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terezosa

Under $20 gift ideas

I have 3 adult kids, and the last couple of years I've had a gift "grab bag" for them with inexpensive items - $5 to $20 - that should appeal to my sons and daughter. I'm always looking for new ideas. Kitchen gadgets, small electronic gizmos, etc. Everything should be TSA carryon friendly, as two of them will be flying home, probably without checking bags, though I could make an exception for something really cool. (that would mean that I'd be shipping it to them after Christmas)

Last year it seemed to be their favorite part of the gift exchange, so I really need to up my game!

Comments (18)

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here are some favorite websites for those fun, inexpensive gifts!

    Uncommon Goods

    Perpetual Kid

    Urban Outfitters

  • 9 years ago

    This might not be what you're looking for for adult children, but I'll mention it anyway. A girl I work with brought in a little Jelly-Belly game yesterday, called Bean-Boozeled I think. It has several colors of jelly beans, but some are normal and some are YUCKY - ie - the white ones might be coconut, or might be sour milk. The beige ones might be caramel, or might be moldy cheese. You spin a little wheel to see what color you have to try, and then you have a 50/50 change of getting something good or something gross. Seems silly, but we all tried it (14 adults) and laughed and laughed (maybe that says more about us than anything else.... haha). I'm going to pick one up for my 8 yr old nephew.... I'm sure he'll love it.

  • 9 years ago

    Good Morning America has some 'Steals & Deals' today with a couple of good deals for less than $20. Cute winter hats - $14, Aquis hair towels (I love mine), and some soy candles (may not meet your TSA requirement). And I also watch the Today show page for these deals.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hhierno, we play the Left, Right, Center game at holiday parties at work. It's simple and fun.

    Republic of Tea has a gift sampler. You can fine tune the tea choices to the individuals taste. They have wellness teas that have fun names and there is entertainment value when they open them and laugh at some of the names. You can get a small traveling tin too.

    Small travel emergency kit?

    Google foldable ballet flats for the purse. These come in a variety of prices. Nice to have for those long evenings when you have to wear heels.

    My two daughters are 27 and 29 and they still love their stockings. I have to get cracking' on this as well. My first stop is usually Sephora and Ulta.

  • 9 years ago

    I always check out the front area at Homesense, often has nice kitchen gadgets, mini spatulas, bottle openers and so on.

  • 9 years ago

    I will be putting these Kent homemade combs into the men's stockings this year. I hope to find a nice natural bristle brush for my daughter. All of my kids will be getting these Coleman First Aid kits to put into their hiking packs.

    Another idea is to buy one of the tubes of Mini-M&M's, empty out the candy (into a bowl or your mouth or into cookie batter) and fill it with quarters. It is a rather inconspicuous way of keeping a stash of quarters in the car or in a backpack for those little things that might come up. I think you can get about $20 worth of quarters into one tube if you fill it up.

  • 9 years ago

    I have two young men sons and texted them for help on what I could get the other. I was thinking that they might actually indirectly list things they personally want. We'll see. If anything good comes up I will post.

  • 9 years ago

    I like the Happy Jackson line of products. I think they are cute although they might be too girly for a guy. They have a bunch of items on Zulily.com today.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I used to love the Container Store when we lived in SoCal and now one just opened up in our area. They have some really cool stuff especially in the "stocking stuffer" and technology categories so you might want to check their site (or store if you have one locally)

  • 9 years ago

    I love gift cards. For my soon-to-be-graduating college senior: gift cards to Starbucks, or one of her favorite local restaurants. Or to her favorite movie theater. That's always a big hit with DD. To my newly married son & DIL in Georgia: Amazon and Homegoods are their favorites. I have a hard time finding good, easily packable or easily shippable gifts that they will actually use, and I don't like wasting money on "just stuff". If they give me a wish list ahead of time, CDs and DVDs that they'd like are easy enough, but both are now on Netflix, as are DH & myself.

    A gift card for their local museum, zoo, bio park or aquarium are also ideas.

    As was mentioned here already, UPS shipping costs are high now. I won't bore you the details, but I was recently charged $169 at a UPS Pack-N-Ship to mail 7 lightweight items and 2 paintings back from Michigan to my home here in New Mexico. Never again!

  • 9 years ago

    Big lots and Kroger have a version of the bullet for making smoothies that is $20. Even if it only lasted 6 months or more it would be worth it . I have to buy a $20 limit gift and think it might be that .

  • 9 years ago

    Vegetti (hand held vegetable spirilizer) from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

  • 9 years ago

    Thanks for all these ideas! BeanBoozled sounds like it's right up DS's alley. And the dice game seems like something we could all play.

  • 9 years ago

    So far I've bought the dice game, and I couldn't resist buying this game too when I saw it at Target


    I've also saved quite few of the other items mentioned to my Amazon shopping list.

    Thanks for all the suggestions!

  • 9 years ago

    I always struggle with the small things for men-- women, not so much.

    Here's one that was a winner with one of my BILs. I got the New Mitt scent for him. He likes candles in the bathroom and it's a very pleasant, non-femmy, not overwhelming scent. I also got the grandpa's pipe candle for my brother but no feedback on that one. Lots of interesting scents..

    I bought from a local shop-- but here's the link (and by the way, it's the brainchild of a teen)
    Mancans - Candles for men

  • 9 years ago

    Funky - Oh, those candles look great! Just read about the company on the site and love the story behind it.

    This thread has been helpful!