5 Housewarming Gifts for Under $25

There were 4.65 million homes bought last year in the U.S. Now multiply that number by five.

That’s (roughly) how many friends and relatives were scrambling to find the perfect housewarming gift.

Next time someone close to you buys a house, stand out from the “standard bottle-of-wine” crowd with one of these useful gifts. They’ll guarantee you barbeque invites for life.

Their favorite magazine (in subscription form).

Some may call print magazines old school, but who doesn’t secretly appreciate any real, not-a-bill mail?

Give your friends a positive reason to check their new mailbox with a magazine subscription.

If you aren’t sure what they’d like, a home-related ‘zine is always a safe bet as a housewarming gift. Think Dwell or Better Homes and Gardens.

A “favorite things” jar.

Wine and flowers are great, but sometimes all a new homeowner needs is a good cleaning product.

Give them the gift of your favorite things – like cleaning products that you swear by – in a large jar like Julie at Coordinately Yours.

They’ll be able to use the jar for decoration and organization and use the jar’s contents around the house. 

Bonus: This gift comes across as really personal and is usually a bargain (as long as you don’t include every single one of your pricey favorites).

Address stamp.

Even if the internet is your friend’s most frequent form of communication, they’ll have to address a letter or package eventually.

Why not help them do it in style?

Give them a stamp of their new address, so they’ll be ready to write their housewarming gift thank you cards.

There are a ton of unique options on Etsy, so you can choose one that fits your homebuyer’s personality.

Handy toolkit.

If this new home is a first home, chances are your friends don’t have the necessary tools to tackle every little issue.

Step up to the plate and be the home-disaster hero by gifting a basic tool kit. 

Tip: If your friend or family member could use some help figuring out where they should use their tools, give them the BrightNest New Homeowner Guide, too.

Countertop compost bin.

Compost bins are better than a flower bouquet for three reasons: you want the contents to be dead, you can reuse everything inside and they help Mother Earth.

A countertop compost bin works just as well as its backyard brethren and is an affordable gift at about $25 a pop.

If your friend is new to the compost scene, give them this list of 10 items to avoid composting and send them on their eco-friendly way.

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