This feels like the year for practical gifts. As much as many of us love surprises, you might want to ask your family what they actually need or want. Some will have very down-to-earth answers, such as a security doorbell, better lighting, something for the baby, and others may want one special item they wouldn’t buy for themselves. With higher prices across the family budget, planning for the right gift may be better than a surprise.

Stockings are a great place for inexpensive tech that manages to be both practical and fun. Apple’s AirTag four-pack is down to $65 on Amazon, making each tag about $16. It’s an easy way to prevent travel snafus or help forgetful family members find their keys. AirTags pop up in the Find My app on iPhones for easy retrieval. Another useful item is the iFixit Prying and Opening Tool Kit for $9.95. It looks simple, but it’s exactly what you need to open battery compartments, pry apart a stubborn phone case or pop the back off a remote. Finally, a two-pack of GE Cync A19 smart bulbs goes for $12 to $18 in Black Friday sales. Split them into two stockings for an affordable and useful gift.

Moving on to your individual gift list, I’ve found several that are practical but certainly not boring. The most entertaining is the LOOUI Smart Robot Companion at $149. LOOI turns your smartphone into an intelligent desktop robot, using your phone’s camera and AI to understand what’s around it. It can recognize objects and pets, read book covers, answer questions, play music, take photos and videos and respond with simple motion and expressions. Because your phone powers it, the setup is easy and the features stay up to date. LOOI blends practical tools with a surprising amount of personality, which makes it both useful and fun to have on a desk or kitchen counter. (I’m definitely getting one for a hard-to-shop-for son-in-law.)

New baby in the family? A practical gift for new moms is the Hatch Go, marked down to $39.99 for the holidays. It’s a portable sound machine with a soft night-light that moves easily from crib to stroller to the car, helping babies settle down at home or on the go. 

And if someone on your list works from home or is on video calls all day, the Logitech Litra Beam streaming light is $90 at Best Buy, a savings of $30. Its bar-shaped LED panel can be positioned horizontally or vertically next to a monitor, making it easier to place than a ring light. Compared with a ring light, the diffused panel avoids harsh glare, reduces eye strain and doesn’t create a circular reflection on glasses.

Consider one family gift instead of individual gifts to make a big gifting impact that’s friendlier on your budget. You can go big with an Insignia 75-inch F50 Series 4K Fire TV for $379.99 from Best Buy, down from $599.99 — a record low. It includes hands-free Alexa, DTS Studio Sound and the Fire OS interface. 

Another big screen option is the Kodak Luma 150 portable projector for $219.99. It’s pocket-sized and turns any wall into a movie screen, which makes it ideal for movie nights, backyard gatherings or showing travel photos while the family is together. 

A third pick takes you outdoors: the Bird Buddy Pro smart bird feeder, on sale for $199 on Amazon, a savings of about $50. It snaps photos and videos of visiting birds and identifies the species automatically. Pair it with the free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab, which can identify birds by photo or sound when you’re away from home. 

Before you buy this weekend, compare prices because retailers will add new deals through Cyber Monday. Also, check the return policy since some stores adjust their rules for holiday sales. With a bit of planning, you can keep your spending on track and still choose gifts people will use long after the holidays.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.