Stuff that is totally worth the money.

OK, I know this is a little strangely timed, given my post yesterday about saving money, but of course posting about a thing gets me thinking about the thing's flip side, which is things that are worth spending money on. So, here I am with seven things we own and use on a regular basis that are totally worth the money, at least to us.

1. A WaterPik. My dentist told me that people tend to have one of two types of teeth issues. Either they get cavities and have structural problems that require root canals, etc., or they have plaque issues that can lead to gum problems. I fall into the latter category, so she recommended the WaterPik. It's better and more effective than floss. Of course, it also costs more, but she pointed out that with the money I'll save by not needing root canals, I should really invest in protecting myself from gum disease, and I have to say I agree. The first time I used it I was basically spitting blood, but my gums toughened up right away and I could see a difference after literally two days. My teeth were brighter and cleaner and stood out from my gums better, and the gums themselves looked bright and healthy and pink. Plus, it's more fun than flossing, which means I'm more likely to do it regularly.

2. My Kindle. I've posted about this before, but I cannot rave about it enough. I love it. I always have so many options of books to read, and they're so easy to read, and they cost less than actual paper books. It fits right in my purse and it is super convenient. And I would have suffered on our honeymoon without it--I read at least 25 books while we were there, and I'm pretty glad I didn't have to haul all those on the plane. And to those who asked, no, I don't really miss regular books. I still read them sometimes--after all, I owned quite a few of them before I got the Kindle.

3. This hair dryer. It has a diffuser and a concentrator, and while obviously I use the diffuser more often, they are both great. It works really well and quickly, and for a hair dryer, especially with those attachments, it's quite affordable. After buying my own, I got one for my sister for her birthday too.

4. This grocery bag holder. OK, it's not a gadget per se, but it is FABULOUS. We used to have bags seriously exploding out of all our cabinets. We felt bad throwing them away and we really do reuse them, but it kind of comes in cycles so sometimes we have lots of extras. I know a lot of you use reusable grocery bags, and I applaud you, but even if you do that, you must sometimes find yourselves at the grocery store unexpectedly, allowing them to give you plastic bags--and they are very useful if you have to scoop your dog's poop. This thing keeps the bags organized and compressed and in one place, and it's easy to get the bags in and out. They have a version that you can hang on the wall, too.

5. A Squeezebox. The Squeezebox is a wireless digital music player that hooks up to your home speakers and plays all sorts of digital music files--MP3s, Rhapsody, and Pandora. We use it mostly with Rhapsody, and it is awesome. It plays everything, all in one place. And they recently came out with a version that has its own speakers, which is smart if you don't have good speakers already.

6. A Gorillapod. We used this more before we got a DSLR as a wedding present, because it works best with lightweight cameras (though they do make a much larger version for SLRs), but it's really great. You screw it onto your camera like a regular tripod, but it's tiny and flexible, which means it's much easier to take pictures from funky angles with it, and you can secure it to things that don't have flat surfaces. It's great for low-light shots or self-timed photos--basically anything that you can't do with the camera in your hand. And it fits right in most camera cases.

7. A MediaVault. This is one of the most worthwhile things we own. It's an external hard drive with wireless capabilities and tons of storage space, and it's great for us especially because we each have our own computer. We save everything remotely without having to be hooked up to any wires--it's the exact same process as saving locally, except that you click on a different drive--and then we can access each other's files and our stuff is backed up in case one of our computers dies. And I just got a new computer and I didn't have to transfer anything over--I can just go through the MediaVault and everything is still right there. Plus, it allows for wireless printing AND remote file access, so that you can access your files from work or elsewhere if you need to.

So, what are the things you own or want that you think are totally worth YOUR money?