“Bulk” Gift Ideas – Updated for 2024!

Shopping for distant relatives, teachers, bus drivers, colleagues, mail carriers, dog sitters etc? Here are some gift ideas that you can buy multiples of to save you time and help check people off your list quickly! I like to call this “batch” shopping – effective and efficient. Boom.

I know I struggle with this every year, and never know what to get the people who deserve a kind holiday gesture, but I don’t know well enough to buy them a super personalized (and extravagant) gift. The ideas on this list are thoughtful and affordable, and are nice and “tangible” if you want to step away from the generic gift card game.

Most of these are under $15 each, and would delight any recipient. Put a pretty bow on it and call it a day. You can easily shop for 3, 4, or more people in one (budget friendly) swoop. Some of these deals are valid today, and are subject to change, however most of these sites (and Rakuten) offer new deals regularly – so keep an eye out.

(this post contains affiliate links – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases )

Leather Heart Bookmarks

Here’s the breakdown:

Some colors are 20% off! Get a 6 pack for under $8. Perfect for teachers!

West Elm – Chenille Throw Blanket

Here’s the breakdown:

4 Blankets x $39 currently on sale for $19 = $76

Minus 15% off for signing up for West Elm emails = $64.60 ($16.15 each)

Oreo White Fudge Covered Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Holiday Gift Tin

It reeealy doesn’t get easier than this, does it? Great for stocking stuffers, teacher presents, gift exchanges, and more. Everyone’s favorite fudge-dipped cookie will brighten the holidays for family, friends, and colleagues, or just for yourself!

“Hector” Face Planter (how cute would this be with a succulent?!)

Here’s the breakdown:

4 Planters x $14 = $56

Minus Rakuten deals (ever changing): today’s deal is 20% off 3+ items, plus 1% cash back. (if you are new to Rakuten you can earn an additional $10 bonus when you sign up with this link)

$56 minus 20% = $44.80, and 1% cash back = $44.35 ($11.08 each)

And – you can get succulents here for around $12 minus 4% back with Rakuten = $11.52

Total (net) for 4 planters with live succulents = $55.87 (13.96)

Geode State Ornaments

Here’s the breakdown:

4 Ornaments x $15 = $60

Minus $5 for signing up for emails = $55 ($13.75 each)

The Original Chapstick Holder Keychain, New Cute Design Neoprene Lip Balm Keychain Holder

Another fabulous, unique, and super cheap idea are these chapstick holders. At under $2 each you can’t go wrong. It’s totally practical and completely adorable. Pair it with a fun chapstick like these s’mores collection lip balms or your favorite lip smackers, and you have yourself a 6-pack of gifts for under $20.

Mercury Glass Ornament Candle

Here’s the breakdown:

4 Candles x $9.99 = $39.96

Minus 1% Cash Back from Rakuten = $39.56

(if you are new to Rakuten you can earn an additional $10 bonus when you sign up with this link) = $29.56 ($7.39 each)

Vintage Refillable Travelers Notebook Writing Journal

This is such a beautiful and thoughtful gift for any teacher, writer, young adult, mother…well, just about anyone. Pair it with a fun set of colored pens like these, and you have created the heartfelt gift of self reflection. How perfect!

Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker

Paired with the below mug (of course!)

Coffee Maker ($14.99) plus Mug ($5.00)

Buy 4 of each for $79.96

Minus 1% back from Rakuten = $79.16 (or $19.79 per set)

*They have smaller pour over coffee makers like this one for as low as $9.99 if you want to bring down the cost. Or substitute a tea infuser like this one for around $5.00).

5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!)

Do you have a bunch of nieces and nephews on your list? Or maybe neighbors, cousins, or other miscellaneous youth you are struggling to shop for? Here is an easy peasy, and educational (bonus!) great idea.

Handmade – Bacon & Bourbon Soy Wax Jar Candle

Here’s the breakdown:

4 Handmade Candles x $16.95 = $67.80

Minus 3% Cash Back from Rakuten (on Amazon Handmade items) = $65.76 ($16.44 each)

Vera Bradley Women’s Iconic Zip ID Case

This is a classic. Pretty and practical. Some of the colors/patterns are as low as $9 – pair it with a $10 gift card to their favorite coffee shop, and ta-da! A lovely gift for under $20.

The Body Shop Coconut Festive Picks Small Gift Set

This 5-piece deliciously scented gift set is on sale right now for under $12!! How wonderful would this be to someone who deserves a little pampering? And totally affordable for you!


If you haven’t used Rakuten yet (formerly ebates) you are missing out!! You can earn an additional $10 bonus when you sign up with this link (and I get a bonus too, so thank you in advance my friend!), and you can get automatic cash back at soo many stores. I have the browser button installed so anytime I hit a website that has a Rakuten offer it blinks at me so I don’t forget – love it!

How I got my child to love reading!

They say “reading is fundamental”, and the benefits are beyond measure – especially in children. To name a few, reading exercises the mind, fuels imagination, and nurtures communication skills. It can exponentially broaden our vocabulary, and teach us all about the world in which we live.

(this post contains affiliate links – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases )

According to Google, almost 130 MILLION books have been published in modern history (you can read more about that here). That’s pretty incredible!

In our household, we really value reading (and education in general), so any activity that encourages reading is extremely important. Some kids learn to read quickly, and it becomes a natural and beloved part of their daily routine. For others, not so much.

Some children learn at different speeds. Sometimes the pressures of school are more than they can digest and reading becomes stressful, and sometimes a dreaded chore. We have experienced both sides of this spectrum, and in both cases found so much value and enrichment in audio books.

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How it came to be: For several years I had a long – MISERABLE – commute to work. It was 1.5 hours of driving each way (public transportation and telecommuting were not options at that time). As a way to keep up my productivity, and maintain my sanity, I turned to audio books. I would crank out 2-3 books per week just sitting in the car. I used a few free apps that were connected to my public library account, but Audible by far had the best selection of great books. If you are interested in a subscription, you can try it out for free here (also a great gift idea!).

Right now Audible is having a promotion to save 53% on your membership for the first 3 months. Check it out here!

Anyway, when one of my kids was really struggling with reading (resistant and frustrated), it struck me – what about Audiobooks? I wondered if Audiobooks would supplement (or maybe even replace) his required 30 minutes of nightly reading homework. Would the teachers support this strategy? Would this help his reading comprehension and make it more enjoyable?

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I did a lot of research, and to my relief the answers to all of my questions were an enthusiastic “YES!”. The teachers absolutely loved this idea and supported it 100%. Everything I researched and read supported audiobooks and raved about the benefits. As far as I’m concerned, an audio book compared to no book wins every single time. Here are some fascinating studies on this topic for your reference:

My son would frequently listen to the Audiobook while reading along with the physical book. This was the best of both worlds and his entire outlook toward reading dramatically improved right away. And as a bonus, it was easier for me to track his progress in the audio book compared to me asking him “how many pages did you read?”.

There were no more fights, meltdowns, or tears. Audiobooks transformed his frustration and torture (his word, not mine) into an enjoyable escape. He happily snuggled up in a chair – a book in one hand, headphones in the other. It was a success story for both of us, and set the stage for healthy reading habits going forward. *cue the sigh of relief*

When I was commuting and listening to my own books, I was a bit oblivious to the selection of books for kids. There are so so many wonderful options – some of which are pretty mainstream, lots are classics, a few have been made into movies, and the choices are endless. Some even have celebrity narrators – how cool is that?!

Here are a few of our family favorites to get you started (beloved by my 9 year old book worm) . All of the books below are available on Amazon / Audible, and most (maybe all) are free with an Audible Free Trial. If these options are not age appropriate for your child, check out the website where they have hunderds (maybe thousands) of options for younger and older children alike. You might enjoy listening as a family, especially on long car rides (pro parenting tip right there!).

I hope you will give this approach a try – for your reluctant reader, as well as your book worm. It’s a win win for everyone. Enjoy 🙂


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Best Holiday Gifts For Everyone on your list (under $25)

Looking for inspiration? Here are some really fun and unique gifts under $25! You should be able to find something for just about anyone on your list, and everything is on Amazon.com!

This post contains affiliate links – view full disclaimer here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.

Shortcuts:

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Need more ideas?

If you are looking for gifts from companies that do good in the world (who doesn’t love that!), you can find some great ideas here. All of these products support organizations or efforts that help the earth and the people who live on it and love it ❤

Holiday Hosting Essentials on Amazon

Here are some fabulous finds to add to your Holiday hosting repertoire! Some of these will make great gifts too, and all are available on Amazon.com.

(This post contains affiliate links – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases )

Amazon Basics 18-Piece White Kitchen Dinnerware Set

This classic dinnerware set can easily be dressed up or dressed down to match your party theme. In fact, these are great dishes for everyday use too, and they stack really easily in your cabinets!

To save on space, the round-shaped dinnerware set offers a conveniently stackable design. Not only can each place setting be neatly stacked together, with the mug fitting inside the bowl, but the plates and bowls can also be stacked together for easy storage!

They are freezer, microwave, oven (up to 572 degrees) and dishwasher save.


Instant Pot 7-in-1

Oh the Instant Pot – how we adore you! If you still don’t have one of these magical dinner machines, please do yourself a favor and grab one ASAP! Not only is it a pressure cooker, but also a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, saute, yogurt maker, and warmer – all wrapped into a lovely appliance.

If you need a recipe book to go with it, here are a few on Amazon that you may like:

PS – These would also make a great gift!


Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids

I don’t know about you, but I can find endless uses for good ‘ole stainless mixing bowls. These are essential throughout the year, and are dishwasher, freezer, and refrigerator safe. Think of how great these would be to help your cookie-making, leftover keeping, and recipe prepping.


Fitz and Floyd Stemless Wine Glass Set of 6

These beautiful stemless glasses will add instant glam to your Holiday gathering. I just love the hammered look and they are dishwasher safe (hooray!). Stemless glasses are so much more practical than the tall delicate stemmed options. They are sturdier, and less likely to break (especially when jamming them into the dishwasher). These would also make a lovely gift!


Wilton Peppermint-Flavored Candy Cane Candy Spoon

Oh the possibilities! These are super (duper) cute and functional all by themselves. Or, if you want to jazz them up a bit you can dip, decorate, and sprinkle any way you like! How much fun would these be on your Hot Chocolate bar?


WoodWick Oatmeal Cookie Hearthwick Ellipse Candle

Add a cozy touch to your decor with these natural, clean burning, crackling wick candles. The one shown is Oatmeal Cookie (HELLO!) which is sure to fill your home with a nostalgic and comfy greeting to your guests. These are made by Yankee Candle Company, so you know the quality is great and the scent will be authentic.


Christmas Party – Photo Booth Props Kit 

Real talk – Photo booth props are always fun! They add a festive touch to your gathering, and help capture memories that will be enjoyed for years to come.


Poo Pourri Merry Shpirtzmas Before You Go Spray

Poo~Pourri’s aromatherapy magic replaces embarrassment with confidence in any bathroom situation. Essential for dinner guests and overnight guests during the holidays!

It’s also available as a Bow & Go gift box which would be a great addition to your “welcome” basket for any out-of-town guests.


Beautiful Boards: 50 Amazing Snack Boards for Any Occasion

This beautiful book is packed with ideas and inspiration for easy, sophisticated, and whimsical platters. I am obsessed with appetizers and these are begging me to dive in! Sometimes you want to welcome your guests with a fabulous spread of snacks, and sometimes the party is designed for everyone to graze their way through the evening. Easy and impressive, and so delicious!


Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System

Pot Luck anyone? These baby crockpots are perfect for keeping apps, soups, chili, sides, or anything else on your menu warm. They are connectable, so you can have several of these lined up on your buffet! Hostess level = expert!


Large Porcelain Embossed Rectangular Platter, Serving Plates

I think these speak for themselves. White serving platters. Get a bunch for your turkey, sides, cookies – I think I’ll display a gingerbread house on one of these too!


Kitchen Towels – Absorbent White Dish Towels

Flour sack towels are sturdy, highly absorbent, dry quickly, and are designed to stand up to most any cleaning job; Set of 12 provides plenty of towels to handle all your household cleaning / cooking / baking needs.


Set of 4 Reusable Silicone Baking Mats

These silicone Macaron baking mats can withstand temperatures from -40° F to 480° F in appliances such as an oven, a microwave oven, a freezer, a dishwasher. It comes in handy when baking cookies, macaroons, bread, pizza, brioche,etc. and makes cleanup a breeze! These are a MUST for your holiday cookie baking!


Looking for gift ideas?


Rothys – Points vs Flats

This post is an honest review (my own opinion) of two styles of Rothys.

This post also contains affiliate links. If you use my referral code, or purchase from my link, there is no additional cost to you, and I will receive a small discount on my next pair (thank you very much in advance!).

If you’re not familiar with the brand, I highly recommend reading about who they are, and what they do, on their website here. It’s truly inspiring! To sum it up (in their own words):

At Rothy’s, we create beautiful, comfortable, washable shoes—sustainably. To date, we’ve transformed over 45 million plastic water bottles into stylish flats. And that’s just the beginning.

Don’t you love that?! You can probably begin to see why they are so special (if you didn’t already know), and why they have a cult following of passionate fans in love with their shoes. They check ALL. THE. BOXES. They are a bit of an investment, but will absolutely last for YEARS, and after proper washing come out looking perfect and brand new. How many cheap pairs of shoes have we all bought just to add to the landfill a few months later? Rothy’s breaks this cycle, and one pair of Rothy’s will easily last for many years to come. The classic styles will always be relevant too.

Their product line includes several styles, each with a unique personality, which (for me anyway) makes it really hard to decide which to purchase. I really had the hardest time, and hemmed and hawed over it for weeks (literally).

They are all just so perfect in their own special way.

Full disclosure about me and my decision making process –

I work from home 90% of the time. I have a regular corporate job which I do from the comfort of my home (and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to have this flexibility). Because of this, my work attire is usually “athleisure” in nature (at best). Let’s be honest, most days I wear glorified pajamas. I’m not proud of this, but I don’t see anyone and I really (really!) appreciate comfort. Not sorry!

So obviously I don’t wear dressy shoes very often. Occasionally I do travel for work, and need to scrounge up my finest “business casual” attire, and sometimes even a suit (ugh!). I had to travel for business this week, and this is where my Rothys adventure started. I needed comfortable, but cute and professional shoes.

I’m usually the DSW Clearance Rack kind of shopper, and let’s be honest, Rothys are a bit pricey compared to the discount stores to which I am accustomed. I had a Visa gift card in my wallet just waiting for a splurge, and if these shoes are comfortable, good for our precious earth, and cute (and did I mention comfortable), then I felt confident spending my closely guarded gift money on a pair.

I’ve seen the commercials. I’ve read the blogs. I was convinced I needed these shoes in my life. They are EVERYTHING I was looking for. Real grown up shoes, helping the earth one water bottle at a time (fun fact: they have recycled over 45 MILLION water bottles to date – wowzers). If they are good enough for Mother Earth and Meghan Markle, then they are plenty good enough for me!

Decision time –

From the start I really loved The Point. To me, it’s a little more formal than The Flat, and it has a beautiful silhouette. I was concerned that The Flat was too casual for what I needed. This was the easy decision for me.

So what color? This was the hard part. I love the animal prints, bold colors, stripes, and camo, but I’m also a practical person, and I sometimes struggle with pulling together an outfit. I need to keep it simple. If I’m going to invest in these shoes, they need to work with most of my existing wardrobe. As much as I would adore hot pink shoes, it’s just not something I would be able to wear often (especially since I don’t wear dress clothes frequently to begin with). After spending what seemed like forever debating color choices, I confidently decided on Cloud Grey Birdseye.

To save a bit more, I used a friends referral code for $20 off my first pair (my code is here if you need one!) and I used my Rakuten (formerly ebates) account for additional cash back (here is my Rakuten referral code – help yourself to a bonus!!).

If you sign up for Rakuten with my referral link, (FOR FREE HERE), you can get a $10 bonus (and sometimes it’s $20, $30, and even $40 depending on season and promotions), and I get a bonus too! Yay for win win.

Side note: The other thing I love about Rakuten is that you can add the “cash back” button to your Google Chrome browser, and it gives you a little reminder when you visit a site that qualifies for rewards.

Back to Rothys – I normally wear a 9-9.5, so I confidently ordered a size 10 based on my research. Within a week I had my beautiful new shoes. Initial reaction: wow, they are SO soft! And the 10 fit beautifully – yay!

12/1/22 Update – over the past few years I have accumulated quite the collection of Rothy’s. Turns out I wear a size 11 in points!!! Say what???? Trust me, size up, then size up some more. They do not stretch. Over time they shrink a bit. Size upppp! I’ve had to sell and re-buy most of mine due to not sizing up enough to begin with.

Now that I had received my practical yet fancy points, I really wanted a fun colorful pair too. I referred a few friends and earned some credits toward another pair ($60 worth!!), and I had a little of my gift money leftover, so I had no hesitations about investing in a second pair. I had my eye on the Fig Python flats, so I knew those would be my next pair. This time I ordered a 9.5, and I must say they fit perfectly! I was so happy with them, and they didn’t look “too casual” so I could still wear them with Business Casual attire.

These would also be perfect for weekends, running errands, going out to dinner…whatever. I really think I’ll get a lot of miles out of these babies!

I recently went on a 3 day business trip, and I was soo excited to wear my new shoes (maybe a little too excited, not sorry). Comfort is EVERYTHING to me, and when my feet hurt I am simply miserable and can’t focus on anything else. I knew my Rothys would not let me down….right?

Points vs Flats –

Day 1 of my business trip I wore the points for the very first time out of the house. Overall, they were extremely comfortable – far beyond the comfort of any flats I have previously owned. By the end of the day I was really ready to take them off though.

Maybe my feet are too tender from sitting in my house and not wearing shoes all day every day, but my heel was starting to feel an annoying rub, and my little toe was a bit squished. To clarify, this was nothing painful, and I have ZERO REGRETS about buying these, but after 10 hours I was done. The shoes themselves don’t require an actual break-in period, but I think my feet do.

The next day I wore my purple flats for the first time.

I must say that my feet never ached, pinched, throbbed, or rubbed – not once. I wore them for a FULL 10 hour work day, then out to dinner with colleagues, and they were wonderful!!

They were so great, that I wore them again the next day for a full day of work, then to the Airport to catch a flight home (a total of about 15 hours including a lot of walking) – no problems, no misery – holy moly where have these been all my life?!!

I fully expected to love my points to no end, but I think I’m actually a flats girl now. There were truly heavenly and I absolutely recommend them! I really like my points too, but the flats really wowed (and surprised) me.

Next up? I’m diving into drivers like a crazy person. I have 3 pair on the way (not even kidding!!!).

If you would like to give Rothys a try, you are welcome to use my $20 off link for your first pair. Full disclosure – I will also receive a $20 credit if you use it – so thank you tons in advance xo).

Don’t forget to sign up for Rakuten first, then launch Rothy’s through Rakuten to maximize your savings!


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