Since the Middle Ages, human beings have purchased various goods—ranging from bare necessities to unimaginable luxuries—using money acquired from wage labor. We routinely report on how the past and present iterations of this system, commonly known as market capitalism, depend on the subjugation of the planet’s most powerless populations and the destruction of the earth’s most fragile ecosystems. We much less routinely acknowledge the fact that we buy stuff ourselves, and that we like a lot of the stuff we buy. Pursuant to our goal of editorial transparency, here’s the best thing each member of Gawker’s staff bought in 2015. If you have your own suggestions, hop in the comments below.

Sam Biddle: Black+Decker BDH2000PL MAX Lithium Pivot Vacuum, 20-volt

This thing is terrific, it’s like a handheld Roomba. Now that I live alone I put it directly on my face to suck tiny hairs off my cheeks after I shave so that they don’t fall on the floor.

Gabrielle Bluestone: Liztek JSS-100 HD Water Resistant Bluetooth 3.0 Shower Speaker

I bought this bad boy off Kinja deals and I’ve never had a boring shower since. Did have to learn the hard way not to dance along though.

Jim Cooke: Simplehuman Butterfly Step Trash Can

I never thought I’d spend $160 on a trash can, but a while back my old shitty one broke and I had a gift card so I bought this one. Now I love my trash can.

Andy Cush: 6” Amazon Kindle

This was technically a gift that I received in 2014, but insofar as the Kindle requires me to buy proprietary Kindle content in order to be useful, I would say the Kindle is the best thing I bought in 2015. It’s compact; it keeps old New Yorkers from piling up; it lets you search through the text when you’re reading a novel by Pynchon and forget who a character is; it encourages you to take chances on books you’re not sure will be worth keeping on your shelf. The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero, the last thing I finished, was a perfect Kindle purchase. As a fan of The Room, I enjoyed this firsthand account of its completely bonkers production a lot. But I’m not sure I need it in my apartment forever.

Melissa Cronin: Exo-Terra Primate Skull Hideaway

The ‘best’ thing I bought this year, by my own definition of the word, is this skull-shaped hideaway for my brother’s snake, Jafar. Jafar “is not used to it,” according to my brother, and has not yet slithered out of its eye, but we have high hopes for 2016.

Ashley Feinberg: Philips HF3520 Wake-Up Light With Colored Sunrise Simulation

I used to have to set approximately 15 alarms on my phone. I still do out of anxiety and fear but they’re no longer functionally necessary because this thing is fucking incredible.

Allie Jones: Dyson V6 Cordless Vacuum

I use this literally every day, and it is fun each time.

Rich Juzwiak: Harbinger Speed Jump Rope

This jump rope makes me want to throw up (and I’ve accidentally whipped myself with it several times, leaving welts) and I love it.

Hamilton Nolan: Bazzini Unsalted Peanuts

Peanuts—good to eat.

Brendan O’Connor: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Legendary Edition for Xbox 360

When asked why Skyrim was the favorite thing he bought in 2015, Brendan O’Connor texted his colleague Keenan Trotter:

Alex Pareene: Casper Mattress, Queen

When asked why the Queen-sized Casper mattress was the favorite thing he bought in 2015, Alex Pareene provided his answer via Slack, from which the (lightly-edited) transcript below was taken:

Keenan Trotter: what’s the best thing you bought in 2015

Alex Pareene: honestly it was probably my casper mattress

Keenan: omg

Alex: very little made my life demonstrably better than that

Keenan: the free one... [Ed. note: For reasons that remain unclear, Casper recently delivered a free twin-sized Casper mattress—retail cost: $500—to Alex Pareene at Gawker’s New York City office.]

​Alex Pareene: lol

Keenan: oh

Alex: no i bought one this summer....

Keenan: you actually have one

Keenan: wow

Alex: before they sent me a free one....

Keenan: man

Keenan: which size - queen?

Alex: yeah

Alex: part of it was just that my prior mattress was a full-size and also a cheap piece of shit

Alex: so almost any nicer queen would have been an upgrade

Alex: but the casper is good and comfortable

Jordan Sargent: Clear Men Scalp Therapy 2 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioner

I was always too lazy to buy dandruff shampoo and then one day I did and my dandruff disappeared. At least I think it did. Nobody tell me otherwise.

Keenan Trotter: Z Gel Infused Dough Memory Foam + Liquid Gel Pillow

I don’t know what “Z Gel” is, nor do I possess the vocabulary to describe how this pillow affects my neck or spine. But I do know is that this is a very firm, comfortable pillow, and that my sleep has greatly improved since I started using it. If you have trouble sleeping but haven’t tried a firmer pillow, you could do a lot worse than this one.

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Photo credits: Amazon, Bazzinni, and Casper