5 Easy Ways to Save on Stocking Stuffers
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With the holidays fast approaching, the costs can add up, particularly with stocking stuffers. I’m not a huge presents person and when someone asks me what I want it is usually a small thing. Fun fact, when I was ten I asked Santa for a map of the world. True story.
Anyway, one thing I have always loved is opening my stocking, I’m an adult and I really don’t need a stocking but as a family, we still make up stockings for everyone and it is always full of fun odds and ends.
My love of my stocking may also stem from the fact that when I was a kid the stocking was the one thing we could “open” before our parents got up. In hindsight, my parents were probably just looking for a way to sleep in. Anyway, the costs of those little odds and ends can add up quickly so here are 5 ideas to easily save on stocking stuffers.
1. Stuff it with Candy
Halloween just happened, which means there is a lot of candy out there that is packaged individually, so long as you steer clear of the pumpkin packaging, you could definitely pick up some clearance candy or use what you have left over to stuff stockings next month.
By the way, freezing candy is a great way to store it. Beware though frozen candy tastes the best. It may take a bit of willpower to hold onto the candy until December.
2. Shop Black Friday Doorbusters
Lots of stores will have small things for $5-10 dollars as a doorbuster. Now, in my opinion, it is not worth waiting in line for a $5 doorbuster, but I’ve found over the years that there have been a handful of these items left, even when I’ve gotten there later.
Another trend I’ve noticed is that some stores will have staggered doorbusters. Macy’s in particular sticks out in my mind, where they have something at midnight, something from 10am-12pm, etc. Pick your shopping time frame and see what doorbusters are available. Just have a plan ahead of time.
3. Open the Package
This can tie into number two pretty well, lots of times those door busters will have multiple items in them. For example, a doorbuster at Ulta (a cosmetics store) was a Bare Mineral kit that included a lip gloss, eyeshadow, and makeup brush. You could definitely separate that into 2-3 different stockings and same with mini nail polish sets or toy car sets. Just because you buy something packaged a certain way doesn’t mean you have to gift it that way.
For example, a doorbuster at Ulta (a cosmetics store) was a Bare Mineral kit that included a lip gloss, eyeshadow, and makeup brush. You could definitely separate that into 2-3 different stockings and same with mini nail polish sets or toy car sets. Just because you buy something packaged a certain way doesn’t mean you have to gift it that way.
4. Upcycle
Take something you have but don’t use anymore and upcycle it into something that can be enjoyed again.
For example, if you have kids that enjoy coloring, I bet you have a ton of broken crayons, melt those puppies down to fun shapes and colors and voila! You have new crayons. Here is a good tutorial. Pick up some coloring books from the dollar store and you are golden.
5. DIY
Making some stocking stuffers on your own is really easy, especially if you have a sewing machine. But even if you don’t there are lots of things you could make. Here are some ideas either way and some links to tutorials I found. Most of which I have used myself:
- Travel Tissue Cover
- Earbud Holder
- Fabric weights-(for a fellow sewer/quilter or yourself)
- String art
- Knit a scarf or hat depending on your level of patience
- Stuffed blocks
- All the supplies needed for one of these DIY projects, if you are giving to someone crafty (like DIY crafty not Beastie Boys-Crafty 😉 )
Wrapping it Up with a Bow on Top
Stocking stuffers are great, but depending on the stocking the cost can really add up. Save some money by being a little creative:
- Stuff it with candy (buy clearance Halloween candy and freeze it)
- Shop Black Friday Doorbusters
- Open the package and split up the contents
- Upcycle
- DIY
Whatever you do, make sure your spending aligns with your priorities. Happy Holidays! Good luck with stuffing those stockings! If you have any other ideas I would love to hear them, leave them in the comments below. 🙂
Great tips! I like to keep my eye out all year long on clearance sections for stocking stuffers. 🙂
Me too, but I always have to be careful in keeping track of everything I’ve got or I fall into the trap of getting too much.
I’m not a creative person at all, so melting down crayons would probably result in me melting my hand, haha 😉 However, I LOVE the idea of the doorbusters and buying small, fun packages. I have a niece who is really hard to buy for, but I found out last year that a multi-make up palette (eye shadows, blush, lip stuff, etc) was the PERFECT gift. And, of course, Sephora and Ulta had really good deals on those sets during Black Friday! Win-win! 🙂
Thanks for the comment! That’s awesome for your niece, mine isn’t quite old enough for make up yet, but I’m sure when she is she’ll be getting doorbuster deals from ulta and sephora. For black friday, my family laughs because I look over all the adds really closely, I usually don’t go out for the big items but rather a ton of small things. As for the crayons, it doesn’t require much creativity more just some basic baking skills. Good luck with shopping this year (and crayons if you decide to give it a try) 🙂
We Dollar Tree stocking stuffers all the way. It’s even easier when you have groups of kids together – for instance, when my cousins and I were teenagers, the dorkiest big bows for our hair became this super cute photos with all of us mugging for photos and they were just a buck each. They also have a bunch of glow stick type stuff which never stops being entertaining (seriously, I’m 30 and I still love finding a reason to wear glow necklaces).
I’m still into the glow sticks, too! Haha. And they have them and a ton of other awesome stocking stuffer type stuff at Target in their $1/$2 section at the front of the stores.
I’m definitely guilty of shopping that section at Target especially for different holiday stuff.
Thanks for the comment. I can’t imagine an age where glow sticks wouldn’t’ be a ton of fun.
Love your ideas! Stocking stuffers are one of my favorite holiday items to buy, so I really need to watch my pennies because I can get carried away. I’ve been stocking up on clearance items I see throughout the year.
Thanks! The clearance section is stocking stuffer gold.
Stockings are the Best! And you are absolutely right, they are a great way to give little, meaningful presents 🙂 My mom is notoriously good at stuffing stocks, and at 27 I still like looking in mine. Not Ashamed at all.
I’m glad it isn’t just me. 🙂
I wish I was better with DIY projects. They seem to be so neat (when other people do them). Ha! Good tips.