My husband and I moved in together while we were dating and, like most couples who do this, we shared a modge podge of hand-me-down household items. We are very grateful for our friends and family who gifted us some beautiful shower and wedding gifts, and since we are coming up on our one year anniversary (April 15) I thought I’d share 10 of our favorites.

OK let’s be real- when I say “we”, I mean “I'“ because I’m the one that uses most of these items the majority of the time. (However TJ is pretty good about vacuuming!) If I ever write a blog post about “our” favorite items in the garage, I’ll be sure to consult him. :P

Dyson Cordless Vacuum

I can’t believe I am sharing this one first but sadly, and truly, it was one that I was most excited about. It was the only gift we opened and used before our wedding day. I had been using a canister vacuum most of my life and hated every.single.minute of it. I’d get sweaty, impatient and irritated every time I vacuumed. Plus they’re like half my size! I needed a new way. My mother in law had a very similar version of this cordless vacuum that I oogled when I went over there, so she got us one just like it! I love it because it’s pretty light, has NO CORDS (except to charge it) and it will vacuum our whole house on one charge. Note: our home is less than 1500 square feet. I can’t say if the battery would last to vacuum a larger house, but for us it’s perfect. It also has a few different attachments depending on what areas you’re vacuuming. I could go on and on, but, I’m done. LOVE THIS THING!

Cast Iron

Let me start by saying with this one, I am aware I may be way behind the curve on some of these items that I just became obsessed with in the past year. You may have known about these for years. I never claimed to be a trendsetter ;)

Anyway, I don’t know why I always thought cast irons were very expensive. Maybe there are expensive ones. This one was less than $15 and I love it. A couple of my favorite recipes I’ve cooked with it are “cowboy” pork chops and chicken pot pie! YUM! Next I want to try a dessert. I’m still kinda learning how to use it (i.e; you’re not supposed to use soap to clean them). If you have any tips or recipes, send ‘em my way!

KitchenAid Hand Mixer

Pretty much every woman I know has put the big KitchenAid stand mixer on their registry. It’s like a wedding registry staple. As much as I enjoy cooking and baking, I did not think I needed or would even use that huge thing. Some women like the way it looks on their counter. I don’t like counter clutter. So I decided not to register for it, and instead I registered for this CUTE hand mixer to replace the hand-me-down one from my grandmother that was probably older than me. It works great and it’s pretty. 10/10

Cheese Board

This is so millennial of me to say, but I love cheese. If there’s a cheese plate on a menu, I will order it. For my meal. I love that this cheese board has magnets on the side that hold the 4 pieces of cutlery it comes with, plus a slicer. It’s not huge, but just big enough for a couple cheese options and accoutrements.

Kitchen Canisters

You’ve seen these pretty canisters on my countertop. They’re muuuuch prettier than the old plastic canisters we retired. I use them for flour, sugar and brown sugar. They would look lovely on a floating shelf with some greenery! They are currently out of stock, but check back soon! Here is something similar in the meantime.

Duvet

Have I ever told you that when I first moved in with my husband, his bedroom was brown, head to toe? I’m serious. From his walls, carpet, curtains, sheets and comforter, they were all a shade of brown. Obviously this was one of the first things I took over when I moved in. Fast forward a couple years and I was ready for something new so I put this duvet cover on our registry. I preferred something white and I like this one because it has a lot of texture so it’s not white AND boring. My only complaint is that I wish it was a little longer on the sides, but we do have a pretty tall mattress.

Salad Spinner

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one except I never had one and always wished I did. I hated thinking about eating gritty romaine lettuce so I avoided romaine lettuce at home. Finally I got one of these bad boys and now I am slightly more inclined to have a salad for dinner.

Gold Placemats

You know those things that you buy after the age of like, 22, and it makes you feel like you’re a grown up now? These are one of those things for me. I wasn’t raised in a nice placemat kind of family but these make me feel like I look pretty legit when playing hostess. Note: these are not great for functionality, but they are great for looks. At $1.99 each they are super budget friendly and I think they look BEAUTIFUL with our new dinnerware. Which leads me to…

Leila Dinnerware

THIS GORGEOUS DINNERWARE!! I mean, have you seen prettier dishes? Is it acceptable to be obsessed with dishes? I still am. They make me feel like I’m using nice china (which I did not register for, nor do I want) at every meal. The price has gone down a bit since last year, too, bonus for you! These are my #2 favorite thing we got for wedding gifts. We had such a crazy mixture of plates and bowls beforehand! I feel like I really have my ish together now. heart eyes heart eyes heart eyes

Little Dipper Crock Pot

And last, this itty bitty crock pot. It keeps your dips warm, y’all! Just make sure you set up the chips and dip near an outlet because it needs to stay plugged in. One of my favorite and easiest apps that I always get complimented on when I host is velveeta cheese + salsa. Looks like vomit, but tastes like heaven. This ‘lil dipper keeps it warm and gooey for my guests.

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