Tim Herrera
Smarter Living Editor
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| It’s Dec. 21, and let’s be honest: You’re still not done with your holiday shopping. |
| That’s fine! Many, many of us are in the same boat — as I write this newsletter, I have a dozen Amazon tabs open of gifts I still need to buy. (While we’re on the subject, here are some tips to beating procrastination.) |
| But fear not. In collaboration with Wirecutter, a New York Times company that reviews and recommends products, we have tons of recommendations to get you through the next few days. |
| Your first stop should be The Times’s Holiday Gift Guide. You’ll find everything from presents for the traveler in your life or the family bookworm, to items for the kitchen or little knickknacks for that one person who’s impossible to shop for. All that and much, much more. You can also check out Wirecutter’s list of the best things they bought in 2017. |
| But that’s if you’ve got time. If you want a quick-and-dirty, “Please Tim, just tell me what to buy!” guide, look no further. Below are five great cheap(ish) things that will make excellent gifts for anyone on your list. (However: I make no promises about fixing your procrastination for next year.) |
| External battery |
| Nothing brings me more peace of mind, especially when I’m traveling, than having a week’s worth of phone charges in my bag. (What that says about my overall mental health is a whole other issue.) |
| But that’s what you get with a good external battery, like the Anker Powercore 20100, which is one of a handful of battery packs Wirecutter recommends. |
| They say you can’t buy happiness, but never having to think about whether your phone will die while you’re out comes pretty close. |
| 6-foot charging cable |
| This was our very first recommendation, and it remains one of the small things that can have an outsize impact on your life. |
| Wirecutter’s favorite lightning cable (for Apple products) is the Anker PowerLine Lightning. Their favorite Micro-USB cable is Anker PowerLine Micro USB. They also have recommendations for newer USB-C phones and tablets. |
| Travel mug |
| Another one of those items that will make you wonder how you lived before it: The Zojirushi stainless steel travel mug. |
| I’ve been using it for years, and what has really become the killer feature for me — aside from the fact that your hot beverages will, by all practical measures, never cool — is that this thing does not leak. I’ve tried other travel mugs here and there, and every so often I have a little spill here, a few drips there. But never with the Zojirushi. |
| Wireless headphones |
| Whether you need them for the gym, running a trail or working at your desk, wireless headphones are total game-changers. |
| Wirecutter’s top pick for working out — and my personal favorites — are the JLab Epic2. They’re comfortable, sound great and, most important, actually stay in your ears so you’re not constantly adjusting them. |
| For runners, Wirecutter recommends the Plantronics BackBeat Fit, which are durable, easy to use and still let you hear what’s going on around you. |
| For desk warriors who just want to get some work done, Wirecutter’s favorite noise-canceling headphones are the Bose QuietComfort 35 Series II. At $350 they don’t come cheap, so also think about the Jabra Move Wirelesss headphones. |
| And finally, even people who’d rather not be wearing headphones at all can appreciate the freedom afforded by true wireless earbuds, such as Apple’s Airpods. |
| Really, really good tweezers |
| Since I started writing the 5 cheap(ish) things newsletter this summer, no single product has elicited more feedback than these Tweezerman Slant Tip tweezers, which I recommended you pick up for your bathroom. About a third of the people who wrote in thought I was insane for recommending $17 tweezers; another third were intrigued by the idea that really good tweezers could have such an impact; and the final third were the converted, those who owned really good tweezers and knew that the price of admission is well worth it. |
| This is one hill I’ll die on: This pair of tweezers — for only $17! What a steal! — was the best under-$20 product I bought all year. Get a pair for yourself. Get a pair for family. Get a pair for everyone you know. |
| Got any great last-minute gifts we left out? Let me know at tim@nytimes.com on Twitter at @timherrera. |
| Happy shopping! |
| —Tim |
