Gifts/Stuff that actually improved your life & happiness?

Does it attach to your trousers or directly to your arse?

I presume we aren’t allowed to just say “my penis”.

A toolbox to keep all the household tools that end up in random drawers or shelves. Now I know where things are, there’s a lot less swearing when something needs fixing (when the kids break it).

That’s middle-age right there.

Sony noise cancelling headphones.

I'd second bluetooth earbuds.

I always used wired headphones before, and I always broke them sooner or later, except one pair so heavy-duty they were impractical to use. I got wireless bluetooth earbuds (Jabra ones) which seemed a lot more expensive but I hoped they might be better than having to keep buying wired headphones lol. And they're so much better, and it's been like, years and I haven't broken or lost them (fingers crossed). I have dropped one in the street twice, but I've been able to recover them.

I'd also mention, and this is incredibly stupid but I loved it, I got given an Ember coffee mug for my birthday in like 2018, it's a coffee mug that keeps you coffee at a stable temperature (you can control what temp with your phone and stuff), which yes sounds incredibly dumb but... it's great, at least for me often has a mug of coffee sitting on my desk, and it usually gets cold before I actually drink it, especially if I'm working hard. It doesn't boil it or keep it too hot or anything either, at least on my settings, it's just like, that really pleasant temperature where it's not hot-hot, but it's above merely "warm".

Google Stadia is making me happy at the moment. 20+ games for 4 months for £20 and it feels like witchcraft when I'm playing it. I'm really enjoying it, but then I've only had Nintendo consoles in recent years, so everything seems amazing to me.

My wife's treadmill should make us healthier and as we've now got two exercise machines we get to exercise together while watching YouTube running videos from around the world. That's been nice.

Yoga mat worked for me too and three couple of months I did yoga, I felt a lot happier. I need to get back into that (yoga with Adrienne).

I'm enjoying the Exit the Game advent calendar we bought and we've enjoyed the Exit Games we've played with friends in the past.

Shark fin mouse mat has helped my RSI massively which is good.

Electric toothbrush. Mesh wi-fi. Redmi phone. Wax earplugs. A trolley token on a keyring. Totes socks. Thermals. Long charging leads. Smart plugs. Echo devices. Mi band 6.

I'm looking forwards to some slippers.

I'm such an old git...

Oh yeah. Mesh WiFi makes life better and less annoying.

I don't know. How do you wrap a bidet?

They come in this new fangled invention called a box so I think you’ll be good.

My first dishwasher. Life changing.

Groan, toilet humour.

Two years ago I got a proper expensive winter coat for my dog walking. I was alway struggling with the weather in the autumn and winter. This fucking coat changed everything. I go out with a t-shirt on and this cost and come back boiling hot regardless of the weather or temperature outside.

A deBuyer carbon steel frying pan.

My gods it's amazing. After 2 years it's more noon stick than any non stick frying pan I've ever had, and I used real metal tools in it all the time.

So nice to not fuck about with plastic spatulas, tongs, and whisks.

And it keeps the heat. AND it's actually CHEAPER than a "high end" non stick frying pan.

But, since it's not covered with a chemical film, you need to know what your doing, or you'll ruin it. On the other hand, it can be saved, so never really ruined.

de Buyer pans are pretty fucking great. Definitely a bit of a faff getting it to a good state though (the initial beeswax or whatever it is coating is absolutely rubbish).

Funnily enough I got a large pan as a present a year or so ago and haven't actually used it yet. I tend to use my smaller one for any high heat frying and it's usually a perfect size for steaks and stuff compared to the long handled monstrosity that just hides in a cupboard.