The holidays are just around the corner and it’s time to hit the malls. If you’re one of the people who love stuffing stockings for family and friends, this blog is for you. We’re going to tell you some of the best ideas for stocking stuffers, tips for choosing the stuffers, and some tips on how to stay on budget this shopping season.
So, here we go.
Gifts Everyone will Enjoy
The first thing we are going to look at are the things that are easy, because everyone likes a lot of the things on this list. Then we’ll move onto the more specific items.
Food items:
There’s nothing like opening up a holiday stocking and finding some yummy treats inside.
- Candy canes (mint or flavored)
- Fruit
- Nuts (check for allergies)
- Mints
- Favorite candy bars
- Gum
- Packets of hot cocoa
- Hard candy like Life Savers or Butterscotch candies
- Marshmallows for the hot cocoa
- Homemade goodies (cookies, chocolates, etc. – again, check about allergies.)
- Pretzels
- Pez Candies & Dispensers
- Mug cake packets
Wearables
It’s the holiday season, so unless you wear in an area where it’s warm during the winter, chances are that people are going to appreciate getting things that can help them stay warm.
- Gloves/mittens
- Scarf
- Jewelry – earrings, necklaces, rings
- Socks
- Earmuffs (they even have ones now that let you listen to music through them)
- Masks – If COVID is still going on this is something that should be in everyone’s stocking! There are quite a few cute ones out there.
Electronics
Just about everyone has a phone or tablet these days, so there’s a good chance that your recipient will appreciate one or more of these ideas below.
- Headphones/earbuds
- Gift cards – Think about the places people like to shop. Of course, Amazon is almost always a winner because you can find just about anything on there.
- Chargers
- Cords
- Stylus
- Memory card
- Power bank
- Cell phone case
- Screen protector
- Cord organizer
Personal care items:
Now, let’s look at some things that just about everyone uses and that will be appreciated during the holidays.
- Cosmetics
- Perfume
- Hair accessories
- Nail polish
- Bath pouf
- Shower gel
- Bath bombs
- Nail file
- Nail stickers
- Lip gloss or balm
- Lotion
- Candles
- Band-Aids
- Toiletries for traveling
- Hand sanitizer (there’s some really good smelling ones around the holidays)
- Hand lotion
- Shaving cream
- Toothbrush
- Chapstick
- Soap
- Tissues
- Makeup sponges
Fun Items:
It’s the holidays, so why not include something fun in their stockings? Here are some ideas:
- Crayons
- Markers
- Colored pencils
- Playing cards
- Dice
- Play dough
- Small coloring books
- Bouncing balls
- Small Lego kits
- MadLib books
- Fidget spinners
- Crafts
- Stickers
- Toy cars
- Puzzles
- Figurines
- Puzzle books
- Stress balls
- Bubbles
- DVD
- Blu-ray
Unique Stocking Stuffer Ideas
Food Items
Now, we all know that there are some people who have unique tastes. So, if you have some people on your shopping list who fall into that category, here are some ideas for them.
- Hot sauce
- Beef jerky
- Loose tea
- Flavored syrup or honey
- K-cups (these come in coffee, tea and hot chocolate. But make sure your recipient has one of the machines first, unless you give them one for Christmas.)
- Seasonings
- Jellies
- Jams
- Individual bags of coffee
- Small liquor bottles
- Ribbon candy
- Seasoning for popcorn
- Cooking oils with flavoring
- Gourmet and unique dip mixes
Gifts for Fans
Is one of your recipients into a particular fandom? Then there’s a whole world out there that you can find full of fun gifts they will love.
- Sports items from favorite team
- DC or Marvel comic books
- Harry Potter items
- Dungeons and Dragons items
- Doctor Who items
- Fortnite items
- Books
- Funko Pop Figurines
Tips for Choosing the Best Stocking Stuffers
Now that we have given you some ideas about what to buy, we’re going to give you some tips on choosing the right ones for your recipients.
- Consider age – The first thing you want to do is to consider the person’s age. This will give you a good idea of what to buy them. The last thing that you want is to buy them something that isn’t age appropriate.
- Consider their likes – The second thing that you want to do is to consider what they like to do. Do they enjoy reading? Do they like to color? Do they have a hobby that they are involved in? Are they a comic book collector? Do they like Harry Potter? Do they prefer DC or Marvel? These are all things that will help you with finding the perfect stocking stuffers.
- Consider your budget – One thing that you will quickly discover when you are shopping for stocking stuffers is that it’s very easy to go over budget. Just like when you are shopping for anything else, you want to set a budget and stick to it. Otherwise you might find you’re going into debt.
Tips for Staying on Budget
Since we know that budgets are going to be a bit tighter for some of our readers this year due to COVID-19 and some people being out of work, we’re going to give you some tips that you can use to spend less money but still fill the stockings.
- Buy Multiple Packs – If you are buying candy or gum for multiple people and they are fans of the same type of candy or gum, you can save money. Buy one multiple pack of gum for $1-$2 and put a couple of individual packs in each stocking.
- Go to Dollar Stores – One of the best things that you can do is to go shopping at the discount stores. Only go to the actual dollar stores, where the items are actually a dollar, however. There are some stores that have the word dollar in the name, but the items in the stores can range greatly in price. Five Below is a good option, but even they have started selling items that are more than $5.
- Look for Sales – This is a huge deal. If you are shopping for bigger ticket items, such as electronics items, it’s a good idea to download apps such as our DailySale app that lets you know when things are on sale and make it easy to get the items that you need at a great price. We always have some great sales going on, so downloading our app will help you with staying on track and staying on budget.
- Wait for Shipping – If you have Amazon Prime, one of the best things you can do is to wait for shipping. Many times, if you have multiple orders coming and you’re willing to wait, you get a credit to your account that you can use on digital items. This way you can buy yourself a nice new eBook or movie to watch after all your shopping’s done.
We hope that you have found our blog useful. We have plenty of great stocking stuffer items in our store and we are here to answer any questions that you have. Please download our app and keep coming back, because we have a lot more helpful content coming up in the new year.
Stay healthy and stay safe, and let us know if we can help you in any way.
