The Only Housewarming Gift Guide You Need

Someone you know just moved. You need a gift. You have 15 minutes and a budget that ranges from "thoughtful" to "I just found out about this yesterday." Here is the guide.

Under $15: The Thoughtful Gesture

A candle. A good one, not the $3 kind. Target, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods all carry candles in the $8-15 range that smell great and look nice enough to sit on a shelf. Pick a clean scent — cedar, linen, eucalyptus. Avoid anything that smells like food.

A plant. A pothos, a snake plant, or a succulent from the grocery store. Something that is extremely difficult to kill. New apartments need life in them, and a plant is life that does not need to be fed or walked.

Under $30: The Solid Gift

A bottle of Deko Cocktails. A housewarming gift that gets consumed the same night it is given is the best kind of gift. It does not take up space. It does not require a thank-you note. It gets poured, enjoyed, and remembered. Pick the Gold Rush if they like bourbon, the Bee's Knees if they like gin, Number 3 if you want to surprise them.

A nice kitchen towel set. This sounds boring. It is not. New apartments have terrible kitchen towels because everyone uses the ones they have had since college. A set of actual good kitchen towels ($15-25) is used every single day and appreciated every time.

Under $50: The Impressive Gift

A cutting board. A real one. Wood. Not the plastic one they will buy at IKEA. A walnut or maple cutting board is something people use for years and think of you every time they chop an onion.

A cocktail kit. A Deko Cocktails variety (one of each) plus a set of rocks glasses. Around $50 total. They now have a bar. You gave them a bar for their housewarming. That is legendary gift energy.

The Free Gift That Matters Most

Show up. Go to the housewarming. Walk through the apartment. Say genuine things about the space. Stay for a drink. Your presence at someone's new home matters more than anything you bring.