While thinking about investments I’ve made on material possessions over the past year, I’ve come up with a top three of my most practical and useful purchases.

Yes, they take up space, but they make my life so much more productive. I waited several days after doing research before I purchased them. I’m very pleased with the results!

Let me show you.

First and foremost, this little office setup from IKEA is the MOST practical thing I’ve spent money on in a while.

With the exit of a piece of furniture belonging to a former roommate I had an opportunity to set up an office space for myself in my home, in what was technically my space to begin with :/ I can finally sit comfortably while I’m being productive {sigh}. My desktop computer no longer sits on an uncomfortable corner surface where it got sporadic use. I now have a place to store my tablets, business and creative items. I’m no longer putting off tasks, hindered by the dread of moving my desktop back and forth. And everything looks so neat and clean! This is the Alex series of IKEA office furniture and the unexpectedly comfortable chair is named Alrik. Love it. My life has changed for the better. Super happy with this practical purchase.

Not the most attractive, nor the least, is this automatic pet feeder I purchased online for less than $30.

It feeds my precious little furry friend three days of food, twice a day, using six compartments. I don’t have to wake up at 6am every morning to a hungry cat standing on my chest, licking and nipping at my face to wake me up for her breakfast. I also don’t need to worry about coming home late at night and feeling like a bad mommy because Isabel didn’t get fed at 7pm. She still sits patiently by her feeder on most days as if I’m not aware that she just got fed. Pets are such con artists…

Now this little guy was a bit pricey, but worth every penny.

I got him on sale and was able to finance the purchase for six months on an Amazon credit card and didn’t pay a penny in interest, which is something I refuse to do with any line of credit. Looking back, the amount of perceived anxiety and time saved by Harry’s purchase was without a doubt a necessity for me. I’m rather fastidious with the cleanliness of my living space so dirty floors bother me, but so does making the time to clean them. And when my little buddy is done doing his thing, he goes scoots his way back to sleep on his dock that fits unobtrusively under a dresser in my bedroom. Love.

Summary: These are the kinds of purchases that will most likely make you happy.

They enrich your life, create more time for you to relax and enjoy other things, and are used almost every day. What material possessions you perceive as meeting these criteria may be totally different from the items on my list, but as long as you feel they are a value-add to your life and allow you more time for joy, that’s all that matters. Keep it simple!