January: 10 Under $100

A monthly roundup of the smaller things I bought and tried in January.

Hi friends,

We’re adding a new element to Is It Worth It? this week — a monthly roundup of smaller items I tried that don’t necessarily need their own full-bodied review, but do deserve to be talked about a little bit. (If you want more where that came from, head to our subscriber chat!)

Here’s what I’m loving this month — all for under $100. Make sure to click “View entire message” if this cuts off!

*I am experimenting with affiliate links on a few of these products! If you click them, I may earn literally three cents or so, at no extra cost to you.

1. Cann Social Tonics

I’m not into smoking or edibles, but a delightful little fizzy drink every night? Don’t mind if I do! You can’t go wrong with any of the flavors pictured above (and no, they don’t taste like weed). The link below gets you $20 off your first order over $75.

2. HANNI Splash Salve Body Mask

Here’s the truth: I absolutely hate putting on lotion after I shower. The sensation, the chilliness, the often-runny texture — I hate it all. The HANNI Splash Salve has been my favorite little luxury this winter, and it’s kept my skin actually soft. Apply in the shower, rinse off, and you’re done. It feels more like a body butter than a moisturizer, and I’m so obsessed with the fragrance that I’ve gone deep into perfume Reddit trying to find perfume matches for it. (For the record: top notes of rose and jasmine, base notes of sparkling amber and honey wood.)

3. K18 AirWash Dry Shampoo

Maybe this Substack should have been called “how to avoid a shower” instead. (I’m completely telling on myself here.) The K18 AirWash takes my two biggest gripes about dry shampoo — the gritty build-up feeling and my complete inability to NOT prematurely give myself gray hair — and solves them. It feels like actual magic to spray a wet substance on your part and a few zhuzhes later, your hair is brought back to life, sans grease.

4. Manucurist Active Glow Nail Polish

Hello from your favorite neighborhood nail biter. I’m not really a manicure girl, but having nail polish on is truly the number one differentiator between me having nails that could belong to a Very Important Business Lady and nails that could belong to a woman on Day 73 of a post-apocalyptic world. This particular polish has a subtle rosy tint that I just love.

5. OCOOPA Rechargeable Hand Warmers

My old rechargeable hand warmers bit the dust this winter, and within 24 hours I ordered this highly recommended pair as a replacement. They get hot FAST (even on the first level) and are super slim, so they’ll fit into any pocket you need (even gloves). I will say the charging takes a while, so your best bet is to leave them charging overnight.

6. Illumiseen Light-Up Dog Collar

When Zero Dark Thirty hits at 4 pm, my mostly-black dog needs a little help to stay visible, especially since we live in a high-traffic area where cars whiz around the corners. The battery on this thing lasts forever, and it’s rechargeable. We get a LOT of compliments on it.

7. Weekly Home Check Reminder and Home Log Journal

We bought a house last month, and it came to my attention that I don’t know how to own a house. A New York Times article tipped me off to Kyshawn Lane, an Instagram creator who, in a free newsletter, gives you week-by-week tasks to keep your home well-maintained. For $20, you can also get his Journal & Log Book for New Home Owners as a Google Sheet or PDF, and you can bet your ass this Virgo forked over $20 instantly for a beautiful, easy-to-use spreadsheet. I can already tell this is going to be invaluable to my partner and me as we track home improvements, new service providers, and paint colors.

8. Counterpart Retractable Charger

A retractable charger is one of those things I kind of thought we’d invented already — and we have, to an extent (Amazon is full of incredibly ugly options). I got these for my family for Christmas, thinking everyone a) always needs another charger and b) all the best gift guides say that an elevated take on a basic need is a fool-proof gift. Personally, this is going to live in my Calpak tech organizer with the rest of my travel-ready chargers.

9. Custom Tattoos on Etsy

I just ordered these for my sister’s bachelorette party and am delighted — DELIGHTED — with my own cleverness. There are dozens of designs to choose from, but we went with a combination of “Let’s Go Girls” for her and “He’s Just Thomas” (a la Barbie) for her fiancé. Cheap, custom, and consumable — my favorite things when it comes to event-specific swag.

10. My Custom Kindle Cover

Aside from my dog, this composition book Kindle cover (a recommendation from

Becca Freeman

) may be the thing that sparks the MOST joy on a regular basis (and yes, I’m aware my Virgo is showing again). Warning: It did take me a few minutes to make sure I was ordering the right size for my Kindle, but it helps to have your order pulled up for easy reference.

Have you tried anything on this list? Love it, hate it, meh it? Let me know in the comments!