3 Under $30

I intended to list some of my favorite things available for $20 or less, but one of the items I wanted to include has become more expensive due to its popularity.

I'll start with that big ticket item, Electronic Catch Phrase, which hovers around the $30 price range.  I am proud to say that my family got in on the ground floor of this phenomenon.  ("Phenomenon" may be overstating things-- maybe "trend" is more appropriate.)  My family is big on playing games and this one doesn't disappoint.  I added this to my Amazon.com wish list about five years ago when I saw a review for it.  My parents bought it for my birthday, which coincided with our family week at the lake, and we played it every night on vacation.  At that point in time the game was somewhat unknown, so I gifted it to various friends and family members.  As a result, there is now a good chance that wherever I am, there is a Catch Phrase device ready to be utilized.  My uncle also bought me the musical version of Catch Phrase, where you get double points for singing.  This is a convenient game because it requires no setup and the only instructions are not to give a rhyming clue or spelling clue to get your teammate(s) to guess the word or phrase.  It moves very quickly and involves the entire group so no one is left to get bored waiting for his or her turn.  Catch Phrase has been featured on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and Neil Patrick Harris is now starring in commercials for it.  Unfortunately the popularity of the game has resulted in the price doubling in the past five years. If only I had bought dozens and dozens when it was only $15.

Butch and Harold Sticker Picture Frames are selling for $19.95.  I bought these a few years ago for my office and I liked them so much that I then purchased sets for various cousins to zazz up their dorm rooms.  When I moved to a different department two years ago, I pealed these babies right off the wall and stuck them up in my new office.  Here is my approximate view.  (I've added a few more since taking this picture.)

The Vera Bradley Zip ID Case costs $12 and is available in an assortment of patterns.  My cousin got one of these last year and as soon as I saw hers I had to have my own.  It is cute, super convenient, and best of all, affordable.