Do you ever stare blankly at a blog post or email thinking: how am I going to intro this? Where should I even start? That’s me today! Hello friends! If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I’ve been dropping gift guides. Should all go as planned there will be one more next week as well as a giant one come the end of November. I’ve been waiting to see what gift sets drop so I can make sure you’re getting the best guides. But if you want it earlier rather than later, let me know in the comments below and I can drop/update as we go!
Regardless, today’s guide is all about the LUXURY. I.e. the items you ask yourself: is this really going to be worth the cost? Whether you’re looking to indulge for yourself or someone else this holiday season, today’s guide is here to help you know how I use it, where to score a deal (always) and if it’s really worth investing in at this point in your journey. Let’s get started!
Wellness
Peloton
In case you missed it, I recently did a full 1-year review on our Peloton bike. You can get into the nitty-gritty of that here. But if you’re looking for a quick answer, I’d say yes. When it comes to working out, I’m big on having flexibility in my routine. I prefer to listen to what my body is saying as well as having an alternative option on the days when maybe I need something more low impact. Plus, I’ve been working on my running for the better part of this year.
I’m definitely not a hardcore Peloton person. This could change down the road when I’m able to work out of my house more. Right now it just feels like A LOT of do all of the things at home and it stresses me out a bit. However, I do love the app and use it regularly. It’s got a great mix of classes which is amazing. And it’s something you can pretty much do anywhere.
Deal: They recently lowered the price. But this one doesn’t ever go on sale.
Apple Watch
I go through phases with how much I truly want to be aware of what’s happening in my life. Sometimes I just want to blissfully live. But having an apple watch means I’ve got consistent accountability when I want to figure out why I’m not achieving certain goals, sleeping poorly, or dealing with other issues. If you’re a competitive person, you can compete weekly with friends. Or if you’re my group of friends, you can send the most obscure auto texts back when you’ve been notified of your friend’s workout.
There’s been a few different fitness watches for me in rotation over the last few years. But for covering the basics of what I do and making my everyday life easier, I’m absolutely an Apple Watch fan.
Deal: All the Black Friday sales or buying an older version.
Dry Farm Wines Subscription
As I’ve spent time diving into my own personal health, there’s been quite a lot I’ve discovered. And for myself and my body, no added sugar wine is a game-changer. I’ll be doing a deep dive post into sustainable & clean wine for the community in a few weeks. But as someone who lives with a particularly stubborn human who likes to learn the hard way when it comes to cleaning up her diet (I’m looking at you, mom), giving someone the option to try better quality so they can discover the amazingness themselves often speaks louder than words.
If you’ve got a friend who loves their wine but needs something that’s a bit more in line with their personal goals/health goals, I’d highly recommend adding Dry Farm Wines as a gift. When I do indulge in a glass of vino these days, I find a major difference between when I’ve chosen to have a glass of prosecco out vs my own stock at home. My body is quite sensitive to the inflammation and sugar which I ALWAYS notice the next day in my hands. Personally, this is a luxury gift I’ll be sharing with quite a few friends this year.
Deal: Buy yourself a subscription gift card or split it with a friend.
Kitchen
Nespresso
Our Nespresso is easily one of the most used items in our kitchen. It’s also something I’m looking to upgrade in the next 6 months to a more sustainable option (I’ll dig into that in another post). But if you’re looking for a starter luxury option, let’s talk Nespresso. I’ve had the same machine for the last 8.5 years. And other than the occasional need to clean out any mineral build-up, there’s been no issues.
If you’re looking to invest but want to do it on the more budget-friendly side, I’d recommend getting the original version that is primarily for espresso as there are more options for pods* on the market. However, I have friends who have newer models and they are just as in love with their machine.
Deal: Amazon.
*Hiline is great for organic coffee pod options.
Vitamix
There are a few luxury items that when you see them you think: really? Like is it REALLY worth it? When it comes to the Vitamix, the answer is yes. And once you convert, you’ll feel incredibly sad using any other blender. Now I won’t say that it replaces a ton of other things. Vitamix recently launched a food processor attachment I’d love to try. As well as there are definitely quantity limitations when blending (you run into issues if you don’t have enough in the blender). None of these are major cons for me.
We use ours at least every other day making smoothies, nut butter, cashew milk, sauces, and all other sorts of things. If you’re over foods not being as smooth as you’d like them to be or can’t stand cleaning the Ninja blender blade any longer, upgrade. It’s worth it.
Deal: Amazon or buy refurbished. Or you can use key rewards to snag a deal at Williams Sonoma.
Kitchen Aid Mixer
I am fortunate enough that there’s always been a Kitchen Aid Mixer in our kitchen. We’re currently still using the one my grandmother owned when she was alive so you know it’s worth the investment. It’s one of those kitchen items that make doing loads of other things easy without needing major appliances every time. We currently have the pasta making parts on the list to add to our collection next.
Deal: Target or Amazon.
Instant Pot
When it comes to adding new appliances to our kitchen, I’m constantly torn between wanting all the things and knowing that I don’t have ALL the space. It’s a struggle. But for whatever reason, I caved and fell hard for the instant pot. And now I can’t imagine life without it. The biggest thing for me has been that it just makes lazy cooking so much easier. Because I’ve been recipe creating more I haven’t felt the need to meal prep the same way as I did last year.
However, when I do meal prep, there’s typically one instant pot recipe, one oven recipe and one stove top recipe happening. You don’t have to wait the ages you do with a crockpot. Plus, you can easily cook frozen meat in it which helps tremendously when you live in a small town, have a particular diet and limited takeout options.
Deal: Target Or Amazon.
Air Fryer Oven
I’ve had this dream of making healthy chicken fingers for ages. *keep an eye out for December recipes because this is happening* Adult struggles, right? But unlike the instant pot, I couldn’t quite convince myself to buy an air fryer. When I can, I try to avoid single use appliances.
Thankfully, I decided to wait and found the Breville air fryer and convection oven combo! It does everything from toasting to baking to air frying and so much more. It’s also probably the most used item in our kitchen currently minus our Nespresso. We use it daily to make bacon, prep dinner, toast (it has a gauge for the coloring of your toast so you can get it just the right amount of crispy/brown) and often a batch of my paleo chocolate chip cookies.
Deal: William Sonoma email discounts or Key Rewards.
Lifestyle
Dyson Airwrap
If you missed my blog post earlier this week on the airwrap, I’ll link it here so you can get into the nitty gritty details. But I’m obsessed! I have fine hair so I’ll take anything I can get to make it look healthy, happy and full. And the airwrap has become my daily obsession. I use it do to a blowout on day 1 or to add volume back into the roots when I’ve done a sweaty workout. Highly recommend!
Deal: Ulta discount. Sephora sale (coming soon).
T3 Curling Wand
I am someone who is forever changing my hair. Whether it’s a sign of creative energy or just a need to switch things up, I find I get bored easily. And thus, I change my hair. But in my constant endeavor to try new things, I’ve had to learn how to curl said hair to achieve each look and I’ve built up quite an arsenal. The T3 is what I reach for whenever I have a shoot, an event, or need my curls to be V precise. My curls stay all day. I can easily adapt as needed to get the bend in just the right place. And it’s incredibly easy to travel with.
Deal: Ulta discount. Sephora sale. Nordstrom price matching.
In the years prior to my step-dad passing, our house was always loud. Three dogs, an older man hard of hearing, and just the general chaotic energy meant that sometimes the easiest way to escape came in the form of headphones. Ironically, they are what I’m wearing as I write today’s post.
I’ve used these beauties everywhere I can possibly imagine needed a sound escape: coffee shops, airplanes, crazy households, etc. They always do the trick for helping me zone out whatever is going on and create my own little mental escape. I know Apple has launched their own version, however, I find that it’s far more comfortable to work for long periods of time with something over my ears rather than in it. But I also own airpods and we will talk about those too!
Deal: Amazon
Airpods
As I’ve been putting together this list, I’ve kind of forgotten some of the most common things I use daily. Airpods is at the top of the list. I avoided making the switch from my bose wireless sport headphones for a while. But eventually, I converted and haven’t looked back. I find I reach for these whenever I’m doing anything where I’d get hot (running, house DIY, etc) as they don’t hold in heat like my Bose headphones. They easily pair with all my apple devices. The charge is fairly decent. And of course, it’s nice to be able to be totally hands-free when doing things.
Deal: Amazon.
Pack Up & Go
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve talked about travel on the blog. And TBH I’d planned to do more posts in relation to things we did last year like Paris, NYC and LA. However, I had a feeling that things wouldn’t quite be as open as I’d like or my faves would close before you’d get the chance to go. So instead, let’s talk about one of my favorite things we’ve gotten to do in the last few years: TAKE A SURPRISE VACATION.
If you haven’t read my full review post on Pack Up & Go, it’s got everything. But here’s what you need to know. You pick your budget, answer lots of questions and a surprise vacay is planned. There’s everything from road trips to air travel. And you’re never locked into anything at your destination other than your hotel. So you can adjust as needed. If you’re looking for the perfect, fun, and less stressful getaway in the next year, highly recommend. I would 10/10 do it again!
Deal: I think they have a friend referral program.
Alrighty friends! There you have it. Be sure to bookmark this one as I’ll update it should I think of other items. And feel free to DM me on Instagram if there’s something you see I’m using that I haven’t mentioned or you have more questions. ALSO, don’t forget to sign up for the WSS newsletter so you get updated on everything I’m sharing. Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy
