21 Incredibly Useful Gadgets Under $50

Want to feel old? The Spy Kids now source their gadgets from my posts.

1. A John Frieda hot brush if you can't afford to get a blowout every week or don't intend to leave the house for your quarantine.

BuzzFeed / amazon.com

Promising review: "I am not a paid person who writes reviews. In fact, I usually don't write them at all. But let me start out by saying, holy crap! This is amazing! Not only was it so easy and fast, but I also have a salon blowout that actually looks great...and I never went to the salon! So I can't do my hair at all, ever. The best I do is flat-iron or messy bun, mkay? But I'm obsessed. When I go to the salon, it looks great for two days and then, bam, I'm crying, 'cause I can't get my hair pretty like she did it, and now I hate it and myself. Sound familiar? Well, I'm living proof this is amazing and it truly works. I won't lie — I was hesitant because this looks and sounds like crap/too good to be true. It's not!!! Happy buying — I'm buying another for my mom for Xmas; how awesome!" —tangi raysor

Get it from Amazon for $39.99.

Check out our full review of the John Frieda hot brush for more info!

2. A low-effort power scrubber that'll remind you that once upon a time your bathroom grout was actually...a sparkling-clean cream color?

Natalie Brown / BuzzFeed

Promising reviews: "Holy crap I love this thing. It’s freakin' awesome. Best $13 I ever spent, and my grout is white again. Even around the toilet...where the man I married can’t figure out how to pee. I used this thing as soon as I got it from my mailbox...and wow. I love it. You’re stupid not to buy it. I’m buying another one for my mom. I’d buy you one if I could. Just get it." —Rebecca Lynn

Get it from Amazon for $15.99.

3. A wireless karaoke microphone that'll be super useful in...driving your roommates mad with deranged covers of Barenaked Ladies songs.

amazon.com

Promising review: "If you’re wondering if this little thing is enough to host a karaoke party with adults in your own house, the answer is YES. It’s loud enough to fill a room and be super fun. I bought this for a family trip where we had 10 adults and 7 kids under 10. It was a blast. The microphone worked perfectly for adult fun after the kids were in bed and held up to the children abusing it the next day. We used this nonstop for hours and the battery didn’t die. Setup was so easy and it all functioned perfectly. I would recommend this to anyone for an at-home karaoke fun experience." —Claire

Get it from Amazon for $30.99+ (available in 11 colors).

Read our full write-up the BONAOK Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone.

4. An indoor herb garden with an LED light kit that'll give you bragging rights (and a reason to opt out of garnish shopping) next time you're able to invite people over for dinner.

Amazon

What's more? It works with basically any small plant and you don't have to pick up any specialty pods to see the results.

Promising review: "Love this LED kit. It is easy to use, easy to clean and works very well. You just put your plants in it and it does help keep my plants in good shape. Works under LED light and it does not take up a lot of space! I recommend it." —Christina

Get it from Amazon for $34.99.

5. A pair of waterproof wireless headphones if you've destroyed enough headphones with exposure to sweat and rain by now to realize it might be time to find a heavy-duty pair to fit your active lifestyle.

Amazon

Promising review: "Wonderfully surprised by these headphones. Lightweight and a perfect fit for a person who has an ear shape that is particular. Instant pairing to my iPhone X with a seamless integration with Siri. Three pairs of ear canal and ear wing sizes to choose from, which allowed for a more custom fit. The pluses keep adding up for this great item. I got up and running in a few minutes. The sound favors mid- to high tones with minimal bass, and this suits me perfectly, but others may want deep bass, and this would not be the choice for them. I got these for <$20 and what a deal. Totally satisfied with yet another Anker quality product. Save your money, as there is no need to spend over $100 for the competitor — these are SOLID. Get a pair." —SP88

Get them from Amazon for $17.99.

6. A gentle gel and light teeth whitening system because the bill you're slapped with after a professional whitening is enough to make you never want to smile with your teeth ever again.

Amazon, amazon.com

The kit includes the whitening light, mouth guard, and two gel syringes with enough product for 20 whitening sessions. You can also get gel refills to keep your pearly whites pearly for good!

Promising review: "I won’t lie, I didn’t notice a huge difference after the first use, BUT my teeth were noticeably whiter after the third use and have continued to get whiter with every use since then. This is the only whitening product that has worked for me, and I will definitely continue to use it." —Tom

Get it from Amazon for $47.95.

7. A brush spinner that'll zap all that leftover makeup and dry each brush in under a minute. Which, in turn, means a longer life for your brushes and fewer breakouts that'll end up requiring even more of your money.

amazon.com, amazon.com

You charge up the wand with a USB, put your brush in the wand, and choose one of three different speeds to spin it clean in a pretty little glass bowl. One reviewer suggested picking up a second glass bowl from a dollar store to use for rinsing after you clean — seems like a smart idea to me.

Promising review: "When I use liquid foundation and get the brushes REALLY dirty, I have to scrub them down before I wash them, but the machine gets them cleaner than I could after. The most important thing is that it DRIES them ASAP. I don't mind washing my brushes (but still, who wants to?), but I don't want damp or even wet brushes that I can't use — this solves that problem! The speed variability makes it so all my brushes are perfect! Never blown out. All of my brushes worked in this, even the ones that I thought would not — the ones that have diamond-shaped or flat-shaped handles or ones where the brush head is oddly shaped or asymmetrical. Keeping your brushes clean means having cleaner skin and more sanitary cosmetics." —L

Get it from Amazon for $49.99.

8. An Amazon Fire TV Stick so you can finally investigate what this Love Is Blind thing is all about.

Amazon

Promising review: "We have been getting steady increases in our cable TV bill with no increases in services. So we thought we would cut the cord and this device became the focal point for making that transition. We are very pleased with the performance of this device. It is easy to setup with prompts provided as you power it up. We then added our favorite apps, (also very easy), and have never looked back at the cable TV being gone. We now save over $100 a month without those charges for cable TV. If you are thinking of making the leap into cord cutting, this is the way to go." —Stephen H. Jenkins

Get it from Amazon for $39.99.

9. An AirFly wireless transmitter – the next time you're able to fly, you'll be able to connect your AirPods to the airplane without getting conned into buying those bad and wasteful in-flight ones.

Amazon

Promising review: "These work amazingly well. I was surprised that you can charge and use them at the same time. I use them on planes to listen to the in-flight entertainment with my AirPods. I also use them to listen to music on my laptop with my AirPods. They work really well. Now, I don't have to carry my wired earbuds with me when I travel anymore. They really work as advertised. I have not had any issues with them since I started using them." —RPL

Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in three options).

10. A monthly subscription to Quip, the beautiful and award-winning electric toothbrush with a two-minute timer to effectively remove plaque and prevent gingivitis.

BuzzFeed

You’ll receive an electric toothbrush set (including the Quip brush, travel cover mount, a large toothpaste, and a travel-sized toothpaste). For $10 every three months, you’ll be sent a new brush head, AAA battery, and two different-sized toothpastes.

Get it from Quip starting at $25 (available in five colors).

It's also our pick for the best electric toothbrush on BuzzFeed Reviews.

11. A pillow massager with heat you can use when you're stuck in traffic after a long, arduous day.

Amazon

Promising review: "Buy this! I got this as a gift from my amazing girlfriend who knows I complain about my neck all the time. We took a chance on this after I saw it and said I wanted it — after reading some other reviews I definitely agree that this is amazing. I was a little hesitant at first but once it arrived I wasn't disappointed at all. It does take some time getting used to as with anything, but it's very quick to learn your sweet spots and how to set it up in your car. It requires a connection to your 12v outlet to be powered, but other than that it's good. It is extremely durable, I'm highly surprised at the build quality and the quality of the rollers, heating, and motors. It seems like it'll last a long while with much usage, especially for the price." —Brendan S.

Get it from Amazon for $49.95.

12. A motion sensor home security system that'll send you updates on your phone when it detects a window or door has been opened. Plus: If you upgrade this plan, you can save on homeowners insurance!

Amazon

This sensor comes with a free plan, but if you upgrade to Kangaroo Complete, you can get up to 20% off your homeowners or renters insurance rate with select providers (including State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Liberty, Travelers, USAA, Nationwide, Chubb, and many others).

Get it from Amazon for $29.99.

13. A mini Bluetooth speaker you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover actually offers very loud and crisp sound for its size.

Amazon

Promising review: "I use this speaker for background music in a conference room on a job site. It works great! It’s really small, so it carries well in my laptop bag." —matt

Get it from Amazon for $29.95 (available in black, gold, and silver).

Check out our picks for the best portable bluetooth speakers on BuzzFeed Reviews.

14. Or a small-but-mighty budget Bluetooth speaker that would serve you well as a shower option.

JBL

Promising review: "For a speaker that is small in size, this thing is big on sound. We use it in the shower and it sounds great in there. I have only charged it once and the battery has been better than expected." —Ryan Burdick

Get it from Amazon for $39.95.

15. A bamboo desktop charger station that'll give you a place to store and organize all of your devices. (You have three iPhones, right?)

Amazon

Promising review: "It has a high-quality look to it and its wooden build is very sturdy with clean lines. The watch part can be left off if you don't need it. It has plenty of space in each section for my all of my devices. Others I've tried have been too narrow to leave the cases on some of my devices. I'm not having that problem with this one. Also, two thin phones or charging banks will fit in one section easily so this holds more devices than you would think. This is working great to hold all of my devices while they charge and also just to store them safely while I'm not using them. It makes a messy pile of devices look attractive sitting on the shelf. Very happy with this item." —Brenda

Get it from Amazon for $25.98.

16. A surge protector with six pivoting outlets to enable your gadget-hoarding tendencies.

Amazon

Promising review: "I love that I can choose whether each plug is front-facing or turned to the side — makes for great cord management. I also love that the design uses the TOP plug on the outlet. So many I found use the bottom plug and all those reviewers complain that the weight of the adapters/cords pull the thing out of the wall. Finally, I like the versatility of being able to screw it into the outlet center point if you need the additional stability, but also that you don't have to do that if you want something more easily removable." —Susan B.

Get it from Amazon for $17.99.

17. A wireless remote kit that'll make turning on all your random household electronics a breeze.

Amazon

It'll work on up to three plugs/lights.

Promising review: "I absolutely love these! In my apartment I strung Christmas lights around the top of my bedroom and then did the same in my living room and kitchen. It makes my apartment so much cozier and bright without even having to turn on the overhead. I hated having to plug and unplug them though. When I found out about these, it made life so much easier. I could easily turn the living room ones on as the sun set to brighten up my room, and then if I moved to the kitchen my lights could come on or into my bedroom. And I could shut them off from the other room too. The controller does not have to be directly aimed at the receiver or unblocked. It works just fine from anywhere in my apartment even across doors." —Brianna Curtis

Get it from Amazon for $19.02.

18. A self-watering hanging planter for both indoor and outdoor use. I'm telling you: You can't mess it up this time — not with this planter.

Amazon

Promising review: "Works great — no more overwatering my plant. Easy-to-see floating red stick indicating water level. Looks nice too. Well made using quality materials. I would definitely buy it again. Hung it in the bath area and looks really nice." —Dawn

Get it from Amazon for $20.99 (available in eight colors).

19. A snazzy personal space heater destined to be your best bud during chilly days.

Amazon

Promising review: "These little heaters have been amazing. They throw off a big amount of heat, but take up very little space and are very quiet. I have had two of them for over three years and have never had an issue with either of them. Well, one issue, my wife keeps stealing them from my office! Great little units, highly recommend." —PMO

Get it from Amazon for $30.85 (available in two colors).

20. A 64-piece iFixit kit that'll ensure you're prepped to fix absolutely any of the small electronics or appliances around your home.

amazon.com

Promising review: "Seriously, I have been repairing small electronics for decades now, over 30 dang years, and I will say this is probably the best deal and collection you can get for simple to even complicated repairs. It has a crapload of bits, but essentially everything you will need as opposed to the next larger offering, though I am still considering getting that for my dungeon downstairs. I keep this upstairs literally in the kitchen since a lot of impromptu repairs occur at the dining room table, but I have not been let down. This is top notch/quality material and manufacturing. It not only feels comfortable but is very strong and bits do not let go of screws. It has a great deal of bits too, 64 in fact. It pretty much covers all the phone and laptop screws you will encounter and even has some socket ones too. Nice touch." —Riboild

Get it from Amazon for $34.99.

21. And an attachable ring light so you're always ready to snap a thirst trap.

Amazon

Promising review: "OH MY GOODNESS! I am obsessed! I bought these for gifts for two of my teammates but I'm keeping one for myself and ordering more. I was seriously shocked at how bright the lights are! I love that there are three settings. I compared it to my expensive ring light — and for the price and the size of this, it's so perfect! Very happy with this order!" —Nichole Jane

Get it from Amazon for $13.99.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Looking for the perfect gift for any occasion? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s gift guides!

Allison Krausman / Via BuzzFeed