Chelsey's 39 Favorite Things
in honor of my birthday
Tomorrow I’ll be 39 years old. I decided to channel Oprah and share my 39 favorite things. That is where my similarities to Oprah end as I cannot afford to bless you all with one of each of these, although I hope maybe you’ll think about trying some and seeing what kind of mileage you get. Some of these are new finds; some are old finds; some I truly could not live without. (Well, I could. Obviously. I just prefer not to.)
Cherry Coke Zero
This is my beverage of choice. I always used to be a Cherry Coke girl, but when Coke Zero came out, I actually found I preferred the zero sugar version. Thus Cherry Coke Zero was a merging of two very good things. I do not like any of the other versions of Coke Zero other than the regular. And yes, I know that it might be mildly contributing to future cancer but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
Cookie Two Step Blue Bell Ice Cream
If you know me, you know that in my old age I have become a bit of an ice cream snob. I have always loved ice cream (it’s genetic), but I used to have no preference as to the brand. Now that I’m old, Blue Bell is the only ice cream I really want. (I will settle for Publix brand, Ben & Jerry’s, and Talenti.) And when it comes to Blue Bell, my favorite flavor is Cookie Two Step. It’s a combination of chocolate chip cookie dough and cookies and cream.
I know sparkling water has its haters and I don’t like most of it, but this flavor is one that I truly enjoy. It actually has a flavor. A cold one of these on the beach is my ideal drink.
I love flavored coffee and have enjoyed getting this variety pack for my Dopamine Den Keurig. It’s also a great price per pod and there are no repeats of flavors!
Peanut Butter M&Ms
I love Reese’s peanut butter cups and all the iterations (eggs, trees, bats, etc.). But Reese’s Pieces are far inferior to the PB + chocolate combo of peanut butter M&Ms. This is my preferred road trip snack.
Christian got me a Keurig for my Dopamine Den last Mother’s Day, but it kicked the bucket after only about 6 months. By that time I could not imagine not having a coffee maker at my immediate disposal without leaving my room (spoiled much?) and so I tried to find a cheaper option. I found this one at Walmart and it’s been working great! It has a larger water tank than the Keurig and it also brews the coffee extremely fast.
I have been using some version of this sleep mask for 5 years. Before that, I had been using a fan as white noise. Christian informed me after a decade of marriage that he didn’t really like sleeping with the fan, so he got me this for my birthday. I have since gone through about once a year because I use it *every* night. I connect it to my phone and use an app that plays “pink noise.” It blocks out light and noise. The headphones inside are completely flat, so it’s not uncomfortable to sleep in at all.
Tell me you’re approaching 40 without telling me you’re approaching 40.
My last phone case did a terrible job, so when I had to get a new phone, I went for something different. I drop my phone at least once a day and this case has been amazing. I also love the car holder that goes with the case. The magnet is super strong!
I got one for Christmas a couple of years ago, and in my opinion, this is the best way to read eBooks.
Leuchterm1917 A5 Bullet Journal
If you’re into bullet journaling, this is the standard. I buy the dotted kind and use rulers, Washi tape, markers and pens to make it more colorful.
Yoobi College Ruled Spiral Journal
I’ve been using this brand for my regular journaling for years, and I hope it never goes away! It’s really hard to find college ruled journals in this size.
If you’re into coloring or bullet journals, these are great for doodling and coloring in.
Zebra Pen Mildlighter Double End Highlighters
These are the only highlighters I use. The other end is also nice for bullet journaling.
These are the only pens I use.
Drop Dead Gorgeous Dry Shampoo
I stopped using the aerosol shampoos a couple years ago after tons of them were recalled. I started using this instead, and I actually prefer it. One container lasts me at last half the year, and I only wash my hair about twice a week.
I have now bought two of these shelves — one for our living room and one for my Dopamine Den. I love the storage option on the shelves and I love its double use, perfect for small spaces.
Oral-B Super Floss Pre-Cut Strands
If you’re still rocking your lower retainer like I am, this floss is amazing. It goes right between your teeth and under the retainer without having to use those annoying floss threaders. These have single-handedly kept me flossing my teeth regularly.
This is my favorite deodorant, hands down. It lasts all day and doesn’t leave any residue.
My teeth and gums are really sensitive, and years ago my dentist recommended I stick to Sensodyne. I’ve never looked back and I compensate for the price by being the onle one to use it (the rest of my family uses other brands I can get on sale for cheaper).
If you have never dealt with house flies, then keep scrolling. But if you live in rural south Georgia, go ahead and buy these. I put them on all of our downstairs windows and replace them at least once a week in the heat of summer. It cuts down on my fly swatting by about 90 percent.
Another thing we deal with in the warmer months are ant infestations. Although they are not harmful, if I see a trail of ants inside I have to stop everything else until I deal with it. I’ve tried natural solutions like Borax and it does work, but this ant gel knocks them out like nothing else. It’s a little pricy, but it lasts forever. Just don’t get alarmed when you initially see 200 ants around one of the little dots. They will eventually take it back to the ant hill and you’ll never see them again.
I bought this last fall and it transformed my ceiling fan cleaning (which, let’s be honest, is like twice a year). It literally takes 1 minute to clean a whole fan, and then you can throw the floofy part in the wash.
At any given time, we have three bottles of this in our house — one in each upstairs bathroom and one in the kitchen. I use it as an all purpose cleaner and disinfectant. It also works as a stain remover for clothes!
Barkeeper’s Friend Soft Cleanser
I’m linking to Amazon but you can get it way cheaper at Target or Walmart. This is great for bathtubs and sinks and toilets.
I know this looks a little scary but after my PT let me use it at therapy, I bought one for myself to have at home. It’s great for rolling out your hamstrings and calves!
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
I get this much cheaper at Costco, but I put this in my daily smoothie.
I bought this last year after starting PT and it’s amazing for stretching.
Christian loves when I refer to my “Gollum feet” when wearing these. They really do help with foot pain!
My goal every day is to drink 3 of these to get a total of 120 oz of water.
I was introduced to this game by the ladies in my unofficial maybe monthly game group and I haven’t gotten tired of it. It’s got birds and eggs and marshes. It’s the perfect combination of strategy and luck and you don’t have any idea who is winning until the very end because there are 52 different ways to earn points. When looking this up, I discovered there is a FISH version that I immediately added to my Amazon wish list.
This is my current game obsession. I love playing it with my friend, Anna, even though she always wins.
This is one of my favorite strategy games!
I bought this 4-deck set for our kids a few years ago before our summer vacation. Since then we have collected all 12 decks. Our family of 6 can play this together, even our not-yet-reading 5-year-old. He LOVES it and it’s truly fun for the whole family, no matter the age.
Many people who know how much I read are surprised to know I have *never* paid for an audiobook. That is largely in part to this app, which I use with my library card. (If this is new to you, don’t worry—I’m working on a tutorial!)
I use this app to stay on top of keeping our house clean. I think it costs about $7 for lifetime use and it’s 100% worth it. You can customize it to your house and the kind of cleaning you do. It really motivates me to do just a little bit each day.
I’m an analog girl in some ways, but when it comes to my to do list, the only way I have found to be sustainable is to do it digitally. I pay for the premium version so I can have multiple “projects” and I use this to keep track of literally everything I have to do. Used along with Google Calendar, it can help manage your entire life.
I took a break from the New York Times puzzles for a while but have come back around. I pay for the subscription so I can try to get to the top level of Spelling Bee and it’s totally worth the $4/month I pay out of my fun money (although if you click that link, they are having a deal where it’s only $1.50/month for the first year). I always do Wordle and Connections first, and then I move on to Spelling Bee. I’ll also do Strands, the Mini, and the crossword.
This post is truly brought to you by Notion. It’s basically spreadsheets on steroids. I use it to plan out my Substack posts, keep track of my reading, organize my cross stitch, and a million other things.
This list was amazingly fun to come up with. I’d love to hear what your favorite things are and if we share any favorite things!
I’m going to read this more slowly but for now I remember trying to swat a fly at your house only to find out that it was already stuck on your window fly trap! That was the first time we had dinner together. Good memory!
No ynab?? Lol!! Definitely checking some of these things out.