10 Budget-Friendly Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids

onlinements 73

1. 

   Beth December 4, 2017 at 2:59 pm MST

   Thanks so much for sharing these great ideas! I thought I would share a stocking stuffer I bought today: bandaids. I rarely buy the fun character ones for my kids, so I bought them some for their stockings. $1.50 with coupon at our local Kroger affiliate.

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  Lara December 4, 2017 at 3:29 pm MST

  I love the bandaid idea…my kids LOVE the character ones.

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  Lynsi December 4, 2017 at 4:02 pm MST

  Love this idea!

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  AP December 4, 2017 at 4:43 pm MST

  I love this idea too! I do buy my kids the character ones, but I am super stingy about which cuts need a Band-Aid and which don’t. But with their own gift of Band-Aids, they can put one on every little scrape and owie they get!

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  Amber (Hip2Save Sidekick) December 4, 2017 at 4:48 pm MST

  You’re welonlinee Beth! Thanks for the suggestion! Great idea!

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2. 

   Deb December 4, 2017 at 3:01 pm MST

   Great ideas! Love the mini Nutella. 🙂

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  Amber (Hip2Save Sidekick) December 4, 2017 at 4:49 pm MST

  Me too! They are super cute! 😉

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3. 

   moria December 4, 2017 at 3:02 pm MST

   $8.75 for 2 mini jars of Nutella? Cute, but I’d rather buy full sized jars. Cheaper and you get more.

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  Nicole December 4, 2017 at 3:04 pm MST

  I got mine at Target in the stocking stuffer section for $1 I’m pretty sure!

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  moria December 4, 2017 at 3:15 pm MST

  Great to know. Thank you!

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  Mf47960 December 4, 2017 at 5:05 pm MST

  Walmart also has them!

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  PrincessMom December 5, 2017 at 7:50 am MST

  Thanks for the tip! I usually skip that section because I figure it’s just junk that will get tossed. Will have to take a peek!

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  worleygirl December 4, 2017 at 7:38 pm MST

  I got mine for just a $1 at Target.

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  chickie00 December 7, 2017 at 9:27 am MST

  Right? I just got 5 13oz jars of Nutella at Kroger for $0.19 each! 🙂 (the sale ended a couple days ago)

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4. 

   Amanda December 4, 2017 at 3:10 pm MST

   Here is a code for a free shutterfly wall calendar. Please mark when used 🙂 – RR22-CU0T-RJPE-ZECY03

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  Darcia Wagner December 4, 2017 at 4:12 pm MST

  I just tried to use your code and someone used it already. Thank you for posting. Thought I’d just post this to save someone else the trouble.

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  Sabren Abbas December 4, 2017 at 4:37 pm MST

  Give your email and I’ll send you mine

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5. 

   Kira December 4, 2017 at 3:10 pm MST

   We decided to do movie night themed stockings this year! Since we got the movies during black friday, none of the stockings cost more than $10 to fill, some as little as $5 (and we have huge stockings)! Each stocking will get its own mini oreo container ($1 each), 4 bags of popcorn (box of 24 for $5), a box of spongebob gummy candy ($1 each), and a movie ($2-7 each, titles include Wonder Woman and Cars 3). Can’t wait to see how excited my girls are when they see all their goodies! We will have lots of fun family movie nights!

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  Amber (Hip2Save Sidekick) December 4, 2017 at 4:50 pm MST

  Great stocking stuffer idea!! Thanks for sharing!

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  crownsgirl19 December 4, 2017 at 6:29 pm MST

  That’s such a great idea!

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6. 

   CarrieL December 4, 2017 at 3:12 pm MST

   I always do lotto scratch tix, jumbo candy cane sticks, earrings from Claire’s clearance, fuzzy socks, and 1 movie. I might have to add pop sockets though!

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  JES December 4, 2017 at 3:22 pm MST

  We do lotto scratchers too, my inlaws always did that for my husband and his siblings growing up. So we are carrying on the tradition.

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7. 

   JES December 4, 2017 at 3:21 pm MST

   Cracker Barrel’s gift shop always has the cutest candy for stockings. Founds lots of fun stuff in there this weekend, but it’s always so hard to stay in the gift shop and not order a big breakfast 😬

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8. 

   Brandy December 4, 2017 at 3:26 pm MST

   Balloons (my kids love to sit on them to pop them!), washi tape, stickers, nail polish, Bunch’ems (small sets), card games (my kids LOVE “Rock, Paper, Scissors”!), treat cards (fro-yo shop, local cupcake shop, gourmet popcorn, etc…we give our kids 3 of these each to “cash in” any time during the year when they need a little treat or pick-me-up), flashlights (always a hit), glow necklaces/sticks, fossil/gemstone dig kits, bug catcher, magnifying glass, water bottles, mini BBW lotion/spray, markers, watercolors, reindeer antler ring toss game (made for THE BEST Christmas morning pictures…my kids giggled all morning!), light up Rudolph noses, silly straws, super hero masks from Hobby Lobby, mini craft kits (rainbow catchers, scratch-a-picture cards, perler beads, etc.) silly edge scissors, glue sticks (seriously, my kids always want to glue SOMETHING), stamps, silly socks, holiday chapstick, magic tricks, mind puzzles, mini volcano kits, magnetic car games (we have eye-spy bingo, car license plates, and tic-tac-toe)…I could go on! Stockings are one of my favorite things to put together though. Another tip is that I shop the after sales of ALL holidays and gather the little things throughout the year. I have a tote box in my closet where I toss the .30 clearance stuff from the Target dollar spot, plastic bangle bracelets after Easter, clearance flash cards from Michael’s, glues sticks, write on boards, and markers from back-to-school clearance, slime kits from Halloween, etc. I usually have lots of stuff by Christmas each year!

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  Benoodles December 4, 2017 at 3:58 pm MST

  great ideas, thanks

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  Britt December 4, 2017 at 4:02 pm MST

  Brandy,
  I am just like you. I love finding and creating the perfect stockings for each member of my family. They are my favorite part (and theirs too). I ship year round so I find great deals. I just love that they are personal and that each item in their was thought of for that special person! I even have been doing my own moms for years because my dad had no clue! Haha.

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9. 

   Ashley December 4, 2017 at 3:29 pm MST

   My daughter recently got a pen pal so I took advantage of the free address labels from Shutterfly and ordered her some cute ones for her stocking. Yes we still use snail mail😏.

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  PrincessMom December 5, 2017 at 11:07 am MST

  That’s fantastic, such a cute idea! I am so happy when parents encourage their kids to still do things like that–I LOVED having pen pals when I was a kid! I wasn’t even sure they still did that, good to know because I’ve got a child now. Hopefully she’ll get to do that when she’s old enough!

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10. 

    Cristine December 4, 2017 at 3:38 pm MST

    We do small gift cards for things that we do in the winter Any way- Panera bread for a fun lunch, movies, and our convience store, etc. We would probably do all those things anyway and now the kids feel like they are treating everyone and had a hand in planning the activity. We also normally do the “big gift” as something non material (a trip somewhere/tickets to something big) So that goes into the stocking. My kids dont look under the tree Christmas morning- they look for the stockings!

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11. 

    Melissa December 4, 2017 at 3:40 pm MST

    We put scotch tape in our kids stockings, been a tradition since my husband was little. My kids actually love it, lol!

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  Jane December 4, 2017 at 3:50 pm MST

  I’m sooooo doing this! My 6 year old can’t keep his hands off my tape!!! I always go to get it and magically it’s put back in the drawer empty! Now he’ll have his own from Santa! 😜. Love it!!

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  V December 4, 2017 at 3:58 pm MST

  My 6 year old in sooooo into crafting right now. Thanks for the Scotch tape idea.

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  AP December 4, 2017 at 4:46 pm MST

  That’s a good one!

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  Beth December 4, 2017 at 6:14 pm MST

  Love this idea! Oh my how my five year old would love this! She is a tape junkie!!! 🙂

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  Angela December 4, 2017 at 9:40 pm MST

  So funny, my 5 and 7 yo daughters are tape junkies too. I thought it was just them. They are constantly begging me for it. Think I might put some in their stockings too as well as the character band aids. They seriously go through both like kids and candy.

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12. 

    JEB December 4, 2017 at 3:40 pm MST

    We always got an orange in the bottom of the stocking!

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  VLg December 4, 2017 at 3:44 pm MST

  We alway got an orange too 🙂 or apples sometimes

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  thethinker December 4, 2017 at 4:39 pm MST

  I do not remember the gifts but I remember the orange that was in my stocking each year. That is how memories are made.

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  Ashley December 4, 2017 at 4:32 pm MST

  Us too… apples, oranges and nuts😊

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  Kathy December 4, 2017 at 4:34 pm MST

  It’s a tradition from the Great Depression when fruit was a luxury! My family does it too. The kids grumple about it – Why is there an orange in the toe of my stocking? But if we don’t do it – then we never hear the end of it!

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  Kelly December 4, 2017 at 9:06 pm MST

  Yup, I get an orange too! (I’m 34 and married with 2 kids). I doesn’t feel right without one anymore!!

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  smills74 December 5, 2017 at 1:24 pm MST

  I always got a jar of maraschino (sp?) cherries in my stocking, and I have continued this tradition with my kids. We love them!!

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  Wickerone December 5, 2017 at 2:22 pm MST

  Ohhh that’s an idea!! My kiddos could EASILY eat a whole jar of those cherries by themselves!!

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  Lori December 5, 2017 at 7:26 pm MST

  We always got oranges too. I think is symbolizes gold.

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13. 

    Erin December 4, 2017 at 3:41 pm MST

    Never have trouble with stocking stuffers—it’s the adult gifts that are killer. I have been hitting every DT I can find looking for those darn My Little Ponies with no luck, and the one shown is one my daughter doesn’t have. So frustrating, especially as DT isn’t my favorite store to begin with.

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  Vanessa December 6, 2017 at 8:16 am MST

  Same here! I can’t find those ponies at any DT near me.

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14. 

    momof7 December 4, 2017 at 3:58 pm MST

    My 10 yr old asked for the nutella 😆
    The little jars double as AG tips or kitchen toys.

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15. 

    Shannon December 4, 2017 at 3:58 pm MST

    Where do your kids stick your stickers? I used to have sticker books as a kid but I never see them anymore. My kids Stickers always end up all over furniture, the carpet, walls, stuck to socks etc. Not fun to clean up!

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  Kristy December 4, 2017 at 4:48 pm MST

  We always use any stickers we get to make cards for others. The kids really enjoy doing it and they feel good about giving them to someone. It gives them something to do too 🙂

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  Brandy December 4, 2017 at 5:17 pm MST

  Shannon, I bought “printable magnetic sheets” (its 8×11 white paper glued to a super thin 8×11 magnet) to stick on the kid zone of my refrigerator and to the magnetic chalkboard that stretches our hallway. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE stickers and have always loved to “stick” them to things/places. Thankfully, they have learned that those big white spaces are the ONLY spaces they are allowed to adhere stickers to. When the magnet is full of stickers I take a quick snap-shot of the kid to print at home (sometimes silly faces, thumbs up, or a sweet smile) & have them glue the photo to the sticker sheet, and it is given to the next relative that we visit/stops by. It has worked like a CHARM and the in-laws/aunt’s/extended family love getting them. My daughter always says “I’m stuck on you!” to whomever she gifts it to!

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  Stacey December 4, 2017 at 5:29 pm MST

  My kids all had a spiral bound notebook that we used as a “sticker book” since I wasn’t able to find any to purchase. I wrote their name in fancy writing and they decorated the front. We even had a “sticker box” (a shoe box with the lid and box wrapped in red tissue paper and decorated on the outside with, my favorite, Winnie-The-Pooh stickers) that I would fill with stickers. When any of my children did something kind, was helpful or brave, did well on something, etc. they could pick from the sticker box (the amount of stickers doled out varied). They would run to their rooms and pull out their sticker books from underneath their beds and try to decide which page to place their new sticker on. My oldest is now 21 and he still has his sticker book because of the special memories it holds!

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  joannem December 4, 2017 at 6:08 pm MST

  A cheap scrapbook works well and they can decorate the outside as well as the pages and you can always add more pages

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  nin December 4, 2017 at 6:47 pm MST

  I got actual sticker book albums at the craft store for about $5 but I bet they have them on Amazon.. I like them because they can change where they have them in the book.

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  Wendy December 4, 2017 at 7:30 pm MST

  I bought some small photo albums with Michaels coupons and cut scrapbook paper to fit each page.

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16. 

    acgold December 4, 2017 at 4:01 pm MST

    Kohl’s has a lot of little toys and gifts, like the mystery hatchimals- all at 25% off Friends & Family until Wed. Walmart had a lot of leftover Black Friday movies for $1.96 and $3.96- decent current and very recent ones.

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17. 

    Cathy December 4, 2017 at 4:03 pm MST

    My family members are getting a full size jar of Nutella in their stockings this year….with the permission to eat it as they wish – even if it is with a spoon! 😉 My husband will have a bag of Ruffles to eat his with (his favorite twist on chocolate covered potato chips.) 😉 This wouldn’t usually happen in our house but Kroger has the Nutella Jars on the Mega Event this week (Buy 4 participating items get $4 off). They weren’t tagged/labeled in my store but were advertised in the ad and still rang up as a participating item. They were $3.19 – so after the Mega Event discount and the $2 off coupon in the Smart Source a couple of weeks ago I paid 19 cents a jar!!!! I was so excited!!! 🙂

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18. 

    Mama December 4, 2017 at 4:18 pm MST

    Thanks to everyone for all of their ideas….some that I never thought of…this is great! 😀

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19. 

    Colorado Amy December 4, 2017 at 4:20 pm MST

    World Market has small jars of Twix Spread, which is made in the UK but not America. It is delightful! My son is getting a jar in his stocking. Last year they had chocolate video game controllers. I hope they have them this year. He plays golf and soccer so he’s also getting golf balls that look like soccer balls, which I found on Walmart.online. He is also getting Roblox surprise boxes, which have a Roblox person in them. Target and Walmart have them for around $4-5.

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  Stacy December 4, 2017 at 7:49 pm MST

  Oh I miss our World Market! Closed about two years ago. It was so fun to go and window shop there and I always ended up with something unique and fun. Your items sound like fun and I bet my son would love them too! Good finds!

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20. 

    Ashley December 4, 2017 at 4:35 pm MST

    Great ideas! We always ad an orange and apple or pomagranate every year as one tradition.

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21. 

    Steff December 4, 2017 at 5:12 pm MST

    5 below has the my little ponies also, might cost $2 but usually has an extra item in the package too

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22. 

    Diana December 4, 2017 at 5:24 pm MST

    Perhaps the single serve hot cocoa is a good idea too. They have so many different flavor so

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23. 

    Natasha C December 4, 2017 at 5:26 pm MST

    GameStop had 50%off clearance a while back and I got 24 items for under $40 bucks. I was able to get Harry Potter scarf, B.B. 8 scarf, Dr Who mugs, Pokémon cards, various pop figures, socks and blind packs.

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24. 

    Karen December 4, 2017 at 5:54 pm MST

    I always pick up extra markers, crayons, pens, highlighters and pencils at back to school time and save them for stockings. My son loves the Ticonderoga pencils but they are so expensive – Walgreens sells them for 99 cents for back to school as well as many of the crayola items. He usually gets them in his stocking and his Easter basket.

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25. 

    Amie December 4, 2017 at 6:08 pm MST

    good ideas

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26. 

    Mel December 4, 2017 at 7:29 pm MST

    Sounds like I need to try Nutella.

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27. 

    holly December 4, 2017 at 8:03 pm MST

    Regarding PopSockets, the cheapest I’ve found is at Bed Bath and Beyond! It’s $9.99 (but certain designs. check bbb’s website for in-store stock). Buy 2 with $5/$15 coupon and get it for $7.50 each. Or use 20% off coupon for $8 each.
    My local BBB’s keep PopSocket’s at each register.

    I bought 1 on Amazon a few months ago and it was a fake (no patent no.); it was sold by Amazon but distributed by someone else. PopSockets say’s to get the ones listed as “sold and distributed by Amazon” to assure it’s legit.

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  Michelle December 9, 2017 at 7:13 am MST

  Michaels has PopSockets for $3.49 regular price. They are at the front by the phone cases.

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28. 

    rocooper65 December 5, 2017 at 8:57 am MST

    The mini nutella will be a huge hit with my 14 year old. Thanks for always sending us the great deals!

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29. 

    Tiffstevens20 December 5, 2017 at 12:50 pm MST

    I always put a new toothbrush in my kids stocking. They always want the newest spin brush ones that are usually $7-8 and I never normally buy except at Christmas. I also usually put a new beenie as well. Target has some in the dollar spot this time of year.

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30. 

    Tam December 5, 2017 at 12:53 pm MST

    Dollar tree has there own bigger jar version of nutella

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31. 

    Megan December 5, 2017 at 2:25 pm MST

    My daughter is 9 and she is an artist. One of the things she loves to do is “modify” Littlest Pet Shop and My Little Pony toys. I look at Value Village and Goodwill for those and other small things I think she would like to put in her prize bin (she earns a prize after doing 3 sessions of dyslexia work) and for her stocking. She doesn’t care that they are used.

    I saw those little Nutella jars at Target a few weeks ago and I had to buy a couple. I am a sucker for miniature anything.

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32. 

    Katie December 5, 2017 at 3:47 pm MST

    What area of Walmart are the mini jars of Nutella located? I have looked at the Christmas seasonal isles, the section of the store where they sell the regular jars of Nutella and I have looked at the checkout stands, end caps and action isles(middle of the store isles) and can’t find them anywhere

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