Best Purchases of 2024

What It Is: Custom necklace and earrings from Spur Jewelry
How Much It Costs: A lot…I don’t want to type the number here, plus every piece varies in cost and depends on materials, size, etc. The majority of their projects fall within the $1,000 – $6,000 range.
Why It’s Awesome: I had to reset my engagement ring a couple years ago because the side stones kept falling out. It was remade by a new jeweler in an identical but more secure setting, but they couldn’t use the original pavé side stones because extracting them was not their expertise. So there I was with about 35 small diamonds just sitting there collecting dust. I would be an actual crazy person to get rid of them – who throws away diamonds?! I had seen Spur Jewelry on Instagram and was absolutely obsessed with 99.9% of their projects. They repurpose heirloom jewelry in the most innovative ways. I was in awe of their designs aka transformations. So many were my style and all totally unique. The design team was wonderful to work with and really listened to my preferences and needs. They came back with several options for me to choose from and were open to plenty of back and forth to get it just right. I now have two pieces that are packed with sentimental meaning, and I’ll have them forever – totally worth the investment.

What It Is: Soom Dark Chocolate Tahini Spread with Sea Salt
How Much It Costs: $8.99 for one at the grocery store or $16.19 for a two-pack on Amazon
Why It’s Awesome: This spread has nutella peanut butter vibes but since it’s dark chocolate, it’s WAY better, in my opinion. I bought it after trying a sample at the grocery store and was hooked. There, I had it as a dip for a pretzel stick (yum), but I thought it was great smeared over some sourdough toast. And inside some dates? Yesssss. The recipes on the website look great, particularly the banana bread, so I may have to try that next. Also, it’s women-owned – yay!

What It Is: Runna App
How Much It Costs: $109 for the year
Why It’s Awesome: This app provides the most custom training plan I’ve ever seen. I first told them which race I’d signed up for (they were all loaded in there so once I selected mine, it knew exactly how long we had to get me ready for the big day), next I provided my last 5K pace, then I said how many days I’d like to train (I went with 3 because it felt manageable and also left room for me to take other classes for fun), I let them know which days of the week I was available to train and which one I preferred for my long run. It spit out a plan that felt perfectly suited for me along with an estimated time for my particular event. The workouts don’t just say “run 4 miles;” they provide warmups, intervals, cooldowns – all with associated distances and paces based on outdoor/treadmill environment. I don’t have to worry about retrofitting my schedule to a generic plan and this feels like it’s easing me to the finish line.

What It Is: Frida Baby Cradle Cap Flake Fixer
How Much It Costs: $35 for both the 3-step system and scalp spray/mask duo
Why It’s Awesome: Finn has always had a dry scalp and I just figured it would go away. It never seemed to be in true cradle cap territory but I noticed it getting worse around 2-years old and by the time he was 2 years and 3 months, it was way too bad to ignore. This seemed to be the cradle cap kids usually get when they’re much younger. The flakes were crazy and if you looked at his scalp through the hair it truly looked like the Utah salt flats. This treatment worked like MAGIC. After 3 uses, the cradle cap was totally gone.

What It Is: Bye Bye Bloat by Love Wellness
How Much It Costs: $30
Why It’s Awesome: After about a month I started to feel a real difference. I take two pills every night before bed and the next day I am noticably less bloated. I love that it’s not packed with all sorts of crazy ingredients. It’s not a laxative, but it feels like it evens me out a bit when it comes to gut health. Since the age of 4, I’ve had major problems in the bathroom department. I’ll never be super regular, but this supplement makes my belly feel a bit more normal.

What It Is: Fake rings
How Much It Costs: $34 for both…but I bought mine on Prime Day so I literally spent half that. Not linking because there are a million different versions you can find on Amazon to suit your specific style.
Why It’s Awesome: I feel totally naked without my wedding rings, but I don’t always want to travel with them. A city trip is fine – that’s just living life in a different place; if I wouldn’t lose my rings walking around nyc, I won’t lose them strolling the streets of Ireland. But a beach vacation is different. I don’t want them to slip off in the pool/ocean and don’t love the idea of leaving them in a hotel room. For just a few dollars, I have total peace of mind. HOT TIP: I made sure to buy fakes that were a different style than my actual rings so I wouldn’t accidentally mix them up in a rush.

What It Is: Je Suis La Jeune Fille hat
How Much It Costs: $36
Why It’s Awesome: The Muzzy commercial was a millennial pop culture MOMENT. Most people won’t “get” this hat, but those that do are the real ones. I’ve never been a big baseball hat kinda gal, but I have to admit it’s nice to throw one over messy/greasy hair on a Sunday when we need to get Finn out the door.

What It Is: Tonie Box
How Much It Costs: $180 for the one that I bought, which comes with 4 extra tonies – though I made sure to buy it on Prime Day for $84 and just held onto it for 5 months until Finn’s birthday.
Why It’s Awesome: This compact box offers plenty of screen-free entertainment. It’s basically the Gen Alpha version of a boombox though much more durable. Basically, you place one of the little figurines on the top (they’re magnetized with sensors) and it starts playing songs or stories. Finn listens to one every single night as he falls asleep. It’s also great because it offers an easy gift idea for grandparents or aunts/uncles. One or two tonies makes for a great Xmas or Chanukah present.