Every year I enjoy writing a post about our top ten
investments from the year. These are things we have purchased with our own
money (or have been gifted) that turn out to be real wins in our home. I like
to share them around this time of year in case you are looking for gift ideas
for someone in your life.
This year it was hard to narrow down the list, because I
felt like I found a lot of life winners for us, but here are some of the things
that are the best of the best. As usual, I tried to find an array of price
ranges for you.
Swim Romper. First up on my list? The swim romper. I hate shopping
for swimsuits, and I know I’m not alone in that. Wearing spandex in public is
not my idea of a good time, and it’s hard to find something that I feel cute
AND modest wearing. As I scoured the internet in search for an option that
worked for me, I encountered the swim romper. It is a swimsuit, but it’s also
its own outfit, really, and it has pockets. WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN!!!!! I told
everyone about this when I first found it, because I’d never heard of it before.
I know it’s winter and too cold for swimming most places, but summer’s coming
eventually! 😊
Olive and June Polish. I followed Olive and June for about two years on
social media before I finally bought the big kit for their gel polish at home.
I’ve been doing my own gel polish nails for our entire marriage, but I wasn’t
loving the quality of polish I bought, regardless of the brand. After following
one of Olive and June’s ambassadors for a while, I decided it felt worth it. I
bought the fall collection of colors, which came with base and top coats, the
light, and all the little tools. I will write more about it later this week,
but please know I am loving the colors and the quality of the polish! (If you
are not a gel/light person, they also have regular polish. I haven’t tried it,
but I would sure be willing to, based on my experience with the gel.)
Fire pit. Two years ago, Ryan and I gifted ourselves a fire table for
Christmas. We loved it because sometimes we want to sit on the patio for just a
few minutes, but it’s cold out, and we want a quick fire. But the downside of
the fire table is that you can’t (or at least we don’t) use it for food prep.
If hot dog juices and marshmallow sticky drips down into the marbles, it’s a
mess. So we wanted to get a regular fire pit, too, for hosting friends. Ryan
did a ton of research and landed on this fire pit. It’s pretty smokeless, sleek
in its appearance, and works great for hot dogs, s’mores, and heat!
Workout pants. Coming into this year, I had some workout pants that just didn’t
fit right anymore. I was always hiking them up during workouts, and they drove
me crazy. I found this three-pack and have loved them immensely this entire
year. They all have pockets deep enough for a cell phone (one pocket per leg)
and they stay put when you’re moving around. I got the pack that has black,
navy, and gray, and it has worked great for me. I love wearing them around the
house and when I exercise!
Air fryer. After using the hand-me-down air fryer Ryan’s mom gave us for
probably close to a decade, we retired it and purchased a new one. This one is
smaller and sleeker in design, so it’s easier for us to store in a kitchen
where storage is at a premium. And it works more quickly than our old one,
which is nice when we are hungry! We use this quite a bit!
Lightweight throw blanket. I read about this blanket on a blog, put it on my wish
list, and Ryan gifted it to me earlier this year. We actually fought over this
blanket all summer, because it’s lightweight and perfect for the days when you
want a blanket but you don’t need heat as much as you need comfort! We’ll be
buying another one of these just so we can each have one!
Car chargers. In our main vehicle, we have regular cords for our phone, and
they’re always getting trapped under cups in the cupholder, or wrapped around
the emergency brake. Ryan found these retractable car chargers for our other
vehicle, and they are a dream!! They work for charging, of course, but when not
in use, they roll up into a compact little ball and stay out of the way!
Toilet lights. I teased Ryan so much when he first bought these, and now
I love them. Ha! These are motion sensor lights that you can put inside your
toilet and if you need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, you
don’t have to turn on a light! You might remember that he secretly installed
these and the first time I used the bathroom when they were in place, the light
was set to red. I thought I was dying. LOL!! We now have them set to stay on
blue and that works a lot better.
Ear buds. I’ve never used ear buds in my life, but now that I work at the
church, Ryan thought I should have a set so I can listen to Marco Polo messages
and videos on my computer without bothering anyone else. This cute little set
has been serving me daily for months now, and I love them! They charge in their
case, fit neatly in my mobile office, and work beautifully!
Hair Color Touch Up Spray. I just spent almost three hours in the salon
chair yesterday, and it was such a gift in many ways. (I only go every few
months, so when I do, it’s a major undertaking.) In between visits, this has begun
to be my best friend. I used to do a root touch up kit that applied like
regular hair color, but this is a touch up spray that I can use quickly, on the
run. I LOVE IT!!!!!
PS: Here are links to previous years' lists:
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
