With it being Black Friday at the time of writing this and how that’s become the official starting gun for Christmas present buying, I thought this would be a useful moment to share the purchases I’ve made that have proved their usefulness worth over and over, making them gifts that are sure to be well used (albeit mostly not very glamorous ones) or things to treat yourself to.

They range in price from bigger ticket items to ones that are cheap as chips. But each one has more than earned its place on the list for being so invaluable. In each case I’ve given a link to somewhere that sells them - not Amazon where possible, although you can find most of them on there. They’re not necessarily on special offer (though at the time of writing some certainly are), so do have a look around in case there’s a better deal elsewhere.

The really useful garden items

My collapsible garden bin, open and….collapsed

My garden isn’t large, and the storage space I have for gardening implements and equipment is correspondingly limited. So items that not only do their job brilliantly, but take up less space are double horticultural winners. Top of my most used, most useful, space-saving bits of gardening kit is my collapsible garden bin which I use to cart my garden rubbish to my big green bin. A rugged reinforced polypropylene bag with 170 litres capacity, that concertinas and fastens so it can be stored completely flat in the slimmest of spaces. THIS is the exact one I use, but there are some that cheaper, like THIS one - which also comes in three different sizes.

the Wolf Garten multi-change garden tool

My other garden recommendation is this double-duty rake/hoe with heads that can be changed depending on which task I need it for. Not only is it a great way to cut down on the number of tools cluttering up my small storage area, but each of the sturdy, well-made heads does its job perfectly. And there are other attachments including a broom head in the range which I can get in due course if I find I need them.

The really useful kitchen bits

I always thought all lemon squeezers were made equal until I tried THIS ONE. Not only does it do the job of extracting the juice directly where you need it (no faffing with squeezing into a container and then pouring it out) and sieving the pips and pith perfectly, whilst being ergonomically easy and comfortable to use, but can we also admire just how pretty it is as well.

The fact that my customisable olive oil dispenser matches my kitchen gives me an inordinate amount of pleasure

Not revolutionary or original, I know, but until last year I’d never had an olive oil dispenser and honestly it makes the job of adding exactly the amount of oil I need so much easier, especially when that’s just a drizzle, something I could previously only achieve by blocking the mouth of the olive oil bottle with my thumb and inevitably getting smeared with oil in the process (inept, I know). Being able to choose the font and colour for the labelling on THIS ONE so it matches my kitchen was an extra bonus.

A tea cup topper keeps my brew piping hot for ages

I found these tea cup toppers (I bought several of them) in one of those tons-of-stuff-you-never-knew-you-wanted-or-needed shops in Portugal earlier this year, but they’re widely available on-line. As someone who is forever making a cup of tea and then, for various reasons, not remembering/managing to drink it before it’s turned cold, I thought it might save me from pouring quite so much tepid tea down the sink. And it really does! Simple, fun and ridiculously effective, the recipients of the ones I’ve given to other people as gifts have reported finding them similarly invaluable. Would make a great stocking filler, especially THESE Christmassy ones.

The really useful household items

I’ve written about the bits of equipment that have made the task of cleaning my house so much easier and more manageable HERE, so I won’t go through those again. Other than to say, I still heartily stand by my recommendation of each one.

My standing desk is honestly one of my favourite recent purchases. Again, I wrote about it in a PREVIOUS BLOG, so you can find out more about what makes it such a successful, and health-enhancing purchase for anyone who spends too much time having to sit at a desk or table, either for work or otherwise, by reading that.

My clip on light saves precious space on my desk and comes with three different colour and brightness settings

My fab desk is quite small, with not much more space other than for my laptop, screen and (yes, almost always overflowing) paperwork tray, so getting the extra light I need on it without taking up precious desk-top *space* has been a game-changer. THIS clip on light not only frees up space, but also has three different colour settings (daylight, sunlight and soft yellow) and different brightness settings too.

Coaxing my naturally curly hair into any kind of straight style has given me decades of experience when it comes to hair dryers, and THIS ONE, from hair expert Michael Douglas, has proved to be the best so far. Not only is it incredibly efficient but it’s also compact and really light weight making it so much easier to use and carry around when you’re away. That it comes in a selection of really cool colours doesn’t do it any harm either.

The really useful out-and-about bits

Having your phone on a strap when you’re out and about is a really good theft deterrent

With phone thefts on the increase, this has probably been my most reassuring useful purchase. Having your phone in a case on a strap that you can wear around your neck or strung across your body, is one of the best possible deterrents for any would be thief. Plus it’s a great way of making sure you don’t lose it (ahem). There are masses of different case designs and types of strap to choose from - THIS ONE comes in great colours and is detachable, so you can remove the case from the strap whenever you want for ease of use - making this a great gift to personalise to the recipient (obviously ensuring you know what make and model of phone they have first).

My folding inside umbrella drying off on the door mat. Note the gorgeous flower pattern on the inside. So cheery on a grey day

I honestly don’t know why all umbrellas aren’t made this way. But I can guarantee that once you’ve tried what I call an inside out umbrella (one that folds inwards when you close it), you’ll never use a conventional one again. Especially brilliant when you’re getting into a car in the pouring rain, THESE ones come in lots of fab colours and designs guaranteed to brighten up the rainiest day.

My other purchase from that tons-of-stuff shop in Portugal (see tea cup topper above) was this cheery little set of multi cables, which have proved themselves to be far more invaluable than I expected. Tiny enough to carry around easily in my handbag, they’ve come to my charging rescue on more occasions than I can count. THIS similar set would make another great stocking filler.

Do you have any really useful recommendations you can add? I’d love to know, especially with Christmas looming and my present-buying woefully behind schedule.