If you come to my apartment (firstly, welcome!) you will immediately assume I'm an alcoholic.
Why? Because my entire bar cart has stacks on stacks of wine bottles.
Don't get me wrong, I love wine, it's one of my favourite beverages. The issue is that I live alone and constantly eat out a lot, so I rarely get to crack open a bottle. When I do open a bottle it usually ends up expiring before I get to the end of it and as someone who was constantly told as a child not to waste anything, it hurts my heart.
On top of that, all my bottles of wine have been gifted to me by family and friends, so it makes me feel like a bad person when I don't get to enjoy the entire bottle.
Watch: MM Confessions: The weirdest gift I've gotten from a lover. Post continues below.
Then one day a friend came over and gifted me a gorgeous bottle of olive oil that's around the same price as a good bottle of wine.
Besides my cooking tasting amazing, the olive oil is a gift that I always remember as something so useful for someone who lives alone. It's this one:
Yia Yia and Friends chili pepper infused extra virgin olive oil, $44.95
I admit that I've fallen down the gifting-wine-to-friends trap many times. It's so easy to pick up a bottle on your way to their place and it seems like one of the most culturally accepted gifts across generations.
But after talking to some friends, I soon realised that we all share the same fondness for receiving gifts from friends that were more quirky or unexpected.
So I did the hard work for you and made a list of gift ideas that aren't wine, but are still thoughtful, affordable and chic.
Save this for next time you're heading to a friend's place.
Steak Knife Set from Temple & Webster, $76.95
I've gone embarrassingly long without proper kitchen knives. I would use the same knife for years which has now become so blunt that it won't even chop an onion.
When my parents gifted me my own set, it completely transformed my cooking.
Sets like this one make for the perfect, long-lasting present.
Strawberry Seashells Cotton Bamboo Tea Towels Pack from Adairs, $24.99.
There's nothing worse than a cheap tea towel. Okay fine there is, but good quality tea towels make the biggest difference. Tea towels are always something that we buy cheap when we move into a new place and make a mental note to buy "proper ones" once we've settled in.
Spoiler alert — we never buy the proper ones.
Do your friend a favour and get her a pretty set, she will love you for it.
Reflex conversation cards from Flex Mami, $29.99.
Conversation cards are heavily underrated when it comes to entertaining guests. I play these ReFlex ones with my friends, my family and sometimes by myself (don't tell anyone).
They're so fun and keep the conversation flowing even when the game is over. I buy packs at a time so I have them on hand to gift to friends.
APTITLIG chopping board from IKEA, $15.
The best types of chopping boards are ones that you can keep out on display. They make my kitchen look so put together and give the illusion that I know what I'm doing (even if I don't).
And they don't have to be expensive. IKEA have some great options and I also highly recommend their cheese board sets.
Little Puzzle Thing x Areaware - Cocktail from Third Drawer Down, $26.
As someone who lives alone, puzzles have become one of my favourite pastimes. I don't care how sad that makes me sound, they're the bomb.
Kip and Co Door Mat from The Corner Booth, $79.
I would hate it if my apartment was judged based on my building. My building is not cute and if I didn't have to climb 20 stairs to get there, I would close my eyes until I got to my front door. Having a bright and quirky door mat always puts a smile on my face when I enter my place and would make for a perfect gift.
Linen napkin set from Bed Bath N' Table, $24.95.
I'm in my dinner party era and I'm annoyed that I didn't have linen napkins before because they elevate a table setting. They're also reusable which is better for the environment. Win-win.
Sunbeams planter pot from Jones & Co, $17.
Everyone loves plants and if you don't love plants, planter pots are so groovy looking these days that you can use them for anything. A pen holder, as a table feature or to cover a sad looking candle.
Ceramic Reusable Bottle from Frank Green, $59.95.
Yes, everyone has a reusable water bottle but for those who don't, this is a great gift because it will get used (I promise).
Almond Shower Oil from L'Occitane, $42.
This shower oil has such a cult following. It's a bit expensive so I wouldn't buy it for myself but would literally fall in love with anyone who bought it for me as a gift.
Mimco Paradise mirror from The Iconic, $39.
This might come across as a little egotistical but I love pocket mirrors. I am constantly having to touch up my makeup on the go and my little mirror gets a great daily workout. It's something I'd have never thought to buy myself and so was thrilled when I got given one.
Plantasia Letter Keyring from The Daily Edited, $19.50.
Similar to the mirror, a keyring isn't something I thought I would buy for myself and yet it has saved me a lot of time frustratingly swishing around in my handbag looking for my keys.
Kitchen Duo - Dishwashing Liquid & Bench Spray from Alive Body, $60.
I didn't realise how ugly kitchen products were until I was gifted a chic set like this one. I now can't go back. Your friends will LOVE you for this.
Silk hair ties from Slip, $24.
Silk hair ties are superior. They decrease breakage and they also look cute with pyjamas. It's such a simple and personal gift that you know will get used.
If you want more lifestyle opinions and recommendations from Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem
At Mamamia, we independently curate and write about products we rave about in our group chats and think you should know about too. If you purchase a product we have recommended, we may earn a small commission.
Feature Image: David Jones, Adairs, L'Occitane and Third Drawer Down.
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