A housewarming gift is one of those things you can’t skip. You never want to be the person who shows up empty-handed for any event, let alone the first time you visit a friend’s new home. 

But what makes a good housewarming gift, anyway? “It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be something lasting for the house,” says the first name in etiquette, the Emily Post Institute. “Possible gifts include guest towels, a houseplant, a patio or garden plant, glasses, dish towels, a picture frame, specialty foods like a great olive oil or preserves, or a cheeseboard and/or cheese knives.”

Don’t feel like you have to go the traditional route, though. Springing for a gift that you know a friend will use is good enough. And when all else fails, just give them booze or food.

Frantoi Cutrera Primo Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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$39.00

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Everyone needs olive oil, and it’s one of those pantry essentials that’s perfect for a housewarming gift. “Go to a specialty store and find one you like,” says Houston-based interior designer Lizzy Rose. “Not the bargain stuff from HomeGoods. I prefer olive oil from southern Italy — it’s strong and tasty. This is apparently also Tom Colicchio’s go-to gift as well.” This bottle hails from Sicily and claims it will transport diners to the Central Mediterranean. 

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Aperitivo

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$37.00

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It’s hard to beat a booze-based gift. “Alcohol as a housewarming gift isn’t for everyone, of course, but for recipients who do love to imbibe — particularly those who love a Negroni or a spritz — this Brooklyn-made aperitivo is my go-to,” says SPY deputy editor Avery Stone. “It’s bittersweet — it’s infused with 17 organic botanicals including gentian, kola nut, hibiscus, and rhubarb — and 10/10 refreshing, both on its own with ice or as part of a cocktail.” 

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Hoya Carnosa Tricolor Plant

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$68.00

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A plant is certainly a more traditional housewarming gift, but the Hoya Carnosa Tricolor from The Sill is not. It will bring life into the empty-ish room of a new house, and it will be something that will last. The Sill says it may even flower, if you’re lucky. 

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Maldon Flaky Salt

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$14.89

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Salt is a traditional housewarming gift, but there are differences of opinion on what it represents. Some say it means life will always have flavor; others say it represents hospitality and good luck. Spin it however you’d like, and a big-ass bucket of Maldon Flaky Salt will be a hit. 

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Salt Cellar

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$34.95

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If you want to stay in line with a traditional gift of salt, but you don’t want to give literal salt, a salt cellar is a good alternative. This olivewood keeper from Sur La Table has a magnetic lid that spins and can be kept by the stove for easy access. 

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Duralex Glasses

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$45.00

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This goes out to the guy whose only glasses are the ones he’s stolen from bars and breweries over the years. Duralex has been making glassware in France since the 1940s, so you can be fairly certain of the quality. The shape is a classic Duralex design, but the colors give it a more modern spin. The recipient will never need to steal a beer glass again (not that he will stop). 

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Alabaster Paddle Serving Board

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$68.00

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Our dear friend Emily Post also points to cheese boards as a good housewarming gift. These colorful boards from Terrain check that box, but the aesthetic gives them a modern spin. Give this along with some really good cheese and you will have a very happy recipient. 

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Colorful Cotton Dish Towels by Molly Baz

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$24.95

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It is a proven fact that you can never have too many dish towels. They’ll inevitably get food and other gunk on them and they just wear out. So you can confidently give this stylish set without worrying that someone else is giving the new homeowner the same thing. The limit does not exist. 

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Bed Threads Scalloped Linen Placemats

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$80.00

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Real adults use placemats. These scalloped linen options will dress up any table, and are a great gift for the person whose new home has absolutely nothing in it. 

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Letterfest House Pencil Sketch

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$52.00

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Brace yourself if you can’t handle corny sentiments: New homes are for making memories. Go all in on sentimentality and get your recipient a piece of art that immortalizes their new home. Letterfest does these sketches based on a photo you provide, and the result is a nice little picture that will look perfect on bare walls.

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GrubHub Gift Card

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$25.00 - $500.00

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Emily Post might not love the idea of gift cards, but no one said you have to follow what she says about etiquette all the time. And you know what someone moving into a new place needs most? One less thing to worry about. Make that happen by giving them the gift of not having to cook in the form of a GrubHub gift card. 

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Malin + Goetz Handwash

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$26.00 - $36.00

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Fancy hand soap is one of those things most people don’t want to buy themselves — that’s exactly what makes it a great gift. If you are assuming that a housewarming gift is for the person who needs stuff in their house, then handwash is a very safe bet. 

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DS + Durga Big Sur After Rain

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$70.00

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (in this very publication): you can never go wrong with candles. This one is spendy, but it smells like eucalyptus after a rainstorm. It’s one they’ll want to buy for themselves again and again. 

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In The Receipts franchise, SPY interviews influential people about how their cultural intake and background informs their consumer behavior — and what they’ve learned about themselves from the things they’ve bought.

If there’s one thing Mike Schur knows, it’s comedy. After launching his career as a writer on Saturday Night Live in the late 1990s, Schur went on to shepherd into existence some of most genre-defining television comedies of the last quarter century — including The Office (as a writer and producer), Parks and Recreation (as a co-creator), The Good Place (as the creator), and, most recently, Amazon Freevee’s Primo (as an executive producer).

But if there’s one thing Mike Schur thinks about in his day-to-day life, it’s a serious philosophical question: What makes a good person, and how do you go about being one? The topic is both one he addresses in his television work (he cites it as inspiration for The Good Place) and that he tackles head-on in “How to Be Perfect,” his 2022 book about the quest for ethical integrity.

SPY asked Schur how this central question applies to consumerism — and if it’s even possible to have a morally sound relationship to, well, buying things.

SPY: You said that you’ve been preoccupied with ethics and your own morality since you were young. When did you start thinking about those types of questions?

My whole life, really, though I didn’t know that it was called ethics until I was much older. After college, I started thinking about the fact that ethics permeates every aspect of my life and everybody’s life — consumer choices, where you live, what job you have, who you work for. I was sometimes driven to distraction. I would think, “I want to do X and X comes with 5000 ethical questions that need to be answered before I can do X, and if I try to answer all of them to my satisfaction, I’ll be paralyzed.” Caring about it led to a daily struggle [that made it hard] for me to do anything. 

That is what then led me to think, “Well, if this is a dominant thing in my life, I ought to read a bunch of stuff to try to figure out what people have said about how to live.” That’s what launched me on the path to learning about philosophy.

Now that you’ve created a show and written a book related to this topic, do you feel like you’re done with it?

I feel like I’ve written about it to some degree of my own satisfaction. After I was done with The Good Place, I felt like I hadn’t quite crystallized everything that I wanted to say. Now that the book has been written, I don’t feel the same itch to write about it. I don’t think about the questions any less, though.

It reminds me of when the reboot craze was happening and a lot of people asked me if we were going to reboot Parks and Recreation. I had this feeling of like, I think that show was making a very specific argument at a very specific time and place — I don’t feel like there’s more to be said. I think I feel the same way about ethics that I feel about Parks and Rec. We said what we wanted to say, and now we would just be doing more of it just to do more of it. And that’s never a good idea.

SPY covers products and consumer trends. Given your exploration of philosophy the last few years, how do you view spending money? Is there an ethical way to spend money, to buy things?

This is the biggest question we face on a day-to-day basis. The book and the show both made an argument that if you want to ignore ethical questions, you probably can. A lot of people do. But if you choose not to ignore them, you realize that they are everywhere — there’s no escaping them. And I think the number one place that they crop up for the average person is in consumer choice. 

For example, when you buy a chicken breast from a grocery store, you’re making seven ethical choices, right? What was the animal humanely treated? Is the company that makes it a good company or a bad company? How far away was the chicken from the processing plant, which means what’s the carbon footprint of the chicken? How much plastic is used in the packaging? Every single choice, like it or not, comes with 12 ethical components. So is it possible to be a good, ethical agent in the world while buying things? No, frankly, it isn’t. There are better and worse choices, but there are no good or bad choices. 

Say someone wants to make better choices about their approach to consumption. What’s the first step you’d advise they take?

The decision to care one way or the other — it’s the most important step and it’s like 90 percent of the battle. The great majority of people tend not to care. I get it — there’s a lot going on in people’s lives. It’s asking a lot of people just to give a shit one way or the other. 

[Once you decide you care], you get into like, ‘Okay, how much research can a person be asked to do about this stuff?’ Like, if you go to the grocery store, and you have a list of 25 things. Is it unreasonable to say, before you go to the grocery store, do a half hour of research on each of the 25 things on your list to determine which brand is the best brand to buy? No one has the time for that. 

Overall, it’s the extent to which you can learn about the things you’re buying and learn why they might be better or worse to buy. Grocery shopping is one thing, but there are other things. How often do you fly? Jet fuel is an enormous polluter. The big purchases: your house, your car. The companies that you bank with. These big macro-decisions can be prioritized over the small ones. If you’re like me, or like Chidi from The Good Place, you will drive yourself to the brink of insanity mulling over every possible choice you ever make. I don’t think that’s a good way to live. I don’t like that I live that way!

You still feel like those questions are always in your brain?

I think I’ve gotten better. I think actually writing the show and writing the book was therapeutic for me in some way. It felt like a confessional, almost — like, this is what happens when you worry about everything. 

What is something you’ve bought that you’re happy you’ve bought?

It’s something I bought for my daughter recently. My daughter is 12 years old and she has the soul of a writer. Both of her parents are writers; she is a creative person. And she really wanted an iPad with a stylus. She wanted to draw and make notes and just be a person who’s interacting with the world in an artistic way. And I was like, ‘You know what, yeah — that’s worth it.’ She loves it. She carries it around everywhere. She’s constantly doodling and writing. I was like, ‘This is an argument in favor of letting your kids interact with technology.’ I think most of the discussion around kids and technology is that it’s going to rot their brains and destroy them. This is the flip side of that. It’s the good version, where she has a tool that she uses to express herself in different ways.

This is a pivot, but have you ever shoplifted?

When I was seven years old. I was driving with my grandmother, and steam started coming out of the engine area in the front. She pulled over to a gas station. While she was talking to the guy about the car, I went to wait in the little cash register area. I saw all the gum on the racks and had this overwhelming desire for it. I wasn’t allowed to have a lot of sugar.

So this was forbidden fruit.

Absolutely. So I took a pack of Juicy Fruit gum, which was 25 cents, and I put it in my pocket. No one else was around. I went outside, got back in the car, and we drove home. I was so scared. I was the most scared I’ve ever been in my life to this day. I was like, “I’m going to jail.” I ran up to my room and took the gum and chewed all the pieces really quickly. I threw them all away. I remember burying the wrappers really deep down in the garbage can. I lived in fear for a couple of days that I was going to go to prison for stealing the gum.

It was like [Edgar Allan Poe’s short story] “The Tell-Tale Heart” when I would lie in bed at night. I remember hearing my mom walk around downstairs thinking she’s looking in the garbage can — she’s going to find the wrappers. I’m going to jail. She’s going to turn me in. It was so awful and I hated it so much. So, the answer is yes, I shoplifted a pack of Juicy Fruit gum when I was seven, and then no for the rest of my life. Never again.

Who is the first person you told about this?

You, right now.

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question

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The smartphone’s role in a healthy, fulfilling relationship doesn’t stop with dating apps. Relationship apps, or apps designed to stoke the flames of existing partnerships, can provide everything from provocative conversation starters to gentle reminders to show care in a certain love language, and according to licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Shane Birkel, they might be especially useful for men. 

“Men tend to be more analytical — they tend to like using tools — so I could see how apps would really resonate with men looking to do something special in their relationship and connect with their partner,” said Birkel. “Game-ifying some of these things could be cool. Almost like ‘Look! We scored 10 points on our relationship this week!’ It shows them that they’re working on their relationship and making progress.” 

Assigning points to bond-building might sound odd, but relationships, like people, are complicated, and it’s best to have a variety of tools in one’s arsenal.

Paired, one of the most popular relationships apps, was founded in 2019 as a way to provide couples with a convenient, digital framework for bonding and deepening their connection. The company consulted with relationship experts and built out discussion frameworks around notoriously contentious discussion topics for couples, like domestic chores and shared finances. There are also weekly quizzes for tracking progress over time. 

It might sound analytical, systematic, and the opposite of romantic — but that thinking can get couples into trouble, said Dr. Joe Kort, a licensed master social worker who specializes in couples counseling. 

“I like the idea of relationship apps because couples are private [about their] issues, which gives the impression that every couple is doing just fine,” said Kort. “People feel like whatever is going on in their relationship isn’t normal. Every relationship takes work, and tools, like apps, can be helpful with that work.”

Birkel explained that everyone comes to a relationship with different expectations about what a healthy one looks like. “If I grew up in my family and think that something is normal but have a partner who grew up in an entirely different family who thinks [something else is] normal, oftentimes that creates communication problems or relationship problems,” he said. 

“The apps can be really helpful if they’re educational,” he added. “‘[If they] let people know what a healthy relationship should look like.” A few of these apps do just that. 

Paired contains exercises written by relationship therapists and scientists that help foster healthy communication. 

“I might be bringing my assumptions and my partner is bringing their assumptions, but it’s nice to have a framework or a structure — rules around how we’re communicating that we both look at and agree on,” said Berkel. 

Particularly for those who have a more difficult time expressing themselves, having an external moderator for sensitive conversations can help them find the words. 

Relationship Apps and Men

But what makes these apps just so helpful for men?

“In relationships, when their partner is trying to express strong emotions, oftentimes men have a very hard time accepting that or being vulnerable,” said Berkel. “[They can also] have a hard time expressing their own emotions or asking for help.”

Birkel said that while he doesn’t have intimate knowledge of relationship apps and their unique functions, he believes certain features of the apps would be helpful for conflict patterns he observes in couples. 

“I can see how it would be really helpful, particularly for men, to have more assistance with the emotional language that they might want to use,” he said. “To be able to have a guide for saying things in a way that might feel more vulnerable or feel relationally healthy — I definitely think that could be good.”

Data regarding relationship app usage by men is very limited. Still, a small randomized trial from Adelaide, Australia found that men are more likely than women to be motivated by specific goals and tracking offered within so-called “well-being apps.” (In contrast, women focus more on the overall purpose.) 

Brian, a man in his 20’s from Brooklyn who agreed to speak with SPY anonymously on the subject, has used Paired in his relationship with his girlfriend. He said his experience with the app has been a “great one.” 

“It allows my partner and I to continue having productive, thoughtful conversations that push our relationship forward,” he said. “Given that we’re a semi-longer distance couple, it keeps important topics top of mind while also throwing in the cheesy fun topics.”

“For someone who tends to feel a sense of anxiety around ‘deeper’ relationship-minded questions, it’s a good way to break the barrier of having them more regularly, which takes away the stress of such topics,” he added. 

Best Relationship Apps of 2023

BEST OVERALL

Paired

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Paired combines convenient, expert-designed communication prompts with features like couples quizzes and games for bonding and tracking progress over time. The questions in their quizzes, which are meant to bring couples closer together, are backed by research. In fact, 85% of individuals polled in a study conducted by the brand in March 2021 said they saw improved communication with their partner when they used the app every day.

Paired also has a team of therapists, psychologists, and relationship experts who craft their content. The app’s question packs vary in terms of topics, including trust, financial goals, compatibility, and tools for being apart. 

Paired offers a 7-day free trial for couples and costs $12.99/month after that.

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RUNNER UP

Gottman Card Decks

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The Gottman Institute is one of the leading research institutes for couples and relationships, and they’ve created a card deck app based on their award-winning The Art of Science and Love weekend workshops. This is a free app. 

Who It’s For: This tool is for folks who like to see the data. Their materials come backed by a 40-year study of over 3,000 couples — the longest ever done on marital longevity — and each card includes an exercise of some kind for improving partnership. 

What It Is: The app includes different decks of virtual cards that range in topic from sex questions to date night ideas, and you can save a collection of favorite cards to return to afterward. 

There’s More: Gottman also offers a relationship advisor tool that’s a more comprehensive, in-depth analysis of a relationship’s strengths and weaknesses. It also comes with the option to create a personalized, digital plan for improvement and generate an overall relationship satisfaction score.

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BEST FOR LOVE LANGUAGES

Love Nudge

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app store

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Love Nudge is an app founded by the same creators as the “Five Love Languages,” a philosophy that each person gives and receives love in one or a combination of five ways — physical touch, receiving gifts, words of affirmation, quality time, and acts of service. It’s a free app with optional in-app purchases. 

Who It’s For: Folks who know the difference between “physical touch” and “acts of service” love languages, or want to. 

What It Is: The app includes a quiz for discovering your love languages, a goal-setting feature for speaking your partner’s love language, and progress tracking as well. 

There’s More: You can link your app to your partner’s so you can share insights with one another and track goals together. 

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BEST FOR SEX

Lover

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Lover was founded by a clinical psychologist at Stanford who saw a dire gap in knowledge among both men and women about sex, intimacy, and sexual health. Lover is free with the option to purchase additional features within it. 

What It Is: Lover is a digital therapy app for sex and improving sex lives, for singles and couples. The app has ideas for unique sex positions, answers to common sex questions, and the ability to privately treat sexual issues like low libido and erectile dysfunction. 

Who It’s For: Lover is for couples looking to improve and enhance their sex life. It’s not just for couples actively experiencing problems, but can also be a fun addition for couples who want to spice things up.

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BEST FOR ANNIVERSARY REMINDERS

My Love

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My Love is a simple app. It doesn’t have a ton of different functions but it does fulfill one crucial need for some men — it sends automatic reminders about relationship anniversaries so you never forget. This is a free app. 

What It Is: My Love counts the number of days a couple has been together and automates reminders about important anniversaries 

Who It’s For: Guys who have trouble remembering relationship anniversaries. 

There’s More: Birkel was not talking about this app in particular but did mention that an app of this sort could be helpful for certain people. 

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Spy.com may receive financial compensation from affiliate and advertising partnerships on this page and/or when you make a purchase after clicking through partnership links.

Anyone who’s ever tried to navigate the stock market without expert help has learned a tough lesson the hard (and expensive) way: it’s no place for beginners. 

Expert help, however, doesn’t automatically mean huge fees paid to keep Wall Street types in expensive suits. You can get recommendations backed by decades of proven results for just $79 a year when you sign up for The Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor service. 

This continues to be one of our favorite tools for smart investing, and the performance — beating the Standard & Poor’s 500 by nearly 400%* over the past 20 years — far outstrips the price, which breaks down to just $1.52 per week. Even if you’re a financial newbie, that math’s pretty easy to figure out.

Why Would I Take Stock Recommendations From a “Fool?”

Would an actual fool have a 30-year sustained run at the top of the financial and investing market? The Motley Fool — the name comes from the court jester from Shakespeare’s As You Like It — was founded in 1993, and launched Stock Advisor in February 2002 as a newsletter. 

Over 20 years later, it remains The Motley Fool’s flagship service, and since its inception has accumulated a whopping average return of 492%*. Compare that to the S&P 500’s 129% over the same timeframe, and the current $79^ subscription price for new members looks even better.

There are some truly impressive skins on the Stock Advisor walls. If you had been a Stock Advisor member in 2004 and followed their recommendations, you would have bought stock in Amazon (up 17,347%*), Netflix (up 24,171%*), and Walt Disney Co. (up 4,635%*). It’s safe to say you’d have an extra comma or two at the end of your statement. 

Stock Advisor was also in early on long-term winners like Costco and Gilead. Over 150 of their recommendations have achieved returns of over 100%*. So what are the Stock Advisor picks to be the Amazons and Netflixes of 2023? You’ll have to sign up to find out. 

The Motley Fool emphasizes that they’re not offering any get-rich-quick schemes. The name of the game is to get rich slow — get solid stock recommendations, get in early, and ride them out over the long haul through the fluctuations of the market. It’s a journey, not a sprint, and Stock Advisor is with you for the long haul starting at $79^ for your first year with their current offer.

Quick and Easy Signup, Immediate Benefits

Right out of the gate, new Stock Advisor members receive perks to take with them as they navigate the market. Whether you’re a finance rookie or an experienced trader or investor, these benefits are designed to up both your game and your bottom line. Your email inbox will receive weekly:

You will also be joining a community of financially enthusiastic individuals, and gaining unlimited access to educational materials for building up your knowledge base. Finance and investing can be positively nerve-wracking if you dive in without a base of easily digestible recommendations, and Stock Advisor helps you acclimate yourself at a steady and achievable pace. 

Something for Newbies and Experts Alike

Investing and playing the market has traditionally been the domain of insider pros, expensive portfolio advisors, and novice day traders who dive in headfirst without assistance and usually come to pain as a result. All in all, it can be a highly intimidating proposition. But if you can get in the right way, it’s potentially a highly lucrative one. 

Stock Advisor greets first-time portfolio builders with a list of recommendations to begin laying the foundation of what could be a long and lucrative run as an investor. Rookie and experienced investors alike get access to the Stock Advisor’s Stock Screener, with an intuitive dashboard and easy-to-use filters to sort stocks by sector, asset class, level of Stock Advisor’s confidence, and more. You don’t need to be able to read a ticker tape or wear out your eyes squinting through the alphabet soup of listings and numbers to get the most out of Stock Advisor.

Another key feature is the instant alerts you receive the minute there’s actionable guidance on one of the assets in your list. New buy alerts, large price fluctuations, and perhaps more importantly, recommendations on when it’s time to sell, will be delivered to you immediately. 

Not For You? Not a Problem

Investing — even with a super affordable service like The Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor — isn’t for everyone. Each Stock Advisor membership is backed by a 30-day 100% membership-fee-back guarantee so there’s no risk if you aren’t completely satisfied with the service. You can sign up, receive their stock recommendations, and cancel within 30 days to get your membership fee back. There are over a half million satisfied members of Stock Advisor right now, so the odds are good that you’ll become another one, but just in case you don’t, The Motley Fool guarantees your money back.

Small Price, Big Potential, Expert Backing

Let other people pay the huge fees charged by many portfolio managers, and the day traders play roulette with the market. Whether you’re entering the investment world for the first time and you want to do it with affordable and accessible expert guidance, or you’ve been in the market for some time already and want to become a member of a group on a 20-year run outperforming the S&P 500, this $79^ offer for your first year of Stock Advisor is a great way to achieve your goals and feather your nest. 

^$79 promotional price for new members only. $120 discount based on the current list price of Stock Advisor of $199/year. Membership will renew annually at the then-current list price.

*Returns as of July 15, 2023. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Individual investment results may vary. All investing involves the risk of loss.

What started as cavemen throwing fresh meat on an open fire has become a thoroughly modern lifestyle millennia later. Grilling has its own publications, influencers, TV shows, and accordingly, tons of accessories available for purchase beyond the grills themselves. Lots of that stuff is low-quality (either poorly made or wholly unnecessary), but the right product can make an already great hobby even better.

The best grilling accessories make the process easier, cleaner, more comfortable, and tastier. They simplify some aspect of grilling, expand what the griller can accomplish, or lessen the annoying parts of owning a grill. Above all, they make grilling a more pleasant experience and increase the return on investment for beginners and seasoned grillers alike.

What the Experts Say

What’s clear from talking to experts in the grilling industry is that people are passionate about their accessories. “The right tools make a difference when it comes to grilling,” says Joe Downey, senior merchant of grills at The Home Depot. His recommendations run the gamut from the basic to the luxurious, a sign of just how many useful items are on the market.

Of course, there are also a lot of not-so-useful items on the market, too. Kell Phelps of the National Barbecue & Grilling Association vehemently warns against the steel bristle brushes that dominate the industry. “​​The bristles can break, stick in your food, and can cause great harm if swallowed,” he says, suggesting a scraper tool instead. He also says that his most essential accessory is a thermometer, a common sentiment among people in the industry.

BEST OVERALL

Thermapen ONE Instant Read Thermometer

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The thermometer of thermometers is also the most essential grilling accessory for a very simple reason: It does something that the average griller simply cannot do on their own. “The key to grilling is to make sure you have control over your food temperature,” Downey says. “It makes it much easier to check the temperature of your meat accurately and quickly to ensure it’s thoroughly cooked and safe to eat.”

Rod Gray, CEO of the Kansas City Barbecue Society, says that Thermapens are ubiquitous in his world. “It was more durable, I know it was accurate for the most part, and it was really fast-reading,” he says of why he first started using them. “They’ve gotten even faster since I started,” he adds. “They’re the thermometer of choice for the barbecue circuit.”

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BEST PEPPER MILL

Männkitchen Pepper Cannon

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$199.99

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There are pepper mills and then there are Pepper Cannons. This aptly named tool allows for grinding pepper both finer and coarser than standard mills and has a base that can hold a third of a cup of pre-ground pepper. The killer feature, however, is the amount of pepper it grinds in one twist. It’s a lot — Männkitchen says you can pepper a side of brisket in 15 cranks compared to about 150 with a standard grinder. That all adds up to saved time, increased ease of use, and properly peppered food.

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BEST TOOL KIT

OXO 13-Piece Grilling Set

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$88.27 $112.94

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There’s something to be said for accumulating a bespoke arsenal of grilling tools, but beginners will be plenty satisfied with this set from OXO. It comes with everything you might need to make a standard menu of grilled food, from a skewer set to a basting brush to a pair of long tongs, along with a silicone mat on which to rest them during cooking.

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BEST BASKET

Grillaholics Grill Basket

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$29.95

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A grill basket is the best way to cook small items that might otherwise fall between the grill grates. The perforated sides of this stainless steel version let in enough heat and flame to char what’s inside while the curved handles make it simple to pick up with heat-resistant gloves, empty onto a serving tray, and throw in the dishwasher once cooled.

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BEST CUTTING BOARD FOR SERVING

John Boos 24 in. x 18 in. Rectangle Maple Cutting/Carving Board

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$197.12

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“It’s sturdy, knife-friendly, and has that professional look that would make any grill master impressed,” Casey Bumpsteed, chef and editor of Ceramic Cookware Review, says of this maple model from industry leader John Boos. It’s reversible — one side is grooved for meat carving — and comes with the cream needed to keep it looking pristine for many grilling seasons to come.

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BEST PRESS

Made In Grill Press

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$69.00

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A grill press is a simple tool that increases the contact between food and cooking surface, leaving improved char marks, crispiness, and sear in its wake. This svelte Swedish model is made of stainless steel and comes with a handsome leather handle cover.

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BEST CLEANING TOOL

GrillFloss

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$29.95

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A worthy alternative to the steel brushes Phelps warns about is the GrillFloss, a scraper that can get the top and bottom of the grill bars clean without lifting the grate. And, once the grill is de-gunked, cleaning the tool is as simple as wiping it with a paper towel. In short, it makes the most annoying part of owning a grill a lot less annoying.

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BEST TOWELS

Williams Sonoma Grilling Towels

Grilling is a messy business, so these sturdy cotton terry towels will come in handy whether it’s sooty heads, a sweaty forehead, or an oil-spattered grill that needs a wipedown. 

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BEST INSTANT UPGRADE

Grill Grates

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$Price Will Vary

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Phelps raved about these grill inserts, which sit on top of the cooking surface. “They work with your grill to create two different surfaces (flat or rails) and will also help you get the desired char on any protein being grilled,” he says. They also make flare-ups, a common beginner’s mistake that can dry out food, a thing of the past.

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BEST GLOVES

Nexgrill Black and Red Heat Resistant Grilling Gloves

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$19.98

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“It’s always a good idea to have a little extra protection between you and an open flame, especially when cooking on a charcoal grill,” says Downey. He recommends these gloves, which run 14 and a quarter inches long for full forearm protection. Plus, they feature a silicone top half that’s simultaneously temperature-resistant (up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit) and non-slip.

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Grilling is an immensely popular hobby — according to a recent survey, more than 70 percent of American households have a grill or smoker — because the basics are easy to grasp but the particulars are numerous and difficult to master. That’s also why it’s a great gifting opportunity: There are plenty of products that can help grill aficionados improve or expand their skills in front of the fire at prices both high and low.

Standing on a deck or in the backyard tending to a grill is, for a lot of people, the ideal way to spend time. Finding a gift that makes that time more pleasant and productive can be a difficult challenge — like finding the perfect char level on a hot dog — but it’s one that’s ultimately worth the effort.

What the Experts Say

“The right tools make a difference when it comes to grilling,” says Joe Downey, senior merchant of grills at The Home Depot. Put differently, there are plenty of items that can help grillers, which means there are plenty of gifts to buy for grillers.

Kell Phelps of the National Barbeque & Grilling Association recommends detachable grates and an instant-read thermometer — the kind of hardcore equipment you’d expect from a grilling and barbecue professional. Casey Bumpsteed, chef and editor of Ceramic Cookware Review, included some items that are more about the grilling lifestyle, from a beverage cooler to monogrammed grill gloves. The lesson here is that even if a gift-giver is unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of grilling (and therefore not confident in their grill gift-giving abilities), there are grilling-adjacent gifts that also do the trick.

BEST APRON

Hedley & Bennett Big Apron

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$95.00

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KISS THE COOK is the classic dad grill apron slogan, but what this Hedley & Bennett Apron lacks in corny humor it more than makes up for in quality. It’s made of thick and durable 8-ounce cotton canvas, and the oversized cut is great for grilling because it forms a bigger shield against the smoke and stains that come with the territory.

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BEST GRILL MAT

Nexgrill Medium Under Grill Mat

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$49.98

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Putting a big box of fire onto a deck or patio is a great way to damage that deck or patio. The right grill mat can keep that from happening, and Downey says this one from Nexgrill is great for most people. ”This non-slip mat protects your deck or patio from any and all spills and splatters,” he says. “It’s also made with heavy-duty waterproof materials for long-lasting durability, indoors and out.”

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BEST CONDIMENT

Bachans Japanese Barbecue Sauce Bundle

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$32.97

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The gray world of “ketchup or mustard” has given way to a dizzying array of ready-to-eat sauces and toppings. One of the more popular of this new school is Bachans, a Japanese barbecue sauce that contains soy sauce, sugar, mirin, tomato paste, and vinegar, among other ingredients. This three-pack is a nice gift. It comes with the original version as well as yuzu and spicy varieties.

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BEST MEAT DELIVERY SERVICE

Porter Road Butcher

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The least clever but most foolproof gift for a grill lover is, well, stuff to grill. Porter Road is one of the many companies that will send high-quality meats — in this case, beef, pork, chicken, and assorted market items — directly to consumers, with an option of both one-time and subscription-based service. The company sources its meat from high-quality farms in Tennessee and Kentucky and does all of the butchering in-house before delivering anywhere in the lower 48.

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BEST COOLER

Coleman Steel Belted Cooler

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$199.99

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Vintage aesthetics are delightful, but this Coleman cooler is more than just a pretty face. It holds up to 85 cans, supports 250 pounds when used as a seat (as every cooler at every cookout eventually is), and is made of stainless steel that promises insulation good enough to retain ice for four days in 90-degree temperatures. Cooking over the grill is hot work, and having a selection of cold drinks on hand is absolutely mandatory.

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BEST GRIDDLE

Lodge Double Play

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$34.98

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Some foods don’t do well on open grill grates, which is why Downey recommends this accessory. “Using a griddle attachment expands your options for what you can cook on the grill,” he says. This griddle has both smooth and ribbed sides, and it provides “exceptional heat retention and distribution to ensure evenly cooked food.” It’s an essential tool in the grill guy’s arsenal.

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BEST PORTABLE GRILL

Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill

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$89.00

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What better gift for a griller than…another grill? This portable grill with a familiar profile (but sized down) makes it easy to take the show on the road without sacrificing quality. In fact, Phelps says that there are multiple teams on the steak competition circuit who compete (and win) with smaller grills. “The only difference is they use less fuel to create the same amount of heat as a bigger grill,” he adds.

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BEST DRINK HOLDER

Brumate Hopsulator Trio

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$29.99

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Foam koozies might have sentimental value, but the best way to keep a cold drink cold in front of a hot flame is with an insulated stainless steel drink holder. The Hopsulator Trio from Brümate is a favorite because of its versatility. It can hold 16-ounce cans, 12-ounce cans (with a frozen insert to help keep them even colder), and 16 ounces of liquid as a tumbler.

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BEST ATTIRE

Flint and Tinder Cotton Short Sleeve Camp Shirt

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$68.00 $98.00

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The perfect grilling shirt combines a lightweight feel with a nod to the kitschy America that gave us modern grilling. This short-sleeve camp collar shirt from Flint and Tinder is made of a breezy blend of cotton and Tencel, a synthetic fiber with moisture-wicking properties. The print features foliage and colors inspired by the Oregon Trail, which keeps it from veering into ironically ugly territory.

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The key to finding the best price used to be finding the cheapest seller. Comparison shopping was the way to go. But over the last few years that approach – which still feels logical – has ceased to produce the best results. Shoppers now need to consider dynamic shifts in supply and demand. Comparison shopping now occurs across time.

Alexander MacKay, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, says his research suggests prices of popular products are dropping or rising by as much as 30% from one hour to the next. Changes of 5% to 10% are typical across products, SKUs, and retailers.

What gives?

The reason for the massive acceleration in price shift is the adoption of dynamic pricing tools across retail. These tools alter the price of a product based on shifts in supply or demand (as well as a number of other factors). And they work fast. Amazon reportedly changes prices for millions of items every few minutes. Companies selling dynamic pricing tools to smaller shops declined to offer specifics on frequency.  “Retailers tend to be coy about using dynamic pricing as it still maintains something of a bad reputation among shoppers,” says Michael Orr, a senior director at Blue Yonder, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company that offers retailers and brands pricing technology tools. But it’s safe to say that prices now change as much as 100 times faster than they did before dynamic pricing became part of the game.

A Quick Cycle of Price Changes

The objective of all dynamic pricing programs, Orr explains, is to find “the highest price the customer will bear.” In other words, these programs precisely track demand in real time. Savvy retailers set them up so inventory moves quickly, shooting for 5% top line revenue growth. Those are the everyday retails. In the luxury segment, dynamic pricing can create margin gains as high as 60%, according to Sularia. 

Does dynamic pricing always result in a higher price for the consumer though? Not necessarily.

“When demand is not perfectly predictable, dynamic pricing allows the company to respond by lowering prices to drive customers to low-demand periods,”  says MacKay. “This can shift customers away from high-demand periods and reduce the costs of paying for extra capacity.”

In other words, retailers encourage consumers to buy during low-demand periods by dropping prices. Dropping the price of winter coats in March encourages the bargain hunters. In essence, end-of-season-style markdowns persist. There are just more seasons. Put differently, prices used to reflect the month and now reflect the forecast. 

This means that disciplined shoppers with a strategy can, in essence, negotiate with algorithms if they understand how to game the system. And, yes, the system can be gamed. Here’s how….

1. Don’t Compare Prices. Compare Prices Over Time.

Comparing prices may seem obvious, but the challenge is finding a way to compare prices beyond a single, random moment in time. Merchants have more and better tools for crawling prices, but consumers do have access to a few, notably CamelCamelCamel, which lets shoppers select and track the price of items on Amazon over time, and Google Shopping, which allows consumers to track the price of multiple items across e-commerce stores and platforms. Google Shopping pinpoints the price of an item matched against historical prices over time, and offers prices across different retailers. Customers can continue to watch the evolution of pricing over time. Customers can opt to get notified if the price drops.

Similarly, PayPal-owned Honey, which offers a browser extension, lets consumers add items to its Droplist feature, in which customers can flag items they want to track and opt to get notified when the price of an item drops. Honey also offers automated comparison shopping for eligible items, letting customers see whether other merchants are offering a better deal.

These tools are by no means the only price trackers available, and could be part of a strategy to understand price trends over time. The findings, however, should be taken with a grain of salt.

The problem with free price trackers is their incentives aren’t always aligned with the shopper, says Sanjeev Sularia, CEO of Intelligence Node, a Mumbai, India-based pricing technology firm. Free price trackers can be tagged to affiliate revenue — where they may earn a commission when a shopper buys an item — and are often dependent on pricing data feeds from retailers. Retailers can delay API feeds so the price consumers see when they click on a retailer’s site is different from what the price tracker shows. Perverse incentives are at play.

2. ‘Crowdsource’ Pricing Intelligence Through Forums

Finding forums to discuss pricing with other shoppers might cut down on time spent bargain hunting. One way to do this is to participate in some of the bigger community forums where pricing is discussed, suggests Trae Bodge, a Montclair, New Jersey-based shopping analyst at TrueTrae.

Slickdeals, for example, is a series of chat threads. “You can have conversations with other shoppers…You could say ‘Hey, I just found this for X. Has anybody seen it for less?” says Bodge. 

Slickdeals, which isn’t tied to a specific product category or merchant, also features deals tagged by its user community on its front page. But buyers should beware. Slickdeals discloses that it “may get paid by brands or deals” on promoted items.

3. Ask the retailer if they can lower the price.

In a competitive market, old-fashioned bartering may prompt a retailer to match a lower price on a competing platform to keep you as a customer. Analysts say asking for a better price may work both online and in-store.

“Most e-commerce stores have a chat just go on and just say ‘Hey, I’m looking at this product. Is this the best price or are there any discounts?’” says Jay Myers, co-founder of Winnipeg, Canada-based payment technology company Bold Commerce and a former e-commerce store owner. “Anytime someone would reach out,” and ask for a discount during his period as an e-commerce store owner, “we had coupon codes that were there for our support team to just give people.”

While dynamic pricing is on the rise, retailers are careful not to tread into territory that would lead to the customer feeling like they’re not being given a fair price, says Dhanasekaran Gopal, product head for Optumera, a pricing technology offering from Tata Consultancy Services. 

“Retailers have increased investments in understanding competitive prices to ensure that they have a clear view of their competition and how they are positioned,” he says. “Retailers increasingly understand frequently fluctuating prices confuse consumers and negatively impact price perception.”

Before asking a retailer to lower their price, Bodge says it’s helpful to have at least some evidence of a lower price available on a different platform or store. And of course, asking nicely is key, she adds.

“In general, just be a good human,” she says. “If I want someone to do something nice for me, and I’m not nice to them, then it’s not going to work out.”

4. Pretending to buy something and not doing it may or may not land you a discount.

Abandoning the cart – or putting an item into your digital shopping cart and then not making the purchase – is an old trick that sometimes might prompt the retailer or brand to send the shopper a discount coupon or offer some other kind of incentive to complete the purchase. 

Sometimes, “if you abandon your basket, very quickly the savvy retailer will contact you on those channels with an offer that’s time sensitive,” says James Miller, a director responsible for product strategy and data analytics at London-based consultancy Pragma. “You’re actually gaming the system to a certain degree…you’re unlocking the next level of benefits.”

Abandoning the cart worked more reliably a couple of years ago but no longer results in a promotional email offering a discount, says Bodge. “If you try it, I’d be shocked if it worked anymore. The technology is catching up,” she says.

5. Time Your Purchase

Retailers tend to see a lot more demands on evenings and weekends, so from a pricing perspective, it might work better to carry out purchases outside of those timing windows, says Miller.

“If you’re kind of going to kind of middle of the day on a Tuesday, you’re more likely to get a better price than you are on let’s say let’s say a Friday at 6pm,” he says.

In addition, timing purchases around major holidays might unlock discounts on bigger-ticket items, such as appliances, says Bodge.

“Three-day weekends are always a good time for home items and large items like mattresses and such,” she says. “Also, if you shop at the end of season, that’s always reliable, obviously.”

Three-day weekends in which to watch for deals could include Labor Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, along with other major shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the weekend before Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, or after Christmas.

6. Check the Forecast

Checking long-range weather forecasts, though imperfect, might be a way of gauging future demand. Therefore, if due to weather conditions demand might be expected to spike for a particular product, shoppers may want to buy before prices increase.

“If the weather drives demand universally —so you’re making some assumptions — then you’d buy early before prices went up, due to scarcity of product,” says Orr. 

For example, if a long, hot summer is projected as part of a long-term forecast, perhaps a consumer might want to get ahead of that by buying early. But he acknowledges that it’s always challenging to make a call on that.

“If [the long-range forecast] says we’re in for a long, hot, dry summer, what that could tell me is or could indicate is that summer goods are going to sell out early,” he says. “If the summer was predicted to be hot and dry, I’d probably buy if dynamic pricing is a reality in that retail chain.”

A consumer, he says, could do the reverse in a colder than usual summer by buying summer clothes at the end of the season. But of course, that brings up a more practical question, he adds.

“Are you happy to wait nine months to put it on again?”

What do you drink to kick-start your day? The obvious answers of tea or coffee don’t always do the trick. Personally, one large cup of coffee in the morning is great, but even a sip over that and I’ll have a full anxiety attack. I love tea — and the legion of tea-enthusiasts will dispute this — but I never feel any energy from it.

There’s also the rogue third option: the energy drink. In my mind, consuming Monster or Rockstar only sounds reasonable if you’re doing so while also listening to The Joe Rogan Experience. But lately, a new contender has emerged: Celsius.

CELSIUS Sparkling Kiwi Guava, Functional Essential Energy Drink 12 Fl Oz (Pack of 12)

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$14.23 $20.97

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The zero-sugar, zero-carb energy drink brands itself as (slightly) more health-aware than its competitors. (It doesn’t say it’s a health drink by any stretch, but the marketing pushes things like retaining focus, boosting metabolism, as opposed to things like unleashing an “Ultra Beast,” like on Monster cans.)

People love these things, and for Prime Day this year, Amazon is selling them in bulk at 32% off, for $14. That’s a steal. Most energy drinks are around $4-6 each. The 12-pack offer here, with the Prime Day discount and shipping, is worth stocking up on if you’re an enthusiast. Amazon is selling lots of different flavors, but obviously Sparkling Kiwi Guava will go first since it’s the best one. There, I said it. 

You’re not drinking enough water. You’re just not. I feel incredibly confident in saying that if you’re reading this post, right this moment, you haven’t drank enough water yet today. If you’re looking for something that can help with that, here you go.

For Prime Day, this measured-per-day 64 ounce model is 20% off, selling now for $16. 

AQUAFIT Half Gallon Water Bottle, 64 oz.

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$15.99 $19.99

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You might be looking at this bottle and thinking, “Okay, it’s full. But it says to start drinking at 7 am. Does this mean that if I don’t start drinking at 7 am, the bottle doesn’t work?” Good question. No. The bottle, while advising the healthy idea of hydrating starting at 7 am, will still function normally whether you begin drinking at 7 am, 4 pm. 10 am, or midnight. See, the screw-top technology employed in the cap is such that it does not rely on electricity to function, so it can manually open and close at any time.

Alternatively, you may think, “These markers are allotted for a certain amount of water per two-hour block. Do I have to stop drinking if I reach the block’s limit?” No. This marker is merely advisory, and can be overruled simply by bringing the top of the open bottle to your mouth, and letting the water continue to flow into your body.

Lastly, upon finishing the bottle, you may wonder, “It’s before 9pm. Do I need to refill it to keep going after this?” Yes. Failure to do so will force the water bottle to self-destruct unless this precise measurement is hit. That’s why they’re only $16 — so you can get a few if you miss the mark. 

It’s summer. It’s hot. We’re all sweating, but that doesn’t mean our drinks have to as well. YETI’s entire collection of insulated drinkware is on sale for Prime Day up to 50% off. The brand’s can insulators are perfect for hard seltzers and beers, their wine tumblers make great companions on beach days, and dare we say their 30-ounce Rambler may rival the Stanley cup for everyday hydration.

YETI Slim Seafoam Rambler Colster Can Insulator

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$12.50 $25.00

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This slim YETI can insulator is perfect for taller, skinnier cans like hard seltzers and canned wine. It has a lock-and-load gasket that seals the can in place with a simple twist and it’s got double-wall vacuum insulation so the can stays cold.

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GREAT FOR 16 OUNCE CANS!

YETI Tallboy Can Insulator

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$15.00 $30

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This tallboy Rambler from YETI is designed for 16-ounce cans of beer and spiked seltzer, and it also has a lock-and-load gasket for keeping those can in place. It’s made with thick gauge steel for durability and the Duracoat color on the outside is sturdy enough to resist chipping.

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YETI Wine Tumbler

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$12.50 $25.00

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This wine tumbler is made specifically for smaller pours of beverages and cocktails, but functions exactly like YETI’s larger drinkware. It’s made of 18/8 stainless steel that’s puncture- and rust-resistant, and the double-wall vacuum insulation will keep your vino cold for hours.

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YETI Rambler Stainless Steel Cup

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$24.50 $35.00

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The YETI Rambler includes with a sealed top and straw for easy sipping throughout the workday. It comes in over a dozen colors and has double-vacuum insulation for keeping cold beverages cold and warm beverages warm throughout the day.

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