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Jul 25, 2023

23 Products To Upgrade Your Life For Under $25 August 2023

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Beauty and home and parenting upgrades...oh my.

BuzzFeed Staff

Promising review: "I've gone through a few of these, and it always seems like they're missing some piece of information on at least some of the items that they have on these magnetic things. Finally, this one has everything I need. All the info I need to cook correctly is right there. The food item, the amount or weight, frozen or unfrozen, quick release or natural release, and everything else I need. It also includes food items I don't always find everywhere else which I enjoy as well. Definitely a good purchase and worth the money." —Kindle Customer

Get a set of two from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two colors).

Promising review: "Used these to clean up the bird's nest of all those cords between the bed and nightstands. Creates a super clean look by totally covering the outlet and only having a single white cord coming out allowing me to hide all the other cords behind the nightstand. Will definitely be buying a few more to clean up some other visible areas like the entertainment center and computer desk areas. Definitely well worth the money if you have outlets next to furniture or what not that you can hide several cords out of sight." —John H.

Get it from Amazon for $23.95+ (available in seven sizes).

Promising review: "If you have a picky eater, you need this. I purchased three of these in three different themes. They are a big hit with all three kids ages 1, 3, and 9. These plates work better than I ever could have hoped. The small amounts in each compartment make it easy for them to finish and feel a sense of accomplishment. The treat under the tray at the end is genius. Great solution for picky eaters." —Kyla Van Kleeck

Get it from Amazon for $16.58+ (available in six themes).

My boyfriend got a two-pack of head massagers like this and gave me one. We now use them on each other constantly and I am eternally grateful. I'm struggling to keep my description of how good it feels family-friendly, so that should give you an idea. It's awesome when you have a headache or just need to relax. The only downside is it WILL mess up your hair (especially if you have curls or textured hair, reviewers note) and may get caught if your hair is tangled, so use it gently. It's worth it!

Promising review: "This was a great purchase. Relieves my headaches. Easy to use!" —elidita luna

Get a set of two from Amazon for $5.99.

BuzzFeed Shopping writer Jordan Grigsby raves: "Yep, that's me up there. I love a little synthetic wig because they're always like $20 so I can get like five of 'em and have five different hairstyles for the price of one human hair wig. My hair is shoulder length right now, which I love, but sometimes, ya girl wants a little Beyoncé type hair. I do clip-ins sometimes but they're a lot of work at times. Synthetic wigs are so easy, quick, and a great protective style. I don't like to put heat on my hair much, so I like to grab synthetic wigs in the exact style I want so I can go from straight to curly to wavy in a week without damaging my hair. I can also do my hair in like five minutes.

This wig is my current go-to, I'm obsessed. It's so freakin' cute and half wigs allow you to leave some of your hair out so it can look as natural as possible, which I love because I'm not really talented with the frontal style wigs and gluing 'em down (if anyone wants to teach me I'll love you forever). This wig is literally so easy to manipulate and I found it on TikTok! Remember this is synthetic so it won't last you forever. I just bought a second one after wearing my last one for, like, three months. Synthetic or not, it still looks and feels amazing and it's very full."

Get it from Amazon for $21.56+ (available in nine styles).

Promising review: "I don’t know who invented these brackets but this person is a genius. So simple but it works magic. It made my dream come true. I’m renting an apartment and I didn’t want to make holes, it is especially hard to adjust the regular brackets but these are so easy to use. Definitely worth it to have it." —Amazon Customer

Get a set of two from Amazon for $15.95 (also available in brown).

It's made by a family-owned small business!

Promising review: "After so many lost bra pads, this has been a lifesaver. Instead of feeling immense amounts of frustration, trying to get the pads back into place, this works like a breeze. It is simple to use, effective, and takes a lot of stress out of life. If you are tired of fighting with pads to get them smoothed out and back into place I highly recommend this." —Wesley I.

Get it from Amazon for $14.

Promising reviews: "This was a great buy, no more sore knees when bathing my granddaughter. Highly recommend to all parents out there that still have to kneel while bathing." —Tracey

"A grandparent's friend. This works well as a knee pad at bath time, especially if you're a grandparent with 'experienced' knees. It works well enough, it's cute, and I recommend." —Kokomo

Get it from Amazon for $18.

They also come with a cleaning brush!

Get a set of three from our Goodful shop for $12.99 (also available in a pack of six).

Promising review: "We recently moved to a beach area, and we are constantly there. This item has changed our entire lives! It lasts decently long (depending on how much you use it), it smells super good (not at all like baby powder), and it's super effective. It has saved me from vacuuming my car at least 1–2 times a week. And I even use it on my dogs' paws and bellies to make sure they're taken care of too. I will definitely be buying the refill and another bag to have exclusively in the car." —Gabbs Uresti

Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

Promising reviews: "This product did wonders to my bathroom tile floor. I used it as directed on the bottle and it cleaned my grout dirt with a couple of scrubs. The smell is also not as strong or as bad as other chemical cleaning products. Worth the money and would recommend." —Hanifa M.

"This stuff is seriously amazing. This is the one and only product review I have ever written, just because I'm so impressed with this stuff. Getting our house ready to sell and decided I needed to finally clean our filthy kitchen grout. This just lifted the grime away, took almost no scrubbing and no elbow grease. Totally worth the $20 a bottle." —James David Lambert

Get a 32-ounce bottle from Amazon for $21.95+ (also available with a brush).

Soho Kitchen is a small, NYC-based business established in 2015 that makes fun, pizza-inspired home goods.

Promising review: "My husband loooves pizza and I thought this would be a great gift for him. Both wheels can cut the pizza and it’s very easy to use. It’s also really cute! We keep it displayed in the kitchen when not in use." —Bia DeBoer

Get it from Amazon for $19.95.

Promising review: "Like many other people, I used the Anastasia Brow Wiz for a long time. I really liked it but $25+ for an eyebrow pencil is absolutely ridiculous so I started looking for an alternative and found this. I usually get the Brow Wiz in the shade Soft Brown and I bought this pencil in the Taupe shade and I love it. I did a quick swatch and I see absolutely zero difference. The design is also the exact same and the Nyx one lasts much longer throughout the day. So glad I found this product! —Dianna B

Get it from Amazon for $9.27+ (or $8.81+ with the Subscribe & Save option; available in 12 shades).

It's from a Worcester, NY-based small business!

Promising review: "Perfect for my anxious dog. I ask him to 'paw' the knob and he scratches it!" —Kathy Lee

Get it from Knobby Dog Nail Files on Etsy for $18 (available in five colors).

Promising review: "Important things are never forgotten. I leave my wallet or purse behind a lot. I know I should have my license on me when I drive even if it’s a short distance, but taking such large things with me is just annoying. I always have my phone on me though, and so I had to get this. I comfortably fit my license and two cards in it. I never have to worry about going somewhere that doesn’t take Apple Pay, or needing my ID and not having it. As long as I have my phone, I know I have those. It’s easy to remove for wireless charging, and the pop socket makes me feel so much more secure when using my phone in bed or when taking photos!" —Julia

Get it from Amazon for $24.39+ (available in eight colors). There are also ridiculously cute Disney versions here!

The set comes with 36 playing cards, 264 playing chips, caller's mat and cards, and a storage box.

Promising review: "My 4-year-old granddaughter and I go to the library every weekend. Once she's chosen her books for the week, she loves to 'check out' the games in the children's section. This was one that she wanted to play over and over and over. After the third go-round, I noticed that she was beginning to recognize some of the words on her own. That sold me! The minute I got home I purchased the game so she could play it at home. Every time I go over to her house, we play at least one round of this game, and I can tell her reading skills are increasing. And when we go to the library, she STILL wants to check this game out and play it there! The words on these bingo cards are words that can't be illustrated well — words like 'them,' 'her,' 'go,' 'if' — small, mostly conjunctive words, but essential to reading. This game makes it easy and fun to learn those words. I simply can't praise this game enough." —Molly Harrington

Get it from Amazon for $12.99.

Promising review: "I ordered this lamp because of its appearance. I didn't NEED...but it has totally filled a void in my life I didn't know existed. Everyone who sees it pokes it. The lamp is actually very functional. It's got a really nice set of brightness options and the glow is yellowish, which is much nicer than white in a dim/dark room. One thing that isn't mentioned in the description is that its legs are utterly floppy. It's terrific." —Literated

Get it from Amazon for $14.39 (also available in four other very cute designs).

Check out one way to style them on TikTok!

Promising review: "The second these are out of the laundry, they're on my feet. The slouchy look is so cute and paired with a white tennis shoe — it’s my favorite thing to wear on my feet. They’re so comfortable, very soft, and they don’t leave marks on your legs like most such a socks do from being too tight." —Elisa

Get a three-pack from Amazon for $21 (available in three color combinations).

Choo Mee is a small biz based in Northern California and owned by a mom!

Promising review: "This is a wonderful item!! My grandson is getting so independent and wanted to walk around with his applesauce or other squeezable pouches, but I couldn't allow him to because of the mess!! These toppers have solved the problem!! He gets to be independent and I don't have the mess!! The one way valve prevents him from squeezing it out everywhere yet he can suck it out without any difficulty. Great product!!" —Lydia

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in five color combos).

Promising reviews: "I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the product. It matches my other closet accessories perfectly and organizes the shirts and sweaters I wanted. This is a durable and sturdy item that I believe will last for a long time and was worth the price." —JubalsArt

"Worth the money. Absolutely love these. Stay in place, easy to install." —K. Black

Get them from Amazon for $17.99.

It's from a small, Brooklyn-based business that specializes in low-waste, minimal-chic home goods.

Promising reviews: "This worked great! It only took about 30-40 minutes to de-pill a cashmere sweater I got as a present that I stopped wearing around people because of how bad it was starting to look. A knitted sweater took a bit longer because it had a hood and a basic design, closer to 50 minutes, but well worth the effort. (It may be kinda obvious but I'm going to mention it because it took me a few minutes: follow along the yarn. Up and down if knitted. Side to side, or turn the fabric sideways, for purled.) I haven't used it on any crocheted pieces yet but I hope it'll work just as well!" —ChrisKayle

"It works! I was able to get most of my dog's fur off the car mats and seats. It’s so small and easy to use. I’m happy with my purchase." —Ariana Bolainez

Get it from Day Off Day on Etsy for $13.

Check 'em out on TikTok!

Promising review; "These are just the cutest little candles and ever so summery! Their size, appearance, and scent are just like real strawberries. Perfect as little take-home favors or decorations for a backyard picnic!" —M. Milton

Get a set of eight from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two colors).

I don't even wear eyeshadow and this glitzy blue is tempting me....

Promising review: "I love this glitter eyeshadow. I used to use Stila and this is so much more affordable and easy to spread without spotting. Definitely recommend getting all the shades, it is worth it for a pop of shimmer." —beautyandbeast

Get it from Amazon for $6 (available in 11 shades).

The reviews used in this post have been edited for length and clarity.