Bufo’s Things That Work Gift Guide 2025
We have so many options when we shop nowadays! Remember when you used to go out to get garbage bags, and you didn’t need a spreadsheet to figure out all the variables? 😉
There are a lot of positives to that, but it can be overwhelming and lead to “analysis paralysis”. Then again, there’s that other issue…
Some things you buy just don’t work.
Well, maybe they work, but not as well as you thought they would, despite watching all those customer videos and reading the artificial intelligence written summary of a thousand reviews (that’s a real thing on Amazon now, by the way).
Everything in this guide works.
At least, they work for me. Yep, I genuinely use everything here…that’s really the only thing that will tie this together.
I’m going try to have a variety, from small gifts under $10 on up. I hope this helps you, or perhaps just entertains you!
- Price: $4.99 (down about $2 from last year!) at time of writing for 1, multipacks available
- Overview: a dishcloth might seem like a strange gift, but these have attractive patterns and have the advantage of being ecological (they are made from remnant fabrics). They are used for scrubbing, and work well for that (like a scrubbing sponge). I wash them from time to time in the clothes washer, just like other towels
- Nothing’s perfect: we’ve had a couple wear out eventually, but that hasn’t been a big problem
- Price: $18.99 (up about $2 from last year), with a coupon price of $17.09 at time of writing for 1
- Overview: we have one small dog who drinks a lot of water. We used to just have open bowls, but this works much better for us, and the dog even seems to prefer it. There is an insert that floats on top of the water, with a hole in it (cutely designed to look like a dog pawprint, matching a design on the bowl itself). The dog licks the water through that hole. That keeps it from spilling and tends to keep the water much cleaner (dogs can get their water dirty through transfer from their fur). Neither of these are 100%, but so much better than the old way
- Nothing’s perfect: to remove the float, you have to pop off a plastic restraining ring. That can be some work, just to get it off and on properly
- Price: $59.99 at time of writing (same as last year)
- Overview: we have Ring security cameras at our doors and they are very useful for us. They’re great for package delivery & I like seeing animals that may pass by our doors in the middle of the night. We also now have indoor ones throughout the house as safety monitors, due to a family member having a chronic medical condition. The automatic light outside is also a nice feature. However, it wasn’t going to wake me up if someone used the door in the middle of the night. This solves that problem! It’s a separate, small device that just plugs into a wall outlet. It can make a variety of noises: we use “Triangle”, which is very noticeable. It’s controlled nicely in the Ring app. It can also extend your wi-fi network for your Ring devices, but we don’t use it for that. It has a nightlight feature, but we don’t use that, either
- Nothing’s perfect: it does take up an outlet. I don’t think you can set it on a schedule: there are days I don’t want the alarm going off for the front door, and during the day, I don’t need it to go off every time the dogs use the dog door
Ring Indoor Camera (added this year)
- Price: $24.99 at time of writing (Black Friday sale: list price is $49.99)
- Overview: I hadn’t put the outdoor Ring cameras on this list, but these indoor ones have worked very well for me! I need safety monitors around the house, due to someone with a chronic medical condition. These are easy to set up (they’ve greatly improved that), epecially if you already have a Ring account (Ring is owned by Amazon). You can pay for a Ring Home plan for additional features (including, if you choose, AI describing what’s in a video, such as “A person is walking on the deck with a brown dog”): they range from $50 a year to $200 a year, roughly. They have night vision & you can talk and listen through them if you want. There is also a physical privacy shield that can be easily slid over the camera. You can record the video or not, and it’s smart enough to tell the difference between a person and a dog. You can see all this on your phone (through an app), or on at least some SmartTVs. You can turn them on when you leave the house on the app, and choose which ones respond to detected motion (and how they might respond, including notifying you). Let’s say you have a “playroom” for the kids: you could have one in there, with them knowing about it. You could check on them & talk to them if needed, just for one scenario. You could also use them to check on your pets while you were out (if they were in the view)
- Nothing’s perfect: I sometimes need to have the view on for some time, and it can disconnect and need to be reconnected (through a tap on the screen on my phone). They do need to be plugged in (not battery operated), but that makes sense. I bought a mount for one, so it could be elevated and see better. Overall, though, they’ve made all the difference in my caregiving
Paladone Batman Multi Tool Bottle Opener Keychain
- Price: $12.98 (up about $3 from last year) at time of writing
- Overview: I love this little Batarang and use it often! I replaced one when it got lost. It’s got a small Phillips screwdrive head & a small flathead screwdriver head. I don’t use them for that very often: it’s great for opening boxes! I’ve also used it to “grab” things that were just out of reach…holy Bat-gadget, Batman!
- Nothing’s perfect: the hole where you put in the ring to use it as a keyring is quite small, you need to use a small ring. It also would set off metal detectors, I think, and I wouldn’t try to get it past Security at a concert or a ballpark (I leave it home in those cases). When it comes, it’s black, but that has worn off over time, leaving it just grey metal looking, but that still looks cool
- $14.95 at time of writing (listed at $21.95) (added this year)
- Overview: you know that expression, that someone “wouldn’t hurt a fly”? That’s me. When there are bugs in the house, I catch them and take them outside, where I release them unharmed. I was usually running around looking for something like a disposable cup and ideally, a stiff piece of paper. I figured there had to be something better, and there was! This is a simple mechanism with a fairly long handle, a clear plastic dome at the end of it, and a sliding floor. You have the floor open, then trap the bug in the dome (I find I’m outside of their “danger zone”, so they generally don’t flee). You can slide the floor shut by hand, or you may be able to rotate the device so it just slides closed on its own. Then, you can take it outside, turn it so the floor slides open, and shake out the bug. This worked well enough that I bought a second one: I had the first one in the kitchen, but if I saw a bug in the bathroom and went to get it, the bug might be gone by the time I got back
- Nothing’s perfect: I find it somewhat hard to get the parts of the handle to fit together (although you don’t need any tools). The floor doesn’t slide that smoothly: when I rotate the handle, it might not just slide shut right away. Flying and wall-crawling bugs do tend to get out of the way of the door: if the bug is a crawler, it can take a little work to get the bug up on the floor so it doesn’t get hurt when the floor slides shut (more of a slope on the floor would make it work better)
Hgvoetty Colorful T-Shirt (added this year)
- Price: $16.99 at time of writing (with a coupon making it $16.14)
- Overview: this is absolutely one of my family members favorite shirts! The one we have looks like it is a white shirt that has had various colors of paint splashed on it. People comment on how they like the look of it! That might not have gotten it on this list, but here’s the thing: it’s been incredibly durable! My family member really likes to stretch shirts: for example, sitting with their knees up and stretching the shirt down over their bent legs. It hasn’t hurt it at all. It’s been washed many, many times, and is just as vibrant as it was when we got it. There are lots of designs, and they have them for both kids and adults
- Nothing’s perfect: my family member likes it so much that I bought more of the exact same shirt so there would always be a clean one 😉
Rongbo Detachable Pull Apart Key Ring
- Price: $7.59 for a 5-pack (last year, it was $6.59 for a 3-pack, this is quite a bit cheaper per ring) at time of writing
- Overview: I use these all the time! A ring attaches to your main keyring, then there’s a center cylinder part, and another ring where you attach your key (or, you know, Batarang…see above). You sort of squish the center part together, and it separates. This has been very handy, for example, if I need to leave a key when the car is getting serviced
- Nothing’s perfect: It takes a bit of doing to figure out how to separate the two rings. Once you get the hang of it, though, it’s easy enough
NOCO Boost Sport Lithium Jump Starter
- Price: $79.95 at time of writing (up about $12 from last year)
- Overview: this is one of those things where you wonder if you’re the only person who didn’t know about it already. 🙂 We needed one of our cars jumpstarted and I called AAA. I was surprised when they got to us and just walked up to the car with a small box…I was expecting a tow truck. I was astonished when they just clipped it on the battery and the car started in seconds. I asked what it was and ordered one for us. I have to say, I think they should come with a new car, or maybe the insurance company should give you one! Most things on this list I’ve used many times. This one I’ve only used once: we had somebody coming to work on our heating and they called: their van wouldn’t start. It sounded like it might be hours before their company could get someone out there. I ended up just doing it myself with this device…presto! It can also charge your phones and it has a light. 2024 update: I’ve now used it a couple of times, great each time
- Nothing’s perfect: it comes in a cardboard storage box, but it didn’t fit back into it very well. I will have to charge it from time to time (USB charger)
Hopeshine Arm Cooling Sleeves UPF 50+
- Price: $15.99 for a five pack (same as last year for the list price, on sale at time of writing for $12.79)
- Overview: this may seem silly, but we really like them. They are sleeves you put on your arm, so your arms are covered if you are wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt…no need for sunscreen there! It makes sun healthy behavior simpler. We keep several pairs in different colors by the door. They can be washed in the washing machine
- Nothing’s perfect: they can really get things like burs stuck in them!
Wolverine 8mm & Super 8 reels to Digital MovieMaker Pro Film Digitizer (other models available)
- Price: $399.95 at time of writing (only available used at time of writing for $329)
- Overview: We had literally hundreds of family Super 8mm film reels sitting in a box in the garage. They hadn’t been seen in 50 years or more. I could have sent them to a service to have them converted, but that ends up costing a lot of money. I also did it once with a few reels several years back, and they returned them all spliced together. It also meant I didn’t have the film boxes, with handwriting from family members on them. This device converts those film reels into digital. You need to buy an SD card for it, but then you can upload it to the cloud with an included cord. I’ve shared the ones I’ve converted with the family and it’s been wonderful! The digital files look good. It’s smart enough that if it’s only seen black for 15 seconds, it stops recording
- Nothing’s perfect: it takes a long time…a 3 minute reel takes about half an hour to digitize. The feeder reel arm folds down for storage, which is a good thing, but it takes an effort to unfold it and fold it…someone with weak hand strength probably wouldn’t put it away at all. There are also two plastic adapters for the reels, which could be easy to lose
iClever BK05 Bluetooth Keyboard
- Price: $43.99 at time of writing (list price of $51.99, down $3 from last year)
- Overview: I’ve considered this an essential for years. I type pretty well: last time I was tested (a very long time ago), I was in the 90s for words per minute. Not super fast, but fast. I really wanted a foldable keyboard I could use with my phone and have it feel like a regular keyboard. I tried a few, and this was by far the best. It’s a good size: folded, it fits in a large pocket. It can switch easily between using Android, Windows, & Apple, so you can use one keyboard with multiple devices. The keyboard is backlit if you want, but I don’t use that. Besides typing, the best thing is being able to use Windows shortcuts (CTRL+C to copy, CTRL+V to paste…) on the web on my phone! It stays charged for a long time: I use it every day, and maybe charge it once in a month
- Nothing’s perfect: they break after a while…I’ve replaced mine multiple times. If it’s on a soft surface, it may add extra spaces and things like that. I’d love it if they had something rigid that could lock it open, like a flat bar on the back
Worx WG509 12 Amp TRIVAC 3-in1 Electric Leaf Blower (& vacuum & mulcher)
- Price: $59.98 at time of writing (down about $5 from last year)
- Overview: I’m not good with tools (I literally have screwdriver scars from using just a plain old manual screwdriver wrong) & I jokingly say I have a “black thumb” in the garden. This tool, though, has been a complete game changer for cleaning up leaves and such (we have trees that drop a lot of leaves and needles). It’s a leaf blower, but I rarely use it for that. The thing that really works for me is that it’s a vacuum and a mulcher…it sucks up the leaves/needles and chews them into dust. It’s amazing!
- Nothing’s perfect: it’s a workout! It says it’s lightweight, but I wouldn’t say that. I see Amazon says it weighs 11 pounds. It’s hard to flip the switches…maybe that’s for safety. You need to be careful not to vacuum rocks and mud will gum up the valve that switches it from blower to vacuum. I open up the part that lets me get to the blades and make sure they are clear after every time I use it. Oh, and don’t forget to zip up the collection bag again before you start on the next area…if you don’t, it will just blow that dust all over the yard
Plustek Photo Scanner ephoto Z300
- Price: $186.15 at time of writing (same as last year: list price $219)
- Overview: I would guess we’ve scanned and shared over 1,000 family pictures with this! It’s pretty simple, once it’s set up. You connect the scanner to a laptop. You feed a picture into it…it scans it & automatically crops it (makes the image the size of the photo…I’d say that’s more than 95% right). There is some photo correction available on the device itself. Then, you can save it to the cloud. I’ve also used it for documents, and it works well for that, too. Free your family photos! 😉
- Nothing’s perfect: you need a pretty powerful laptop…not a super powerful one, like a gaming computer, but it needs quite a bit of free space to save the pictures, and a decent processor. It takes a while to convert one & that depends on the power of the laptop…I’d say up to maybe 10 seconds a picture. I bought a more powerful computer after we’d started, which cut it down to more like 2 seconds. It’s not completely intuitive to use, but not too bad
- Price: $17.57 at time of writing (this is about $1.50 up from last year. List price is $25.10)
- Overview: I use these every day! I wake up hours before my Significant Other, & that’s when I get a lot of my writing done. I have movies or TV shows on in the background: I’m more productive that way. People used to say to me that I’d get more done if I didn’t watch as much TV, so I did the experiment: I didn’t watch TV for 1 year. I got nothing more done. For some reason, they didn’t want to try to the experiment in reverse and watch more TV. 🙂 I digress: these are comfortable, easy to use, & sound fine: that’s all I need. I was a conga player, so I may not have the best hearing (although it’s ok): I’m sure $500 headphones have better fidelity, but I don’t need that. I don’t like things sticking in my ear, and the crosspiece goes comfortably behind my head, down near my neck. They’ve never fallen off, but I’m not playing ultimate sports! You can answer the phone on them: there’s a built-in microphone, but it’s not a boom, so it isn’t in front of your face. I’ve never used that, either. The range is good (I can go into the garage & close the door behind me & still have it connected). It’s easy to pair
- Nothing’s perfect: it’s a micro USB connector, not a USB-C (the connection only goes into it one way: there is a rightside up and an upside down). They do give you one, but if somebody has a long cable they use for a phone, that one might not fit. This is a minor thing, but the little rubber cover that covers the charging port doesn’t tend to stay closed for me. I charge mine every day after listening for a few hours, although that may not be necessary
EveryYay Lavender Orthopedic Dog Bed
- Price: $15 to $60 depending on size at time of writing (same as last year)
- Overview: we’ve had two dogs who used these…a lot! They fit them very well, and they relax and sleep in them a lot. It’s very easy to wash it: you unzip the bottom, remove the lavender filled “mattress”, then we wash the rest of it on gentle in the washing machine: they come out clean. We originally bought one of these and a second type, but both of the dogs prefer this one
- Nothing’s perfect: the zippers are a little hard to work, but they haven’t gotten stuck. You do need to reshape it (we walk on it in socks) after washing the cover. The lightness of the interior does show dirt pretty quickly. Also, I’d recommend that you check the size carefully: ours are pefect, but I can see why one that was too small might be a problem. One more thing: eventually, the “stuffing” may deteriorate to the point where you decide to replace it)
- Price: $19.99 for a 4 pack for green…other colors are other prices, many for $24.99 (about the same as last year)
- Overview: it should be easy to find the Motel Mouse company, because there will be a well-beaten path to its door. 😉 This is literally a better (live-catch) mousetrap! We had a mouse problem this summer, and we don’t kill them. I’ve had big clunky metal traps, but these are small, plastic, I’d even call them elegant. They fit where the metal ones didn’t: behind a wall unit, for example. They aren’t much wider than a mouse. They’ve done a lot of good design work: the bait is in its own compartment (with airholes for scent)…it can not be stolen by a clever mouse. At under $10 a trap, you can buy the number you need. After seeing those mice for months, we used these and caught two in about an hour…fingers crossed, I think that ended it for now
- Nothing’s perfect: you might offend someone giving them mousetraps as a gift! 😉 This might be more of a gift for your household. I find it hard to tell if the trap has been accidentally triggered and the door is closed: I wonder if they could add something visible to the door which wouldn’t deter the mice. I also check them more than once a day with a flashlight, although we haven’t caught a mouse in a long time: I don’t want a mouse starving in there
I may add to this later…
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