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Affordable life hacks: These 10 problem-solvers from Amazon are $5 or less
People often wax nostalgic about the good old days, when $5 went a long way. Well, guess what: It still can — you just have to know where to look. (Hint, hint: try here.) Better yet, start with our favorite $5-and-under finds from Amazon below. For just a few buckaroos, you can charge your iPhone with a flexible Lightning cable, baby your hair with a mini detangling brush or get your sweat on with these resistance bands. Of course, there's more where that came from. Happy shopping!
Wet Brush Mini Detangler Hair Brush
$5$11Save $6None Brand Blackhead Remover Tool Kit
$5$7Save $2Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water
$4$4Save $0Msq Eyelash Comb
$5$10Save $5Sucrets Sore Throat Lozenges, Wild Cherry Flavor, 18 Count
$5$6Save $1Sainswin Pill Organizer Keychain
$3$7Save $4Starktape Resistance Bands
$4$8Save $4PowerOwl High-Capacity CR2032 3-Volt Lithium Batteries
$5$9Save $4 with couponHi-Mobiler MFi Certified Lightning Cables, 2-Pack
$2$5Save $3LightDims LED Covers
$1$4Save $3DBPower Portable Car Jump Starter
$48$90Save $42 with couponSuuson Car Phone Holder
$12$50Save $38Pulidiki Car Cleaning Gel
$6$9Save $3Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
$97$124Save $27Zoker Cordless Stick Vacuum
$110$600Save $490Zcwa Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Mop
$130$730Save $600 with couponThisWorx Car Vacuum
$26$40Save $14 with codeInstant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer
$130Whall Touch-Screen Toaster
$60$200Save $140Cuisinart Portable Charcoal Grill
$28$40Save $12Zulay Fruit Infuser Water Bottle, 34 ounces
$17$20Save $3Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro Grill and Griddle
$180$370Save $190Momo & Nashi Air Fryer Cheat Sheet Cooking Guide Booklet
$10$15Save $5Lamu Lazy Susan Turntable for Fridge
$18$27Save $9Mattitude Kitchen Mat, 2-Pack
$21$43Save $22 with couponFullstar 50-Piece Plastic Food Storage Containers With Lids
$32$55Save $23 with PrimeLodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet
$20$34Save $14Coway Airmega True HEPA Purifier
$141$230Save $89Eudele Adhesive Shower Caddy, 5-Pack
$18$70Save $52 with couponHopopro Showerhead
$14$30Save $16Saker Mini Chain Saw
$40$80Save $40Budding Joy 90-Liter Large Storage Bags
$19$45Save $26 with PrimeSealegend Dryer Vent Cleaner Kit
$9$15Save $6Rubbermaid Reveal Power Scrubber
$20$26Save $6Fiskars Garden Pruning Shears
$14$21Save $7Cozsinoor Cooling Bed Pillows, Queen, 2-Pack
$25$102Save $77 with couponDeWalt 20V Max Cordless Drill and Impact Driver
$139$239Save $100LuxClub Sheet Set, Queen
$35$57Save $22Khelfer Electric Spin Scrubber
$30$70Save $40 with Prime and couponKidde Carbon Monoxide Detector
$18$28Save $10
A detangling brush is the first step to saving your thinning locks. This mini brush, loved by over 9,000 shoppers, is just the right size for tucking in your purse.
"This little brush is super for detangling hair without breaking hairs and with no pain!" gushed a beauty enthusiast. "Wet or dry, it works so well — even on difficult tangles. Good for all ages. Size is perfect for home or travel."
Similar to tools used by dermatologists and spa technicians, these pore-saving tools are made up of 4-inch stainless steel rods with wire loops at each end.
"This kit is amazing," shared one of 5,000 five-star fans. Whether it's a blackhead, whitehead, or a pesky ingrown hair, you're covered! Minimal trauma to the skin and gets those buried hairs out of there surprisingly effectively! Even my wax technician noticed a difference."
Micellar water is a makeup remover that's gentle enough to use every day and is safe to use on all skin types, including sensitive skin. Bonus: It's vegan and free of parabens, oil and fragrances.
This micellar water has over 51,000 five-star fans. "My holy grail makeup remover. Doesn't dry out my skin or leave an oily residue," raved this shopper.
Clumpy mascara getting you down? This nifty separating comb helps define lashes for a more natural look and fuller effect.
"My absolute favorite beauty tool!" exclaimed a happy shopper. "I love using this eyelash brush! I'm 68 and never used one before; had always struggled with clumps and lashes sticking together. Now I use this, it's simple and easily does the job!"
Spring allergies causing a tickle in your throat? These tried and true lozenges (with an army of nearly 3,000 fans) are hard to find.
"This is my first time trying the honey lemon version and I do like it," shared a lozenge lover. "This has the exact soothing/dulling action of the cherry and it is exactly what I need. Scratchy throat season is now and these are greatly appreciated!"
Whether you want to keep your aspirin at the ready or you need to bring a few vitamins while you're on the go, this little contraption keeps caplets, capsules and tablets in an easy-to-find key ring with a screw-on cap.
"Bought it for my husband," said one happy shopper. "He was always carrying around a pill box for his meds. So needless to say when I saw this, I had to get it for him. Now he attached it to his keys, and no bulkiness in his pants. Totally recommend for someone who takes meds twice a day, and they have to go somewhere."
These resistance bands help you use your own body weight and strength to tone up. And they're portable, so you can get your sweat on even while you're on vacation.
"I work in home health physical therapy and these bands are great," wrote an exercise expert. "The handles and ankle cuffs make working out much more comfortable for my older patients. We also use the bands at home. It is nice that the resistance goes from 10 to 50 pounds. If 50 pounds is not enough, bands can be combined to increase resistance. So far I have had no issue with bands breaking or wearing out."
Dislike buying small packs of expensive lithium batteries to keep your necessities running? This 20-pack will ease your mind, and your wallet will follow.
"Was very pleased that this lasted so long," wrote one of 8,000 rave reviewers. "I have small snow globes that light and I forgot to turn them off. They were left on for three days (72 hours) and were still bright and not hot. Very pleased with these batteries."
Apple fans can never have too many Lightning cables. These bad boys have a soft cable for flexibility, and they stretch up to 6 feet.
"This is double the length of the standard Apple charging cable," shared a savvy shopper. "It is braided, which I feel is more rugged and the length is great for me as my electric outlets are not super close to me sometimes."
Is the glare from your alarm clock keeping you up at night? Nix it with these stick-on LED covers, which come in a pack of over 100 in different shapes and sizes to fit over lights on your microwave, router, power strips, chargers and other gadgets.
"Hello darkness, my old friend," wrote a fan. "I love these. I cannot sleep with any light. It absolutely drives me nuts. I need blackout curtains and can't even deal with the littlest of light from electronics. So far I've used these on surge protectors, my printer and my modem. They work great and it looks so much better than a piece of electrical tape ... I truly had no idea how much joy these little blackout stickers would bring me."
If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
Looking for more great Amazon home deals? Check these out:
Auto
DBPower Portable Car Jump Starter
$48$90Save $42 with coupon
Suuson Car Phone Holder
$12$50Save $38
Pulidiki Car Cleaning Gel
$6$9Save $3
Vacuums
Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
$97$124Save $27
Zoker Cordless Stick Vacuum
$110$600Save $490
Zcwa Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Mop
$130$730Save $600 with coupon
ThisWorx Car Vacuum
$26$40Save $14 with code
Kitchen
Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer
$130
Whall Touch-Screen Toaster
$60$200Save $140
Cuisinart Portable Charcoal Grill
$28$40Save $12
Zulay Fruit Infuser Water Bottle, 34 ounces
$17$20Save $3
Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro Grill and Griddle
$180$370Save $190
Momo & Nashi Air Fryer Cheat Sheet Cooking Guide Booklet
$10$15Save $5
Lamu Lazy Susan Turntable for Fridge
$18$27Save $9
Mattitude Kitchen Mat, 2-Pack
$21$43Save $22 with coupon
Fullstar 50-Piece Plastic Food Storage Containers With Lids
$32$55Save $23 with Prime
Lodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet
$20$34Save $14
Home
Coway Airmega True HEPA Purifier
$141$230Save $89
Eudele Adhesive Shower Caddy, 5-Pack
$18$70Save $52 with coupon
Hopopro Showerhead
$14$30Save $16
Saker Mini Chain Saw
$40$80Save $40
Budding Joy 90-Liter Large Storage Bags
$19$45Save $26 with Prime
Sealegend Dryer Vent Cleaner Kit
$9$15Save $6
Rubbermaid Reveal Power Scrubber
$20$26Save $6
Fiskars Garden Pruning Shears
$14$21Save $7
Cozsinoor Cooling Bed Pillows, Queen, 2-Pack
$25$102Save $77 with coupon
DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Drill and Impact Driver
$139$239Save $100
LuxClub Sheet Set, Queen
$35$57Save $22
Khelfer Electric Spin Scrubber
$30$70Save $40 with Prime and coupon
Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector
$18$28Save $10