25 Amazing Gift Ideas Under $25

Who doesn't love giant squishy, marshmallow-like creatures? Squishmallows are everywhere these days, and there are innumerable designs to choose from. I'm particularly fond of Kent the Chameleon—you just want to poke his little tummy—but there are narwhals, gnomes, dinosaurs, and so many more to choose from. Prices vary by ’mallow.

This one's always running late. That one's always asking the time. Drop a hint for less than $25 by getting them this retro-fabulous digital watch. It's great for runners, since it’s lightweight, water- and sweat-resistant, and has a stopwatch function. It comes in an array of colors, and includes a lithium battery that can last years. What more do they need?

Every hot-sauce aficionado knows that savory dishes like potatoes, pizza, sandwiches, tacos, and omelets aren't just good eatin'. They're also a delivery mechanism for the fiery, oozing lava that is their favorite bottled sauce. If you know somebody whose brain is wired this way, get them a three-pack of scorching sauces from the venerable Belizean brand Marie Sharp's. This trio of tongue-torturing toppings represents the hotter end of Sharp's line. It includes three 10-ounce bottles of the company's most habanero-forward concoctions, and the assortment includes a bottle of the greatest and most flavorful habanero sauce on the planet: Belizean Heat.

If your loved one is perpetually disassembling, hacking, and messing with their electronics, this is something they’ll surely wish you had gotten them long ago. The Jimmy tool from our friends at iFixit has a thin strip of steel on the tip that can be used to wedge, pry, or shimmy open just about anything. It’s also useful for scraping stickers and paint from areas that need adjusting or repair. It's a must-have for DIY types.

★ Alternative: Less for tinkerers and more for people that are frequently opening boxes, we also love this Slice Ceramic Blade ($13), which is safe to use and has an ergonomic design.

If your giftee is obsessed with trivia, they might appreciate the unique questions Brass Monkey puts together. Some are a little too obscure, but former reviewer Medea Giordano appreciated that she didn't run into any that she'd seen before. Other packs tend to blend together after a while.

We tried the Truly Terrifying and Delightfully Useless trivia packs, which ask questions like “How long is New Zealand's Ninety Mile Beach?” (Hint: It isn't 90 miles). Other sets (also available at link below) include Trivial Drinking Trivia, Junk Food and Food Food Trivia, and Incredibly Pointless Trivia.

If they’re still plugging in their headphones—and also still always losing them—get them a pair of these in-ears from Panasonic. They sound pretty dang good for around 10 bucks, and they’re comfortable, with soft ear-hugging tips. If not, we've picked out a bunch of other affordable headphones and earbuds.

Get this handy little infuser for your tea-sipping loved one. The basket is made of stainless steel mesh that’s finely perforated to reduce sediment and keep brews extra-clear. Spoon in some loose-leaf tea, pop the lid on, then drop the basket directly into whatever vessel you’re brewing in. The design is narrow enough to fit into just about any mug, but it also works for brewing in wide-mouth vacuum bottles and more traditional tea servers.

A pair of tabs on the side rest on the lip of the mug to keep the basket suspended in the hot water for more thorough steeping, and they’re silicone-coated to keep them from getting too hot to touch. When tea time arrives, take off the lid and flip it lid upside-down on your countertop, where it holds the wet basket and catches any drips. Read our Best Tea Accessories guide for more options.

For the notebook geek in your life (yes, they exist). These well-appointed, 48-page notebooks from the venerable Field Notes brand come with covers that pay homage to our National Parks. Each three-pack features a trio of unique covers, which respectively celebrate a different park, and you can pick which three-pack you buy. The notebooks are also heavier and prettier than the typical pocket scribbler. If your loved one cherishes paper goods, and especially Field Notes, this is the gift to get. If they're more of a planner, check out our Best Paper Planners guide for some ideas.

We test an unbelievable number of travel mugs here at WIRED. It seems like every brand is making one these days. However, I find myself returning to this simple and elegant tumbler from Miir, or as it's known in my house, “old reliable.” The vacuum-insulated, stainless-steel chamber keeps 12 ounces of java comfortably hot all morning, and the press-on lid is easy to manage, with a rubber ring that keeps it just snug enough. A powder coating adds a dash of color and a grippy texture. The shape is perfect too, somewhere between a ’70s-era Ikea mug and a paper coffee cup.

If your giftee likes to take their coffee with them on morning walks, they'll love this.

We’d never encourage using a selfie stick. But those selfie-takers! So insistent. If they yearn to selfie, they should selfie with this. It has a telescoping neck and a Bluetooth shutter trigger remote, plus it can double as a tripod. They may even want to thank you by squeezing you into the frame to turn that selfie into a groupie. But don’t count on it.

This 3-inch folding carbon steel blade is the best pocket knife you can buy on the internet for less than $25. The classic design with the hardwood handle and locking safety collar hails from Chambéry, France. The blade stays astonishingly sharp for years. Use it to carve a block of cheese, slice a pear, and extract the gel from leaves of aloe vera. Just be sure to wash and dry the blade after each use. We have a whole list of outdoorsy gift recommendations worth checking out.

I don't think I've made a better purchase under $25 than the Milwaukee Fastback. Push a button to manually flip out the blade one-handed—I have unboxed probably close to a hundred packages with it, and it stayed sharp for quite a while. When the blade gets dull, you can easily swap it out with replacements ($7) without the need for another tool. You can even store four spare blades within the tool itself so you won't have to head back to the tool closet. There's also a handy wire stripper, and a gut hook to cut a cable without opening the blade up. Oh, and a belt clip so you can feel extra cool. The all-metal body looks no worse for wear despite more than a year of use. —Julian Chokkattu