2024 Favorites
Purchases, bivalves and your favorite posts
Hi friends,
How’s your holiday going? I hope it’s been somewhat restful. Since it’s December 30th and all, I wanted to share some favorites of 2024 with you all. I know it’s chronically online of me but I do miss my favorite newsletters and podcasts when they take holiday breaks (as they should). It’s so lovely how strangers can become part of our daily or weekly routines through the work they create and noticing their absence is a reflection of the impact it has.
I’ve been reading, watching Rivals (highly recommend, Dale and I really enjoyed it) and the new season of Virgin River, trying new restaurants, and baking muffins.
Before I do any kind of year wrap up, I have to say a huge thank you for being part of This Needs Hot Sauce. It’s grown beyond what I could have imagined when I first started writing in 2017 and I feel so lucky to get to chat with such thoughtful, kind people every week. I’ve had a rough end of the year with health stuff (still a little sniffly but I think I’m on the up and up) and I am so grateful for the support you all have shown me even when I’ve had to take some breaks and prioritize rest.
Lots of my favorites are in my gift guide, including favorite books and purchases, but let’s go a little deeper. And I’ll be back next year with Gentle January!
Purchases:
A heating pad that I ordered from GoPuff at 9 pm in the midst of a health thing. Clearly things were not going too well when this happened, but I don’t know how I made it to age 31 without owning one. The government should give out free heating pads in middle schools, they’re life changing.
Eras Tour Tickets: The adrenaline rush after I got these tickets was huge—Dale and I went out to dinner to celebrate. I had spent months trying to make a trip happen and finally decided to go for it solo, which wound up being so much fun. I love London and got to spend time with Teal by the sea and trade friendship bracelets and debrief with Rose and Mandy. I got really good surprise songs (Ed Sheeran came out) and I loved the atmosphere of Wembley Stadium. More solo concerts in 2025—it is so freeing to just do what you want!
Nuuly: I started using Nuuly in October and really like it. You get to rent six items for $98 and it’s owned by Anthropologie so there are lots of brands to choose from. Before trying it, I was worried it would be mostly colorful patterned dresses but they have stuff I like. I so far use my assortment to get mostly everyday pieces with a few fun surprises that you might not wear as often (like a dress to wear in Miami, they also have lots of wedding guest dresses). The reviews are very helpful and so far, most things have fit (jeans are tricky, but that is true in literally any context). I really dislike online shopping for clothes and this feels more manageable. You can buy anything you rent at a discount afterwards, which I’ve done a few times—after all, I know I’ll wear it. A few of my favorite rentals: Donni pants (I bought them), a Kule sweatshirt with a pretzel on it (I would never buy a $200 sweatshirt but it is really nice), a fun 70s brown coat that I kept after my whole family insisted (my grandma owned a clothing boutique for 13 years so I had to listen to her). If you want to try it out, use this link and you’ll get a discount.
Solo dinners:
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