11 Things You Need to Get Your Apartment Ready for Cold Weather

The time of year has come where our radiators get turned on, we bust out the storm windows and layering before you step out of your house is necessary. Bring your winter coats to the dry cleaners ASAP, because snowy stuff is right around the corner. The colder it gets outside, the less likely you'll want to venture out in the frozen tundra (and probably end up ordering too much takeout). That's why you need to get your home front ready for nights inside for the chilly months to come.

1. Blankets Made for Couch Coziness: You’ll be spending most nights Netflix and chilling because the weather outside will be for-real frightful. Extra throws are a must, so why not have one with designs that will make your couch pop? This Dusen Dusen Stripe Throw Blanket ($180) fits the bill.

2. Boot Tray to Protect Your Floors From Slush: Who said that boot trays have to be boring and all rubbery? This signedandnumbered Reclaimed Wood Boot Tray ($75) is an Etsy gem that protects your floors from harsh salts and yucky snow while still looking rustic and modern. It’s a total find.

3. Tech-Friendly Slow Cooker for Ready-Whenever Meals: Slow Cookers are one-pot meal saviors year round, but especially during the winter when chilis, soups and hearty meals are on weekly menu rotation. Make winter living even easier this year with one that connects wirelessly to your phone. This high-tech slow cooker lets you control its temperature and cooking time while you’re on the go, aka shoveling snow for your car.

4. An Anything-but-Boring Duvet: The brightness of your summer bedroom doesn’t have to go away once the clocks change. Bring the breezy, chill vibes to the bedroom with an airy duvet, like the Wandering Star King Size Duvet Set ($240). This beaut is hand printed and fair trade, and gets softer after every wash, which makes your bed — or anywhere the duvet touches — the ultimate comfort zone.

5. Not Your Mother’s Humidifier: Gone are the days of the giant, bulky humidifiers of our childhood (who has the space for that in their apartment anyway?). Snag a more modern option like this small but effective 11+ Bottle Humidifier ($90). This eco-friendly gadget works great in any bedroom-sized room, not just practically, but also decor-wise — it’ll completely blend into your scheme thanks to its sleek design — and is easily recharged via a USB port.

6. Chic Storage for Winter Accessories: Too many gloves, hats and scarves get lost through your house over the cold months when you need them most. This season, keep them all together in this cute, easy-to-move Eliza Gran Pom Pom Venice Basket ($88). When it’s time to stash the cold layers, use the catchall for other organizational needs — it might be the prettiest laundry basket we’ve ever seen or a really next-level planter.

7. Mugs for All of the Hot Drinks: With tea, coffee, cider, mulled wine and hot chocolate all considered sippable on the daily, there’s ALWAYS the need for more mugs every winter. We love these lightweight Unison Splatter Enamel Mugs ($12) that will be easy to stash, are un-crackable and look ready for a campfire (or, better yet, a fireplace hang sesh).

8. Next-Level Teas for That Pot: Face it, you’re a little sick of the typical peppermint, green or earl grey tea you’re so used to. Plus, that coffee shop around the corner will seem light years away once it gets below zero. Step your home tea game up by trying this Kombucha Brooklyn Tea Sampler ($12) variety pack sure to please roomies and holiday guests alike.

9. (Faux) Furry Rug by Your Bedside: Sick of the rude awakening of your toes hitting the cold floor when you (reluctantly) try to get out of bed or bare skin touching the cold metal parts of a chair? Add this Urban Outfitters Faux Sheepskin Shaped Rug ($49) to your place to make your difficult mornings a little fluffier.

10. A Stylish Doormat for Boot Stompin’: During dark winter times, it’s nice to have a bit of color at your doorstep. Switch out the old boring doormat for this Hello There Doormat ($25). It even greets your shoe-wiping guests for you!

11. Slippers, Duh: Nothing is better in winter than kicking off your boots and immediately throwing on the coziest of slippers, and these Woolrich Felt Mill Scuff Slippers ($35) are sure to please. These fleecey wonders are so comfy you might almost walk out the door in them (but don’t!).

What are your must-have winter home accessories? Tell us about your faves in the comments!

Eating out as a vegan can be a true challenge, especially if you don’t exactly know that what you’re ordering is 100% vegan. Fast food faves like McDonald’s and Taco Bell are secretly packed with vegan items, and Starbucks is no exception. From oat milk coffees to satisfyingly savory snacks, you’ve actually got plenty of plant-based choices when you pull up at your local Starbucks.

Scroll on to explore every vegan Starbucks drink and food item you can add to your order!

Vegan Starbucks Drinks

Starbucks

1. Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado

This new-to-the-menu espresso drink combines brown sugar syrup and oat milk to balance out the punchy coffee notes.

Starbucks

2. Latte (Iced + Hot)

You can totally enjoy a latte at Starbucks if you're vegan. Their oat, almond, coconut, and soy milks are vegan, plus many of their syrups qualify as vegan, too, if you want to flavor up your drink. According to this Starbucks supervisor, all of Starbucks "clear" syrups are vegan and dairy-free. Starbucks' regular and white mocha sauces and caramel drizzle are also vegan and dairy-free.

Starbucks

3. Americano (Iced + Hot)

Starbucks' Americanos are just water and espresso, so you don't have to worry about any dairy being in there. Optionally, you could ask for a splash of non-dairy milk and pumps of your fave syrup.

Starbucks

4. Brewed Coffee (Iced + Hot)

Same goes for their brewed coffees, including iced coffee. Easily ask your barista to add in some non-dairy milk and a few pumps of syrup if you desire!

Starbucks

5. Nondairy Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew

This vegan cold brew drink is crafted with non-dairy cold foam that's flavored with salted caramel – and it's delish!

Starbucks

6. Nitro Cold Brew

A plain nitro cold brew from Starbucks is fully vegan and dairy-free. You can choose to add a splash of non-dairy milk, if you wish your sip to be a bit smoother and creamier.

Starbucks

7. Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

This one's a classic: shots of espresso get shaken up with ice and brown sugar syrup to create a frothy foam, then the drink is topped off with oat milk to cut the bitterness. It's quite a delectable order, even if you're not eating fully vegan.

Starbucks

8. Starbucks Refreshers

All of Starbucks' fruity Refreshers are vegan. Plus, you can can add lemonade, tea, other flavor inclusions like strawberry and peach to add some extra oomph.

Starbucks

9. Iced Black Tea

Their refreshing iced black tea is certifiably vegan, too.

Starbucks

10. Iced Green Tea

If you prefer green tea, Starbucks' offering is vegan-friendly. If you tend to take your tea a bit sweeter, just order it with however many packets of your preferred sweetener, and your barista will add it in.

Starbucks

11. Lemonade

You truly can't go wrong with a lemonade!

Starbucks

12. Hot Teas

Starbucks' hot teas are totally vegan, too. If you want to make them fancier, ask for an additional splash of your go-to non-dairy milk!

Vegan Starbucks Foods

Starbucks

1. Rolled & Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Now onto the food! First up is Starbucks' oatmeal, which you can fancy up with nuts, berries, and brown sugar. Make sure to order it with water to ensure it stays vegan.

Starbucks

2. Plain Bagel

Surprisingly, Starbucks' bagels are also vegan.

Starbucks

3. Everything Bagel

The plain and everything bagels will work for any vegan eater.

Starbucks

4. Avocado Spread

Plus, you can order your bagel with a side of this delicious avocado spread for a nutritious boost!

Starbucks

5. Spicy Falafel Pocket

This 100% vegan snack pocket is new to the Starbucks menu, but it's already become a fan-favorite amongst vegans and non-vegans alike.

Starbucks

6. Chipotle Almond Dip

You can order the Spicy Falafel Pocket with a side of this fully-vegan Chipotle Almond Dip (AKA Bitchin’ Sauce). Yum.

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What is it about family sagas that seem to make book clubs more interesting? Maybe it's because we know interpersonal relationships can be a little dysfunctional. It could be that we still don't know how to communicate with the people we love the most. Even if we love our parents and siblings, reading about other families' fictional twists and turns gives us a rush of adrenaline.

So it's no wonder Jenna Bush Hager's January book club pick feels like something we can read without putting down. It's full of complicated relationship dynamics, love, and reconciling one's identity with their past. You can say it's the perfect read to kick off your 2025 reading goals!

Learn more about Jenna Bush Hager's 2025 book club pick and fall in love with one character's journey of self-discovery.

Amazon

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight

Penn should be excited about advancing her education at the University of Edinburgh, but she can't stop thinking about the secret her parents have been keeping from her. For some reason, she believes she'll uncover it while she's in Scotland because Lord Lennox — her father's friend — is in the area.

Her hunger for the truth leads her to Lord Lennox's estate where she she starts mingling with his family and even discovers love in this moving novel.

@readwithjenna/Instagram

Jenna Bush Hager's Thoughts About The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

Jenna Bush Hager thinks readers will love The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus because "it's a rich novel" with themes of "friendship and motherhood" (via Instagram). It's so good, she's sure "it will sweep you off your feet (via Instagram).

We hope you enjoy reading about Penn's journey in The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus and encourage you to check out Reese Witherspoon's January book club pick next!

Trader Joe’s loves to keep us on our toes when it comes to their new arrivals. We’re constantly monitoring the aisles to discover all the new TJ’s sweet treats and savory snacks they launch – and these 7 new picks for January 2025 are not to be missed! All of these Trader Joe’s products will run you less than $5, which only makes sealing the deal on your grocery bill easier.

From delicious dips to a very enticing new frozen meal, these are the 7 best new Trader Joe’s finds you absolutely need to try in January 2025.

Trader Joe's

1. Teensy Candy Bars

These tiny little candy bar bites ($2.99) resemble Snickers in the best way possible: layers of nougat, caramel, and peanuts are enveloped in a delicious chocolate coating for maximum snackage. We're gonna have to resist eating the whole bag! TJ's even suggests using these bits as decoration for other desserts, like sprinkling some on a scoop of ice cream or baking them into some cookies.

Trader Joe's

2. Olive Tapenade Hummus

Trader Joe's array of dips is simply too good to resist, and this newcomer hummus ($3.49) is no exception! It's a tub of "smooth and nutty" hummus topped with a tapenade comprised of black olives, manzanilla olives, capers, and olive oil to give it a salty effect. It's gonna taste so great as a dip for crackers or as a spread on a Mediterranean pita wrap.

Trader Joe's

3. Organic Concord Grape Jelly

This squeezable grape jelly ($3.49) is nothing short of nostalgic. Trader Joe's says it's "super smooth, joyously juicy, and potently purple," which immediately has us sold on making PB&Js every day now.

Trader Joe's

4. Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Oh, yeah. Bring on the spice with these spicy nuggs ($3.99) that make the perfect easy meal no matter the time of day! Made from all-natural chicken breast and rib meat, breaded with wheat, rice and corn flours, then covered in hot sauce and lightly fried, TJ's has their texture down to a tee. You can easily cook 'em in the air fryer, oven, or microwave before chowing down!

Trader Joe's

5. Crispy Potato & Poblano Pepper Tacos

These halved and fried frozen tacos ($4.99) will totally crush your Taco Bell cravings, since they come together super quickly and contain flavors with mind-blowing authenticity! Each taco is filled with a blend of seasoned mashed potatoes and some "ever-so- slightly spicy" poblano peppers that'll work so well with any dipping sauce, from TJ's salsa to their creamy Jalapeño Sauce.

Trader Joe's

6. Strawberry Mini Hold The Cone!

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Trader Joe's is debuting a new flavor ($3.99) of their classic Hold The Cone! frozen dessert: strawberry! These tiny, chocolate-covered cones are lined with even more "rich" chocolate on the inside, then packed with strawberry ice cream, which TJ's says is crafted with plenty of strawberry purée.

Trader Joe's

7. Caesar Salad Dip

Trader Joe's shoppers have said this new Caesar Salad Dip ($3.69) makes a perfect girl dinner addition– which, if you get it, you get it! The tub starts with a "creamy" base that's then loaded up with Caesar-seasoned sour cream, mayo, anchovy paste, Parmesan, and finely shredded Romaine for the crunch. It's best enjoyed with crackers or veggie sticks to dip, but you could also smatter fried chicken or seared steak in it for some ahh-mazing flavor!

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