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Best Gifts and Gadgets That Cost $30 or Less

Get some great gifts for those you love or appreciate without overspending.

John Falcone Senior Editorial Director, Shopping
John P. Falcone is the senior director of commerce content at CNET, where he coordinates coverage of the site's buying recommendations alongside the CNET Advice team (where he previously headed the consumer electronics reviews section). He's been a CNET editor since 2003.
Expertise Over 20 years experience in electronics and gadget reviews and analysis, and consumer shopping advice Credentials
  • Self-taught tinkerer, informal IT and gadget consultant to friends and family (with several self-built gaming PCs under his belt)
John Falcone
3 min read
$35 at Amazon
screenshot-2023-09-30-at-7-23-27-pm.png
Stanley Quencher H2.0 tumbler
Keep their coffee hot and their water cold
$34 at Amazon
03-tribit-xsound-go
Tribit XSound Go
Cheap but good Bluetooth speaker
See at Amazon
screenshot-2023-09-30-at-4-24-42-pm.png
Lego sets: Marvel, Star Wars and more
Many choices under $30
$25 at Amazon
The Baseus Bowie MA10 earbuds are an impressive value
Baseus Bowie MA10
Ultrabudget earbuds that sound pretty good
$22 at Amazon
lodge-grill-pan
Lodge grill pan
Bring the grilling indoors
$29 at Apple
airtags
Apple AirTag
Keep track of your stuff
$16 at Amazon
David Macaulay book
Any David Macaulay book
Amazing walkthroughs of historical architecture
$20 at Amazon
dungeons
Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit
Start a quest for under $20
$20 at Best Buy
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive 128GB
Easy data backup

When it comes to milestone celebrations, whether we're talking about a birthday, holiday, anniversary or retirement, these sorts of occasions deserve proper recognition. These are usually accompanied by a worthwhile party and a wonderful gift to go with it. 

Of course, with any gift hunt, it's necessary to keep an eye out for themed sales and promotions to help guide you to the appropriate retail establishments. If a deal or promotion doesn't fit the bill, you can still find a bunch of gifts and gadgets on the shelves that aren't overpriced. For example, these are products that don't usually exceed the $30 mark. We've put together a roundup of the best gifts and gadgets that'll be easy on the wallet. All of these items make gift-giving easier for whoever you have in mind, whatever the occasion. 

Availability and pricing of every item listed below were accurate at the time of publication. These details can change without notice. That said, if you find any product below priced above $30, click the link to see if any discounts or instant coupons can be applied to lower the cost.

Stanley/Screenshot by CNET

Whether it's the thousands of adoring user reviews on Amazon or its loyal TikTok following, it's hard to find anyone who doesn't like Stanley's insulated temperature-controlled tumblers that conveniently fit most vehicle cupholders. Equally adept at keeping coffee hot and iced beverages cold, the Stanley tumbler is available in a wide variety of colors and sizes, starting at 14 ounces for just $20.

Sarah Tew/CNET

A wireless speaker is a great gift for anyone who loves music or podcasts. The Tribit XSound Go delivers great sound for its size, boasts up to 24 hours of playback time at moderate volume and is completely waterproof, making it an ideal addition to outdoor use. 

Lego

There are plenty of great Lego sets available for under $30, including some great Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel options. Ones I'd recommend for kids as young as 6 or 7 include the 3-in-1 Off-Road Buggy Kit (shown), the Adorable Dogs Set, the Batmobile, the Jurassic World set and the Holiday Camper Van.

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

These are one of the few sets of wireless earbuds that cost under $30 we can recommend. In addition to surprisingly good sound, the Baseus Bowie MA10 delivers active noise canceling, which is a somewhat unprecedented feature at this price. They're best for larger ears (and they will stick out a bit), and they're not as pocket-sized as pricier name-brand models. It makes up for the size with more than 100 hours of battery life via recharging in the case. 

Lodge

At my house, the Lodge grill pan gets used at least once a week to cook fish or turkey burgers. It's a cheap and easy way to bring the essence of the grilling experience to your stovetop, which is especially useful during the winter months.

John Falcone/CNET

Buying a gift for someone who's always misplacing their jacket, purse or backpack? With an Apple AirTag in place, that problem should become a thing of the past: Just pull up the Find My app on the iPhone, and the missing item can be tracked down anywhere there's an Apple device nearby (which is pretty much everywhere). Order early enough from Apple.com, and you can order with custom engraved initials or emoji (as shown here). A single AirTag is $29 and you can get a four-pack for $99. Buying for an Android owner? Get a Galaxy SmartTag (for Samsung folks) or a Tile (and any other Android phone owner).

Amazon/Screenshot by CNET

Author and illustrator David Macaulay has been publishing detailed hand-illustrated books since the 1970s, in which he meticulously documents the designing and building of everything from castles, mosques, pyramids and cathedrals to the functioning of specialized or mundane equipment ranging from electric guitars to dentist drills in How Things Work. While these books are designed for readers as young as 6, they also double as great coffee table books for all ages. I received several of these books as a child, and still enjoy thumbing through them decades later. Macaulay has even returned and updated some of his classic black-and-white books to add color, including Castle (shown) and Cathedral. 

Wizards of the Coast

Some old-school D&D is a nice face-to-face break from the virtual world of video games. The Essentials Kit gives you everything a group of pencil-and-paper adventurers need to get questing, but true beginners can opt for the equally affordable (and newer) Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Starter Set instead. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

True story: In my collegiate days, 3.5-inch floppy disks were a thing, and they stored a total of 1.44 megabytes of data on them. This flash drive costs under $21, and it stores 128GB, the equivalent of almost 89,000 of those floppy disks. This model sports both USB-A and USB-C connectors, so it'll work with any computer out there, as well as newer iPad Pro and Mini models.