We all have special, well-loved items that have served us for many years; items enriched with value from time passing and memories shared. It’s our hope that Buy Me Once products will become those things for our customers, over the course of decades to come too.

But most of the things people buy won’t be with them for long. Especially at this festive time of year, when impulse purchases spike. Many of the millions of this year’s Christmas gifts are destined to be immediately discarded, or are poor-quality products that soon break. We want people to get back in touch with the concept of buying for life, not just for Christmas.

To capture the beauty of buying for life, we reached out to our amazing Buy Me Once community to ask about the things they’ve kept, used and loved forever.

The stories you shared with us were extraordinary. You showed us that having things for life isn’t just about quality - though that’s a huge factor. It’s about rituals and memories too, which develop more and more as time goes on. Many of you inherited your items, and intend to pass them on to the next generation. Those generations of memories can then live on within these special things.

A considered purchase makes for a meaningful gift that your loved one is sure to cherish. And gifting them something that will stand the test of time - to be treasured, rather than cast aside? That will be the gift that keeps on giving.

Here are five of our favourite buy-for-life stories from our community. 

Charlie’s 35-year-old coffee maker.

“The photograph is of my husband, Nino. This was taken on our dream vacation to Italy. The espresso pot was the only souvenir that I brought home for myself. My husband passed away three years after this was taken. I start every day with espresso and wonderful memories of that trip and my husband of forty-three years.”

Hannah’s grandmother’s measuring cup.

“This tin set of measuring cups has been passed down two generations now. I have had it for 15 years, but it was my grandmother’s before me. I remember using them to learn to bake with my grandmother. They’re well-made and not breakable - they stack as well so don’t take up much room!”

Imogene’s 20-year-old backpack.

“I first used this backpack at uni, then as a flight bag when going on holiday, and now it is a changing bag for my little one! My treasured memory of this backpack has to be using it as a hospital bag for when my son was born. It is well made and versatile with various useful pockets too.”

Simon’s 42-year-old porridge pan.

“I’ve been making my daily porridge in this pan since 1979. It’s a quality product. It doesn’t go in the dishwasher, so the handle has never deteriorated. I also have a frying pan of similar age.”

Lucille’s 36-year-old knife.

“I was gifted with this knife by my partner in 1983. He loved my homemade fresh Pico de Gallo salsa. He said I deserved an excellent knife for making excellent food. I've used this knife almost daily for near 37 years. It's a workhorse for food prep and I've prepped meals for hundreds of people at a time. It's been sharpened so many times the edge is a bit worn down. When I pass on I've promised my eldest son that he can have it.”

For long-lasting gifts of quality, check out our range here.