Neat little things for everyone on your list.
Shopping for others is an activity that brings out the best in many of us. It’s fun to spend time contemplating what small item will brighten the day, or every day, of our friends and family. But it’s easy to feel tapped out — financially and creatively — after a few brilliant insights and clever discoveries. Medicine Cap Mould
But, you can’t quit after one or two gifts. There are people — at work, at home, at parties, in the book club — who deserve gifts and may be more challenging to shop for. However, I’m here to tell you there’s a perfect little something for everyone on your list, and it doesn’t have to be hard to find.
I did the legwork for you (and it’s my pleasure). Here are the best cheap gifts on Amazon. They are selling fast, though, so don’t procrastinate or hesitate. All you have to do is click and you will be the one who crushed it at gift-giving this year.
Ready for an easy and delicious breakfast? Give anyone in your house (yourself included) this pancake batter dispenser. Making pancakes becomes so easy you can do it on the bleariest of mornings. Fill the jar with ingredients, add the mixing ball, shake, and squirt the batter onto the griddle. You can even store premade batter in the fridge.
Keep these bamboo toaster tongs near the toaster and you will never burn your fingers removing cheese toast again. They grab the bread, are heat resistant, and look adorable in the kitchen. The teeth in the grabbing part give them traction and they are long enough to keep your fingers safe.
Most people can benefit from a waffle maker. They’re ideal for making waffles, sure. But they are also the key to discovering what else — mac and cheese, pizza, cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, the list goes on — can be waffled. That makes this a lovely gift. It has an 8-inch nonstick plate, lets you customize the heat level for various foods, and is small enough to tuck onto a shelf when the waffling is over. Nearly 30,000 people gave it five stars.
This adorable elephant standing on a ball goes into an opened wine bottle and makes a festive, airtight seal that’s easy to get in and out of the bottle. This wine stopper is the perfect small gift for anyone who likes wine or ever needs to serve it. It will get a laugh when you gift it and earn a permanent place in the kitchen.
For people who want a beer that never gets warm, there is this insulated beer mug. It has all the tavern vibes that come with sipping over 16 ounces of ale from a big-handled stein, but it will keep that beverage cold (or hot) for hours so there is no need to down it in one draught. It has a lid to keep you from spilling if the tavern gets wild.
If you have readers, crafters, painters, or knitters in your circle, make them happy with the gift of light. This two-pack of lightweight, rechargeable book lights lets its user keep doing what they love after everyone else demands lights out. There is white, daylight, or amber-colored light to choose from to suit the eyes and mood. A flexible, 7-inch neck points the beam right where it’s needed.
Getting a pizza, loaf of bread, or any large and hot item out of the oven is a challenge with most tools in the kitchen. But this pizza paddle makes it easy. Slide it under the pie and lift it right out with no mess or burns. Then slide that pie off and onto a cutting board. The handle folds away for easy storage and it’s a handy BBQ tool, too. Many of the nearly 4,000 five-star reviewers agreed.
If reducing the impact of single-use plastics is on your to-do list, grab this 10-pack of silicone reusable drinking straws for yourself or anyone else to help resist plastic straws. They fit most reusable tumblers, go in the dishwasher, come with a cleaning brush and storage bag, and don’t melt like the paper kind.
“I love these straws so much that I give them as gifts,” said one reviewer. “No chemical flavor, easily portable, soft and bendable but spring right back into shape ... they are perfect.”
Anyone who camps knows the problem: You want to sleep comfortably but don’t want to lug around all your bedding. This camping pillow solves that dilemma for good. It’s comfortable but also packable. It squishes down to fit in the included waterproof pouch but fluffs up for easy sleeping in a tent or hammock as well as on a plane, train, or car.
For anyone with a kitchen, the struggle to keep the knives sharp is real. And this little knife sharpener is the tool for the job. It suctions to the counter with a push of the lever and holds still while you drag the blade through the sharpening slot to put a fine edge on everything from that often-used chef’s knife to the serrated bread knife and kitchen shears. It comes in four colors.
If you want to take your gear out onto the water — paddle boarding, kayaking, or boating — you need a dry bag to keep it from getting wet. This waterproof dry bag is completely submersible and, if you lock some air into it, will float so you don’t lose anything. It comes in three sizes and three colors that fit everything from your cell phone and wallet to a couple of towels.
Anyone who barbecues, smokes large pieces of meat, or enjoys pulled pork, will love these meat claws that let them attack any of those projects with the strength and tearing power of Wolverine. These claws make a wrist-wrecking task fast, easy, and gentle on the hands.
“[These] pull an entire pork shoulder into shreds in just a couple of minutes, versus ... 10 to 15 minutes of work using two forks,” said one reviewer.
This stackable bamboo steamer basket is beautiful and adds a natural element to the look of a kitchen, and it will cook a healthy meal in minutes. Layer potstickers, vegetables, fish, and chicken in the baskets, set them in a pan with a bit of water in it, and steam dinner. You can serve right from them, too. This set includes two 10-inch steamer baskets, chopsticks, 50 basket liners, and a ceramic dipping sauce dish.
This big, 1-gallon water bottle is the perfect tool for improving hydration. With motivational markers so you know when you need to sip and two lids — one with a straw and one for chugging — to make intake easy, it’s everything you need for a day. It comes with a cleaning brush for convenience.
“This was a gift for my son and he loved it,” said one reviewer. “The handle is an amazing feature ... That much water is heavy, but the handle makes it easy.”
That huge, hard-to-clean colander that requires an empty sink and perfect aim is not the only way to strain a pot. This clip-on pot strainer lets you pour with one hand into whatever is in the sink, with no need to hit a target. It’s flexible so it fits all your pans and wins five stars from over 21,000 people who said it’s convenient, a time-saver, and versatile. It goes right in the dishwasher for cleanup.
This microwave popcorn popper is a surefire way into any popcorn lover’s heart. Making popcorn — with your own kernels, oil, and seasonings — becomes a two-minute endeavor with almost no cleanup. Just add oil and kernels to the well in the bottom, microwave, and eat.
“[Life]-changing,” said one of 20,000 five-star reviewers. “You can make a healthy snack in minutes without ... shaking a heavy pot over a hot stove. It tastes 100X better than pre-packaged microwave popcorn and is healthier and better for the environment.”
Know someone with a messy car? The trick to having a cleaner car is not only to commit to cleaning it more... having a better system can prevent most of the mess. This car trash can catches the biggest culprit: trash. When you are driving, you have to toss that empty coffee cup or food wrapper somewhere. If you have this roomy container hanging from the back of the passenger seat, that place won’t be the back seat or floor. It’s waterproof, holds two gallons, comes with 20 liners, and has pockets for napkins, wipes, and other sundries.
Turning a chicken breast into a cutlet, tenderizing a delicate pork loin, and crushing nuts or garlic all require the chef to use one humble tool along the way: a meat tenderizer. This hefty meat mallet is what a good kitchen needs. The heavy end has a spiked side for tenderizing and a flat one for hammering and thinning. The grippy handle prevents accidental drops, there’s a nonstick coating, and it can go in the dishwasher for cleanup.
This set of five packing cubes is an advanced travel tool that streamlines every suitcase. Pack sweaters or pants in the large zippered cube, tops in the middle-sized ones, and underwear in the littlest. Use the bag for shoes or dirty laundry. As you travel, you’ll know where everything is, never need to unpack to get organized, and have no fear of opening that suitcase at the airport.
“Love, love, love these traveling cubes,” said one reviewer. “I WON’T travel without them and I have bought many for gifts that are well received.”
Anyone who loves to game, work, or watch their latest obsession on a tablet probably does that from bed or the couch. And when they do, they will relish in how comfortable they are when using this tablet pillow stand. It holds the tablet at just the right angle, gripping it in place with a fabric lip. There are pockets for a stylus, glasses, and other accessories. You can unfold it to create a surface that’s perfect for a keyboard, too.
“It makes using tablets and books more comfortable,” said one reviewer. “I like the pockets for a small notepad and pen.”
If a morning smoothie or a daily bubble tea is necessary for you or a buddy, these two bubble tea cups will be in constant use. The big glass jars let you see what’s in them, and the lids are secure and leakproof yet pop open to accommodate the included boba-size steel straws. A grippy silicone sleeve makes them easy to carry, even if your beverage is hot. And they come with a cleaning brush and two extra lids.
“I use these bad boys every day for juice, smoothies, boba, and just plain tea,” said one reviewer.
When pulling together impressive craft cocktails, the ice cube is an essential ingredient. A big, solid ball or huge cube of ice melts slowly, looks beautiful, and takes any beverage up a notch. This set of two ice trays delivers six ice balls and six 2-inch square cubes right from the freezer. The flexible silicone trays make releasing the ice easy and it comes with a funnel so you can fill the round molds completely.
If you love your iced tea — and would like that to go — this cold-brew tea bottle simplifies the process. All you have to do is scoop in the leaves, add some water, and put it in the fridge. When you want to take your tea with you, just go. A filter in the lid keeps leaves out of your mouth or glass and it looks beautiful and delicious wherever you take it. It comes in five sizes and seven colors.
Looking for a not-so-plastic way to wrap a cut tomato or sandwich? These reusable food wraps are made from cotton fabric infused with beeswax. Just wrap your food, hold it for a few seconds so the wax melts together, and you have an airtight package. It washes so you can reuse it, looks beautiful, and has no plastic. This is three pieces in three useful sizes. Choose from four festive patterns.
Every pickle lover grows weary of fighting with the jar to get to that tasty treat. This tool brings a dry pickle out of the brine, with no wet fingers. Just pour your pickles from the jar into this clever pickle container and put it back in the fridge. When you want a pickle, lift the pickle elevator to lift them out of the juice so you can select one.
These cake strips are a well-kept secret that baking pros use to make a cake bake evenly, with no cracks or crusty edges. Soak them in water and wrap the pan with them before you put it in the oven. It insulates the edge so that the batter all cooks evenly and you get a perfectly flat and even cake.
“Game changer,” said one reviewer. “These cake strips help your baked goods cook evenly. I can’t believe I just found out about them.”
These sweet measuring spoons look like cherries and are attached to an equally cute egg separator that looks like the leaf of a cherry tree. The set is like a tiny bit of art that you can use to bake with. It’s hard to go wrong with something that’s both fun and functional.
“They ... look cute on your kitchen wall! ... Definitely a good gift for a cook.”
Once you have gone to the trouble of cooking a five-star meal, don’t just toss it onto the plate and hope for the best. This eight-piece plating tool set lets you create a visual on the plate that’s worthy of all the effort that went into the preparation. An offset spatula delivers the main course in style while plating spoons and tongs add sauces and small extras in neatly mindful placement.
“Perfect for the culinary student or young chef,” says one reviewer.
Anyone who loves a delicious, foamy coffee beverage needs to know that the foam is imminently doable in your own kitchen and requires no expensive machinery. Just dip the rapidly spinning whisk on the business end of this milk frother into the milk of your choice and it will turn that cold (or warm) liquid into foam. It sits in its own stand on your counter, costs $12, and runs on batteries.
Every kitchen needs a cutting board or two nice enough to do service as bread or charcuterie servers, and this acacia number is exactly that. Pretty, elegant, and narrow enough to serve a single loaf or a delicately presented cheese and cracker selection, the long handle makes it easy to use and easy to hang on a wall when it’s not in use.
Anyone who loves making burgers will also love not having to form those burgers by hand. This aluminum burger press will turn you into a burger-making machine. Just spoon the ground meat mixture into the dish and press it into a burger shape with the top. You will be churning out perfect, evenly-sized burgers with perfect grill lines. Reviewers love how easy it is.
“I was finally able to make a round hamburger that didn’t swell up in the middle!” said one.
The simple act of pouring from the bottle into your glass using this wine aerator will improve the flavor of your wine. It adds the ideal amount of oxygen to the wine, which softens the tannins and releases the aromas so that you can more easily taste subtle flavors. This makes every wine more enjoyable, and the simple act will make cheap wine taste like you spent more money on it. This is a two-pack.
Fresh pasta is so much more delicious than the boxed kind. And making it is easier than you think, especially if you have this pasta maker. It takes your dough and shapes it into the perfect thickness and shape for your dish.
“I love this thing,” said one reviewer. “It makes it so much easier to make pasta and I do it all the time. I’ve made lasagna, fettuccine, bow ties, spaghetti, ravioli, and many other types.”
Any coffee snob will tell you that the most delicious brew does not come from a machine but is crafted by hand using excellent beans and simple pour-over equipment. This elegant, glass pour-over coffee maker is made for the task. The top is designed to hold the stainless steel filter for pouring water over the beans. And, once the coffee is ready and you remove the filter, it easily pours your brew into a cup. With a minimum of parts, it is easy to clean, use, and store.
“If you want a great cup of coffee, buy this,” said one reviewer. “No machine to clean [and] ... it might be the best coffee you have ever tasted.”
Tired of pouring a cup of coffee, getting caught up online while it cools, and drinking it cold because you timed it wrong? Pour your hot beverage into one of these two unbreakable, stainless steel insulated mugs, and take your time. They keep a hot beverage warm for hours. The lid holds in heat and prevents splashes. They come in 14 colors.
This automatic bottle opener does its job quickly, and almost magically. Just press it over the top of a bottle and it takes the lid off with no effort, magnetically grabbing the cap so it doesn’t land on the floor. It doesn’t bend the caps, either, so you can use those in your collection or for crafts.
When it’s time to eat corn on the cob, don’t burn your fingers. Turn the experience into a sight gag instead by sticking these companion dog corn holders into each end of the cob. They give your fingers something cool and cute to hold onto, turn your corn into a dog’s body, and make the meal lots more fun... as well as funny. This is a pack of eight and there are five animals and shapes to choose from.
Fill this cute little sloth’s belly with tea leaves and hang it from the side of your mug because this is the sweetest tea infuser ever. You can brew your tea at your own pace but there is no way to hurry a sloth, even with a belly full of caffeinated leaves. There are 11 animals to choose from, including this sloth so it covers a lot of ground on any gift list.
“I gifted this to my niece with a bag of my favorite tea,” said one reviewer. “It's very cute and brings a smile to her face. I'll probably buy a few more as novelty gifts.”
When you are headed out camping, tailgating, or on a long road trip you will be so glad you brought this electric car blanket along. Plug it into the lighter, pull it over your chilled self, and warm right up. The 96-inch cord will reach the back seat to warm any small and cold passengers you might have back there. The power draw is low so you could turn the car off and have a warm nap in the back.
“Works amazing for those cold mornings!” said one reviewer. “I feel better ... knowing I’m not going to freeze for the first 10-15 minutes of my drive.”
Next time you go camping, cooking a big breakfast on your portable stove will be like a scene from a western if you lie this nonstick camp griddle over both burners of your camp stove. Make a pile of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and biscuits all on the same surface while singing “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” and keeping an eye on the horses.
“You can cook an entire breakfast for a family, wipe it down, and have it ready to cook lunch,” said one reviewer. “I wish I had one all my life.”
Why eat rice from a bowl when, with these three rice molds, you can turn them into cute animal shapes and eat all your food as if it’s sushi? Just spoon the rice into the mold with some seaweed (or not), press it in with the paddle, and pop it out with the easy-to-use button on the bottom. Cute sushi shapes! You get two onigiri triangles and a rectangular musubi mold.
Stop the cord snarl from taking over your bag. This slender and clever electronics organizer has mesh slots for charger cables, headphones, and other tangly wires and elastic loops to hold plugs, backup batteries, and whatever else is in your rig. It's ideal for anyone who travels for work or takes work to a café or coworking space.
“I have never been this organized in my life,” said one reviewer. There are 12 colors to pick from.
Move the kitchen into the future with this three-piece set of silicone measuring cups. They’re flexible so you can pour with precision, and are molded into a honeycomb texture that dissipates heat to make them an ideal vessel for melting butter or chocolate. The set includes a 2-cup, 1-cup, and 1/2-cup measure but you can also purchase various sizes separately.
“I love the detailed measurements, the easy grip, the easy pour, and the easy clean,” said one of the 11,000 five-star reviews.
When you are looking for something that looks snazzy and is also super useful, this wireless Bluetooth speaker delivers. It’s small enough to take anywhere, has a built-in microphone so you can use it for calls, and it comes in seven great colors.
“This speaker is about the size of a cat food can, but it really puts out,” said one of over 20,000 five-star reviewers.
Keep your garlic fresher without losing track of it in an unmarked storage container by stashing it in this garlic saver that looks like a head of garlic. It’s so decorative you can keep it on the counter so the garlic is always at the ready and it keeps garlic fresh for about a month.
Made with a very high concentration of snail mucin, this repair cream is purported to be super hydrating and to stimulate collagen production in the skin for a smooth, soft, and radiant glow. Anyone eager to try this cream that’s naturally rich in hyaluronic and glycolic acid will appreciate it, and the price on this SeoulCeuticals jar is hard to beat. Almost 11,000 people gave it five stars.
This elegant glass teapot makes brewing a pot of tea a visual experience. A stainless steel infuser fits perfectly into the lid so you can brew loose teas. The borosilicate glass can go from the stovetop to the sink to the dishwasher, and it has a terrific handle so pouring the tea is easy and pleasant.
If you know someone with a beard, they need this beard bib apron, even if they don’t know they do. Instead of leaving a mess on the bathroom sink and counter every time you shave, you put on the bib, secure two corners to the mirror, and let the whisker debris fall into the apron. You won’t have to clean up the bathroom or live with the consequences of not cleaning up.
“I gave this to my husband,” said one reviewer. “... but let’s be honest it was actually a gift for me. I no longer have to clean up beard hair off the bathroom counter every week. 10/10 highly recommend.”
These little microfiber towels are perfect for taking to the gym, keeping in the car, camping, and so many other cases because they roll up super small, absorb a ton of water quickly, and dry quickly.
“These are awesome when I go to the gym or yoga,” said one reviewer. “I can roll them up and put them in my pocket.”
Getting on a plane, pulling on your neck pillow, and dozing off while everyone else confronts their boredom and cramped seating is a delight you can give to anyone who travels. This comfy travel pillow is the trick to getting there. It’s made from soft memory foam, covered in a washable velour cover, and works just as well on a train or in the car.
Anyone who enjoys frying eggs, bacon, or chicken is likely spending too much time cleaning their stovetop. This splatter screen is the trick for never doing that again. The mesh traps oil and splatter in the pan without trapping steam so foods crisp just as well but — without all the splatter — the stove stays clean. It’s sturdy, heavy-duty, has a heat-resistant handle, and goes in the dishwasher.
A good wrist wrest can prevent a lot of pain down the road for anyone who spends long hours in front of a computer. This pair of pads has memory foam cushions to give wrists a soft place to rest. And the mouse pad has a cushion built right in so it stays put.
“My wrists feel so much better and they don’t hurt as much after eight to nine hours on the computer,” said one reviewer.
Stick this clever little cell phone wallet to the back of your phone and you will always have the few essentials you need, even when you don’t have your bag or full-size wallet. It holds a couple of cards, an ID, and some folding money and snaps closed so it won’t get in your way. It comes in seven colors and many reviewers said it is super convenient.
These three metal candle holders create a beautiful centerpiece for a table setting or mantle and allow you to decorate under them or use them alone. They catch any wax that might drip from your candles and have an elegant and slender silhouette. The varied heights make the perfect cluster for a set of pillar candles.
This complete whiskey set comes with six stones, a velvet bag for storing them in the freezer, two whiskey glasses, a deck of cards with cocktail recipes, and coasters. All come packed in a rustic wooden box that’s nice enough to leave on the bar.
Relaxing in the bath is heavenly unless the hard tub hurts your head and back. This bath pillow makes every bath comfortable and blissful. The soft, breathable fabric cradles your neck and shoulders while six strong suction cups hold it in place. There’s even a hook so you can hang it to dry when your bath is done.
“This little beauty was the final piece to make my dream bathing experience happen,” said one reviewer.
Anyone who travels will love this USB power strip that brings three standard outlets, three USB ports, and one USB-C port right within reach. It requires only one plug to charge all your electronics, which is super handy in hotel rooms and when you have to plug in using a world travel adapter. It’s useful on the desk at home, too.
Dump the jumble of squished cardboard boxes littering your tea cupboard and put the bags into this tea organizer to make that tea collection both orderly and appealing. The clear lid lets you eye the tea bags before you open it. And the 10 compartments hold all your tea along with some sugar packets or other accessories.
These beautiful, hand-stamped, striped stoneware measuring cups make a pretty and useful addition to any kitchen. They are so eye-catching they can easily do double duty to serve cream, sauces, dressings, and more.
“They are sturdy, and unlike the glass measuring cups I have, they are easy to pour without liquid running down the cups,” said one reviewer.
This set of six cactus tea lights is a darling way to decorate a table or event. The small candles are shaped convincingly like a collection of cacti so you can create mini garden vignettes. Open the box and use them individually as tiny gifts or give them all together, still in the box, for a sweet gift anyone will enjoy.
Any of your plants will love to upgrade their dwelling to this indoor plant pot. It stands, happily, on the window sill or a shelf, smiling into your space while giving your greenery the perfect home. There’s a drain hole in the bottom so plants stay healthy.
“Perfect for a gift! I originally got it for a friend and then for myself! I love the whole bio/personality attached to ‘adopting’ the pot,” said one reviewer.
Every kitchen needs prep bowls for stirring together ingredients for a sauce, mixing up chicken salad, or serving a bowl of peanuts or popcorn during movie time. This set of eight bowls is ideal for any kitchen. The sizes range from small enough for a dipping sauce up to perfect for a bowl of popcorn. They nest for storage, each one is a different shade of the same color, and they have matching lids. There are five colors to choose from.
This snazzy neoprene laptop sleeve brings a bright and fun pop of color to your work rig. Even more, it dresses your laptop in a protective sleeve that keeps the machine safe from bumps, drips, and scratches while turning it into an accessory that’s fun to carry and safe to tuck into a larger bag. There are five sizes and 13 color options. Over 33,000 people gave it five stars.
Ever wish your couch had cup holders like the car does? This sofa cup holder is exactly the thing. It wraps around the arm of your armchair or couch and puts a cup holder right where your hand will naturally reach for it. It holds a coffee mug, has an insert so it grips a beer bottle or wine glass securely, and comes in four colors.
Basket Mold At the end of the day, remove all your Apple gear — iPhone, iWatch, Airpods, and Pencil — from your pockets and body and set it all on this wireless charging station. It looks tidy, charges everything while you rest, and provides a daily check on your gear inventory so you don’t lose track of anything. It holds your phone and watch at a glanceable angle so they can act as your command center and alarm clock and it uses only one outlet to charge everything. Nearly 4,000 people said, “Five stars!”