The 50 Best Gifts Under $50

It would be great if we could shower all of our loved ones in gold coins, Louis XIII, and high-tech sex machines, but let’s face it: We don’t have that kind of cash right now. (All of our money is currently invested in Grateful Dead aprons and Shrek butt plugs.) While we’ll definitely be dropping some coin on a few lucky peeps in our lives, most of the presents we’ll be gifting our friends and extended family will either be homemade trinkets (see: macaroni necklace; coupon for one hug), or—more likely—stuff that is thoughtfully selected but won’t break the bank. 

You don’t have to shell out last week’s paycheck to get someone a great, thoughtful gift—there are plenty of sick-and-tight, unique presents that cost less than 50 bucks. Perhaps your extra-special someone (well, medium-special someone) is interested in anything with olives, fancy hand soap, or an affordable pair of AirPod alternatives? We’ve got options for whatever they’re into—so read on and check out our short list of the best gifts under $50.

They’re trying to master the perfect charcuterie board

Sure, you’ve got the cured meats, breads, and cheeses, but what about the flavored olive oils that add that je ne sais quoi flavor? If they’ve never treated themselves to luxury olive oil, it’s about time you blow their mind. Brightland makes impeccable infused olive oils and condiments that make our taste buds dance. [Gestures in Italian] We’re talking basil, rosemary, garlic, jalapeño, and lemon.

They eat Texas Toast

Your typical run-of-the-mill toaster can’t fit thicc slices of bread, but this one features four extra-wide slots for mega chonk bagels as well as seven different cook levels. We already smell the carby delights caramelizing. 

They want to cook without lifting a finger

If they want dinner to be ready by the time they come from their nine-to-five, they’re the perfect contender for Crockpot Life™. They can just set the timer on this bad boy (up to 10 hours!) and the temperature before forgetting all about it—then coming home (or walking to the kitchen) and indulging in a delicious slow-cooked stew or braised short ribs. 

A trippy serving set

We like the wacky, Dada-esque energy of these oiled beech wooden serving spoons set by Selena Liu that will bring a little weirdness and joy to the dinner table.

A spicy trio of Fly By Jing’s delicious seasonings

If you haven’t tried Fly By Jing’s incredible chile crisps, dumplings, and sauces, you’re missing out. Now, just in time for the holiday season, you can pick up this pack of three of the brand’s greatest hits: the iconic Sichuan Chili Crisp; the sweet, tangy, umami-forward Zhong Sauce; and the Mala Spice Mix, a blend of 11 different herbs and spices that adds bold, rich, complex flavor to any savory dish.

They’re always cracking yolks

Every friend group has one: The pal on an insatiable hunt for the next best cookbook. If they spend most of their free time reading Daily Mail, there are tons of celebrity cookbooks to tickle their fancy. For pasta-heads, there’s Pasta Every Day, and if they’re hosting Hanukkah for the first time, food writer Adam Rothbarth rounded up the best Jewish food cookbooks, for impressing their Jewish mother with perfect latkes. If you don’t know what they like to cook, we highly recommend Let’s Eat by Dan Pelosi, who just wants cooks to have fun.

A stupid-cute food ornament

Why do we love tiny, delicate versions of our favorite things in ornament form? Human nature, probably. But every year, it feels like the ornament selection gets better—and this year, the foodie ornaments are really hitting. Our favorite is the dirty martini. We love a highbrow/lowbrow moment.

An alcohol-free Champagne substitute

Got a buddy who’s off booze? TÖST is a nonalcoholic sparkling beverage that makes the perfect sub-in for situations when you’d be drinking celebratory, bubbly beverages—and it’s so delicious that our staff writer Becca Blasdel, who, FWIW, does drink, dubbed it an editors’ pick.

…and something to drink it with

The Coco Coupe is perfect for champagne or cocktails, and we love that they aren’t precious. The sturdy stem and wide rim make them harder to knock over, which is great because we still have PTSD from the time we broke that piece of our great-grandmother’s crystal.

The Japanese mandoline that chefs and home cooks love

This turquoise kitchen gadget will forever change the way you eat vegetables (and significantly raise your standard of how salads should be). Made by Benriner and adored by kitchen pros and amateurs alike, its simple design and super-sharp blade produces perfectly even carrot coins, paper-thin cucumber slices, petals of fennel, and any other thick to ultra-fine cuts of your veggies of choice.

Speaking of Japanese kitchenware…

Editors, readers, and Amazon reviewers all go HAM for the Imarku Chef’s Knife. One VICE editor uses it “for everything from butchering chicken to dicing entire generations of onions and shallots,” because it’s wicked-sharp and ergonomic.

For feeling like Gwyneth Paltrow

Sure, it’s less than 40 bucks, but having a designated “Spanish oil pitcher” is step one to feeling like you’re an effortlessly aspirational lifestyle influencer who has a great recommendation for a beachside restaurant in Mallorca.

A big-ass can of Castelvetrano olives

What? You DON’T want a big-ass can of Castelvetrano olives? Yeah, you do. That’s what we thought.

The spicy smoked salmon we love snacking on

When chic tinned fish brand Fishwife teamed up with Fly By Jing to make a spicy Sichuan smoked salmon—in a tin, no less—we were excited to give it a shot, but didn’t realize it would be utterly life-changing. Ultra-umami, savory, and slightly tingly, it’s a crazy-good, melt-in-your-mouth treat that our editorial director went nuts for. Yes, this is truly “hot girl food,” literally and figuratively.

They kill all their plants 

Not everyone can be blessed with a green thumb, so support them with an immortal plant they can build out of LEGOs.

For the friend who still loves LCD Soundsystem

If you’re dealing with an aging millennial who gets a tear in their eye thinking about the good old days of Misshapes, the Lit Lounge, and Steve Aoki supremacy, gift them this photo archive in coffee table book form straight from the guy who was there for it all: Mark Hunter, aka the Cobrasnake.

A sleek, mid-century modern wall clock

For the friend who always says they want to get off their phone and live in the moment, call their bluff!

They often lose their keys

Got a roommate who’s always sending you 2 AM texts saying they’re locked out? Take a cue from that old adage about teaching a man to fish, and teach a friend to pick locks so that they leave you to your beauty rest and find their own way in using an old hairpin from the bottom of their backpack.

Hand wash that makes us feel richer

Aesop’s hand wash really is that good, from its earthy citrus scent to those gently exfoliating little beads. If we see this in someone’s restroom, it’s plus 10 points, immediately.  

You will find Boy Smells’ Hinoki Fantôme candle on our list of the best gifts for a Cool Person You Just Started Dating as well as in our own homes, because the scent is that good. It’s like making love in a pile of incense ashes (in the best way possible)—it starts with a base of Japanese cypress and then layers on notes of resin, jasmine, moss, and amber.

They run like Forrest Gump 

No one wants to get run over while on a run in the early morning or after dark. Good thing the Lumos Headband from On features reflective material for visibility in low-light conditions, while keeping your head insulated with cozy brushed fleece.

The perfect holiday-season slippers

What makes them so perfect? They’re super comfy (obvi), vaguely elf-like, and just stupid enough to only wear around your true loved ones—but they also do have a kind of classic Vans checkerboard appeal, too and they’re currently on sale.

Cashmere for $50? It’s a cashmiracle

In this economy?! We know it’s hard to believe, but the good people at Quince continually deliver on high-quality, low-cost basics, and this Mongolian cashmere crewneck is a perfect example. You’re really getting quite the bang for your buck—so if you’re feeling extra spendy this year, we recommend stocking up.

A button-down worthy of Tony Soprano

This top-rated, handsome, and looks-good-on-everyone shirt from Standard Cloth is a true bargain at under 50 bucks and can be dressed up or down. There’s nothing like a strong button-up to say, “Yeah, bitch, I survived the hellscape of the last five years and I looked good doing it.” Gold chain not included.

Speaking of beanies, a puffer beanie

We’ve got puffer coats, puffer pants, puffer slippers, and even puffer phone cases—naturally, it was time for the puffer beanie to make its debut. FWIW, it really does keep your head extra-warm (and is insulated, water-resistant, and wind-resistant).

A retro gold watch

There's just something about Casio's digital watches that make them timelessly cool for anyone and everyone, plus it's a good look to glance at your wrist to check the time instead of having to pull out your phone like a goofus. 

Sexy and comfy holiday loungewear

You know we love SKIMS. We may have been embarrassed to admit it at first, but now we stan, big time. The brand just dropped their super-soft boxer in holiday red to get you (or your significant other) in the mood spirit.

The perfect sweats

Champion are doin' it and doin' it and doin' it right when it comes to making the best athletic sweats, and the nearly 41,000 killer reviews on this perfect pair of throwback joggers says it all. 

New undies are a must

The gift you probably looked forward to the least as a kid, but appreciate the most as an adult is a brand-new set of your favorite underwear. You can’t go wrong with classic white Calvin Klein boxer briefs.

They had a memorial for their GameCube

Keep the spirit of one of the world’s greatest consoles alive with this Nintendo Switch controller that’s modeled after a bygone classic. 

They have a date with their TV every night 

If they still don’t own a Fire TV Stick, do god’s work this holiday season and help them escape the trap of watching Netflix in bed on their tiny laptop screen. 

Their iPhone is their laptop 

If they’re the kind of person who works from their smartphone (who doesn’t?), make sending emails and jotting down notes easier with a Bluetooth keyboard. 

Super-affordable earbuds with crazy-good reviews

When our editorial director was looking for a pair of AirPod substitutes that were affordable enough that they wouldn’t stress her out to take on travel and to the gym, she stumbled across these Tagry earbuds thanks to their incredible reviews on Amazon. Not only are they only totally worth it for that crazy-good price, but they also have a built-in light-up charge indicator on the case and rival Apple’s signature earbuds in terms of features. Not bad for an eighth of the price.

The recovery massage gun that will pound you out

We love Theraguns, but they’re pricy—and this is a gift guide that won’t get your social security number sent to a collections agency. Thankfully, there are loads of comparable massage guns out there that will also help you blast your limbs post-lifting sesh, and this Olsky model is one of our all-time faves.

The alarm clock that rides shotgun

Planning trips for 2024? Stop relying on your cell to make the early flight and instead, take this battery-powered LCD alarm clock in your carry-on. It makes a perfect travel gift stocking stuffer for the friend who’s always out of office.

Our favorite earplugs for concerts

Going to see your favorite band shred like absolute demons in front of a roaring crowd: lit. Coming home and waking up to aggressive tinnitus for the next three days (and possibly permanent hearing damage): not lit. Wear earplugs, friends. Loop makes our favorites for wearing to shows; they’re not only effective at protecting your ears, reducing volume, and still allowing for high-quality audio to come through, but also, they look like cool Klingon jewelry.

A laptop sleeve we’d like to sleep in

Please? This Baggu puffer sleeve isn’t just aesthetically pleasing; it’s hella lightweight, too, which we appreciate for the work commute. 

You have no idea what to get your boomer parent

Don’t sweat it. This shiatsu back/neck massager from Amazon is a best-seller with almost 7,000 reviews and the perfect gift for the obligatory, hardened boomer who could use a little relaxation time.

Retro headphones are trending

Basically, everyone on our staff has a pair of these Koss Porta Pros because they’re reliable, don’t need to be charged, and they look freakin’ cool.

They like to keep an entire Sephora in their purse

If their personal hell is forgetting their lip balm at home, then they’ll love you for copping them this TikTok-viral Butter Balm from Summer Fridays, infused with shea and murumuru seed butters. 

They need their beauty sleep

Precious shut-eye often gets taken for granted, but an extra hour can make all the difference. Give them a Mulberry silk eye mask to nestle their peepers, protect their skin, and let them sleep in a bit.

A planner for helping you feel good

Ban.do makes some of our favorite planners for every purpose, but for those who are trying to free their brains of bad vibes in 2024, a wellness planner can have magical results. It has weekly check-in pages (have you had enough water today?), tips and advice, and even suggested grocery lists. You’ll never forget to go outside for fresh air with this planner as your trusty companion.

A body and bath oil that’s also great for massage [wink wink]

Maude makes an array of sexual wellness products that just feel good. This is one of its decidedly SFW offerings—rub it on dry patches of skin, drizzle it in the bath, or find… other uses for it. It’s a certified organic blend of jojoba, coconut, argan, and castor oil that will leave your skin feeling soft and your mind feeling satisfied, no matter the context.

The best toothpaste

Period. Marvis feels fancy, yes, but it also just tastes damn good—and this gift set let’s your lucky recipient try seven different flavors, including our personal fave: Jasmine Mint.

An acupressure mat (just to feel something)

If you’ve never rolled around on an acupressure mat to feel alive, you’re welcome. This mat and pillow combo is a best-seller on Amazon with over 1,900 reviews. As one fan writes, “After 15 minutes on the mat [I can] turn off the light and sleep like a stone.”

The chicest dog treats we’ve ever seen

This counts as wellness for dogs, right? We’d sure love to get a Ladurée macaron for sitting down or shaking our hand, but sadly, that’s just not something we can expect a reward for—but at least your dog can live the good life. These dog treats are made with oat flour, coconut oil, honey, and lavender yogurt, and are preservative-free, approved by vets, and made with human-grade ingredients.

The ol’ faucet trick

Ah, the ol’ scoot and shoot, aka the classic art of masturbating under a bathtub faucet. That’s the inspiration for the WaterSlyde, a toy that turns any bath into a pleasure zone without any need for batteries, recharching, or clean-up.

Amazon’s hottest sex toy

The VIVV vibrating wand from Ava has over 28,000 glowing reviews on Amazon, and according to our resident sexpert Mary-Frances Knapp, was able to “make her cum in under a minute.”

A prostate and G-spot massager from space

Here’s an idea: If your giftee celebrates Christmas, hang this stunning multi-tasker from the tree. And if they don’t (or, if they do; who cares), gently caress their face with it while they sleep. 

This cult-fave clitoral vibe has over 59,000 reviews

A legend. The Satisfyer Pro 2 is often imitated but never quite equaled, as one of our writers who tested it concluded, because the suction attachment is deep set and stimulates the clitoris without making direct contact. It really feels like getting head, man. 

Silky restraints

Whether you’re trying to have hot, kinky (and quiet) sex while you’re home for the holidays or just game to shake things up with a little put-the-turkey-in-the-oven roleplay, Lovehoney’s silky restraints are a BDSM must.

Happy shopping, you price-slashing stud. 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.