It's not easy finding the right gift for everyone on your list, especially if you've got a lot of people to buy for, so today we're taking a look at gifts small and large—from under $10 to the over $50 set—perfect for the life-hacking loved one on your list (even if that's you). To make things a bit easier, our gift guide is sorted by price range so that you can browse gifts depending on what you're looking to spend (from office gift to special someone), and if you're quick, most of these gifts should make it to your doorstep well before the 25th.

Office Gift/Stocking Stuffer: Under $10

• Book Darts ($2): Quit dog-earing your books and keep a secure hold on where you left off with these simple page markers. (Buy) (Read more)
• Power Strip Space Saver ($2.50): Squeeze more from your power strip with this simple and smart breakout extension cord designed specifically for your power strip. (Buy) (Read more)
• Goo Gone ($4): Get sticky crap off just about anything with minimal effort with this tried and true favorite. You can pay $4 for the small bottle, or just shell out an extra $2 to get the giant 32 oz. bottle. (Buy) (Read more)
• Rite in the Rain All-Weather Notebooks ($4 and up): Pull out your notebook with impunity for the elements with a Rite in the Rain water-resistant notebook, perfect for the outdoorsy type looking for a new hipster PDA. (Buy) (Read more)
• Cable Yo-Yo ($5): Corral your tangled mess of gadget cords, from headphones to chargers, with the Cable Yo-Yo. (Buy) (Read more)
• Compact Field Tweezers ($6): Get out the nastiest of slivers and beef up your killer go bag with these useful, pocket-sized tools. (Buy) (Read more)
• Credit Card Survival Multi-Tool ($6): It's a can opener, screw driver, knife, ruler, cap opener, wrench, saw, and more all packed into a credit card form factor that'll fit (albeit snugly) in your wallet. (Buy) (Read more)
• Smart Clipper/MagicClip ($7): Staplers are so old fashioned, and these reusable clips promise to hold your papers together without stabbing any holes in them. Handy. (Buy) (Read more)
• Coin-Sized Pocket Screwdriver ($9): These little coin-sized screwdrivers do the screw-driving work of the quarter, dime, and penny but are actually made with that idea specifically in mind, which means variable thickness and perfect fits. (Buy) (Read more)

Family Gift Exchange and Friends: $10 - $25

• DaysAgo Digital Day Counter ($10): Keep track of how long those leftovers have been sitting in the fridge or how long since you watered the plants with these simple LED day times. Just stick one to anything you want to keep track of and forget it. (Buy) (Read more)
• Indestructable Pelican Micro Case ($10 and up): Stick your most prized gadget in one of these nearly indestructable waterproof cases and hit the slopes with one of these hardcore hardshell cases capable of withstanding the weight of a 5,000 pound truck. (Buy) (Read more)
• Wine Wedge ($10): Build a minimalist wine rack of any size or shape with the remarkably sturdy Wine Wedge. It may be neon, but that doesn't mean it's not effective. (Buy) (Read more)
• Doorganizer ($15): Keep your keys, outgoing mail, and anything else that might be handy by the door with the door-hanging Doorganizer pouch. (Buy) (Read more)
• Spotlight ($15): Not making the most of your car's cigarette lighter outlets? These little rechargeable LED flashlights power up by plugging directly into your car's cigarette outlets. (Buy) (Read more)
• BookGem ($15): Read hands-free with this portable book pedestal that promises to prop open any book, no matter how small or large, and keep those pages spread so you can read while you finish your lunch, you multi-tasker, you. (Buy) (Read more)
• Leatherman Micra ($17): Of course everyone extols the virtues of the Leatherman, but it you've got a little less pocket space, this junior version is smaller than most pocket knives but still packs that famous Leatherman punch. (Buy) (Read more)
• USBCELL Rechargeable Batteries ($20): If you devour AA batteries like they're going out of style, these handy little fellas will charge up by plugging directly into your computer's USB ports with a brialliant flip-up design. They save energy, reduce waste, and impress friends and co-workers. (Buy) (Read more)
• Collapsible Measuring Cups ($25): Give that special cook in your life more streamlined cabinets with these space-saving collapsible measuring cups. (Buy) (Read more)

Close Friends and Immediate Family: $25 - $50

• Water-resistant USB Thumb Drive ($25 and up): Stick this thumb drive on your keychain or belt loop and thumb your nose at mother nature with this water- and shock-resistant drive. Comes in 512MB to 4GB sizes (Buy) (Read more)
• Solar Battery Charger ($30): Recharge your batteries like God does plants: with the power of the sun. Handles anything from AAA to D. (Buy) (Read more)
• Inflight USB Power Unit ($35-$45): Entertain yourself during the crappy in-flight movie without fear of losing your juice with this brilliant little gadget that powers your gear via the headphone jack of commercial airplanes. (Buy) (Read more)
• Griffin Elevator Laptop Stand ($40): Elevate your laptop to a more appropriate height for use with an external keyboard like your Synergy controlled keyboard with Griffin's attractive and portable laptop elevator. As an added bonus, all that air between your laptop and your desk means a cooler-running computer. (Buy) (Read more)
• Under-the-Desk Pedal Exerciser ($40): Keep in shape at your desk without going all out and building a full-on Treadputer with this under-the-desk bicycle exerciser. (Buy) (Read now)

Those Special Someones: $50 and Up

• ProClip Car Mounts ($50 and up): Mount your gadgets in your car with ProClip's excellent (but spendy) car mounts and gadget clips. The price tag may be high, but these mounts are built to fit specific makes and models so you won't end up playing catch the iPod while you're screaming down the freeway. (Buy) (Read more)



• Wi-Fire Range Extender ($80): Snag a strong Wi-Fi signal from across the neighbourhood with this powerful uni-directional Wi-Fi signal booster. (Buy) (Read more)



• Eye-Fi Wireless Camera Upload Card ($100): Wirelessly and automatically sync photos to your computer and upload pics to your Flickr account without plugging your camera into your computer with the 2GB Eye-Fi SD memory card. This one was at the top of my list this year. (Buy) (Read more)

This guide is mostly a compilation of stuff we liked and covered from this year, so obvious gift ideas like a shiny new moleskine aren't on the list, but hopefully our life-hacking gift guide provided you with a few ideas for your holiday shopping list. Got anything you'd kill to add to this year's gift guide, or have first-hand experience with any of these products? Let's hear about it in the comments.

Adam Pash is a senior editor for Lifehacker who relishes a good productivity gadget. His special feature Hack Attack appears every Wednesday on Lifehacker AU.

Tags: feature | gift giving | holidays | top