It is always nice to buy a gift or two for someone’s birthday, whether that someone is among friends or family, but not everyone is easy to buy a gift for. According to a consumer survey from CouponBirds, a US coupon websites, most people have a gift budget of $100 to $200, with 22% of people spending this amount on a loved one’s gift. The only time it is easy to buy a gift for someone is when he or she is really into something. If your friend loves science fiction, then many desktop figurines ought to do the trick, but not all loved ones are superfans who need to have the lunchbox, the movie poster, and so on. This begs the question: “What gifts can be good enough for most while remaining thoughtful?” Some gifts might reflect the receiver’s personality. Others might reflect the receiver’s Zodiac sign, like a birthstone ring. A great gift might simply be something you do with a friend, like going out to dinner or watching a movie. If you really want to buy a tangible item that a receiver might find special, then here are a few great suggestions.

Tea

Tea gifts stay usable for a long time, whereas fruit baskets need to be enjoyed fairly immediately to prevent spoiling. Tea is something that most people enjoy without regard to personality. It keeps you caffeinated for work, while decaffeinated teas can be a great dessert at the end of a long day at the office. Many people are foodies, so if you happen to know your friend is among them, then he or she may appreciate a box of tea bags, especially if the tea has an unusual flavor. An extremely generic box of tea might be received the wrong way, so if you buy tea as a birthday gift, make sure that it brings something new to the receiver’s life.

A Barbecue

If a friend of yours has ventured in the world of cooking, then he or she may be ready to start cooking outside with a grill or barbecue. From spring through fall, there are plenty of opportunities to have a cookout. Barbecues are a little different from indoor options in that they require more attention, though barbecue recipes are often simple. If one makes red meat on a barbecue, then that will require a lot of attention, and white meat will actually require less attention because that has to be well-done no matter what. Just make sure your friend has not already purchased a barbecue. While barbecues are not necessities, they are still common, and your friend may have bought one if he or she is a homeowner.

A Gift Card

The great thing about gift cards is that they are essentially cold hard cash with a nice thought attached to them. Buying someone a gift card is not as assuming as directly buying a gift, while it is not as dismissive as handing someone twenty dollars. If you know the types of things your friend buys regularly, whether that is wine, games, or food, there are plenty of options for gift cards to certain online or in-person stores. If one store in particular crosses your mind, then that is even better, but if not, ballparking based on your friend’s interests is perfectly acceptable. Consider a gift card if you are feeling unusually stumped by what to buy.

A Keyboard

If your friend is a techie or a writer, then he or she may appreciate a new keyboard. If your friend is already getting by with a current keyboard, then he or she may not want to waste money on a new one. Your friend may want one, though. Maybe ask your friend if he or she likes his or her current keyboard. That might give them an opportunity to complain and you an opportunity to find the right one. Common problems with keyboards are keys that are too thick, keys that are too thin, and keyboards that do not have numpads. Your techie friend may appreciate this particularly because he or she would not otherwise go out of the way to get a new keyboard. Get a souped-up keyboard so your friend does not have to.

Speakers

If your friend enjoys listening to music or watching movies on a computer, then he or she may enjoy a set of nice speakers. If your friend has a laptop, then he or she may be using the cheap laptop speakers to listen to music, but external speakers handle the job much better. Because external speakers are not necessary, your friend may not go out of the way to buy speakers, either. Having a set of speakers for when your friend’s laptop is on a desk would be appreciated a lot. Consider buying a set of speakers for the music producer or listener in your life. Whether the speakers you buy are wired, wireless, or bluetooth, your friend will appreciate them.