23 Things That'll Upgrade Your Life For Less Than $5

Buzz Feed

13-02-2025

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
Shopping
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These products cost less than $5, but they'll feel like they're worth a lot more.
1. A velvety cream-to-powder Wet n Wild multi-stick to conceal, highlight, or contour. Pick a shade depending on your need, and then swipe away for a buildable and long-lasting color. Reviewers swear that you can also use them a lipstick, eyeshadow, or blush!
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review: "I absolutely love this product!! I've been using it about every day for the past almost two years, and it's easily become my favorite cream bronzer! I am a light-skinned gal with normal-dry skin, and I use the shade Oak's On You as a bronzer rather than a contour. Perfect shade, consistency, and texture and blends with NO problem. I find that while it does need some building up, I don't find that to be a bad thing if you are looking for a light wash of bronzer color on a light makeup day and/or can build it up enough to your liking without it being too much all at once. I will ALWAYS buy this product as long as it's still being made!" — Violet & Brandy
Get it from Amazon for $3.98 (more shades available here).
3. A pack of slow cooker liners that'll come in handy if you have a lot of hungry people to feed. With the disposable liners, you can cook different recipes at the same time, reducing your overall cooking time *and* saving you from having to wash a huge stack of dishes.
Amazon
PS: They also come in handy with dishes going into a water bath (think cheesecakes, custards, and puddings).
Promising review:"We constantly use our crockpot for easy meals. I'm a teacher and my husband is a firefighter, and it's just easy for our family of five. No real cleanup. I toss the bag in the trash after use and will just run a wet rag around the inside of the pot for good measure. Never have a problem with holes or burning." — Ashley Matthews
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $3.48.
4. A before-you-go toilet spray so your coworker is none the wiser when they enter the bathroom after you.
Amazon
5. Some Tide sink packets with the perfect amount of detergent to clean your sweaty T-shirts, and dirty undies. Rewear clothing instead of stuffing your suitcase with pieces you'll only wear once!
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"My husband and I travel often. If we go to Europe, we stay for at least a month. We stay longer to make the use of my airline reward points more valuable in seeing more cities and in seeing more places. Now retired, we can take our time in cities. We take minimal clothes and re-wear them. With these Tide travel packs, I can wash our clothes in the bathtub, use travel clothespins to hang and dry items, and even use a hair dryer to dry heavier items like jeans quickly. Always pack these Tide packs for all travel. They are especially great during hot times and hot temperature locations." — B Tatum
Get three packs from Amazon for $4.31.
6. A cruelty-free lengthening mascara because you're tired of mascaras that don't live up to their promises. This one won't let you down — I promise! It's lightweight, won't transfer, doesn't smudge, and lasts all day. Consider your expectations exceeded!
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review:"Love this mascara! I've used the 'best of the best' designer, super hyped, ultra-popular mascara available, and NOTHING compares to this stuff! I don't even bother using a lash curler anymore! I buy two at a time, so I always have a spare (yes, it's that good!!). I highly recommend this particular mascara... it goes on effortlessly, it lasts pretty much all day, and the price — I feel like I'm almost stealing it! I'd give it 10 stars if I could!!!" — Chulaboola & MCD
Get it from Amazon for $4.99.
7. Some acne patches for those days when a pimple pops up at the *worst* possible moment. Hydrocolloid, tea tree oil, and calendula oil are gentle on the skin while still drawing out fluids and pus from your pimple.
Promising review: "I've tried a few pimple patches, and they often work just 'fine.' Not particularly well, but better than just leaving a whitehead alone. Super stoked to say these work great for me — better than any other brand I've tried. I leave a patch on overnight, and I'm always impressed by how much gunk it pulls out by the morning. The only advice I have is to make sure your skin is dry when you put these on. Some other patches have decent adhesion even if your skin is still wet, but these become almost unstickable if your skin's not dry enough." — Jac
Get 30 round patches from Amazon for $4.88.
8. An interactive cat toy that'll appease your furry rulers and occupy them for a few hours...until they come howling for dinner.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I have a whole room filled with cat toys that my cat is not interested in. It's funny how the least expensive cat toy I have makes him go crazy. He plays with this until he's panting like a dog, and I have never seen him jump so high. I'm certain this toy will help him lose his belly. He loves it! I highly recommend it!" — Kwoo
Get it from Amazon for $3.99.
9. An exfoliating heel mask so you can soften and unglue those rock-hard calluses to reveal the soft, smooth skin underneath 'em.
Promising review: "This worked great! My heels were pretty badly cracked, and after about a week of using it (I did leave it on for the full hour), the skin began peeling off. After several days of peeling the cracks were all gone. I used one a few years ago on my whole foot. I liked that this one was just for the heels. You can't walk around once it's on, so get all set up in advance and plan on staying put before you put it on." — Sunnylaz
10. A pack of light-dimming stickers because bright alarm clocks and flashing electronics shouldn't distract you from sleep.
Promising review:"My wife hates all my gadgets in our room and how they do an excellent job at lighting it up. Between the constantly flashing red, blue, and green LEDs, it was hard for her to fall asleep and stay asleep, causing some not-so-nice mornings, if you know what I mean. LightDims was an inexpensive impulse purchase because, hey, why not? It may compel my wife to stop complaining and actually get some peaceful sleep. Well, I'm glad to announce that LightDims did the trick! I'm still able to monitor device activity at a glance without putting on a personal light show in the room. The LightDims adhere strongly and come in various shapes and sizes for convenience. It seems like they'd remove easily, although who would want to? I'd definitely recommend LightDims to anyone for use on all their devices!" — A. Williams
Get a sheet of more than 100 stickers of varying shapes and sizes on Amazon for $1.49.
11. A moisturizing saline gel if you're a drippy, sneezy mess thanks to allergies (me right now!) and are constantly blowing your nose, which has led to some not-infrequent nosebleeds (so fun!). Reviewers who use CPAP machines swear by this stuff, as do airplane travelers (dry airplane air!).
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "So thankful for this gel. Was having nosebleeds daily with the dry air and this stopped them! It doesn't make your nose feel sticky, and it's not really smelly. Easy to use. It was everything I needed." — Danica
Get it from Amazon for $3.62.
12. A pack of food spikes for plants that are in desperate need of a #glowup. These fertilizer spikes inject nutrients and nourishment into your plant's roots continuously.
Promising review:"Purchased flowers from a famous store near us, was disappointed when all the flowers and greenery were dying. I purchased these and put them in my pots, deep under the soil, and a good dose of water for a few days; within a week, the flowers and greenery burst into their best vibrant colors. A strong bump of growth. I was stunned the colors were so vibrant. They saved dying greenery and flowers." — Patzy
Get a pack of 50 spikes from Amazon for $2.59.
13. A double-sided scour pad that'll obliterate soap scum, limescale, hard water stains, pink mold and whatever else is gunking up your tub, tiles, shower, sinks, and other bathroom surfaces.
Promising review: "I don't know what this thing is made of or what is in it, but it works. I used it to clean my glass shower doors and it cleaned deep enough to go through layers of hard water stains. I used it on the shower fixtures and my large bathroom mirror. It is not worn out." — Lee
Get it from Amazon for $4.97.
14. A color-changing aloe vera lipstick so every time you swipe it on you're wearing *your* perfect shade. It magically adjusts hues depending on your temperature and your lip's pH and leaves behind a subtle sheen and a hydrating finish.
Promising review: "I'm so happy with these! They smell SUPER nice and clean. It goes on clear and smooth, is decently moisturizing, and it's not overly greasy. It gave me a nice pinkish-reddish tone, like my lips are two shades darker, and I love it! It looks very natural and perfect! PLEASE keep these in stock, I want to keep these forever! I applied once hours ago, and also applied a different clear lip balm over it later on, and I still have color even. It seems to last so long, even through eating and drinking. It doesn't smudge off and looks so cute! I'm so happy with these! I love the smell and the color so much! Much better and longer lasting than a lipgloss I had!" — Lin
Get it from Amazon for $3.99.
15. An adorable cat spoon to keep you company while you're sipping your cat-puccino.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"Bought these on impulse. They serve as great baby feeding spoons and to stir coffee." — Ricky
Get it from Amazon for $3.59.
16. A triangle powder puff because they'll give your skin that airbrushed look. You can use it with wet or dry products, but reviewers swear it's the secret to applying setting powder that isn't cakey and doesn't crease.
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review: "These thingies are so essential to your makeup routine. They make everything look so smooth when you set with the powder! It's a must." — Karla J
Get a two-pack from Amazon for $2.99.
17. A travel jewelry organizer if your current method for packing your jewelry is just dumping it all in a plastic bag and hoping for the best. (Just me?) This handy dandy case will keep your earrings, rings, and necklaces neat and organized.
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "This compact jewelry case is perfect for travel! It's small and lightweight, making it easy to pack in any suitcase or bag. The interior is thoughtfully designed with multiple compartments to keep my jewelry organized and tangle-free. The quality is excellent, and the material feels durable yet soft enough to protect delicate pieces." — Lourdes
Get it from Amazon for $4.50 (available in 13 colors).
18. A soap brow kit for anyone who wants to try this beauty trend they've seen all over TikTok. This method will help make your brows look thicker using just your existing hairs. And of course you can go in with a brow pen or powder to add even more fullness.
Promising review:"I can say I am very satisfied with this one. You just have to wet your brush with a fixing mist or water and then brush it on the soap and comb. Ultra-fixed brows all day! It's really the best thing for my brows; it keeps them the way that I like all day long. I'll use it every day. Easy to apply, easy to use." — Hadasa
Get it from Amazon for $4.99.
19. Some clear drawer organizers that'll bring some much-needed order to the chaos of your bathroom shelves and kitchen cabinets.
Amazon
Promising review: "I love this little organizer. I bought one to hold my weekly pack of daily contacts in a large drawer to keep them together instead of shifting around when I open the drawer. It was the perfect size and really nice quality for the price. I liked it so much that I bought a second one for a grouping of random pens I wanted to keep together in another drawer. Again, the perfect size. It does exactly what I need it to, and the price just cannot be beaten. I've already ordered this two separate times and will definitely keep buying if/when the need arises." — lishy
Get it from Amazon for $3.59+ (available in various sizes).
20. A soap saver dish so the expensive bar soap you treated yourself to isn't sitting in its wet juices all day. The slanted divots help liquid drain and allows for airflow under the bar, which helps extend the life of your soap *and* prevents the icky feeling of touching a soggy soap bar.
www.amazon.com, Amazon
Promising review: "I was pleasantly surprised at how nice these little soap holders are. They are more of a little pad than a 'soap dish': flexible and easy to put on the ledge in your shower or edge of the sink. They're designed to drain, so there isn't a water buildup under your soap bar; the water just drains off immediately. I liked the first ones so much, I ordered a second set." — Tam2dogs
Get a three-pack for $4.99+ (available in seven color combinations).
21. An exfoliating towel because reviewers with keratosis pilaris (aka "chicken skin" and "strawberry skin") swear it helps clear up those pesky reddish bumps.
www.amazon.com
22. A pill organizer if you could use a helping hand when it comes to consistently remembering to take your meds.
Promising review: "I got this to put my supplements in for when I travel. Love how cute and compact it is. It does come with a plastic pick to help you open the container if you have nails like me. I even use this to throw in my bag so when I forget to take my vitamins at home, I have it on me." — Clairessa Tessier
Get it from Amazon for $4.99+ (available in four colors).
23. An earbuds cleaning pen so you can stop listening to muffled podcasts and enjoy clear, crisp audio. This double-sided pen offers a sponge, brush, and metal tip (yeah, to scoop out that earwax...).
www.amazon.com
Promising review: "Wow! This is one handy and very sturdy little tool. I can see myself using it on many things, but I purchased it for AirPods. One of mine was not charging properly, and once I used the cleaner, it started making the connection again. The nib and brush really work well to get the gunk out of the ear pod speaker area, also. I'm very happy with this purchase. I don't usually write reviews. Also, it's very sturdy, not flimsy at all." — Joanna Davis
Get it from Amazon for $4.99.
These products once they come into your life:
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