Most random but ultimately brilliant present you've ever been given...

[Limth]

When I started my business many years ago, a 'friend' bought me a Rolodex as a bit of a bitchy present. As a 'fuck you', I started using it. Then I actually fell in love with it. And then I gave her it a name. And now I use it all the bloody time now. The 'friend' has long since disappeared from my life but Ms. Rowan lives on as my trusty side-kick.

In my 20s, I was moving out of a house to the other side of the country. I had stuff to go to the tip, stuff to go to the second-hand furniture shop, stuff for the charity shop, bags of tatty clothes for rag recycling. I was completely overwhelmed with it and struggling because I didn't have a car. For my birthday, my friend hired me a 'Man With Van' for a half-day. The sense of relief at having that help was better than any spa break I've ever had.

What random presents have you had that've ultimately proved to be brilliant?

My friend bought me a Swiss Card for my birthday about 10 years ago. It's fantastic, the size of a credit card so it lives in my purse in one of the card slots. It has scissors, a letter opener/blade, nail file, toothpick, tiny pen, a stainless steel pin and tweezers. There's also a little ruler along the edge.

A brilliant gift, I love it.

A dog shaped welly remover, means I can have boots off instantly and not keep Madam waiting for her post walk chew.

A friend bought me the ikea karismatisk throw.
It feels cool over you at first but it warms up beautifully, and the colours are indulgent

Particularly the egg boilers.

Nutmeg grater

A rice and spaghetti measuring cup. Has a cup for rice for one and a hole for a generous spaghetti for one portion. I am so bad at estimating those and I use it all the time.

A suitcase. When I was 13. Didn’t ask for it, didn’t want it, wasn’t pleased to get it.

It’s accompanied me on every holiday for 30 years and is still going strong.

@66rabbits @Mydustymonstera

rubbastuff.com

We have the family size, but they come in different sizes. Not cheap, but well worth it, IMHO. I'm also now slightly panicked they aren't featherlight but I think they are lightweight! Certainly smaller and lighter than anything else I've ever had.

My best pressies have been a teabag removal device and a stay at a haunted pub (2 different occasions)

When I was 15, my now sadly deceased Aunt gave me a beautiful round Shaker wooden box. I now use it to store sewing stuff and it’s travelled with me through university and many, many house moves. It sits on the desk in my sitting room and I love it. I’m now nearly 57 so I’ve had it over 40 years!

Dsis bought me a Ninja Airfryer for Christmas. Drop mic moment as I loathe useful gifts. She then went on, and on, and on about it's marvellousness. Her friends all joined in. I was all for turfing the fecker out on the A1 on the way home.

I've used the beloved of all Beloveds every single day since Boxing Day. I would save it in a house fire.

We were given an fabulous old handbell as a ‘coming to stay’ pressie… it sits on the kitchen windowsill and has been rung to summon everyone when meals are ready ever since. It has a fabulous tone… love it… even the dog comes running when she hears it!

My FIL insisted on buying us an air fryer and I was a bit “ok but I have an oven, I can’t see when I’ll use it” (in my head, of course out loud I was nice)
OMG the thing gets used multiple times a day and I now use my oven once a week at most.
Best kitchen thing ever.

DH bought me a spider vacuum for Christmas. I’m not particularly bothered by spiders so I thought it was an odd gift - but at this time of year we use it several times a week. Much easier than a cup & paper, especially if the blighter is in a tight spot.

I've got the same Sharky. It's brilliant 😄

Electric blanket

My mum is queen of the off beat but usually useful Christmas stocking gift- the one I use most is a fake pound for the supermarket trolley. Lives on my key ring and used loads as I don’t carry a purse with coins any more. I like the picnic blanket idea as a small handy present- it’s gone on my list .

When I was about 18 or 19 I was at my mum's for Xmas. I was a young single mum so was there with my baby daughter and I had 2 younger and an older sister there too. They spent the whole morning telling me what a weird present Mum had got me and how I'd probably hate it, they didn't know why she'd got it etc etc. They'd got clothes/perfume or whatever - I opened this big box and out plopped a sewing machine. I was at the time really miffed that I'd not got clothes etc same as my sisters, but over the next couple of years learned to use it and OH MY GOD it turned out to be the best present ever. I still sew to this day many years later and it's even been a source of income at times, and has helped me save a fortune fixing and altering clothes over the years.

A bottle stopper that keeps Prosecco sparking even after a day or 2. Best pressie ever! Before I would only open a bottle if I was guaranteed to finish it!

Swiss army card. I read about them on here and bought myself one for my birthday (if that counts!). I have used it literally hundreds of times. It sits neatly in my wallet and whenever a child gets a splinter, bingo I'm there with the tweezers. The little knife comes out whenever we have an impromptu picnic. The scissors, for almost anything else. The pen! The screwdriver! I am the one everyone turns to in times of minor need. It is truly a magical device 😁

I actually lost the first one and bought a replacement that same day. I never leave the house without it!

@daftasabroom I think this is the modern iteration of the one we have

www.amazon.co.uk/Salter-EK2783-Electric-Boiled-Poached/dp/B077FXQ4BQ/ref=asc_df_B077FXQ4BQ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=218230090285&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18289854835164337028&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045125&hvtargid=pla-491987051997&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

A travel-card wallet. Only three slots, but fits debit, credit, and ID, with room in the middle for a few membership cards, and a zip for a small number of coins. Turns out I don't need a big purse!

@BlowDryRat well now a freestanding pond with portholes sounds amazing do you have any idea where he got it or the brand?

Those picnic mats with map prints look so cool! Sadly my favourite is out of stock :(

@daftasabroom Just checked and ours is a Phillips one but I can't find one, so maybe they don't make them any more...

That sounds amazing