🎁 2023 Holiday Gift Guide

Last year's gift guide was a huge hit, so I put together this list of 50+ of my favorite products, gifts, past purchases and more. Hopefully some of them might make good ideas for gifts this holiday season. I've broken everything into the following sections:

• 🏡 Home & Food
• 🧑‍🔧 Tech & Gear
• 👕 Clothes & Bags
• 🏃 Health & Fitness
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family & Kids
• 📖 Books & Learning
• 💰 Saving Money When You Shop

Please know that none of the products or services I included below have paid to be included in the list, however some of them are sponsors of our podcast (probably because most of my sponsors were a result of me reaching out to them after loving their products).

Additionally, some of the links below are my affiliate links, so if you don’t find a better price elsewhere, I’d obviously appreciate you clicking them.

Finally, If you’re in the spirit of giving, the best gift I could ask for is simply sharing this email or the podcast with someone you think might enjoy it. Thanks so much and happy holidays!

🏡 Home & Food

• Coravin (← 30-40%): There are plenty of nights we want a glass of wine, but we don’t really want to finish a bottle and thanks to the Coravin we can do that! It’s a device with a small, hollow needle that pierces through the cork and let’s you pour out wine, replacing the space it took up with Argon gas, which keeps your wine fresh for a future day.

• Anyday Cookware (← 15% off): After interviewing Chef David Chang (ep 122), I was convinced to start cooking more in the microwave and haven’t look back. We’ve made David's Salmon Rice countless times and it’s great every time. I’m also a big fan of David’s book Cooking at Home, which would also make a great gift. Our subscribers can get 15% off Anyday here (or you can get 20% if you're a member).

• OXO Bench Scraper: We use this all the time in our kitchen (thanks to Lenny Rachitsky for the recommendation) and even have a non-metal one too, which is a bit more delicate when scraping kids messes off our wood dining room table.

• Ember Mug (← 17% off): I think we’ve gifted an ember mug half a dozen times now and have two in our kitchen. They’re fantastic at keeping a coffee warm all morning and their customer service is fantastic.

• Zalto Denk'Art Universal Wine Glass: These aren’t cheap, but we were gifted a set of them a few years ago and we absolutely love them. It seems crazy, but just like this skeptical Bon Appetit writer, I think wine does taste better out of them.

• Trade Coffee (← 30% off): Based on the smile that shows up on Amy’s face every time she opens up our Trade Coffee subscription, I feel confident saying that this would make an amazing gift for any coffee lover. Each delivery they’ll get a new curated bag of coffee beans from the top independent roasters around the country. You can get your first bag free AND up to 30% off here.

• Paprika App (← 40% off): I’ve mentioned this app multiple times, because I think it’s the best way to organize recipes and family meal planning. However, it’s a bit pricy, so it could make a great gift. Not to mention you could curate all your favorite recipes and share the export so whoever you gift it to starts off with a whole list of amazing recipes loaded in.

• Death & Co Cocktail Books: If you know someone who likes cocktails and books that look great on a coffee table, then any of the Death & Co. books would make a fantastic gift. My favorite is Cocktail Codex, which focuses on six “root cocktails” you can master that give you the knowledge you need to make so many more.

🧑‍🔧 Tech & Gear

• Standing Desk: With so many of us working from home, it’s such a nice luxury to have a standing desk in my home office. They used to be so expensive, but Uplift Desk (which I have) is a reasonably priced option that feels very well built. However, last weekend Amy picked up a Tresanti standing desk from Costco and it’s fantastic too.

• Sense Energy Monitor (← 20% off): After doing an episode on Home Energy (ep 135), I was so excited to dive into the data from our Sense and figure out how we can be more efficient. While it might not be as great as the Span electrical panel, the Sense is about 1% of the price, so I’m still happy.

• Lutron Caséta Dimmers: I’ve played around with a lot of smart home devices over the years, but none have worked more consistently or stood the test of time than our Lutron Caseta lights switch/dimmers. Despite not being on sale, I still highly recommend them!

• Samsung Frame TV (← 20% off): I’m not one for fancy TVs and the last 3-4 we’ve bought have all been inexpensive TCL Roku TVs, but last week we bought a Samsung Frame TV and we love it. With the matte display and a teak bezel, it really does look like Art instead of a TV, which is a welcome change for our living room. The Black Friday deals on Samsung’s website right now are great, but they’re even better when you stack them with an “employee discount”, which you can get if you find someone with access to PerksAtWork or PerkSpot. Even better, you can stack the discount with: Rakuten for 5% cash back and if you Live Chat with Samsung they’ll offer you a free 2 year warranty OR free mounting (my choice).

• Shokz Headphones (← 15-30% Off): These are my new favorite wireless headphones for running or any other time where I actually want to be a little more aware. That’s because they’re open-ear, so you can hear what’s going on around you or in my case, actually have a conversation with Amy when we’re on a run together. We’ve been using the OpenRun Pro and OpenFit for almost 6 months and love both of them.

• AirTags (← 20% off): Now that we have kids and end up checking bags on every trip, I always make sure to keep an AirTag in every checked bag. I haven’t had to use them to locate a lost bag yet (and I hope I never have to), but it’s so comforting to be able to see that your bags made it on the plane or to your destination before they come off the carousel.

👕 Clothes & Bags

• Vuori (← 20% off): They make the most amazing performance apparel that’s ridiculously comfortable (seriously Amy and I are basically wearing it every single day). My favorites are the Sunday Performance Joggers, Kore Shorts and Strato Tech Tee, but you really can’t go wrong with anything they make. Also, you can get 20% off your first order here.

• Patagonia Nano Puff: This is a go-to jacket for our family. It’s incredibly warm, not bulky and packs down to nothing – so it’s easy to take everywhere. They’re also easy to wash which comes in handy with two little kids.

• Arizona Waterproof Birkenstocks: Amy has several pairs of these and their wearability is super versatile. I’ve seen her wear them to the park, beach, brunch, pool, gardening, and running errands. They’re waterproof, easy to clean, super comfortable, and budget friendly. She’s a huge fan and we also have a pair for the kids as well.

• Stance Socks (← 40% off): We’ve tried so many sock brands and Stance socks are incredible. So many other brands wear out quick, but these are durable, ultra comfy, and come in a lot of great colors/patterns. Perfect stocking stuffers.

• Fifty Fifty Gear (← 10% off): Their bags are amazing and are what we use whenever we’re going out with the kids. But the backstory here is amazing: one of the founders heard about unclaimed money from our podcast and discovered he was owed $5,000 that ended up using to help fund this company. So as a thanks, he set up the promo code ALLTHEHACKS so you can get 10% off.

• Dagne Dover Bags (← $20 off): I think Amy’s given Dagne Dover bags as a gift more than anything else. Her favorites are the Landon Carryall and the Dakota Backpack. There’s no sale (yet) but this is Amy’s referral link for $20 off. Update: 25% off for Black Friday

🏃 Health & Fitness

• Oura Ring (← up to $100 off): I’ve mentioned my Oura ring a lot, but it’s the one thing I wear every day to track sleep, workouts, heart rate and HRV (the Gen3 also tracks blood oxygen levels). They're not a sponsor (yet!), but they did send me this link for up to $100 off. Update: you can now use your FSA money for an Oura ring.

• Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity: I’m a huge fan of Peter Attia’s podcast and I had this book preordered the moment it was announced. It long, but I’m guessing we can all agree that time is one of our most valuable resources, so a book about getting more time is well worth the read!

• Henson Razor (← 100 Free Blades): After spending a few weeks shaving with a Henson Razor on one side of my face and a regular cartridge razor on the other I was a total convert. Not to mention it’s a gorgeous razor with blades that costs only $3-5/year, but you can get 100 free blades with this link (just don’t forget to add them to your cart).

• Levels (← $100 off): I learned so much about my metabolic health by wearing a continuous glucose monitor and tracking how my blood sugar reacted to different foods. Thankfully for me, it seems like cinnamon really limits blood sugar spikes from sugar, so I’ll be partaking in my fair share of pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes this week.

• Hydroflask: We have an entire shelf dedicated to our growing supply of these water bottles and use them daily (especially the 32oz Wide Mouth). In fact, we just got rid of all other water bottles in the house that aren’t Hydroflask. They also have great kids options too!

• Goodr Sunglasses: I love these sunglasses and somehow between Amy and I we must have at least 10 pairs. They’re polarized, stay on during a run and best of all, they’re only $25. My favorites are the OGs, but they have a few different styles and a seemingly unlimited selection of colors.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family & Kids

Family

• StoryWorth (← $10 off): If you’ve ever wanted to capture all the stories and memories from your loved ones, this is a great gift. Every week for a year, StoryWorth will email your loved one a single life-related question like: “What’s the bravest thing you've ever done?” or “What’s the farthest you’ve traveled?” Then they compile it all into a hard-cover book that you can pass down for generations to come. Get $10 off your first purchase here.

• Aura Photo Frame (← up to 22% off): Digital photo frames have been around for years, but I haven’t found one that works as seamlessly as Aura. It’s so easy for you and anyone else in the family to share pictures (or videos) with the frame you give someone. At this point everyone in our family now has an Aura frame and we’re constantly passing photos of the kids around to everyone.

• Escape Rooms: Ok, I love escape rooms. Amy and I have probably done at least 50 together and try to do the best room we can find in every city we visit. So if you’re looking for a fun activity for the family or a good gift, I highly recommend an escape room. And if you’re looking to find one, check out the Morty app, which let’s you search over 40,000 of them (thanks Drew and Carrie for sharing Morty)!

• Box One (← 20% off): A good friend of mine worked with Neal Patrick Harris to develop an amazing game called Box One. It’s a solo, one-player board game and I don’t really know how to explain it, but anyone you know likes puzzles or escape rooms they will love this (I know I did). The company behind it (Theory11) also sells the most amazing and beautiful playing cards in the world with collections ranging from Harry Potter to James Bond to Notorious B.I.G., there’s something for everyone, including this amazing Star Wars Box Set. If you want Box One or the Star Wars set you can use the code allthehacks23 for 20% off.

• Board Games: With two young ones, I haven’t gotten much time to play board games the past year, but I’m looking forward to playing some Coup and Codenames and Bohnanza with family during the holidays!

• DeleteMe: We’ve now gifted this to all of our parents, because it’s crazy how many sites are sharing your personal data (e.g. phone #, home address, relatives, email). It’s a huge pain to get them to take it all down, but DeleteMe will remove your info from hundreds of data broker sites. It might not be the most exciting gift, but I think it’s an amazing one for just about anyone. Get 20% off all DeleteMe plans here.

Kids

• Toniebox (← 30% off): Our girls wake up in the morning and immediately turn on stories from their Tonies box. They love this thing and it keeps them entertained for hours. The best part… it doesn’t involve a screen. If you get one, check out this episode to see how I used AI to make personalized Tonies stories about our family.

• Jellycat Stuffed Animals: Our girls’ favorite “friends” are their Jellycat plushies. They’re high quality, very soft and super huggable for any kid. They also have a great assortment of animals, foods, and more.

• Little Sleepies Jammies (← 30% off): These pjs are our girls favorite. They’re made from bamboo viscose so they’re super soft, breathable, and stretchy - lasting much longer than standard pjs. They also come in fun prints and colors that our girls love.

• Ookkie Kids Learner Skateboard (← 10% off): As a long-time skateboarder, it was so awesome to come across this skateboard and then watch our girls get excited to be skateboarding (including our 1-year old). I try to get them out on it as often as I can!

• Lovevery (← $20 off): We’ve had a subscription to Lovevery since our first daughter was born. Every few months they send award-winning, montessori-inspired toys to your home with a guide for exactly how to use them to help your child learn & grow. All their toys are designed by child development experts, well built and sustainably-made. Here’s my referral link for $20 off your subscription.

• Babyzen Yoyo: We love our Yoyo and have actually now bought it twice (we left the first one on the sidewalk and drove off by accident). It’s such a great travel stroller because it’s so durable and folds small enough to fit in the overhead bin.

• Nanit Baby Monitor (← 30% off): You probably need to know someone very well (or be married to them) to get them a Baby monitor as a gift, but the Nanit is such a great product that I feel like I need to include it on this list. Also, it’s an FSA eligible expense, so it’s great if you have FSA dollars to spend before year-end.

📖 Books & Learning

• If anyone in your family loves learning, you should obviously send them our podcast or newsletter :)

• Die with Zero: This book (and my subsequent interview with author Bill Perkins) had such a big impact on the way I think about life and money, that it had to be on the list. Highly recommend!

• Masterclass (← 2 for 1): I could spend hours watching all the amazing classes they have and I’m confident a membership makes a good gift, because I gave one to my dad and he loved it! There’s definitely something for everyone and you can get two memberships for the price of one here.

• Bucket List Journal: I had Ben Nemtin join me (ep 36) to talk about bucket lists, audacious goals and living the life you truly want. To help people actually achieve those goals, Ben wrote this awesome book to help you track your list, take tangible steps toward your goals, and ultimately achieve them.

I haven’t read these yet, but they’ve come highly recommended so I’m including them:

• When Breath Becomes Air: Sahil Bloom (a 3-time guest) told me this is his most gifted book and I’m really excited to read it.

• Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes: I’m a huge fan of Morgan Housel (loved Psychology of Money) and can’t wait to read his latest book that came out this month.

• Four Thousand Week: Time Management for Mortals: In a recent member event we discussed living a more fulfilling life and a top recommendation was this book, so it’s on my list to read soon too.

💰 Saving Money When You Shop

• Cash Back Portals: I always like to check CashBackMonitor to see the best way to earn cash back or points when shopping online, but more often than not I end up just using Rakuten, because it’s easier and you can earn Amex points. Even better, if you haven’t signed up for Rakuten yet, you can get $40 free after your first purchase here.

• Promo Codes and Offers: I feel like it’s gotten so hard to find a working promo code to use online. RetailMeNot used to be my go to, but it seems like every time I try to find a working promo code it fails. The tactic that seems to work much more often is using the live chat on a site to ask for a discount, so give that a try! Also, make sure to regularly check your Chase, Amex and Capital One offers, because there might be some deals on purchases you were already going to make. Also check out CardPointers Pro (← 30% off) to quickly register you for all the offers on all your cards).

• Gift Cards: Most online retailers don’t qualify for bonus points on credit cards, so while I could always earn 2x points on the Venture X (← 90k welcome bonus), I usually try to see if I can buy a gift card for the retailer somewhere I earn more points. My two go-to’s are buying them at the grocery store (for 4x points with the Amex Gold) or on Amazon (for 5% back with the Amazon Prime Visa).