I made a joke earlier this week in my family group chat that everybody was getting $2 and a macaroni picture frame for Christmas. But seriously, have you seen those grocery store prices? I’m shopping for 20 people, and my bank account is already wincing. Luckily, with these Black Friday deals under $50, holiday shopping doesn’t have to be pricey. We’ve rounded up deals on affordable tested-and-approved gear so you can get your shopping done without crying afterward. Be sure to check our live Black Friday deals tracker here.
WIRED Featured Deals
WIRED’s Black Friday 2024 Coverage
Tech, Gaming, and Accessory Deals
Photograph: Nena Farrell
The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is truly tiny yet powerful. It’s the Alexa smart speaker I always have set up somewhere in my house, even if I’m testing other voice assistants. This smart speaker might only be a few inches tall, but its audio quality can almost rival the larger Echos. The small footprint makes it easy to add almost anywhere in your home. —Nena Farrell
The Echo Pop (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the cheapest Amazon Echo speaker on a normal day, and it’s the only one you’ll find for under $20 this Black Friday. It’s downright adorable, with a half-moon shape and a couple of fun colors you won’t find in other Amazon speakers. It’s not the most impressive speaker—no surprise with the smaller form factor it has—but it’s not bad for the price, you’ll get all the usual features of a smart speaker. —Nena Farrell
If you watch mainly Amazon Prime content, the Fire TV Stick is the streaming device you need. You can stream from any service, of course, but it’s heavily geared toward the company’s own content. This 4K Max is faster, with 16 gigabytes of storage versus eight, but if you want to spend less and stay in the Amazon ecosystem, the 4K Stick is on sale for $22 ($27 off).
Photograph: Amazon
The Echo Show 5 is typically overpriced at $90, but the deal price of $40 matches the best we have tracked. Just keep in mind that it goes on sale quite frequently. We prefer the Echo Show 10 for its larger size, but the smaller footprint of the Echo Show 5 is good for a nightstand or tiny kitchen.
This owl- or dragon-patterned, Alexa-powered smart speaker is our favorite speaker for kids, and it opens up a world of music, audiobooks, and kid-friendly content. You get a year of Amazon Kids+ (usually $3 per month), it’s easy to configure via the parent dashboard, and it can serve as a regular Bluetooth speaker. Just bear in mind that it is internet-connected and has a microphone.
This little USB-C to USB-C cable goes on your keychain, and if you’re ever in a situation where you need power, well, now you always have a cable on you! Just hope there’s a USB-C power source somewhere nearby. The two zinc cable ends magnetically stick together and can carry up to 60 watts, which can even slowly juice up a MacBook Pro. The Lightning to USB-C version is also on sale if you have an older iPhone. Read our Nomad Black Friday Sale roundup for more Nomad goodies.
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
These earplugs are one of my festival essentials, and they’re always in my purse just in case my Apple Watch yells at me for being in a loud environment. Unlike typical earplugs, these filter out damaging frequencies without muffling the sound. You’ll still be able to hear the music or the IMAX movie, but it won’t damage your delicate little eardrums. The outer silicone shell is soft and comfortable, with pull tabs for easy removal and adjustment. I also like the metal keychain case, which helps me keep track of these tiny, magical accessories.
Need a cheap pair of earbuds to not think too much about? Look no further than the Go Air Pop, which are utterly usable earbuds that cost less than $20 this Black Friday. I like keeping a pair in my car or gym bag for when I forget to bring nicer buds with me and still want music. —Parker Hall
The WIRED Gear team battles over who gets to review each generation of this adorable Bluetooth speaker because it’s just so handy. A tiny little rubber strap lets you attach it to everything from handlebars to backpacks. It sounds shockingly good for its size, too, and a rugged IP67 rating means you don’t need to worry if it takes a spill. —Parker Hall
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Photograph: Loop
The Loop Experience 2 earplugs are some of our favorite gifts for new parents since they can help cut back on overstimulation. I wish I had had them in class when people wouldn’t stop clicking their pens and the words on my test would blur together. The earplugs slightly reduce noise while letting you hear what’s around you. If you need a bit of a break from your environment but still want to hear what’s going on, these can help smooth the edges and round the corners of reality.
I was initially skeptical of Disney Dreamlight Valley, but now it’s one of my favorite cozy games. It’s fantastic on the Nintendo Switch as well as other consoles. You’ll run around doing the typical life-sim video game activities: mining gemstones, fishing, growing crops, and changing your outfit. The game features a whole host of characters from Disney and Pixar media, but the storyline is surprisingly grown-up and touching. It’s a great game for playing during these colder months. This version comes with bonus cosmetics.
The Plum Paper A5 Planner is a gorgeous, customizable planner that lets you add themed pages to complement your life. Whether you want pages for meal planning, fitness tracking, or journaling your baby’s growth, Plum Paper has it all. Those baby-related add-ons are why it’s my paper planner pick for parents. (It will cost around $5 to $10 extra.) Plum Paper also has a ton of gorgeous sticker packs to order, from seasonal to fitness or baby themes. You can get custom stickers, too, which is fun. It’s a great planner if you want something specific to your life—my copy has a section just for my son!—and you can get your own for 30 percent off right now. —Nena Farrell
Home and Outdoor Deals
Photograph: Amazon
This egg cooker fluctuates in price, but this is an especially good deal. It was featured in our “Buy It for Life” guide, where WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu says his wife loves this little countertop appliance. Their unit has been going strong for four years. It can make eggs in basically every way except fried. Poaching? Soft-boiling? Hard-boiling? It can handle those and even make omelets. Plus it looks cute on the counter, which helps justify any space it might take up. —Louryn Strampe
We think ThermoWorks’ Thermapen One is the best instant-read thermometer but the ThermoPop is a great budget option. It’s not as fast as the Thermapen One, but it’s still quick and the large, back-lit, auto-rotating screen is easy to read. It’s waterproof, and accurate to plus or minus one degree. —Scott Gilbertson
We like this budget-friendly food dehydrator and think it offers the best bang for your buck out of all the models we tested. The stackable BPA-free plastic rings are a little bulky and awkward to fit in the dishwasher, but everything we dehydrated dried evenly. If you don’t want to spend a ton of money on a food dehydrator but want one that works efficiently, this is a model worth checking out.
Photograph: Jordan Michelman
This is a solid discount on our favorite wine opener. WIRED contributor Jordan Michelman says the opener feels good in your hand, it has a sharp knife, and it’s easy to pack away and store. The opener is usually pretty affordable, but why not save some money if you can? —Louryn Strampe
Whenever I have unexpected company, I break out the Chom Chom. It’s a necessity in my household due to the sheer fluffiness of my cat. Seriously, I don’t know how one tiny creature can have so much fur, nor how they can so consistently transfer it to all of my upholstered surfaces. But it’s fine because all I have to do is roll this gadget back and forth across my couch a few times to thoroughly de-fluff it. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it’s easy to clean out once it’s full. —Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Tyler Shane
We recommend this kitchen scale if you’re looking for a two-in-one model. It’s got two weighing platforms—one that can handle up to 11 pounds and one that can handle up to a pound. It weighs in pounds (on the larger platform), grams, and ounces. The smaller platform can measure in increments as small as 0.01 grams, and the large, backlit display is easy to read. If you’re serious about baking, this scale will have you covered—no matter how little vanilla extract you’re pouring out. —Louryn Strampe
This LifeStraw was a staple in our outdoorsy gift guide for years. While we replaced it this year, the product is still a great way to filter out bacteria, microplastics, and other contaminants. You can even screw it onto a water bottle instead of using it to slurp out of a stream. Any preppers would likely love to get this gift for the holidays, but for $19, it’s a solid addition to your go-bag if you (like me) are scared of the zombie apocalypse but doing nothing to prepare for one. —Louryn Strampe
The Travelrest Nest Ultimate Travel Pillow (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is about as good as it gets. The high, firm sides will keep your neck supported, and the flat back helps keep your spine aligned. We also like the soft, machine-washable microfiber cover. —Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Home Depot
This inexpensive kit is full of our favorite drill bits. The black oxide coating both reduces friction and resists rust, and the drill bits can handle wood, metal, plastics, wallboard, and fiberglass. These go on sale frequently, but this is still a good Black Friday get, especially if you’re picking up the discounted DeWalt drill that we also recommend. —Louryn Strampe
Smart plugs are pretty darn cool. Anything becomes a smart device with their help—just plug in and bam—you can remotely control it. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini is one of our favorite smart plugs since it’s nice and small, making it easy to use without blocking a neighboring outlet. Use the app to make routines and scenes like you would smart lights, so that your house comes to life for you, or to act like you’re home when you aren’t. Buy one on sale, or score an entire four-pack on sale and deck out the house. —Nena Farrell
This is a great little lamp that can transform the vibe of a room. All you have to do is plug it in and aim it toward the wall. It produces a halo-like effect with rainbow colors that make the space feel nice and cozy. (For a sunrise, check out our Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks guide.) It comes with a short cord though, so you’ll have to plug it into a power strip if you want it in a specific spot. I’d also make sure not to place it anywhere that someone can accidentally knock it over. —Brenda Stolyar
Health and Beauty Deals
Photograph: Wyze
This is one of the few smart scales we recommend. It supports up to eight individual profiles, and there are modes for babies, luggage, and pets to track weight without messing up your stats. The scale can also track metrics like muscle mass, visceral fat, and basic metabolic rate measurements if you install the companion app on your smartphone. —Louryn Strampe
If a washcloth and a makeup remover wipe had a softer, faster-drying baby, that would be the MakeUp Eraser. The microfiber cloth is one of our favorite reusable products. Wet it with water, run it over your face, and be amazed at how your mascara, smoky eyeshadow, and eyebrows disappear in one fell swoop. (Sorry to call you out like that.) Afterward, you’ll want to cleanse again, but the Makeup Eraser is one of the fastest and easiest ways to start your skincare routine. Even on nights that I forget to take care of my skin, at least I’m not sleeping in my makeup anymore. Most of the time. —Louryn Strampe
Toy Deals
Photograph: Amazon
Magna-Tiles may be expensive (a little less expensive now), but the return on investment is just staggering. We bought our daughter’s first set when she was 2 or 3 and enjoyed making little 2D ice cream cones or hats. Now she’s 9 and can make full villages for stuffed animals in the course of an afternoon. There are also a ton of different themed sets (also on sale) if you need more specialized pieces for race courses or jungles. —Adrienne So
A firm WIRED favorite and one of the best family board games, Ticket to Ride features steam engine styling and rules that are easy to grasp. All you must do is claim railway routes across the US and Canada using your colorful plastic rail cars. Spend cards to claim routes, rack up bonus points for connecting specific destinations, and the person with the highest score at the end wins. All aboard, choo, choo! —Simon Hill
Inspired by the Royal Palace of Evora in Portugal, with its Moorish blue-and-white ceramic tiles, this board game challenges you to make mosaics by matching tiles with different patterns and colors to amass the maximum possible score. One of the best family board games for all tastes, Azul is easy to grasp but supports many tactical approaches and has surprising depth. The beautiful tiles and other components are high quality, and filling your board is deeply satisfying. Play moves quickly, and you can complete a game in less than an hour, but you will probably want to play again immediately. —Simon Hill
Photograph: Amazon
Start with a randomly generated map of hexagonal tiles in this addictive family board game, and gather and trade resources to develop your civilization and win. Amassing enough victory points requires a smart strategy and some dice-rolling luck. Catan is easy to get the hang of and only takes around an hour to finish. Players can trade freely, but the robber mechanic can cause arguments, so set some ground rules. The modular randomization makes for excellent replay value, and there are expansions and spin-offs to further complicate the gameplay. This game is for three or four players aged 10 years and up. —Simon Hill
This cat-themed card game is easy to pick up and perfect for a quick game. The aim is to avoid exploding kitten cards by wielding a comical cast of cats with special powers. Timing and strategy are essential to get the best of your opponents. This fun card game appears in our Best Family Board Games guide. The countless expansion packs are worth trying if it’s a hit with your family. —Simon Hill