Oprah gets to tell everyone what her favorite things are, so I thought I’d do the same. These are the things that I keep coming back to, buying in bulk (where applicable), and heartily recommend after lots of wear and tear.
Darn Tough Socks
At some point in a man’s life, he realizes that holes in socks are inevitable and so continuing to pay for socks that are going to get holes in them is a bit of an endless cycle of disappointment. That is, until that man discovers Darn Tough Socks. These merino wool socks aren’t cheap (around $20 a pair), but they have a lifetime warranty. I’ve gotten holes in a few pairs, I ship them back to Darn Tough and they give me a credit to get new replacement socks. You’d think you’d save money with this system, but I’ve found it’s hard to stop buying these socks because they’re just that good. They feel and look great and the merino wool keeps your feet dryer and significantly less funky smelling.
My favorite low cuts are the No Sho Lightweight Hiking Sock and my favorite calf height are the Hiker Boot Midweight Hiking.
Get the socks at DarnTough.com or find an occasional sale of up to 25% off at GoBros.com.
AirPods Pro
If you’ve ever had your ears nearly separated from your head due to the sudden sensation of a headphone cord catching on something, you already know that wireless headphones are a dream come true. The big bummer about wireless headphones is that the connection is often finicky and the batteries rarely last long enough to make it through the day. AirPods Pro are not like normal wireless headphones. If you’re an Apple user, you’ll get the added convenience of your headphones automatically connecting to whatever device you’re on, so you can switch between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac seamlessly. The AirPods Pro also have noise canceling, which is an especially handy feature when you’re rocking a wailing infant. Bless your ears with these bad bones and there’s no going back to the wired past.
Threads 4 Thought Triblend Hoodies
It took me many years of regular hoodie wearing to realize that the weight of a hoodie might just be the most important element. The triblend hoodies from Thread 4 Thought are the perfect hoodie because they are the perfect weight. They are warm enough for the fall and winter, but they aren’t too warm to wear in the spring or on a summer evening as things cool down. The material is super soft and it comes in tons of colors. This is my Steve-Jobs-black-turtle-neck equivalent and I wear one of these hoodies almost every day.
My favorites are the triblend full-zip and quarter-zip.
Baron Fig Confidant Hardcover Notebooks
Committing to a journal is a serious endeavor. It helps if you’ve got some nice paper where you can scratch down your deepest thoughts. It’s a bonus if the journal has a nice binding and a bookmark. Baron Fig notebooks have all that along with nice, thick pages, a few perforated removal pages in the back, and a clean, timeless design that makes you want to display them on your shelf when they’re not open on your desk.
My most used is the flagship size blank journal, but I love the plus for sketching and planning.
YNAB
We’ve been zero-based budgeters for over a decade now, and we have used YNAB (short for You Need A Budget) for almost that entire time. It’s still my absolute favorite app for budgeting. The design is incredible, you can update your budget on any device, it syncs with your bank accounts, and they are constantly adding new features. If you’re serious about getting your finances in order, this is worth the subscription fee many times over.
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