What’s been the most useful/boring thing you’ve bought this year?

[CanIGetALattaaaaay]

For me it’s an plug-in heated foot warmer for under my desk. It’s made my whole day a million times more pleasant and comfortable.

We also got a shoe rack that fits over our hallway door - the days of tripping over shoes are over and it was worth every penny.

@userxx the salicylic tonic and the glycolic acid tonic seem really good so far.
I also bought one of the serums, but it seems to give me tiny under the skin bumps (I now recall the same thing happening with another of their serums a few years ago).
I got the tonics in Tesco for £10 Clubcard price, about £6 off normal price, so worth looking round for deals). The N&F website also had a few deals last week too.

My Audible subscription. Makes bedtime and any night wakenings so much nicer.

Decent headphones and an extension cable long enough to reach from the telly to my chair. They are comfortable to wear and improve listening to music and watching films. I also have headphone splitters.
I had hoped I could jack the volume up and not bother the others but the stupid tv doesnt cut out the sound if you use headphones.

Having my eyebrows micro bladed

We just got a Worcester Bosch boiler installed after having an absolute dud for 13 years. It came with a wireless thermostat thingy which I thought was going to be useless since we're home all the time. It is the best! Our house is a lovely consistent temperature now but if I get too cold or too hot while I'm working at my desk upstairs I can just change it on my phone. Also the knowledge that we now have reliable heating and hot water is so comforting.

Tile key ring/stickers. I have them attached to my keys, purse and the remote, it auto links to my phone. It's saved HOURS of searching as I'm rubbish at putting things away in random places.

What a great thread. I live in a townhouse with dogs and I don't think a robotic vacuum will cope

I have got an Alexa on each floor (whilst they've been on sale) and they've been great - just simple stuff like timers, lists, music and alarms. Nothing revolutionary but have made life a bit nicer

A dishwasher. We were very excited by this purchase. I'm aware that this makes us very dull indeed!

An electric pump for car tyres, which works off the car battery, as well as can be recharged on the mains!

@cheesecrack

What a great thread. I live in a townhouse with dogs and I don't think a robotic vacuum will cope

I have got an Alexa on each floor (whilst they've been on sale) and they've been great - just simple stuff like timers, lists, music and alarms. Nothing revolutionary but have made life a bit nicer

Ours is great for dog hair. We have hard floors, no carpets, and got a eufy 11s max

I got an epilator in January and haven't shaved my legs since. I used to shave them and feel stubble pretty much the next day. Now I get a couple of weeks before I need to epilate again.

@ImaSababa

Extra phone charging cables and plugs so I have one in every room. So much easier than trying to find one or move one from room to room.

Yes!!! Kitchen. Living room. Bedroom - tucked in Behind bedside cabinets. And in the car.

A new chest of drawers for our bedroom. It's so big that if I took the drawers out, I could probably live happily inside it for several days.

I also bought (this is super boring) a small basket to live inside the airing cupboard with hand towels rolled up in it. It makes it so much easier to just grab a towel, without the whole bloody pile falling on my head.

@Chamomileteaplease

My Audible subscription. Makes bedtime and any night wakenings so much nicer.

Yes!!!!! I listen to books when I’m wfh. Makes a change from radio. Or podcasts.

My things are hair turbans (or “towel hats” as ds calls them. Microfibre triangle towels which hook up into turbans. Bought on Amazon in a three pack. Amazing. Saves blow dry time.

Lap desk - for the days where I just couldn’t be bothered to leave bed and wfh.

Local coffee shop did a subscription to coffee. So our fave coffee beans were ground and delivered once a month.

Good to see so many Eufy fans. Not surprising though.

A rice cooker. I was cynical until one came into my life, now I can't be without it

Eufy. If it broke, I'd replace it the next day!

Tado for all our radiators. The whole house is automatically scheduled and each room is heated when we needed and off when we don't. It even has geofencing and knows when I'm approaching the house.

A label printer.
Bit useless to most people, but DP and I run an eBay business and previously hand-wrote addresses! This was pricey, but quite frankly changed my life.

Cat litter.

A portable external monitor for my laptop as recommended on a similar thread to this. So useful for both wfh & screen sharing in client offices.

A cheap Bosch dishwasher instead of our incredibly shit Fisher & Paykel double drawer v expensive but utterly shite dishwasher that could not cope with lockdown and us all at home.

A hamburger press. It cost me two quid in Booth's. Useful for when the butcher's burgers are about an inch thick. Apparently they can be used to make vegetable burgers and bubble and squeak patties too.

@Tronkmanton

A portable external monitor for my laptop as recommended on a similar thread to this. So useful for both wfh & screen sharing in client offices.

A cheap Bosch dishwasher instead of our incredibly shit Fisher & Paykel double drawer v expensive but utterly shite dishwasher that could not cope with lockdown and us all at home.

Do you have a link for the portable external monitor? Think one would be great for my DH for Christmas

Mass card order from Whistlefish in January as recommended on here. Made a list of all cards I needed for the year plus a few random happy birthdays/congratulations and ordered about 40 cards in one go.

They do a deal on 10 cards for £8 or something.

I've been smug all year just reaching for the card I need in my basket! Haven't had to make a mad dash to the shop for a forgotten card at all! Already ordered next years ones!

Wireless mouse for my work laptop, I detest the trackpad.
Sodastream for endless fizzy water.