CFO of Life #117: 43 Gifts Under $100 Worth Buying for Yourself and Others

Christmas is coming in less than 10 days, and purchasing presents is in full swing.

So the search continues, especially for those you love but are notoriously hard to get a present for. So don’t fear; in this week’s newsletter, I will share with you the items under $100 that are worth buying.

If this is your first time reading this blog, my name is Simeon Ivanov (Si-Me-On). I write this weekly blog about personal finance called CFO of Life to help you on your journey to becoming the CFO of your Life! I hope you like it and stick around for the long term!

Now, let’s get into the thick of it!

This week’s blog will focus on items you can buy for anyone and everyone to be used for a long time! A good gift is not only the one we want but the one we will keep giving for a long time!

Personal Care:

1. Good perfume - It is not only for you to smell good but to bring you joy and make your grey days much more pleasant. 

2. Travel atomisers - These sleek, portable atomisers allow you to take some of your perfume to work, travel or any event. Plus, they are cheap - $10 for two or five!

3. Good deodorant - It is self-explanatory, especially in a hot country.

4. Electric Toothbrush - A good electric toothbrush will save you many problems and force you to brush your teeth for a prolonged period. Plus, it will make your teeth feel super clean.

5. Sturdy umbrella - One of those things you want to have on hand but never use. However, once you use it, it pays off. Plus, any cheap umbrella would leave you in the middle of a storm and cost much more in the long term!

6. Hairbrush - this one is obvious, but having a good hairbrush will help keep your hair and remind you to brush it more frequently. Also, a good hairbrush would hardly catch any junk and need much less maintenance.

7. Skincare - Having at least essential skincare will help you significantly improve your skin. This would not only help improve it and prevent it from wrinkling, but it would also boost your confidence. You would not believe how many people notice it!

Home Essentials:

8. Cloth Steamer - This one thing alone has saved me so much time ironing my shirts; it is unbelievable!

9. Drought Stopper - If you can feel a bit of wind around your house, you would love this as it blocks the cold air from one room to your cosy bedroom. It also stops the smells of food from penetrating other rooms and keeps your laundry fresh smelling.

10. Essential all-in-one Tool Kit - Regardless of whether you do DIY or not, having the most critical tools comes extremely handy, especially on the days when you have to assemble your own Ikea furniture!

11. Board Games - This was a new one for me, but having board games around would come in handy when you have friends visiting and on casual date nights when you are unsure what to do.

12. Long Charging Cables - This has been a game changer as regular cables are short and rarely enough, but a 3-metre cable helps you get around most furniture and prevents you from constantly snapping your device from charging.

13. Bulk buying Favourite Home Care Products - This would save friends and family money and keep them consistently supplied with anything they need to take care of their house.

14. Blackout curtains - Sleep is essential to a good life and blackout curtains will help you improve your sleep by blocking any light that might disturb it.

15. High-Quality Light bulbs - Light bulbs are something that people take for granted, but can easily save you money, create a better atmosphere in your house and reduce your eye strain.

16. Water or gas leak sensors - These simple sensors you put in and around your kitchen can save you vast amounts of discomfort and problems as it would quickly alarm you if there is any leak in your home. While they might not be the cheapest on the list, they would pay off!

17. Automatic Electricity Switches - It is simple - you can easily switch things on and off through your Wi-Fi to regulate when things are on and off, but you can also guarantee that you’ve not forgotten to switch off the oven while at work.

18. Desk/ Night Light - If you are like me and read/write in the evenings, a suitable desk or night light would help with the atmosphere and bring much-needed brightness in the dark evenings.

19. Vacuum Bags - Those bags are an excellent way to save space by vacuuming your clothes or bedding and efficiently storing them. For extra benefit, you can use them to pack your clothes quickly when travelling.

20. Quality Bedsheets - As we sleep 6-9 hours daily, having good bedsheets will help you feel more comfortable and pleasant, regardless of whether you are sleeping or doing something else!

21. Movement-triggered lights - They can save you power, constant trips to the light switch and stop you from bumping into stuff during your late-night walk to the bathroom/fridge!

Clothes:

22. A pair of good running/training shoes - A well-fitting pair of running shoes will make your training feel better and reduce your chance of getting injured while training.

Travel:

23. Universal travel adapter - would ensure you can charge your precious electronics in any country you visit. Buying a good one will prevent your electronics from short-circuiting during your travel and failing you at the time you need it the most!

24. Travel Pillow - anyone on a long-haul flight has struggled with sleeping, but a small travel pillow will easily enable you to sleep and save you all the neck pain you might have on the next day(s).

25. Sturdy Suitcase - A solid suitcase will keep your belongings safe for a long time, making travel easier and effortless. For example, I have had the same suitcase for the last 9+ years, which only cost me around $45.

26. Travel Organiser - Travel organiser cubes or bags will help you maximise the number of things you can bring and make it easy to organise what goes where. This is the newest thing I have purchased to improve my travel, and after just one trip I can see how useful they are!

Gadgets and Accessories:

27. Fountain Pen - For people who like to write on paper, there is nothing better than finding a pen that you can use for many years. A good fountain pen can do that and cost as little as $30-$50, but you can get an okay one for under $10!

28. Air Tags - Apple, Samsung or any brand of Android tag can save you a massive headache if you lose one of your expensive belongings. Imagine if you forget your backpack and can’t remember where it is, if you use an air tag, you can locate it quickly. You can do the same with your checked-in luggage when travelling, with your wallet or any expensive item you might fear losing!

29. An ergonomic keyboard - This is one of the best accessories you can buy as it makes your work more pleasant and productive, but it also brings some joy and potentially colour to your desk.

30. Sunglasses - They are a must if you live in a country with many sunny days, as you need to protect your eyes from the sun, otherwise, you risk damaging your eyesight.

31. Scarf - A good scarf is not only a fashion accessory - it keeps you warm through the cold days of the year.

Cooking necessities:

32. Solid chef knife - A good German stainless steel knife is no more than $50 and can last you a lifetime! All you need to do is sharpen it regularly and clean it properly, which will serve you well.

33. Good Pot or Pan - This is the second best investment you can make in your kitchen, as it would make your cooking easier and effortless. A good pot or pan will reduce the time you need to cook, as it would have a better heat dispersion, which cooks the food better and prevents burning!

34. Rice cooker - If you frequently make rice, you will love it! This gadget will make the fluffiest, tastiest and easiest rice of your life. All you need to do is feed it with quality rice that was twice washed and in 40 minutes you will have your rice ready!

35. French Press - A Stainless Steel French Press is an excellent investment if you love coffee. It is hard to break, retains heat for a long time and is easy to move/travel with.

36. Tea Pot - For tea lovers, a fine teapot can make your tea experience much more pleasant. It can retain the flavours of your tea, bring you many good memories and enable you to have longer tea sessions, as you would not need to go around and brew more tea constantly.

Self-improvement:

37. Cooking book - Once you learn how to cook tasty dishes, you will never want to stop. "Salt, fat, acid and heat by Samin Nosrat" is my favourite one.

38. A book about relationships - As we are social animals, we rely on each other for different things, which is why it is essential to learn how to master your relationships. “How not to die alone by Logan Ury" is the one I would recommend on this topic.

39. A book on parenting, future planning, dieting or anything else you need would help tremendously as you download the knowledge the author has collected over the years. That way, you will save yourself many mistakes and bad experiences!

40. A book on self-improvement, as we all need to get better and better continuously and books are one of the easiest ways to do so. That’s why I would recommend the following 4 books: The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss; Atomic Habits by James Clear; Measure What Matters by John Doerr, and Breath by James Nestor.

Experience to make memories:

41. Any Type of Class you can think of - Cooking, Wine Tasting, Beer Brewing, Sky Diving, Carting, Snowboarding, Kayaking, Scuba Diving, Photography or any other experience you’d like to learn.

42. Tickets to the World/European championships for your hobby - as your hobbies make you happy, improve your life and help you enjoy your days a lot more, it is always worth investing money into seeing the best in what you do. That’s always a great way to motivate yourself and maybe learn a bit more about your favourite sport/ craft!

43. Extra Days off - Some employers allow you to buy a limited number of additional holidays per year by reducing your salary by the same amount. If your employer allows this, it is one of the best uses you can have for your time!

So, I hope you liked my list of 43 things under $100 that are worth buying! In the spirit of Christmas, I will take the best recommendation for something not already on the list and buy it for the person who recommended adding it!

Next week, we will look at the opposite: what not to buy and what is not worth having!

Post #117 in the series CFO of Life #si #personalfinance #CFOofLife