I bought a lot of things in 2025. Not proud of it, but there are a few things I got that have had outsized impacts on my quality of life. In my 2025 best buys, I hope you’ll find something that will improve your QOL!
There are affiliate links to some products, and if you end up purchasing from my link, I may earn a small commission!
Table of Contents
Daily Life 2025 Best Buys
Topologie Phone Sacoche
The Topologie Phone Sacoche is a super utilitarian cross-body bag that looks super tiny, but can fit a surprising amount of stuff with stellar organization (I can even fit my Ricoh GR III camera if I really want).
There are 2 small pockets in the front, one thin and one larger, where I put my chapstick and car keys. And on the back, you can slip in your phone for easy access. When you pop the bag open, you have embedded wallet on one side that has plenty of space for your cards, receipts, and some cash (I even keep my Milky lactase pills in there), and 2 pockets on the other side that I keep sanitizers and wipes. On trips, I’ll put my passport in there as well.
One of the things I love about this bag is that while it’s tiny, there are many ways to clip on objects with carabiners, which makes it extremely efficient. I keep my AirPods and a Nanobag (will share my favorites later) on it. They have a lot of different types of bags that are all very original, so if you’re interested in Topologie and their bags, I recommend hopping onto YouTube (there are A LOT of people showing how they work)!
Nanobags
I have tried A LOT of reusable/packable bags, and these Nanobags are definitely hard hitters. I take them around everywhere. For everyday use with my kids, I use the Nanobag Sling, which is 19L capacity (I can fit my jacket and at least 1 toddler jacket in there) but shrinks to size of half of the palm of your hand (you can see it clipped onto my mini bag above). The fact that it’s a sling makes it very convenient for a toddler mom who needs her hands free, but there’s always something being handed to me as the day goes on.
For shopping, or days without the kids, I love the Nanobag XL, because for that tiny size when not in use, you can fit 25L worth of stuff. And of course, being the over-committer that I am, I got 2 of the backpacks that I use on trips to keep toddler toys in for the airplane (which folds away to almost nothing when not in use). The backpacks are a great bag-in-bag option for toddler goods like change and diapers, food stuff or toys that you want to be able to immediately identify and take out when in need.
And also, I love the fun prints. My XL bag has a million rubber duckies on it.
Loop Switch 2 Ear Plugs
The Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Ear Plugs was something I didn’t know was a possibility before someone recommended it this year. One of the use cases listed in the Amazon listing is for “tears and tantrums.” I wish I had this when my firstborn was an infant! He cried almost all day and all night nonstop. Being an extremely easily overstimulated person, it was a nightmare, and this would definitely have helped to take the edge off (I would sometimes wear my AirPods with noise canceling enabled).
I take this on trips to wear on airplanes and at the hotel to block sounds out, and I recently used it at the casino floors at AWS re:Invent to help me from getting nauseous from all the sounds. My kids don’t have tantrums often, but when it’s a bad phase (I call those periods “OS Updates” because it seems like after a few days of really bad tantrums, there’s usually an “update” to their behavior/language/motor skills), I bring it out. I personally can’t really tell the difference between the different modes, so I may have done fine with a cheaper one without the 3 modes.
I’m being more conscious about how I can get better rest/sleep even when I’m on a trip these days, so this, flat sandals, and inflatable travel pillow have been 3 of my big “travel QOL upgrades” this year. (Maybe it’s just aging, but I just cannot get comfortable to sleep in hotels anymore!)
Light Therapy Lamp
I kind of knew I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but it wasn’t until I started feeling extremely groggy and depressed few weeks ago that I finally took it seriously and bought myself a light therapy lamp. And wow! The difference! I am honestly amazed. I really didn’t think it would make this much of a difference in such a short period of time.
Every morning when I wake up, I turn this on, and close my eyes again, spending 30 minutes to 1 hour basking in the fake sunlight. And when it’s time to get up, I am already feeling much better and energetic. It’s 4PM now, and I’m not exhausted yet. Before I started using this lamp, I was exhausted and sleepy as soon as it started getting darker outside. One of the biggest reasons why I’m able to write these blog posts, I think, is largely thanks to this lamp.
I was so excited that I even wrote a blog post about it (sorry, it’s in Japanese): 冬季うつ(SAD) vs 私だけの小さな太陽
I was pretty particular about the lamp I bought:
- It has to be portable (not one with a stand)
- It has to be rechargeable (my husband bought one last year that wasn’t rechargeable, and it was hard to use), and
- It has to provide 10,000 Lux
This one fit all of my needs, and has been performing amazingly! I was preparing to seek out therapy or medication, but I’m glad I tested this first. *Not a medically backed statement! Use at your own risk.
Victorinox Swiss Army Paring Knife
Did I need this 4″ Victorinox Swiss Army Paring Knife? No, probably not. Do I regret my purchase? 100% no. It’s so nice to have a sharp, small knife to do my every day cutting. This is the knife I use the most, on everything from cheese to fruits to avocados. I was getting really irritated with my cheaper dull knives, and decided to go for quality over price.
Sometimes, the thing that improves your QOL the most is a nice, sharp paring knife for every day convenience.
Hobbies and Entertainment 2025 Best Buys
Amazon Kindle
One thing I wanted to focus on this year was to start reading written words. It may seem weird coming from a writer, but I’ve been reading almost completely through Audiobooks for the past few years. With my brain injury and executive function disorder, I process much faster and better via audio. However, with becoming more interested in reading and writing in Japanese, I decided to start reading more words via text. I synced up my old Amazon Kindle to my Amazon Japan account to get access to Japanese books and mangas, but after a while, got really fed up with the long lags between clicks.
So I made the leap and invested in a new Amazon Kindle. I wanted something light so it won’t trigger the arthritis in my hand too much, so chose the Amazon Kindle 16GB. My husband had purchased the Paperwhite a few weeks earlier, and while it’s fancy and nice, I didn’t like the size or the weight, so opted for the less fancy version.
To go with it, I bought a matching case and a hand strap that can go over the case. The cover allows me to take it wherever I want without worrying about damaging the screen, and the hand strap has been a definite QOL raiser, allowing me to read in my bed without hurting my hands.
I have my Kindle and sunlamp on my bedside table, along with my humidifier. My phone locks me out at 9PM, so I put it on the charger, and get ready for bed, reading for a while until I get sleepy. This has been a good routine for the past few months, and I get a lot of books in this way!
I’ve been feeling that productive/emotionally supportive books are good for falling asleep, as it encourages and relaxes you. Reading battle mangas or really complicated or negative books or stories end up riling your brain up and keeping you awake. Snack on wholesome words, not negatives ones!
Ricoh GR III Digital Camera
On the pricier side of things is the Ricoh GR III Street Edition Digital Camera that I purchased in the end of spring. It’s given my photography a new burst of life, and I’m very thankful!
Here are some photographs I took in the past half year with it:
It is extremely compact, can fit in your pocket, and takes amazing photos. I’m especially into the filters or “recipes” that you can set up with it so take certain “mood” of photographs.
Here’s the “recipe site” that I use: Ritchie’s Ricoh Recipes. He has a phone app too, for easier reference. I choose what kind of “vibe” I want from my photos, and use that setting when taking photographs. Because there’s a certain amount of “filtering” that is done directly onto the photo, you barely have to edit your photos before posting them.
It was hard to get because it goes out of stock so often, but I’m glad I got my hands on one!
Conclusion
If you’re looking for less materialistic recap of 2025 for me, check out my 2025 recap post:
Otherwise, see you in 2026!!