The time was, not that long ago, when my favourite purchases were small and sparkly, or at the very least, something I could eat, drink or wear.

Then, along with a mortgage, came the realisation that I should probably look after the crumbly old homes" target="_blank">house that now takes every penny I earn - and a bit more besides.

Ten years in, a couple of kids and many dogs later, electricity bills started to rocket, I congratulated myself on my lack of tumble drier - no huge energy vampire device for me. I have a perfectly good washing line and a ceiling airer in my kitchen where the laundry can dry on rainy days. 

(Image: TATEVOSIAN YANA) Except, in winter, the dry days are few and far between. With a house full of small kids and dogs, the washing pile is pretty much never ending. I open the windows to air the place every day, but when the rain keeps pouring, it felt like I wasn't really doing the house any favours.

I started to worry that all the indoor drying would lead to damp, and eventually to mould, so I started looking into getting a dehumidifier, and it's been one of the best things I've bought in ages.

I bought a Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier with Air Purifier - a slightly older version of these ones. It came with a Hepa filter and was billed as being suitable for tackling condensation, mould removal and laundry drying.

This is the second winter since I bought it and it's made a huge difference. It was about £260 but I've more than saved that on extra heating bills. Without it I'd have needed to dry the washing through winter on radiators or a heated airer, and the condensation would have had to go somewhere.

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My Meaco dries jeans and thick towels in a few hours, rids the bathroom of condensation quickly after a shower, and saved the utility room floor after a sock and a hairpin collaborated to block the washing machine outlet and I had to empty all the stagnant water out of the trap (an afternoon I still have nightmares about). 

Mostly my little drying buddy lives in the utility until it's needed, but when it gets called into action in other rooms, it's pretty quiet.

These days it's rare I buy myself a gift at all, and while it's neither small nor sparkly, it's been the best thing I've bought in ages.

Given it's already paid for itself, I'm probably due another gift - maybe even before the decade is up.