Great Gift Ideas for Home and Family
Quick Note: Links to online shopping sources are included for efficiency's sake, but most items are available at various locations, including non-online stores. This is not intended to recommend any particular shopping resource.
For the Misplacer of House Keys:
The Tile Key and Phone Finder
Tile is a tiny bluetooth tracker that can be attached to any item that you commonly misplace so that you can track its location remotely from your iPhone or Android phone and make the Tile sound an alarm if you can't find it. If you've lost your phone but have the Tile, pressing the Tile will make your phone ring even if it's on 'silent' mode. (This last feature comes with the Generation 2 Tile, linked to above.)
Price Range: Around $25 for one, $70 for a pack of four.
The GardenHOME Folding Stool with Tools
This handy gift for the gardener features
a folding steel frame canvas stool along with five garden tools and a compartmentalized tool bag that attaches to the stool. Another highly-rated version with no tools but more bag compartments is
The Gardener's Tool Seat from Uncommon Goods.
Price Range: Around $40.
For the Stylish 'Fitbitter':
The 'Tory Burch for Fitbit' Bracelet
Fitness meets fashion with
chic metal bracelets from designer Tory Burch that are designed to hold a Fitbit. There's a
wide variety of other Tory Burch styles for Fitbits available as well, including leather double-wrap bracelets and even pendant necklaces.
Price Range: Around $175 to $195.
For the Casual Entertainer:
The RackPack Convertible Wine Rack
This wooden box carrier holds a single wine bottle and also folds out into a convenient rack that holds up to 12 bottles. Made from sustainable wood with a compact design.
Price Range: Around $25.
And because where there is wine, there is often cheese...
The 'Ampersand' Cheese and Crackers Serving Board
A fun serving board that's also a conversation piece. The ampersand shape of the grooves turns out to be surprisingly functional when it comes to arranging cracker and cheese combinations.
Price Range: Around $48.
For Kids Who Like to Bake:
Star Wars Cookie Cutters
Reindeer and snowman-shaped cookies might have Yoda and Chewbacca for company this year. The Star Wars-themed cookie cutter collection from Uncommon Goods comes with six different movie character shapes.
Price Range: Around $15.
For Fixing Things On the Go:
Fix It Sticks Travel Tools
Fix It Sticks are
a combination of four of the most commonly used tool bits, all in a simple 2-piece set that can also form a T wrench for leverage. Great for simple repairs around the home, to keep in the car glove compartment, or for bicycle repairs on the go.
Price Range: Around $25 to $40.
For the Prepared Traveler:
The Juno Power JUNOJUMPR
Did you know that a pocket-sized mobile charger can actually jump start a dead car battery? This 7-ounce device comes with proprietary jumper cables, making it a great tool to keep in the glove compartment in case of emergencies. Needless to say, it also charges smartphones and tablets.
Price Range: Around $100.
If starting a dead car battery is not a big concern, the smaller but highly-rated
RAVPower mobile charger might be a good choice. Currently on sale for around $11, it can add 14 hours of talk time or 90 hours of music play time to a smartphone.
For Pets Who Wander from Home:
The Nuzzle GPS Collar for Dogs and Cats
The Nuzzle is
a waterproof smart collar that helps you track down your dog or cat if it gets lost, using GPS via a combination of nationwide cellular coverage and bluetooth. It also lets you set up virtual geo-fencing and monitor things like activity level and temperature. Unlike many other pet-tracking services, there is no monthly or annual fee. (The Nuzzle is a new product that ships in March 2016, so if you need something sooner you may want to check out Wareable's
list of the best tracking collars.)
Price Range: $169 to $189.
When Home Is the Outdoors:
LuminAID PackLite Spectra Lanterns
These inflatable solar-powered lanterns are lightweight, waterproof, and have eight different color modes, making them extremely handy for camping, backpacking, or even just casual evenings on the patio or balcony. (Earlier versions had a design flaw that is reflected in the reviews, but this appears to have been resolved.)
Price Range: Around $23 to $50.
And for those truly venturing out into the wilderness:
The Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Firestarter
The Bear Grylls firestarter is a compact tool that gets good ratings from users. (Just note that for people with very large hands it might be a bit on the small side.)
Price Range: Around $20.
Gardenzilla
If you're stumped on a gift idea for that special someone who needs something truly unique,
this rampaging Kaiju garden gnome is likely to bring smiles - and it certainly fits the category of 'not your typical present'. :) It's currently backordered a few weeks out but would make a fun housewarming gift in 2016.
Price Range: Around $25.
If you know someone traveling who might find this information useful, please feel free to forward this newsletter on to them.
Recent Market Highlights
- U.S. home prices rose 5.5 percent year-to-year in September, according to a recent S&P/Case-Shiller report. They rose 6.8 percent year-to-year in October, according to CoreLogic, a data and analytics company.
- The national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has remained close to 4 percent.
The October Pending Home Sales Index rose 3.9 percent year-to-year, according to the National Association of Realtors®. 
