These Under-$30 Gifts Will Be A Hit Without Decimating Your Budget

Perhaps the toughest part of holiday shopping is sticking to a budget. There are great gifts available at every price point, but if you’re not sure what to get someone, it can be hard to think of ideas that meet your ideal dollar count.
That’s why we’re here to help — we scoured the internet to find gifts under $30 that are fun, practical, reviewer-beloved or all of the above. No matter who you’re shopping for, keep reading to see our picks for under-$30 stocking stuffers and bigger gifts alike. Both your recipients and your wallet will be grateful to see these options.
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If you’re buying a gift for someone who travels a lot, or is always losing their keys, wallet or other important items — hey, no judgment here — an Apple AirTag is one of the easiest solutions for Apple product users. It connects with an iPhone or iPad with just one tap, so your gift recipient will always know where the item they’ve attached it to is. When you’re looking for something, you can also “ping” the AirTag so it plays a sound and helps you track it down. This is useful for luggage, keys, wallets, cars, pets and more, as thousands of reviews can attest to.
Burt’s Bees is responsible for some of our favorite drugstore lip balms, and we’re willing to bet that this assortment of 12 flavors will delight a fellow fan. Each one contains the brand’s signature blend of responsibly sourced beeswax and fruit extracts, and the options you’ll find inside include shortbread cookie, vanilla bean and salted caramel.
A surprise bestseller among our gift guides last year, this electric lighter is lightweight and portable with a thoughtful, safe design to prevent accidents. It’s flameless, wind- and splash-proof so you can use it even in bad weather. This lighter is rechargeable with a type-C USB cord, which is included with your purchase, and displays the battery life with LED lights.
This is perfect for the outdoorsy person on your list, someone who loves to light candles (you can even bundle this with a candle for an extra-thoughtful gift) or anyone who can appreciate a practical purchase. It comes in six colors so you can gift one that suits their decor or personality in general.
This remote-controlled oil diffuser is also a humidifier, meaning it can provide both relaxing aromatherapy and relief for dry winter air. The tank can hold up to 500 milliliters of water and the fan operates at less than 23 decibels, so no sleep needs to be sacrificed while it’s in use. The machine can also cycle through seven different LED lights, can be set to a timer or left on the steady “on” mode and has an auto-switch-off feature to prevent overheating. For the aromatherapy aspect, reviewers say you only need a few drops of essential oils to be able to smell them.
Promising review: “I love this brand. I have re-ordered it several times as gifts as well as to use for additional rooms. It allows you to choose your color, which helps with the ambiance of that particular room. I love the little remote so that I can turn the lights off, or turn it completely off once I’m ready to go to sleep, without having to get out of bed. It also has a feature of small/big waves, which allows for very fast amazing scent in a room in a matter of a minute. The cleaning is really easy too, with a few a-tips and vinegar it’s back to brand new state. I clean mine once every 2-3 weeks with some water and a little vinegar as the orange or bergamot essential oil will stain the sides and bottom after a while.” — Andrea
Those who work from home might be familiar with the concept of making coffee or tea to start your day, getting distracted by work, and going to sip your hot drink that… isn’t so hot anymore. This deskside mug warmer solves that problem, keeping hot drinks at a palatable temperature of 120 to 140 degrees. It turns off and back on automatically when you lift the mug and set it down again, so you don’t have to remember to shut it off once you’re done with your drink. For best results, use it with a flat-bottomed mug (if your gift recipient doesn’t already have one, you can even buy the warmer with a mug of its own.
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If you’re shopping for someone who’s on team iced coffee, not hot, the HyperChiller HC2 beverage chiller may be of more use to them. While it doesn’t necessarily keep drinks cold long-term, it can chill them so they’re especially refreshing. This chiller is great for folks who want iced coffee quickly, but have a coffee machine that only makes it hot. You can also use it to quickly chill wine, tea or other beverages without ice. Just fill the HyperChiller with water, store it in the freezer, and when you’re ready to use it, pour in your desired drink and swirl the liquid around for 60 seconds. Pour your drink into a cup and voila — you now have a cold drink ready for its first sip.
Promising review: “I LOVE this thing. I bought a second one for my mom as a birthday gift and she is also obsessed. I am an iced coffee year round kind of gal and the option to cool down my coffee before I add milk and ice is a game changer. We also use it for London fogs. For once, I actually knew what to get my mom for her birthday and she talks about how great it is all the time. No more quickly diluting beverages from mixing hot drinks with ice!” — Tay V
While this is technically more of an early holiday gift, this set is so popular with HuffPost readers we couldn’t resist including it. This National Geographic gemstone advent calendar for children was a breakout bestseller on Prime Day in October — interactive and educational, it lets kids discover new gemstones each of the 24 days, with the grand finale of excavating their final stone themselves out of a dig brick. The stones come with a collector’s pouch to keep them safe, plus five jewelry settings so they can wear their gems around afterward.
A great stocking stuffer for the gardener in your life, the gloves in this three-pack come in three colors and coated with durable polyurethane. They’re breathable but still abrasion-resistant, have knit wrists to keep them from sliding down your hands and are even ergonomically designed with hand fatigue in mind.
Available in three colors, this velvet travel jewelry box has two larger compartments, six slot rolls and one elastic pocket on the underside of the lid. The box’s measurements are less than 2-by-4 inches, so it can easily fit inside a suitcase or carry-on. The organizer zips shut with gold hardware for both security and elegance.
A candle is a simple crowd pleaser that won’t break the bank. This scent from Yankee Candle — which has notes of cinnamon and other baking spices — is holiday-appropriate but versatile enough that your gift recipient can light it year-round. The 22-ounce jar the candle comes in is reusable, though there’s plenty of burn time to get through before that point (110 to 150 hours, to be exact).
Promising review: “I’ve been a fan of Yankee candles from the very first time I purchased the Home Sweet Home scent over 15 years ago for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season and it has become a yearly tradition for me to purchase them for me and give as gifts. The scent fills my house when lit and even more impressive is the fragrance in my sitting area when it’s not lit. I’ve never had a candle more potent and long-lasting so I can say enough about this being my number one choice for aroma therapy.” — D. Rose
How gorgeous is this Himalayan salt lamp? No two are exactly the same size, shape or color because they are hand-carved, which only makes opening this gift more exciting. This lamp comes with a dimmer switch to control the amount of light, and has a wooden base.
You may have heard people claim that Himalayan salt lamps have health benefits before. While there’s little evidence ot support this, there’s no denying that salt lamps can still be a beautiful aesthetic addition to a home, and their soft glow can provide a nice, calm ambiance.
This trio set of Jack Black lip balms includes three different flavors (shea butter, natural mint and pineapple mint). These lip balms are also wildly popular for their moisturizing abilities, with a 4.7-star average rating across more than 23,000 reviews, so you know you’re in good hands.
Promising review: “A lot of people have already said this, but this seriously is the BEST lip balm I’ve ever tried. I don’t breathe well through my nose so my mouth compensates so I have chronicly chapped lips that over the past year started peeling and scarring. After a day of using this I noticed a difference, my lips look much smoother and plumper and generally less disgusting. If I forget to reapply after eating my lips do shortly go back to peeling, so I’m not out of the woods yet, but as long as I remember, things are looking good! I’m also pleased that I can put this on before bed and wake up with my lips STILL moisturized. Fantastic. I’m sure I’ll buy like 800 more of these, for myself and for gifts for pretty much anyone with lips.” — Nichole Wilson
Socks are perhaps one of the most classic holiday gift ideas, but not without reason: They’re comfy, everyone could use a pair and they don’t break the bank. If you are planning on buying socks for some people on your shopping list, it’s worth it to invest in a nice, thick pair from a trusted brand. Enter: These slouchy knit socks from Ugg. Available in a bunch of colors, these crew socks are nice and warm with a reinforced toe, and can be worn around the house or inside a pair of winter boots.
(They’re also a great gift bag toss-in if you’re already planning to gift a pair of Uggs slippers or boots.)
Promising review: “I don’t want to take them off! They are so cozy and comfortable. They don’t make my feet to hot and definitely keeps them warm enough. Plus they are super cute!” — Jeanette M. Hoeg
We’ve covered reusable Stasher bags before, for their ability to save people money and waste on single-use plastic bags. But while these are great for produce or snacks, they can also be used to hold a phone, makeup or other items your gift recipient may want to take with them on the go. This version, called the Go Bag, comes with a carabiner to attach to a belt loop or backpack for easy storage and access. It has the same pinch-lock seal you know and love Stasher for, and is dishwasher-, microwave- and oven-safe up to 425 degrees.
Promising review: “I use these to keep my phone dry when I’m around water. They are not meant for submersion, but will easily protect my phone from splashes. I love the attached carabiner for anchoring this to a kayak webbing or to attach my keys when I’m out at the pool. At the beach, these also keep sand away from the phone. I’ve given several as gifts and everyone loves them.” — Kathryn
These aromatherapy shower steamer cubes dissolve in water and release the scents of essential oils for a shower experience that’s just a little more luxurious. You can choose between calming scents, like lavender and eucalyptus, or earthier ones, like pine and cedar orange. The steamers can also be used as exfoliating body scrubs.
Promising review: “I sent these to my best friend for Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day (who Now lives several states away) as a way to give her a little calm, rest, and relaxation – a little break from her busy life as an advertising exec, wife and mom of two little boys. She was delighted and said the shower steamers are just lovely! She told me, “if I close my eyes, it almost felt like a moment at the spa…almost” ;)” — Jules
For loved ones who spend a lot of time going to live sports, concerts, airports, or other noisy areas, give them the gift of protecting their hearing with these Vibes earplugs. They’re not noise-canceling — instead, the earplugs filter out noise using filter-specific frequencies to keep your ears protected in noisy places without compromising your ability to hear what’s going on. They come with a portable carrying case and three silicone ear tip sizes, so your recipient can find the one that works best for them.
They’re available in four colors, but the clear ones are the only version under $30.
Promising review: “The compact case that comes with the ear plugs is so convenient I take them with me all the time. They are comfortable and effective in filtering out distorted, loud levels of noise. I wear them at concerts, movies, in restaurants when other voices are too loud, at sporting events in noisy arenas, and on airplanes they filter out the humming sound of the engines. I have given them as gifts and the recipients are so grateful to have them.” — Amazon Customer
Introduce your recipient to the fun of crocheting with this beginner-friendly kit by The Woobles, which makes a cute little penguin. The kit comes with everything needed to get started, from yarn to a crochet hook to a step-by-step tutorial with videos for both right- and left-handed newbies. (Amazon’s price is a little over our threshold, so if you’re looking to stay strictly under budget with this one, we recommend shopping directly with the brand.)
Games are a fun stocking stuffer, but if you’re shopping for someone who already has the classics like Cards Against Humanity, then this Where On The Scale? game is a fun option. Players have to guess where each other’s answers rank on a scale between extremes. There’s also a separate “adults only” pack of cards, so players can add those to the mix when they want or leave them out when playing with kids or the whole family.
Promising review: “I love this game because it’s a great way to get to know the other players and their thought processes. I played with my entire family and we laughed a LOT. There’s also an adult version in the game, which can get really hysterical. Highly recommend!” — Hope
Dry hands and lips abound during the winter, so what better gift than some hand and lip care? This Malin + Goetz gift set comes in a box you can hang like an ornament from the tree, and contains a full-size hand cream and full-size lip balm. Both are meant to nourish and replenish dry, cracked skin, and are a great gift for recipients of any gender. The hand cream has a bergamot scent and the lip balm is mojito-scented, for a unique and fun twist.
A 4.4-star average rating with 271,000 reviews? Say less. These mega-popular Tozo earbuds offer 10 hours of continuous playtime from a single charge, are compatible with wireless charging and have high stereo sound quality. They’re also waterproof and extremely durable, with reviewers sharing stories about accidentally putting them in the washing machine and finding that they still work perfectly. You can get them in six colors.
Make sure you clip the $6 off coupon to get an extra discount applied at checkout.
Promising review: “I recently lost my old pair of these and I immediately went on to buy another set. These are my go-to every day wireless earbuds for my bus commute (and everything else I need headphones for). For context, I have very small ears and almost none of the “airpod style” headphones will stay in. I hate the real apple airpods, they constantly fall out and really hurt my ears because they are too big. I have tried a few other brands, returning all of them to amazon within 5 minutes of trying them on, before I tried these. they are so comfortable, very small, and stay in my very small ears faithfully without any issue. sound quality is excellent, bass is good, and noise cancelling is great. the battery life is great and lasts me at least a few days of heavy use (3-6 hours daily) between case charges. If I happen to lose the pair I currently have, I will be buying another.” — Cosmicray817