things – I don’t have to tear apart the entire bag to find my earbuds – and can I tell you how lovely it is to have a place to put dirty laundry? The joys of being an adult!

They’re so helpful I bought the kids a less expensive version at Target to organize their duffel bags when we go on trips. And then my mom loved them so much I bought her a set. And then I felt like all my sisters and friends needed a set so that was everyone’s Christmas gift and I WILL ORGANIZE YOUR LUGGAGE IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO. #kondokaraoftravel

9. This one is kind of an eye-roller, because everyone in the world talks about their Vitamix blenders, but THEY ARE AWESOME. We were using my blender from college (that thing was a champ), but it got to a place where it sounded like it was being murdered every time we turned it on so we finally broke down and went big time. I am so glad we did.

Everything everyone says is true. It’s easy to clean, blends to perfection, plus it takes care of onion chopping and all sorts of other tasks that no one should be required to learn.

10. We’re about to get intimate here, but how’s your bra? This one is a bit of a cheat because I discovered the wonders of a good bra years ago, but since ultimately this is a list of things I won’t shut up about, I feel like it can take an honorary place.

You gals, GET A GOOD BRA. They are expensive, but I can’t tell you how much it will change the way clothes fit and how you look. I only wear this version from Natori. It’s not the sexiest, but it holds the gals in place and lasts forever (plus, they are almost always on sale at the Nordstrom half-yearly sale!).

11. I am one of those people who cannot for the life of me keep my car clean. I can keep on top of the house okay (although some of my Stories beg to differ), but our car is almost always a disaster. One of my friends very subtly recommended this car trash can and it has made a significant difference. I’m not saying it’s clean enough I’d offer you a ride, but it’s no longer so terrible I feel like burning it makes more sense than cleaning it.

12. Red lipstick is kinda my thing. I love a pop of color and the drama of a red lip and pretty much only wear this one color that weirdly looks good on everyone (it’s Revlon Colorburst 240 and it’s also at Target!). The only thing is I can never find them when I want them (all the time) so this year I went big and bought a whole bunch of them and stashed them everywhere. I have them in my make up bag, car cup holder, purses, basically everywhere. And at only $7 a pop, it wasn’t a huge investment, but has brought me an overwhelming sense of joy that can only come from looking like a hottie pants at drop off.

13. For years I have been walking around with my socks halfway off in my shoes because I didn’t know there was another way. NO MORE. My sister made me buy these no show, Van socks and they work! Seriously! They stay up all day long! The other no-show ones DO NOT. I know because I have a drawer full of every brand under the sun and am going to recycle them all (at H&M) and only do the Vans version FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

14. My favorite Christmas gift this year was a subscription to The Book of the Month club. I love books more than just about anything (maybe even more than shoes? DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE!) and BOTM does what it says and sends you a book every month. But, here’s the brilliant part – you get to pick the book, but from their five favorites. Basically, they do all the leg work and find the best books out this month and then you decide which one (or all) of them you’ll get. So much fun and so little stress!

Also, I’m going to be posting what I read every month so be sure to follow me over on Instagram to keep up!

15. This last one is another Very Adult one, but, last year, I bit the bullet and got rid of all my plastic Tupperware and went with glass. It was a relief because 1. I know it’s better for our family and 2. Where did all our lids go?!?!? I had 47 bottoms and then 33 lids and none of them matched and I was LOSING MY MIND.

I went with a couple of sets of these glass ones from Amazon and I truly love them because they all have lids (weird, I know) and you can take something out of the fridge and put it right in the microwave, plus my sisters have stopped guilting me. Not about the microwave, but BABY STEPS.

Okay, now, your turn! What item did you buy this past year that was an excellent buy you can’t shut up about? I need to know!!

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Photos by my other favorite thing, MILOU AND OLIN PHOTOGRAPHY.