Happy Sunday! Saturday is easily my favorite day of the week, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Sunday mornings.
Michael and I usually wake up and hit the gym early on Saturdays, so I relish the chance to sleep in just a tad and stay in my pajamas until we manage to drag ourselves out for grocery shopping and other errands on Sunday.
There’s an extra layer of excitement today, as we’ll head over to a festival in our neighborhood for a bit before I go in for a haircut. Haircuts only happen about four times a year, and for some reason, I’m always really nervous beforehand! I tend to clam up and somehow lose the ability to clearly ask for what I want in a cut; thankfully Pinterest is always there for me so I can show, rather than tell, what I want.
This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking one of these links (at no additional cost to you!). Thank you for your support - it enables me to run this site ad-free!
Other than trip-planning and pinning haircuts, here’s what I’ve found interesting on the web this week:
Travel
Planning on traveling solo? Here are some tips from three women who frequently go it alone.
Why is Finland called “Finland?”
I updated my Destination Film & TV Shows list this week; this post highlights watch-worthy films and TV series set in destinations I’ve visited so far. What have you watched lately?
Tours aren’t really my thing, but I just booked my first Airbnb Experience, and I’m actually pretty excited! We’ll be visiting Teotihuacan and having lunch in the tour guides’ home, and of course, I’ll share a review here once we’re back (Hello from the future! You can find my review here). In the meantime, you can take $15 off if you book an Airbnb Experience of $50+ through our referral link (unfortunately it’s only valid for new customers!).
Perhaps now is a good time to visit Brazil…
While researching for our Mexico City trip I came across this really cute food blog. It looks like our restaurant tastes often align; perhaps we’ll run into Frankie the stuffed cat one day!
—
Life & Home
How to stem subscription creep. We currently have more subscriptions than ever before, like Amazon Prime, our local YMCA, Netflix, Adobe, YouTube Premium (Michael), and Billie (me, for razors – save 10% on your first $20+ order with code WAYWARDBLOG10). I think I’m going to avoid adding up all of our monthly costs because I’m afraid to face the total, but the only one I’m considering dropping right now is (surprisingly) Amazon Prime (edit: I dropped it and haven’t looked back!). The costs have essentially doubled since I first signed up for the service, but I rarely use it. I may consider signing up for a single month around the holidays to help with any last-minute shopping, but I’ve already turned off auto-renew. Do you think Prime is still worth the price?
Here’s a helpful guide for decluttering your kitchen. If any room is going to fall prey to mess in our home, it’s the kitchen. Not only do we eat at home most evenings, but the room also serves as our laundry space. It’s a good reminder to whittle back down our spices, which we tend to snap up easily while traveling.
I’m kind of drooling over all of the new items in the “Life” section of Need Supply (now closed). We were just discussing the other day that it’s difficult to make investment furniture and decor purchases as renters because we never know if those items will work in a future home. For now, at least I make mental notes of the things I love, honing my personal home style from behind a computer screen.
Previously on wayward: this time in 2017 I shared my first post, and last year I spent ten days wearing the same ten garments.
—
Style
Signe shares how to embrace your worn-out clothes. I think my favorite tip is that “worn out is cool.” I’ve learned to lean in and appreciate the wear my clothes, shoes, and accessories receive as a sign of being well-loved and used.
The Luxe Strategist shares her top tips for navigating the world of secondhand shopping online. Buying items gently used is a great way to save money (to put toward a new trip, perhaps?).
Esther writes honestly about pursuing style as a passion and the cost of ethical fashion (link no longer available). It seems like most people in the blogosphere have it figured out, and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone in finding my path!
Although I mentioned we plan on dropping Amazon Prime, I did place an order using Try Before You Buy this week for some neutral block-heeled sandals. You can read my review of this free shopping service here.
Has anyone else noticed the nearly continual sales going on over at Grana? It has me starting to wonder if they will shutter…
Things I bought this week
1. Emmett Pants, Madewell
2. Baies Candle, Diptyque
3. Zip-Top Transport Crossbody, Madewell
4. Hydrating Sunscreen Balm*
5. Packable Backpack*
I made a few purchases this week to review and also in advance of our upcoming trips, like this Madewell Tote (secondhand) and this packable backpack*. With a one-day flight coming up, I wanted something bigger than my current crossbody bag, but smaller than my tote (to save my shoulder!). This Madewell bag must have sold at a really steep clearance price at some point because there are a ton on eBay at the moment. I figured I should be able to easily slip the collapsed backpack into the tote, and we can fill it up with anything we want to bring back on a trip (or can use it while hiking on a longer trip).
Net-a-Porter had a great sale this week on some items that rarely go on sale, so I jumped at the chance to pick up a new Diptyque candle and this mini sunscreen balm* at 15% off.
As much as I would love to purchase a pair of Kamm pants, I can’t quite justify the price tag (even secondhand!). I previously gave the Everlane version a shot, but the hip-to-waist ratio didn’t quite work out for me, so I ordered two sizes of Madewell’s Emmett Pants.
I also ordered a set of these (not pictured) to wear under the dress I purchased last week, as it fits me like a glove and there’s no room left for a bra (so sometimes impulse purchases work out!). All-in-all, it was a pretty high-spend week, unfortunately!
*this item is no longer available and a similar product is linked
When was the last time you had an impulse purchase work out really well?
