Valentine’s Day is almost upon us—it’s time to find that perfect gift. But what if your significant other isn’t into the usual choices? Is your nerd more interested in bouquets of USB cords than bouquets of roses?
We’re here to help! Here are 30 Valentine’s Day gifts under $30 that are sure to warm your nerd’s heart without breaking your bank.
Under $10
AUX Cable Extender – 6 Feet
$6.49
There’s nothing worse than a too-short AUX cable. It’s a style-cramper. What if your back-seat passengers want to share the song of a lifetime? Or maybe your significant other wants to play video games from the couch but the headphones cord is just too short.
Problem solved. This AUX cable extender gives 6 feet of space without sacrificing sound quality. Plus, it has a beveled step-down design so it fits more easily into some of those harder-to-access ports.
Reviewers give it five stars:
“No buzzing and no sound bleed.”
“Works great!”
“A secure fit, good feeling cable, actually 6 feet. 10/10 would recommend.”
If you’re looking for a practical gift that will enhance your nerd’s sound experience, look no further.
Dinosaur Cell Phone Stand
$6.99
Have you mastered the blanket wad? You know, the perfect arrangement of the corner of the comforter so you can watch Netflix in bed without holding up the phone with one hand.
The struggle is real. If you move a tiny bit, or worse, have to get up altogether, there’s only a snowball’s chance in a microwave you’ll be able to prop your phone up again.
If you’re nodding your head right now, your special someone probably is, too. This is your chance to swoop in and save the day.
Actually, tiny dino will save the day—all you have to do is put the box in a snazzy gift bag and you’re good to go.
Not only does this gift look like it escaped from the Land Before Time, it’s also made out of high-grade silica gel, it’s stable and fits most sized phones, including phones in cases, and it comes in a plethora of excellent colors.
Guaranteed to make your special someone smile and solve the blanket wad challenge.
Electronics Accessories Organizer Bag
$8.88
The more electronics your special nerd acquires, the more cords there are sure to be. Charging cords, adaptor cords, extender cords, not to mention all the accessories that go with every device.
It’s hard enough to keep them straight at home with a dedicated electronics location. But traveling makes it a hundred times worse. Earbuds here, charging cords there and there, SD cards in that pocket… it’s chaos.
This year, why not give your technology-loving Valentine the gift of organization? This little Electronic Accessories Organizer bag is only about the size of an iPad, but it packs a punch (or at least, a bunch of stuff).
Infinity Cube Fidget Toy
$9.95
Fidget spinners are so 2017, but the Infinity Cube Fidget Toy is forever.
Really, though, if your S/O hates bandwagons but still needs some kind of fidget outlet (aside from nail biting and knee jiggling) this is the cube you need. It fits in a pocket, and according to one verified purchaser, “it doesn’t make a sound.”
The cube is made up of eight smaller cubes, which flip on steal bearings for a smooth shape-changing experience. Plus, it looks cool.
Simple, practical, fun. What more could you want in the perfect Valentine gift?
LoveHandle Cell Phone Grip
$9.95
As phones get larger, they also get harder to hold. Why not give your love a Love Handle to solve the problem?
The small elastic band sticks to the back of a cell phone, allowing the owner to hold the phone securely with one hand. It’s perfect for selfies, one-handed texting, or just holding without dropping. Plus, the slim design allows your honey to continue storing their phone in their back pocket without struggle.
One reviewer said “So simple. So perfect. My pinky fingers are no longer cramped from supporting my phone. I no longer drop my phone on my face in bed.”
And it’s called the LoveHandle. What more can be said?
Cryptocurrency Investing Bible
$9.95
Subtitle: The Ultimate Guide About Blockchain, Mining, Trading, ICO, Ethereum Platform, Exchanges, Top Cryptocurrencies for Investing and Perfect Strategies to Make Money
Is your S/O into the crypto scene? Why not get them the book that will give them every detail? Or maybe you’re the one with the obsession and you need your special someone to get on your level.
Either way, it looks like cryptocurrency is here to stay, and it’s drawing increasing attention after the Bitcoin “bubble” in late 2017. Now’s the perfect time to become acquainted with the subject.
It might not be the most thrilling read of the year, but it has some solid reviews in its favor:
“Great book for starters. It helps to understand the core of cryptocurrency and to get the well organized and summarized overview.”
Plus, the author is a “proud, savvy, and ethical hacker from San Francisco City,” which seems like a selling point.
Phone Screen Magnifier
$9.98
Phones might be large enough that it’s hard to hold onto them without a non-zero risk of dropping them, but that doesn’t really make them big.
It’s still a tiny screen—and we all insist on watching Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, and whatever else we come across on our tiny screens.
Why keep fighting? Why not instead make the phone screen bigger? Enter the Canyoze Screen Magnifier. It’s compact enough to travel well, but still allows for easy movie viewing and cuts down on eyestrain.
It’s the kind of thing you scroll by on Amazon all the time but would never buy for yourself. So why not give your nerd Valentine a way to watch Twitch (and anything else) without the eye strain?
Perfect for planes, trains, passenger seats, and couches.
Legend of Zelda Link Heat Changing Mug
$9.99
Is your honey a coffee addict and a Legend of Zelda junkie? Then this is the gift you need.
Once the heart-replenishing brew is poured in this mug, Link appears on the outside, filling your S/O with joy as well as caffeine.
It’s perfect for morning fortification, afternoon cheer, or an evening of Legend of Zelda. There’s even a secret Triforce at the bottom of the cup!
Note from the seller: “Do not attempt to fight Gannondorf while holding hot liquid!”
Sparkle Air Blower and Dust Blaster
$9.99
If your significant other is a nerd, chances are they have a lot of electronics. And what happens to electronics?
They get dusty. Very dusty.
Save your honey from the dust bunnies with this handy Sparkle Air Blower (and dust blaster). Though originally intended for cleaning camera lenses, it’s also useful for cleaning those pesky crevices of delicate electronics.
Easy to store, easy to use, easy to give as the perfect gift.
Key To My Heart Flash Drive
$9.99
A playlist of your significant other’s favorite music is a failsafe gift. They’ll think of you when they listen to it, it will last as long as the digital files, and it has a touch of the homemade charm without a “stick it on the refrigerator” vibe.
Why not take the perfect gift to the next level with this Key To My Heart flash drive? At 16GB, it will hold an extensive playlist, plus a few pictures of you and your S/O (just for safe keeping). It’s waterproof and magnet proof and just plain cute.
The Key To My Heart flash drive is the key to a memorable and precious Valentine’s Day gift.
Under $20
Aluminum Slim Wallet RFID Blocking
$14.95
We’re in the age of contactless payments, PayPal, and skinny jeans. Put all those together and it spells one thing: slim wallet.
Leather wallets are great in certain circumstances, but if your significant other is a nerd, odds are they’re also early adopters in the realm of alternative payment options. Which means they don’t want to carry cash.
And they’re probably more aware than the average Joe about fraud risk.
This Roco Slim wallet has all the bases covered. It’s RFID blocking, so credit information is secured. It’s as slim as you want it to be—it even comes with two different size bands to adjust between a stack of cards and just a few. And there’s still a space for emergency cash, even though we know they’ll never use it.
Kontrolfreek Alpha Thumbstick Rubber Grips
$14.99
For the gamer-nerd Valentines in the world, this is your home run gift. It might seem incidental, but adding 3mm of height to the thumbsticks of your honey’s game controller will give them the edge they need to dominate.
KontrolFreek Alpha pads give grip and comfort and come in sleek black or cobalt blue. Plus, they’re available for multiple systems (PS4 and Xbox One).
This Valentine’s Day, give the gift of winning.
Multi-port Car Charger
$14.99
Don’t tell your nerd, but this gift might be for you as much as it is for them. There’s nothing more annoying (and stressful) than getting in the car with two almost-dead phones and only one charging adaptor between you.
“Your phone is at 30% now—can I have the cord yet?” Not the best way to start a road trip.
Here’s your solution! For $15, you can charge up to six devices at once—that’s more ports than there are seats in the typical car. Charge away, and avoid fights before they even start!
It’s not just a gift for your honey, it’s a gift for your relationship.
Bluetooth Beanie
$16.99
We all know the struggle of wearing earbuds under winter hats. They get squished, they fall out, and cords and winter coats just don’t mix well.
Solution? The Bluetooth Beanie! This hat comes in multiple styles that are perfect for either male or female wear. It has a range of up to 33 feet, and the battery lasts for up to 7.5 hours of continuous use.
It’s the perfect winter gift to keep your S/O’s ears warm and happy.
One special note from the seller—the hat is fully washable, but the Bluetooth module is not. So don’t forget to remove it before washing.
Forbidden Desert Board Game
$17.32
There’s nothing like cozying around the coffee table on a cold evening to play a board game.
Especially if that game is “a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying machine buried deep in the ruins of a desert city.” That’s Gamewrite’s description of Forbidden Desert.
From the creator of Pandemic, Forbidden Desert is in the same vein, placing all players together on the same team to beat the game. It’s a great chance for you and your nerd to join forces and overcome a challenge together.
Playing time is about 45 minutes and you can have up to 5 players, although on Valentine’s Day, two is plenty.
Gallium Metal – 50g Melting Metal
$18.97
Whether or not your nerd is into science, they’ll definitely be into this gift.
Gallium (Ga on the periodic table) is metal with a melting point of 89 degrees Fahrenheit, so when your nerd holds it, it will melt (think mercury, but without the poison). Once it cools off again, it reverts to hard metal.
If you’re looking for unique, weird, and super cool, Gallium is the gift you need.
Plus, maybe you’ll get to play with it, too.
3D Death Star LED Table Night Lamp
$19.99
Odds are good that if your significant other is a nerd, they’re probably a Star Wars nerd.
And what better gift for a Star Wars nerd than a Death Star night light? (Possibly a lightsaber, but we’re on a budget.)
In the dark, this light becomes a 3D Death Star with seven color and an option for light flashing. It also comes in Darth Vader, Storm Trooper, Millennium Falcon, and BB-8.
Watch your S/O’s eyes light up with this gift.
Anker Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse
$19.99
Most of us spend a chunk of our day with a computer mouse in hand. Your significant other is probably no exception. That much mouse time can cause pain because of the unnatural position of the hand and wrist resting on a typical mouse.
Give the gift of a vertical mouse, and you can alleviate your S/O’s wrist pain in a flash. A vertical mouse allows the wrist to rotate about 60 degrees (about the position of a handshake, according to the Amazon description). This more natural position removes hand and wrist tension for a more comfortable experience.
Rechargeable, Reusable Hand Warmers
$19.99
It’s winter. And as we’ve already discussed, most of us spend a fair amount of time at our computers every day. Between work, gaming, internet surfing, and everything else, that’s a lot of time for fingers to be on a keyboard.
What’s the natural consequence? Cold fingers. Very, very cold fingers.
Why not give your significant other the gift of warm fingers this Valentine’s Day? This little hand warmer is rechargeable, and it doubles as a phone charger (look at you, giving two gifts in one!). It comes in multiple colors, from serious black to the most effervescent pink.
Warm your nerd’s hands and heart with this toasty gift.
Exploding Kittens
$19.99
“Exploding Kittens is a card game for people who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats.” So says the Amazon description, and so say the 7,000 reviewers who gave this game 4.5 stars.
Exploding Kittens is funny and fun, and interesting without becoming overly complicated. Although it’s best as a party game, Exploding Kittens can be played with two players and still pack a punch of fun.
If nothing else, you and your S/O can laugh at the cards in the deck (Tacocat—he’s a palindrome).
Under $30
Wireless Waterproof Speaker
$21.99
Showers are more enjoyable with music—everyone knows this. But there are risks. Is there any place more full of water hazards than a bathroom? Unless your phone is waterproof, it could end badly.
And even if your phone is waterproof, showers are loud, and phone speakers, though awesome, are tiny.
It’s probably time to gift your significant other a wireless waterproof speaker to stick to the wall of the shower. Seriously, it’s a game changer.
No more wishing you’d never put that song on the playlist—you can skip it from the shower. And what if the podcast episode is particularly quiet? No problem—the volume is adjustable and the sound is clear.
Shower jam sessions are back in business with this Valentine’s Day gift.
Disney BB-8 Spinning Top – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
$24.95
There’s no sugar-coating it: this gift serves no practical purpose. But it’s adorable, so worth it.
BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, comes in the form of a light-up spinning top. It might not charge your nerd’s phone, but it will definitely tickle their funny bone. It even makes droid sounds while spinning!
When the spinning gets old (which won’t be for days, obviously), the droid comes with a standing base so it can be displayed upright.
If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day gift that’s pure fun and whimsy, you can’t go wrong with BB-8.
Tile Mate
$25.00
It’s anecdotally proven that nerds, while highly intelligent, sometimes lack a little common sense. It’s endearing, but it also results in a lot of lost keys.
Which isn’t a big deal until, you know, you need to get back in the house.
Why not save your nerd some struggles by giving them a Tile Mate this Valentine’s Day?
It’s a small, minimalist square with a Bluetooth tracker that attaches to keys (or anything else prone to lostness). Then from the app you can locate the Tile on a map. If it’s nearby, make it ring. If it’s not, you can still see it’s last known location and go get it!
Anker PowerCore 10,000 Portable Charger
$25.99
We’ve all done it—gone out for the evening and only realized at the destination that our phone is running on reserve power. It’s not a good feeling. No maps, no emergency texts, no memes.
If you happen to have a wall charger on you, you’re stuck standing by a wall so your phone doesn’t get stolen (if you can find an outlet). If you drove, you could sit in your car and wait for your phone to charge.
Not ideal. And sometimes not possible.
A portable charger is a much superior solution. Slip this charger into a purse, backpack or glovebox and forget about it until it’s needed.
Let your significant other know you’re concerned about their safety (dead phones are never a good idea) and their convenience with this high-powered Valentine’s gift.
VR Headset
$27.95
Make your nerd’s dreams a reality with this virtual reality headset! Compatible with smartphones that have a 4.5-6.3 inch diagonal screen, it takes video viewing to a whole new level.
The headset has individually adjustable lenses and a vent for the phone so it doesn’t overheat. It even comes with stickers so your S/O can make these goggles their own.
It’s a virtually irresistible Valentine’s Day gift.
Phone Camera Lens Kit
$28.88
It’s one thing to spend hundreds and hundreds on photography equipment if that’s your livelihood or your main hobby. No judgment here.
But what if your honey just wants to take some great photos for Insta without having to buy an $800 lens?
Problem solved. This phone camera lens kit includes a vast array of tools for some photo fun. Nine lenses come with the kit, plus a hard case to keep them in. Just clip the lens over the phone’s camera, and take excellent photos with low cost and no struggle.
It’s a great way to test out a new hobby without breaking the bank, or to just up the selfie game.
Give your nerd new lenses this Valentine’s Day, and you’ll both enjoy the benefits for years to come.
Smart Succulents Table Top Garden
$29.90
The winter is long and dreary. When better than Valentine’s Day to give your S/O a cheery plant for their desk?
But this isn’t just any plant. Because who really wants to take care of a desktop plant? But this plant—it’s special. It comes in a smart planter that will raise the succulent with almost no work on the part of your S/O. All they have to do is enjoy the green in the sea of winter grey.
The planter includes an LED grow light, a smart timer, and ventilation. It also has a magnetic lid so if it happens to tip over, it won’t spill so easily. It’s powered by USB cable, so it’s perfect for a work environment.
The plant is not included, but you can get succulents at your local supermarket, or at Walmart.com.
iKustar Wi-Fi Smart Plug Socket (2 pack)
$29.99
There might be nothing nerds like better than a good smart home device. And who doesn’t love being able to turn off lights from their bed?
These Smart Plug Sockets just plug into existing wall sockets and allow devices connected to them to be controlled from a smart phone or a voice control device. (Sockets are compatible with Amazon Echo, Google Assistant, and iTTT.)
Your nerd will love the option for setting timed start and stop on appliances, as well as remote control. Plus, these sockets are small enough that they don’t block the other outlet on the wall.
Convenience plus an astronomical cool-factor make this the perfect nerd gift.
HooToo USB-C Hub Adaptor
$29.99
Have you or your significant other ever been in a situation where you need to hook one electronic to another, but you didn’t have the right adaptors?
With the increase in USB-C usage (and the decrease in port options if you’re a Mac user), the need for adaptors is serious.
Which means you need a serious adaptor. The HooToo USB-C hub adaptor is the one for you—or for your significant other, rather. It includes three USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, and an HDMI port.
Bears vs Babies
$29.99
Spice up your game nights with this strangely awesome card game. From the creators of Exploding Kittens, Bears vs Babies brings the fun. You and your S/O can create odd creatures to help you defend against the baby monster onslaught.
With quick rounds and hilarious art, this game is a winner for a crowd or just for the two of you.
Not only is Bears vs Babies a unique gift, it’s one that facilitates some quality time for you and your S/O. You’ll both love it!
What gifts have you given to your nerd that they’ve especially loved? Comment below! We’d love to add to the list!
Custom Software might not be under $30, but it’s still a great thing to consider this time of year! If you’re interested in finding out more about custom software and how it could serve your business, request your free consultation today!
About Kristin
Kristin Schwartz has a varied background that includes stints in government and the nonprofit sector. She’s an information junky, so she’s loving immersing herself in the world of technology. No challenge is too great—give Kristin any topic, and she’ll be determined to research it thoroughly, understand it, and write about it in a way that anyone can understand.
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