My Favorite Things - Top 15 in 2025

The Top 15 homemaking items I own and love, and give as housewarming, wedding and bridal shower gifts!

This is NOT a paid promotion. I have NOT been sponsored by these manufacturers to endorse their products. I use them and I love them but I may receive a small commission from Amazon if you purchase any of these items from the links below. 

I'm at the age when my kids are leaving the nest and my nieces and nephews are getting married. I have bought a LOT of dorm stuff, housewarming presents and wedding gifts lately so I've given a ton of thought to setting up house.

There are some things I come back to time and time again. These are items I personally use and LOVE and can say with absolute certainty are made well and useful.

Since Christmas will be here before you know it, I thought I'd put together a list of  MY FAVORITE THINGS on Amazon so you can consider them as gifts or treat yourselves!

IN THE KITCHEN

MY SHEETCAKE PAN - Most jellyroll and quarter-sheet cake pans are shallow so I searched far and wide years ago for a 2-inch deep pan to make my sheet cakes in. All the icing goes on with no spill-over AND it's deep enough to cover the cake with foil without it touching the icing on the top!

View on Amazon: Fat Daddio's 10x15x2 Sheet Cake Pan

THE BEST TRASH CAN EVER MADE - I never knew I could love a trash can but lemme tell you why I do! I've had mine 7 years and that joker is still working great. The custom bags (below) hold more than most 13-gallon cans/bags AND THE BEST PART IS there's a little pocket built in to the back of the can that houses the replacement bags.

View on Amazon: SimpleHuman Step Trash Can with Soft-Close Lid

THE BEST TRASH BAGS EVER MADE - Made to fit in the can above, these bags are insanely strong (also, anybody else out there absolutely hate the clingy flex/stretch trash bags??) and they stow away in the back of the trash can for super easy changing.

View on Amazon: SimpleHuman Custom Fit Drawstring Trash Bag Liners

SPICE JARS WITH A GOZILLION PREPRINTED LABELS - These fit perfectly in this wall-mounted spice rack. The lids fit tightly, each jar has a plastic inner lid for sprinkling/pouring and THE BEST PART is you get preprinted labels with every single spice anyone has ever heard of. The stickers have never peeled off and can be wiped clean. 

View on Amazon: Glass Spice Jars with Bamboo Lids & Labels 

MY FAVORITE BREAD MACHINE - I use this sucker once a week and it turns out perfect dough and bread every single time and I LOVE that it makes a rectangle loaf (instead of the weird square ones). I’ve made traditional bread, cinnamon roll dough, pizza dough, Japanese milk bread, yeast rolls and tons more and it's never failed me.

View on Amazon: Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker Machine

THE THERMOMETER YOU DIDN’T THINK YOU NEEDED - Please get yourself one of these. I never worry if the meatloaf is cooked through, if the steak is overcooking, the turkey is done or if I’m going to overcook the pound cake (205 degrees is where you want to be, btw!)

View on Amazon:  Digital Meat Thermometer

MY CORNBREAD SKILLET - OK, this is a splurge but it’s worth every penny (and so are you!). I’m slowly adding more to my collection, but these Field Company cast iron skillets ain’t your mama’s cast iron. They are much lighter (somehow??), have a smooth finish and come preseasoned. The 10-inch is perfect for a pan of cornbread or biscuits! 

View on Amazon:  Field Company 10-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

ME-TIME MUST-HAVES

CHIN HAIRS DON’T STAND A CHANCE - You can hang one of these anywhere because they’re battery operated (the battery lasts forever, just don’t leave it on when you’re done), both sides are lighted and the magnifying side shows errrrything.

View on Amazon:  Lighted Wall-Mounted Double-Sided Magnifying Mirror

MY FAVORITE PAJAMAS - These are super soft, NOT HOT, don’t shrink, don’t wrinkle and don’t need any special care (throw them right in the dryer) AND they’re under $25. In the summer, I just slip off the bottoms before I get in the bed (I’m in menopause and the night sweats are merciless) but sleep just fine in the winter.

View on Amazon:  Amazon Essentials Women's Cotton Modal Pajamas

MY "GETTING READY" ROBE - These slip on like butter even when you’re still damp from the shower. They are cool enough to keep on while I get ready (including drying all this hair) but warm enough to keep me from getting chilled in the winter. I have several so I can just toss them in the laundry every few days.

View on Amazon:  Amazon Essentials Women's Lightweight Waffle Robe

THE BEST SHEETS YOU WILL EVER OWN - OK, like the skillet, these are pricey. But they’re worth it! They get softer every time you wash them, the fitted sheets are extra deep and they are insanely soft (like who knew cotton could feel like sateen??). 

View on Amazon:  Boll & Branch Signature Hemmed Sheet Set

STUFF THAT MAKES LIFE EASIER

THE STORAGE BAGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED - I first discovered these when we started moving kids into dorms. They are AMAZING for that (hello, handles?) and I’ve since found myself using them for all sorts of things. I store bulky stuff like comforters and winter clothes in them, I pack for vacation with them, I organize closets with them... the possibilities are endless. The see-through panel is a GEM too because I can easily see what’s in them.

View on Amazon:  6-Pack Zippered Moving Bags with Windows 

THE REASON I HAVEN’T MOPPED IN A YEAR - I’ve been an old-school mop and bucket gal all my life but I got this for The Boy’s first college apartment (4 baseball players = dirt everywhere) and loved it so much I got myself one. It’s SO EASY to use and put away that I clean my floors way more often than I used to. 

View on Amazon:  Bissell Multi-Surface Wet/Dry Floor Cleaner 

MY ROADSIDE PEACE OF MIND - We got these for the kids when they left home for school and each child has used the battery starter at least once and one has used the air compressor.  Now we all have them in our vehicles and it’s such a relief to know it’s there!

View on Amazon:  Portable Jump Starter with Air Compressor

THE VACUUM I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT - Maybe it’s because my family are slobs or maybe it’s because we have a dog and two cats but I have to sweep and vacuum our main rooms every. single. day. And I hate it. But not with this thing! For one thing, IT’S CORDLESS (yes, Lord) and I can go from carpet to hard floors to rugs without changing a thing. I can vacuum our entire downstairs in 5 minutes and the battery doesn’t bat an eye. If our house catches fire, I’m grabbing my Dyson first.

View on Amazon:  Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner