Gifts for New Homeowners Under $50 That Help in the First Month

A cordless screwdriver is the tool a new homeowner uses most and thinks to buy least. This Black+Decker kit pairs a small 4-volt screwdriver with a picture-hanging kit and a set of bits, which covers the two jobs that fill the first weekends in a new place: putting up frames and mirrors, and putting together furniture that arrived in flat boxes.

The handle pivots, so it works as a straight driver in a cramped cabinet or as a pistol grip on an open wall. There's an LED to light the screw you're aiming at, a magnetic holder that keeps a spare bit on the tool and a battery indicator so it's never flat by surprise. It charges over USB, so there's no special charger to lose in a move, and weighs 1.5 pounds.

Know its limits. A 4-volt screwdriver drives screws; it doesn't drill holes in brick, tile or hardwood, which needs a proper drill. And for a homeowner who already owns a drill-driver, a screwdriver this small is a convenience, not a new ability. For a first apartment or a first house, it's the right first tool.

Every house comes with a breaker panel whose labels are faded, wrong or missing, and the day a circuit trips is the day that matters. A label maker fixes that in an afternoon, then moves on to the storage bins in the basement, the spice jars, the cables behind the TV and the shut-off valves under the sinks. It sounds like a gift for an organizing enthusiast; for a new homeowner it's a tool.

Brother's PT-D220 is the plain desktop kind, which is easier to give than an app-based one: type on its full keyboard, check the label on the 15-character screen, press print. It has 25 built-in templates and takes Brother's TZe tapes up to about half an inch wide, the laminated kind that survive a damp garage. A sample tape is in the box.

The catches: it runs on six AAA batteries that aren't included, or an AC adapter sold separately, so put batteries in the gift bag. And tape is an ongoing cost; the sample roll goes fast once the labeling starts. Brother has retired the older PT-D210 that many lists still recommend; this is its current replacement.

A full vacuum is a big purchase most people make for themselves, but a handheld for the small messes is the one they put off. This Dustbuster is the gift version: a 12-volt cordless hand vacuum that lives on its own wall mount by the kitchen or the back door and comes off for cereal on the floor, potting soil on the windowsill or sand in the car.

The nozzle rotates so you can hold it comfortably at odd angles, an extendable crevice tool reaches between couch cushions and down the side of a car seat, and a flip-up brush handles upholstery. The dirt bowl is clear, so you can see when to empty it, and both the bowl and the filter wash out. Black+Decker lists the bowl at 20.6 ounces (590 ml).

Its limit is runtime. Black+Decker rates it at 12 minutes, which is plenty for spills and a car's front seats but not for a whole room; it's a supplement to a real vacuum, not a replacement. It also charges through a barrel plug rather than USB, so the charger needs to stay with the wall mount.

New houses rarely have the light switches where you want them, and the lamp in the corner of the living room ends up being the one everyone walks across a dark room to reach. A smart plug fixes that without an electrician: plug it into the wall, plug the lamp into it, and the lamp follows a schedule, answers a voice assistant or switches off from a phone in bed.

Wyze's plug is a simple, inexpensive way in, and this box holds two. Each one works over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with the Wyze app, with Alexa and with Google Assistant, with no hub to buy. Set a schedule so the porch light comes on at dusk, or use the vacation mode Wyze describes so the house looks lived-in while you're away. Each plug handles up to 15 amps.

The catches: the setup needs a phone and a Wyze account, so it suits a homeowner who's comfortable with apps. It's indoor only, and it joins 2.4 GHz networks only, which is the norm for smart plugs but worth knowing if the router is set up unusually.

The Chemex has been made since 1941, and its hourglass shape is the kind of object people leave out on the counter because it looks good there. That's what makes it a housewarming gift rather than a kitchen errand: it's useful every morning, and it's also the first nice thing on the shelf of a kitchen that's still half unpacked.

This is the six-cup version with a glass handle in place of the classic wood collar and leather tie. It holds 30 ounces, which Chemex counts as six 5-ounce cups, enough for two people's mugs and a refill. It's pure borosilicate glass, so it adds no taste, and because there's no wood collar to remove, the whole carafe can go in the dishwasher, which Chemex confirms on its page.

Two things to add or know. It brews only with Chemex's own thick bonded filters (FP-1, FC-100, FS-100 or FSU-100), so a box of filters belongs in the gift bag. And pour-over takes a few minutes and a kettle; for a household that wants coffee at the push of a button, a drip machine is the better present.