With the economy being as tight as it is, it can feel like an impossible task to fill your kids stockings. There is no obligation to even HAVE stockings but if it’s a tradition you just can’t live without, here are a few ideas for making it budget friendly!
1. Christmas morning breakfast
I know one blogger who fills her stockings up with breakfast for their kids buying them extra time to sleep on Christmas morning. They tend to eat pretty clean and so a box of sugar cereal, store-bought granola bar and juice box are a BIG DEAL. Even if they occasionally eat those things, having a self-serve breakfast is kind of fun anyway! You can make this budget friendly by visiting MoneySavingMom.com on a regular basis. She shares all the great coupon deals and free samples & coupon offers. Save them up and use them for the stockings.
2. Personal hygiene
Your kids have to brush their teeth anyway, right? Another family I know fills the stockings with personal hygiene items. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, cool floss picks, deodorant, brushes, combs, hair ties, cologne, etc. are also great items to fill a stocking and the bonus for you is that you need to buy that stuff anyway. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are frequently extra cheap or free if you pay attention to deal blogs (like MoneySavingMom.com). You can frequently find items like hair accessories, brushes and chapstick sets on clearance after Christmas to save for next year.
3. St. Nicholas Day
We put out our stockings for St. Nicholas Day and we fill our stockings with an inexpensive, but predictable set of items — an apple, an orange, a set of chocolate coins, a candy cane, a gingerbread man cookie, a holy card, and an ornament. Sometimes I include a small toy, but not always.
4. School Supplies
If your kids are school aged, you could include some shiny new school supplies. By January, things are pretty well worn out and old looking. Perk up their days by including some fresh new school supplies. If you were on top of things, you got some extra school supplies in September when they were dirt cheap right? If not, put it on your list for next year and get some new pencils, crayons, markers, notepads or similar items. Many times you can find items like this in the Dollar Spot at Target or at the dollar store.
What do you put in the kids stockings?
Lisa
20 December 2013 at 1:56 PM (10 years ago)Wonderful ideas! 🙂 Merry Christmas.
Lisa´s last blog post ..Free Printable- Foreign Language Flash Cards
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Jenn H.
18 December 2013 at 8:59 AM (10 years ago)We split up into two groups of one parent and 2 kids and shop for the other group in a set night. We switch up which kids buy for each other each year and make a fun night of it. We call and text each other with clues as to what the kids we’re shopping with are liking for themselves and to make sure we aren’t shopping in the same store at the same time. It’s a small town, so there are only a few shopping options. Dollar General is the goldmine for fun $1 items. Each child gets $20 to shop for 2 siblings. You never know what you’ll find in those stockings!
Jenn H.´s last blog post ..Sheet Music Ornaments
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