Stocking stuffers that are actually affordable

[Vasha]

Greetings,

Could anyone please help with ideas for stocking stuffers that cost a dollar or less? I usually just end up doing various small food treat which are not usually too healthy.

Thanks!

[DawnM]

What age group are you thinking of?

Kids:

sidewalk chalk

lip gloss

matchbox cars

bubbles to blow

plastic/rubber rings and bracelets

fidget toys

My thrift store has a $1 toy bin and some of them are in new condition

socks

deodorant

body wash

specialty soaps

pencil holders/pencils/erasers 

hair clips

hair ties

brush/comb

[mom2scouts]

Some of these may be more than a dollar, but are useful: Fun socks, Pez dispenser/Pez, gum, Chapstick, razor blades, hair ties, pens, game book like Sudoku or word find, card game, small art supplies, homemade coupons for things like a day off from chores, collector cards (baseball, Pokeman, Magic), golf tees, nail polish, makeup/makeup remover, small puzzles, notepad, HotHands, batteries, crayons, nail clippers.

[gardenmom5]

satsumas or tangerines

[rebcoola]

Agr group helps but I usually hit up the dollar tree. Junk food, small toys, make up, craft stuff. 

 If I had a herd of elementary kid I would probably buy a couple packs of mix toy assortments off oriental trading company and divide them up. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by rebcoola

[Murphy101]

It also helps to have small stockings. We made the decision decades ago that we would never have stockings that could hold more than their shoe could hold.  Now all the stockings are about the length of a grown man’s hand.

We usually manage to put some lip balm, king size of their favorite candy, a gift card, a nice pen or stylus, silly putty, car freshener, lotions or hand sanitizers in cute bottles, keychains, purse/backpack dangles, stuff like that. I will buy most in a multipacks and then open it to divide among the stockings. 

[Brittany1116]

We always do electric toothbrushes.

[Momof4sweetkids]

We are doing art supplies (fun markers and stickers) and headbands that I probably would have bought anyway and then goldfish and fruit snacks. But my kids are little so they have low expectations😅

[vonfirmath]

I think $1 may be an unrealistically low number for stocking stuffers. Dollar Tree costs more than that now. You could buy a bag of candy and divide it out between your kids and that may be under $1

 

Also using smaller stockings sounds like a great idea.

I've heard of someone who got a tin of Pringles to put in the bottom of the stocking to take up a lot of space. (But that costs over a dollar) Also wrapping the items in the stocking make them take up more space. 

[MercyA]

Dollar Tree has lots of options for $1.25. Some things I've seen lately:

Genuine Barbie dress kit--comes with a blank dress, two markers, and a water dropper to make a "tie dye" doll dress

Genuine Barbie accessories sets (shoes, purses, etc.) and pets

Lego-like mini figures, base plates, and bricks

Hot Wheels tracks and cars

Littlest Pet Shop animals

Fun socks

Cute notebooks

Healthier snacks: bags of nuts, dried fruit, trail mix

Clip-on LED lights for backpacks

Nail polish, lip balm, other makeup

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by MercyA

[Kareni]

A dollar bill or coin

A roll of pennies is 50¢. (I believe a roll of nickels is $2.00.)

Regards,

Kareni

[Tenaj]

I buy multipacks of things and divide them up.  Special flavors of hot chocolate packets, brownies in a mug envelopes, multipacks of playdough, pens/pencils/markers/, hairbands, sample sizes of all sorts of toiletries, chapstick/lip gloss, fingernail polish, stickers, candy, little Debbie snacks, individual packs of raisins, the pouch style applesauce.  We obviously do lots of food but I have towards 20 stockings to do!  Multi-packs of hot wheel cars is another annual thing - even my teen boys like that.  

Edited November 22, 2022 by Tenaj

[EmilyGF]

I always put a container of Pringles in every stocking. Not incredibly healthy, but it is inexpensive and takes up a lot of space. Also, it is the only time of the year my kids have their own container of Pringles. 

I encourage each person (my husband loves this) to put their name on the lid of the Pringles after Christmas and most of them try to make it last at least a week.

Emily

[Spryte]

Not a dollar item, but takes up a lot of space — we put a new water bottle in each stocking. Or travel cup or mug of choice. It’s similar to the Pringles can, in that it fills a large space. Sometimes Aldi has some cute kid travel cups for just a few dollars.

A rolled up magazine if interest can do the same, or a paperback.

[Beth S]

2 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

I always put a container of Pringles in every stocking.

This is what I do---it makes the stocking stand up. 
Honestly, I ask my young adult kids what kind of candy they like, & spend $5. 
They only are gifted candy on their birthday & at Cmas.
Put an orange or apple in the bottom, and some quarters. 
(For us, stockings are fun, but not a big spendy part of Cmas morning.)

[BusyMom5]

Unfortunately its really hard to find stuff for under $1.  I've found the best thing for me is to fill stocking with a regular gift or other useful things I'd be getting, or educational stuff.  

Hair Stuff:  Barettes, clips, scrunchies, bun maker, pony tail elastics, Wet brush, dry shampoo, hair spray or other nice hair products

Hat, thick gloves, driving gloves,  leather work gloves, ear muffs, headband thing that goes over the ears, hand warmers, 

nail polish, make-up, brushes, toothbrush, mouth wash, t-shirts, 

gorilla tape, small tools, wallet, water bottle, 

Bubbles, books, card games, mad libs, for little ones I've put in play food, Barbies, action figures, Lego set (open and put packs in there separately)

Water colors, brushes, nice art supplies, markers,  colored pencils, chalks, oil pastels, calligraphy pens

Techy stuff- chargers, extention cords, cases, flash drives,  etc.

 

I know none of this- except bubbles- is as cheap as you'd like, but maybe instead of worrying about a bunch of little things, you could pick a theme or other gift and just have one less thing to open (and wrap!)

[Faith-manor]

If this is for children, I would start with a bag of tangelos and fill the toe of the stocking which when broken down will be a dollar per person if you are filling three or four stockings. Then I would get a bag of fun pens, like the gel twisty pens, and divide among the kids. Usually someone has those on sale. I would buy a box of raisins, a bag of chocolate chips, a container of peanuts and a container of cashews (assuming no nut allergies), and make up a bowl of trail mix, and then make up some baggies of trail mix by cutting squares of cellophane, pulling up the sides around a scoop of trail mix, and then tying with cheap ribbon. I would divide one bag of candy among the kids because that is always fun, and instead of just dumping it in so it falls around into the crevices and does not take up room, I would also do it in a pile in cellophane and tie so that it helps take up space and provide support in the stocking. A couple of packages of glow sticks from Dollar Tree can be divided among the kids so $2.50 plus tax, among three stockings, that is less than a dollar, and the same goes for the playdoh which comes in mini packs of six or eight per $1.25 package. I would then buy a $3 bag of apples and fill the rest of the stocking with that.

For teens and adults, I would get a package of AA batteries when they go on sale (many places do run good sales for the holidays) and divide them among the adults. Everyone always needs batteries. You can tape them together. Amazon Basics are 9.02 right now for twenty. If you are filling three stockings, each person could get two battery packs of three batteries which is $3.00, or a $1.50 stocking stuffer, but for adults, you can hardly do better than that. I would also do tangelos and apples and trail mix, a couple of ramen noodle packages, and I would get a pack of four or five wash cloths (these will likely go on sale at Wal-Mart so they are a dollar a piece) and then some 99c hand travel size hand lotion, wrap the hand lotion in the washcloth, and tie with ribbon. In my experience, it seems like everyone is always having their washcloths or even dish clothes wear out so it is a nice, practical gift, and in the winter, people tend to always wish they had hand lotion with them. Same goes for lip balm if you see it go on sale. Post it notes, 4/3.19 at Wal-Mart right now so that is less than a dollar per teen/adult and those are always handy. On the go travel packs of Kleenex are 97c for a pack of three at Walmart. Again, always something nice to have, so if you buy three packs, you can give three to each of the three stockings for only $1.

[Spryte]

Oh! Faith-manor has this nailed, but I did think of one more item we have done in the past. I make these little round, no bake chocolate-y balls (we actually call them nummy balls of chocolate-y goodness), and one year I made a secret batch at night and put them into tiny tins for each stocking. Kids were impressed that Mrs. Claus had made them treats, and that she knew how to make our special “nummy balls.”

 

[73349]

A lot of times, stickers are sold in sets that are big enough to separate for multiple recipients. Like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sticko-Tasty-Treats-Everyday-Solid-Multicolor-Paper-Stickers-12-Sheets/859925591

[Grace Hopper]

Probably repeating what others have said…

Pringles or those boxes of movie theater candy that I’ve picked up for $1 at Walmart or CVS

Multipack items divided up (cocoa packets, any cookies or snack foods - every now and then Little Debbie stuff which we never otherwise buy)

Dollar and/or half dollar coins

Christmas ornaments

Oranges (or some fun tropical fruit like carambola)

Essentials that would normally be part of the household budget - toothbrushes, floss, deodorant, perfumes, etc. 

Gingerbread, always something gingerbread. I have bought everything from a fancy bakery cookie each to a box of ginger snaps divided out into ziplock bags. 
 

Trader Joe’s is a good place to get inexpensive food items (we like the chocolate bars, packets chocolate covered almonds, Chomps beef and chicken sticks). World Market can also be fun for small, interesting small size food items - teas, teeny hot sauce bottles, etc. 

My dh is a good stocking stuffer, he likes to find fun things. He finds the craziest things at the dollar store, the kind of toys (like a sticky octopus to throw against the wall and watch it “climb” down) that make the morning fun and remind our young adults if fun childhood years (we consider these disposable fun).
 

Depending on your family culture and age of your kids, you could add a scratch off lottery ticket or a little airplane-size bottle of an interesting liquor. Our local wine shop has barrels full of these one-shot items and some might enjoy a little peppermint schnapps in their cocoa or a bit of fireball in their cider (not sure if alcohol is appropriate for OP or within a $1 budget, just adding it here since it’s a stocking stuffer ideas thread). 

[Drama Llama]

2 hours ago, Spryte said:

Oh! Faith-manor has this nailed, but I did think of one more item we have done in the past. I make these little round, no bake chocolate-y balls (we actually call them nummy balls of chocolate-y goodness), and one year I made a secret batch at night and put them into tiny tins for each stocking. Kids were impressed that Mrs. Claus had made them treats, and that she knew how to make our special “nummy balls.”

 

You need to share that recipe!  Please!

[Drama Llama]

Someone here recommended finger slingshot rubber chickens a few years ago as Easter egg stuffers.  They have been a huge hit here and would work well in stockings too.

[KidsHappen]

I always start at the dollar store. Then check out Oriental Trading company and finally $5 Below. Usually between those three places I kind find most of the stuff I need and then I might throw in some candy from the Walmart seasonal isle.

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[Emba]

At the Dollar Tree, things are $1.25 now, but there are still things in multi-packs. Little pocket notebooks come I think three to a pack and with a pack of colored pens and some stickers could be fun. I always like to put toothbrushes in, and things like body wash or soap that I was going to buy anyway, but with a different scent or color for each child, or cartoon characters on the bottle or whatever. Body wash can take up quite a bit of space in the stocking, too.  Fun socks are also something that can be had fairly inexpensively that are also something you would have to buy anyway eventually.  Depending on your crafting skills, you might be able to make some cute Christmas ornaments or knitted or crochet plushies with inexpensive supplies or scraps from previous projects.  My kids lose gloves at an alarming rate, so cheap knit gloves are usually appreciated. When I was a kid my mom usually gave us flavored lip balms; those also come in under or around a dollar.