Sometime between my childhood and my adulthood stocking stuffers went from inexpensive to extravagant. I’m pretty sure it all has to do with marketing. Suddenly every company that makes a product that could fit in a stocking is marketing their wares as “stocking stuffers.” Nevermind that that gold bracelet costs more than all of the other gifts under the tree!
Let’s resist what the marketers are trying to tell us and get back to what stocking stuffers used to be. Your budget will thank you!
I’m going to share with you some ideas of classic and creative stocking stuffers that are affordable and don’t try to upstage the rest of Christmas morning.
I would LOVE to hear your best ideas for frugal stocking stuffers down in the comments. Let’s all help each other out!
Apples and Oranges
There are plenty of sweet treats around the holidays, so why not encourage a little healthy snacking with an apple or an oragne (or both!)?! Both my husband and I both grew up in families with this tradition, so I’m guessing it’s pretty widespread. It makes me think of the Ingalls children from the Little House series who were delighted with such simple things. Apparently it’s functional too. Having something heavy in the toe of the stocking helps to weigh it down and hold it open.
Non-Christmas candy
You can save a lot of money by getting candy that’s not marketed as Christmas candy. Since I have a lot of stockings to fill, I prefer to buy large bags of candy and divide it up myself into little ziplock bags. For example, you get a lot more for your money when you buy a big bag of M&Ms than when you buy a bag of individually wrapped packages (think Halloween candy) or worse yet, when you buy Christmas branded candy (think M&Ms in the clear plastic candy cane container). Your money will go a lot further if you take a few extra mintutes to divide it into smaller portions yourself.
Small puzzles, brain teasers
There are lots of dollar store type toys that I consider just plain junk and definitely don’t want to see all over my house (times 6 kids), but there are a few things that we always seem to get a lot of mileage out of and those are brain teasers and puzzles.
Books
You can squeeze a paperback book into a stocking with no trouble at all. Books are one of the things you can buy used in great condition and no one will know or care. If your kids are like mine, they go through books like candy (almost), so they would read me out of house and home if I bought all new books.
Hair things
If your girls love bows, bands, and clips for their hair, they make a great stocking stuffer. They’re small, useful, and inexpensive and they can be a lot of fun!
Hot wheels cars
If you have little ones that are into cars (or big ones), Hot Wheels are perfect for stockings. They are cheap, fun, and fit nicely in a stocking.
Toothbrushes
While it’s not very “fun” necessarily, a new toothbrush is a great stocking stuffer (also great for Easter baskets). For us it’s as traditional as the orange or apple!
Socks
Here’s another necessity that goes nicely in Christmas stockings. If you’re opposed to giving “boring” gifts like socks and underwear, you could give a “fun” version rather than just the run-of-the mill. How about a pair of fuzzy socks or a colorful pair with their favorite characters.
Popcorn
My kids would be thrilled with their own individual packages of microwave popcorn that they could have to themselves and eat whenever they want. Or if you want to make a little more effort make some popcorn balls with jello (just google it–it sounds weird but it’s actually really yummy)!
I hope that give you some ideas to stuff your stockings without breaking the bank!
What are your ideas for saving money on stocking stuffers? Share your best frugal stocking stuffer ideas down in the comments.
Next in the series:
Day 12: Easy homemade Pie Crust in Bulk
Our Santa leaves an apple, orange, and a handful of walnuts in the stockings along with a toothbrush, Hot Wheels, socks – it sounds like the same Santa visits both houses:) Also included is a box of candy wrapped in Santa foil (usually $1.00 each), deodorant, hair products, and other toiletries typically used on a regular basis.
This was a long time ago when panty hose were regularly worn, but my cousin’s preteen was reaching the age of transitioning from a little girl to a young woman. She was thrilled when a pair of hose were put in her stocking that year.
We do a box of sugar cereal-no it’s not cheap (although I look for sales), but they only get them on Saturdays, so getting their own box once a year is a BIG deal. No they don’t fit, but we lay stockings down anyway.
This may be the opposite of frugal, but . . . . Last year, my son complained that we woke him up at 7 to open Christmas presents. This is a kid who has always loved his sleep – even presents aren’t as important to him as shut-eye! So this year the kids’ stockings will go at the foot of their bed, and they can open those whenever, but presents will wait until everyone is awake. I’m also introducing jolabokaflod, yule book flood. This is an Icelandic tradition where everyone gets a new book on Christmas Eve, but we’re doing it Christmas morning instead. Each kid will wake up to a metal bucket that says “Always Hungry” (found on clearance because they’re pet food containers missing their lids) with a new book (op-shop finds) and some snacks (stuff we already have on-hand – school lets out for summer break next week, but I still have plenty of lunch snacks; and we’re having a birthday party this weekend and should have plenty of leftover lollies.) So the idea is they can stay in bed as late as they like, reading their new books and happily introverting, until they decide to get up and join in the rest of the day. Stockings will include things presents found on clearance, mostly at the after-Christmas sales last year.
I do different things each year for my kids, but always books and some candy. The rest is mostly food like peanuts in the shell (which is really fun for kids that don’t normally eat them that way), clementines, and dried fruit (big packages that I split into baggies). This year, I’m going to splurge on some individual cereal cups because although more pricey than bulk cereal, they aren’t expensive, and cereal is a rare treat around here! It will give them something healthier to eat on Christmas morning.