A record of Go-to Things of 2025

You asked and we answered! Yes, due to popular demand, we have put on our Oprah hats (are they berets? fedoras? what would Oprah wear?), and made a list of our go-to home/life/everything purchases from the past year. These are all items we picked up with our own money and enjoyed in 2025… so much so that when we took a look back, they stood out as some of our best buys and go-to additions to our life. So you are still searching for holiday gifts (or struggling to tell someone what you want), this post might assist.

There are already dozens of ideas on our Holiday Gift Guides, but we are getting extra personal here, including everything from travel and beauty to tools and home organization that we picked up in 2025 and liked most of all. If nothing else, it is a random little peek into what makes us glad (hint: a lot of them are not pricey at all!). We arranged things as “superlatives” like Go-to Splurge, Go-to Sanity Saver, etc – and did not pick things with gifting in mind (hence light switches and cord organizers being on there!). Truly, our only parameter was that it was something we spent money on in 2025 and when we looked back, it was one of our go-to buys that makes life easier, prettier, simpler, happier, more organized, etc.

Sherry’s Go-to Things

It took me a while to settle on these as my top 18 items of the last 365 days. From items that were surprisingly joy-inducing and pleasant to use everyday (sometimes it truly is the little things!) to one splurge that still makes me feel fancy every time I use it. There are also a few items that assist with efficiency & organization (let us face it, life is busy and little hacks or upgrades can make you feel strong).

Let us get a little closer and break down why I enjoy each item on the list:

1. Go-to Housewarming Gift

Salt & Pepper Shakers: I got these striking salt and pepper shakers for myself in early January of 2025 (as part of a small kitchen refresh that was so affordable and so satisfying) and I enjoyed that everyday use of these made me so glad all year long. And when our friends were over they noticed them and complimented them too… so when they picked up a new house and moved later this year we gifted them these as a hosewarming gift! They are lovely and functional and truly do show how upgrading some small everyday item can make such a difference!

2. Go-to New Habit

Weighted Vest: Listen, if you are a perimenopausal woman on this planet, you have heard people extoll the benefits of a weighted vest. I will say, that as someone who does not do any weight training (and I know I should) but who loves to walk… this is simply such an straightforward addition to the same daily walks I am already taking. Does it make me a muscle-bound beast with 50% denser bones? No it does not. Does it add a little extra challenge to my walk so I return home a little sweatier and work a bit harder than I would without it. For sure. So if you are looking for brought in efficiency and already someone who walks, I’d certainly recommend adding one in! I certainly feel my body working harder but I can still talk and listen to audio books or podcasts as I go. Which is simply my speed.

3. Go-to Splurge

Smeg Toaster: Here is the aforementioned splurge item that I nearly cannot believe I picked up. Who spends that much for a toaster?! But then I got to thinking about how many people spend two or three times that much for a fancy coffee maker (and I have a low-cost pour-over that lives in a drawer). Suddenly it made sense to spend this much on a toaster that lives on the counter 24/7 and makes me smile every day when I look over at it (or use it to make seriously ideal toast). I am also glad to report that literally everyone else who has one has told me they are so well made and last for so many years. So I am hoping to have it on my counter for a quite quite long time.

4. Go-to Straightforward Upgrade

Metallic Switch & Outlets: This might seem random, but I’d literally put this upgrade into my top five of everything here. Mainly because it was so affordable and so straightforward to switch the outlet covers and switchplates on my tiled backsplash in the kitchen, and they suddenly blend in SO MUCH BETTER! No longer do I see these big white boxes among the shiny tile. Instead these well desiged, clean-lined silver switch and outlet covers simply live among the tile like they were consistently meant to be there. If you have big white outlets among tile in your bathroom or kitchen, this is such an straightforward upgrade! Highly recommend.

5. Go-to Hair Product

Madison Reed Hair Dye and Root Touch Up: Ok, as a lady who has chopped her hair especially short, had it long (and even had it blonde as a teen), I seem to like to keep changing things up when it comes to my hair. So after a few years of fully growing out my grays, I could not resist the siren call of a “fresh look” with this highly recommended dye (it is certainly more pure than others I have used, which cause me varying degrees of eye-swelling allergic reactions). For sure it made my hair texture a lot softer (my gray hairs were much more wiry and textured before the dye) and it was especially affordable and quite straightforward to achieve a natural looking color that I enjoy. Over time my gray hairs peek through a bit, which I do not mind – and when my roots are too distinct looking as they grow out, the convenient root touch up kit is brilliant and takes literally 10 minutes.

6. Go-to Nail Product:

Olive & June Press-On Nails: I will Stan these $10 press-ons forever, because when I am out in person and someone says “Oh I enjoy your nails” I am consistently met with the wildest surprise in their eyes (and out of their mouths) when I tell them they are press ons. They have come such a long way, with lively effects like luminescence or even cat eye – and you can choose the length and the shape. They take about 10 minutes to apply, and cost simply a fraction of a salon visit. I simply enjoy everything about them and never want them to stop making these.

7. Go-to Makeup

Tubing Mascara: I do not wear mascara frequently, but my daughter is in love with this tubing mascara, and I have tried it a few times and literally do not ever want to use any other brand. It is so lengthening, straightforward to apply, and straightforward to get off at the end of the day. Simply a ideal update on the waxy clumpy eyelashes of the past. Certainly try it and see the difference!

8. Go-to Skin Product

Collagen Powder: As a person who literally thought I was allergic to collagen (I tried Vital Proteins and a mail order option before and both made my tongue and throat itchy and irritated) I was hesitant to give this a try, but my friend had some and brought in it to a coffee that she made me… and I had no reaction! So I went all in on a bag of my own (I mix a scoop with my hot coffee and add a splash of coconut creamer) and I have been loving it. Not going to tell you my hair grew ten inches overnight and I have no wrinkles, but I certainly think it agrees with me, and I feel like I rarely get it from food, so it is a pleasant straightforward addition to my morning routine.

9. Go-to Sanity Saver:

Family Wall Calendar: This was a whole family upgrade that we made earlier this year, and it has worked so well for our family. We hoped a public paper calendar that everyone could see (and add things to) so the kids could feel fully in the loop about what we all have going on during any given day. We hung it up in the kitchen on the door to the utility closet and it has been excellent to keep us all posted on the goings-on of the family, and also to write things we are all looking forward to and lively activites that we have coming up. It feels like a pleasant step towards our kids being more organized about their events because they are consulting the calendar and contributing notes about their activities. Certainly a strong “getting them more ready for the real world” addition.

10. Go-to Necklace

Tennis Necklace: Ok, I hoped to wear this for a while to make sure I still enjoyed it, and it did not get weird and turn colors or break and it has surpassed my expectations. As someone who was nearly influenced about 45 times to buy the Dorsey tennis necklace (which is $705 dollars!!), I am so glad I resisted. I in fact saw a friend wearing this and assumed it was the spendy Dorsey one, but she said it was $98 and I was like… I literally cannot believe that. Sure sufficient I ordered my own, and it is so legit! It is well made, comfortable to wear, does not flip upside down, and looks so good layered with other necklaces that I have (like this 18K gold vermeil paperclip necklace). I had a low-cost $24 version from Marshalls that got cloudy over time, but this feels like the absolute best mid-priced option out there. Literally looks exactly the same as the Dorsey one to me!

11. Go-to Fragrance

Gautier Divine: I smelled this on a friend at a Halloween party, asked her what it was, texted myself so I would not forget, and literally ran out and picked up it within 48 hours. It is pricey for a giant bottle, so I simply went with this smaller–sized spray bottle and I in short wear it all the time. Yes, I was 43 when I found my “signature scent.” It is not overly feminine or masculine, and simply feels like nothing else I have smelled. Enjoy it, and have already been asked what I am wearing like I did to my friend – so I am paying that knowledge forward.

12. Go-to Kitchen Item:

Brass Flatware: Back in May we ordered this to replace the flatware we have had since our wedding (some low-cost stuff we got back in 2007 that had seen much better days). We were dining at a friend’s house and enjoyed her flatware so much I literally asked her to text me the link to the exact ones she picked up. We also had the benefit of asking her how they have held up over the last 3 years that she’s had them, and she reported they are all still looking strong (the ones we all ate with looked like new). So we pulled the ripcord and ordered a set of 12 of them, and ENJOY the upgrade. Dumb little activites like buttering bread make me so glad. This is totally one of those everyday upgrades that do not have to cost an arm and a leg, but elevate in short every meal. The wildest part is the price. We cannot believe we got 12 sets of these for $70!!

13. Go-to Allergy Helper

Quercetin: This is easily the most random thing on the list, but every single day I am grateful for this supplement that has made my formerly severe cat allergies… fully disappear! I used to use it in combination with a powder you add to the cat’s food called Pacagen (more on that here) but lately I have simply been using this once a day (two capsules every am) and it is absolutely wild how I am symptom free. And the cat sleeps on my neck like a scarf! As a person who used to have truly bad congestion, itchy eyes, and even welts when she would put her head on my head, it is absolutely bonkers that I am totally fine as long as I take two of these every morning. I hear they are strong for seasonal allergies too!

14. Go-to Earrings (TIE)

X earrrings and these chunky hoops: Do not make me pick between these two pairs of earrings because I in short wear one or the other approximatly 85% of the time. The x-earrings are edgy and thin and cool, especially with my other smaller huggies (I have 6 ear piercings) – and the chunky gold hoops are so polished and fairly looking. I feel instantly pulled together whenever I put either of them on, and they certainly are straightforward on the budget as well as the eyes, yet they do not irritate my sensitive ears.

15. Go-to Travel Item:

Carry-On Suitcase: You know those purchases that make you feel like a full grown adult? Matching hard cased suitcase was what did that for us, and we were 43 years old when we at last hit that milestone and picked up three of these. The hype is real. They are THE BEST! We enjoy that they are such a good carry on size (no issues, even on international flights) and they roll well, I never have to wrestle the handle to get it to pop up or down, and they look so good too!

16. Go-to Re-Buy

Affordable Headphones: We got our teen these $22 wirleless headphones so we would not worry about more pricey models getting lost or broken and they were so strong and held up perfectly until she at last lost one of them. So we happily rebought them (two pairs a year are much less than the name brand alternative) and we are so grateful that something that is so much cheaper is truly comparable when it comes to the functionality. She also loves that they are rose gold.

17. Go-to Organizing Item

Cord Clips: At simply about $1 a piece, this 8-pack of charging cord clips has been the cheapest, easiest life improvement. Literally if you have cords snaking all over your nightstands or your desk at home (or at work) these simply stick to the back of the nighstand or the desk or wherever else you need them, and they can fully tame all the cluttered knotted cords everywhere. We have them on our night stands at home as well as in our laundry closet (where we charge alllll the kids devices) and they are such an straightforward and affordable update.

18. Go-to Art & Craft:

Frisket Masking Liquid: When it comes to having a novel craft item around for our two creative kids, this has been so much lively for both of them. This is essentially a masking glue-like product. It is a thin white rubbery “paint” – and everywhere you paint it, will be masked from watercolor paint. Meaning when you watercolor over the paper you used this on, and let it all dry, you can rub off the masking “paint” and reveal clean white paper below it. So the effect is especially cool and graphic – plus it is truly lively for kids to rub it off when it is dry! Think: when you coated your hands with Elmer’s glue, waited for it to dry, and peeled it off.

And now I am going to hand this post over to John so he can give you his picks.

John’s Go-to Things

Hey there! John here now to take you through my top purchases of 2025. I do not tend to buy much stuff unless something needs replacing, so this list was a little hard for me at first. But the more I thought about it, the things below truly stood out as MVPs of the past year for me.

Here is a closer look at why each is my go-to:

1. Go-to New Clothes

Quilted Half-Zip Sweater: I do not enjoy shopping for clothes, so a lot of my closet is quite old (I am talking 10 or even 20 years old). But I lately dedicated some time to updating some wardrobe staples and this pullover sweater was an immediately go-to. Soft, comfortable, and works equally good in casual or dressy situations. Ladies and gentlemen, he’s a fashionista.

2. Go-to New Shoes

Slip-On Sneaker: These have swiftly replaced my “dad shoes” as my everyday, go-to pair of sneakers. They slip on with ease, are strong to walk in, and can be worn with everything from shorts to jeans to dress pants.

3. Go-to Splurge:

Insta360 Camera: I at last treated myself to this 360-degree camera so I could capture better footage when I paddleboard. I picked up a kit with an “invisible seflie stick” (the software automatically erases it from your footage!). I wish I had picked up it sooner, and even influenced a dad up the street to get one for his nature runs and real-estate business.

4. Go-to Sunglasses

Goodr: As a chronic sunglasses-misplacer, I enjoy an affordable durable pair of specs. Which is why I at last jumped on the Goodr bandwagon this year! I have got a pair in the car, one in the junk drawer, one in my workout drawer, and a couple of back-ups in my closet. They have a boatload of styles and colors, but this type and this type are my go-tos.

5. Go-to Kitchen Item

Roll-Up Drying Rack: Call it a plain pleasure, but this compact drying rack has been a game-changer for our evening kitchen clean-up. It frees up counter space, keeps water in the sink, and rolls up and fits neatly under the sink when not in use.

6. Go-to Rainy Day Activity:

299 Dogs & A Cat Puzzle: We did not think a 300-piece puzzle sounded like much lively, but I am so glad we picked up this animal-shaped one. The illustrations are charming and it is honestly the first puzzle my kids have been excited to assist with in a while. Instead of having the traditional puzzle piece shapes, it literally features a dog for each piece – so it is harder to see how they fit together (especially if you do not look at the box, which makes it an extra hard challenge). We enjoyed it so much, we also did the 299 Fish puzzle, but have (shockingly) not attempted 299 Cats yet! That is certainly on the agenda for 2026…

7. Go-to Tech Toy

Pairable Bluetooth Speaker: I could easily put all of our outdoor movie equipment on this list, but the “breakout star” of that group are these 2 bluetooth speakers. They are the first Bluetooth speakers we have ever owned that easily pair together, allowing you to swiftly create a surround-sound effect (seriously we have had a Bose speaker and like these more). I originally planned to only use them with our projector, but they’ve been too good not to use anytime we need music outside by the pool or firepit.

8. Go-to Workout Item

Sport Cap: I have already raved about these affordable lightweight hats on our email newsletter but I had to have them on this list because I truly truly like them. I picked up three distinct colors to replace all of my falling-apart workout hats earlier this year (back when they were $16 each) and even though they are right now $20, I think they are totally worth it.

9. Go-to Travel Item:

Cord Organizer: Looks like Sherry and I are both crushing on cord organizers this year (#17 on her list). Hashtag soul mates. We picked up this zippered pouch to wrangle all of the chargers that we keep with our suitcase, and it makes things so much easier. Sure, it requires a little more tidyness than simply throwing cables into your suitcase all willy nilly, but it has kept us sane knowing each family member has a charger packed and is ready to go whenever we travel.

10. Go-to Grooming Item

Beard Trimmer: My who-knows-how-old beard trimmer at last bit the dust this year. I had enjoyed how compact & straightforward it was (no mess of cords or extra guards) so I was glad to find one that met my same keep-it-plain criteria.

11. Go-to Tool

Small Laser Level: I loaned my nearly 20-year-old laser level to a neighbor earlier this year and, well, it lives with him now. So I treated myself to a newer, smaller, and less annoying version that – unlike my old one – does not constantly come apart or stab me with its pin.

12. Go-to Family Game

Qwirkle: We have played a lot of new games this year, and when Sherry challenged me to pick my #1, I landed on this colorful tile game that is consistently a crowd-pleaser and scratches my brain simply right. The whole family loves how graphic and visual it is – and you truly can use a fair amount of strategy, so it feels like you are a smartie pants when you win, which is satisfying for all of us every time. This card game was a quite close 2nd, btw.

13. Go-to Lifesaver

Wireless Charger: As our family gradually updated to devices with USB-C charging ports this year, we were swift to buy compatible versions of our go-to wireless chargers. We have in fact purchased 3 of these in 3 distinct colors and they frequently save the day on trips, at school, and those oh-crap-I-forgot-to-charge-overnight days. They recharge a phone fairly fast, are not too big or unweildy, and you can even use the phone while you charge (so they work if you are trying to navigate google maps while walking around an unfamiliar city as your battery threatens to die, for example).

14. Go-to Chore Helper

Plant Food: We at last incorporated plant food into our plant watering routine and it has been so straightforward and all of our plants look like 80’s hair band rockstars now. We simply scoop this powder into our watering can and water as normal. It is been such a plain way to feel like we are being good plant parents, and literally leaves all of our plants perkier and happier.

15. Go-to Book

Sunrise on the Reaping: Sherry and I have talked at length about our mutual go-to book of the year (she loves talking about it on Instagram). But when I tried to name a distinct personal go-to from this year, it was this next prequel in The Hunger Games series. The book is not without its faults, but it was a lot of lively seeing Suzanne Collins piece together the origin story of Haymitch and connect it to the 4 other books.

16. Go-to Beverage

LMNT: A podcast ad convinced me (hashtag influenced) to try these electrolyte packets and now they are my go-to when I want some flavor in my drink without the sugar. I promise this is not sponsored – none of these are. I simply dump one packet in my 24oz Owala. Citrus and Orange are my faves because they remind me of yellow and orange Gatorade. They are quite salty, so it may take some getting used to (or diluting) but now I crave them and have at least five a week. They are epecially refreshing after I work out or go for a run.

17. Go-to Re-Buy

Compact Sound Machine: The sound machines in our bedrooms are nearly 8 years old and the buttons on our daughter’s at last wore out. When we went to reorder, we saw there is a new model – same price, same small size, but now more sounds – and it connect to your phone via Bluetooth! Quite glad with them, both the old ones we have had for nearly a decade, and the new one we lately got.

18. Go-to Did not Need To Re-Buy

Leather Key Ring: Okay, perhaps this last one is a cop out because I did not in fact buy it in 2025. But given how many of my picks are items I had to replace, I hoped to shout out one item that is still going strong. I spent $20 on it in 2018 (!!!) and after years of going in-and-out of pockets & drawers, it has been absolutely excellent and still works as well as the day I got it. And in 2025 dollars you can still get it for simply $5 more! Certainly still affordable for something that works so well and lasts.

More Gift Ideas

If you are still on the lookout for extra ideas, you can check out the guides below that we have put together (many things on our guides from previous years are still sold):

• 2025 Holiday Gift Guides
• 2024 Holiday Gift Guides
• 2023 Holiday Gift Guides
• 2022 Holiday Gift Guides
• 2021 Holiday Gift Guides
• 2020 Holiday Gift Guides
• 2019 Holiday Gift Guides
• 2018 Holiday Gift Guides
• Black-Owned Businesses
• Our Go-to Family Board Games

*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.