Bulky low cost stocking fillers!

[Pringlesaremyspiritanimal]

Years back we bought enormous stockings for our six kids - seemed like a great idea at the time.

they’re all now teenagers and I’m looking for ideas to fill the stockings for as low cost as possible.

any ideas??

Lidl do bags of enormous marshmallows. They are often quite good for other food bits - bottles of iced tea or different chocolate brands. I got some chocolate hazelnut ring biscuits in American week.

Terry's chocolate orange!

NOT lynx! 🤮

The Kellogg's cereal multipack is still the one thing I dare not forget.

I have younger ones but had this issue last year. Had no problem with the 4 year old but did struggle with the 1 year old as she literally doesn't need anything (so many hand me downs) and didn't want to buy for the sake of it. Had to do the same size stocking as the 4 year old would ask why Santa didn't get her sister the same.

I ended up adding a few balloons to the top of the baby's stocking. She loved them, played with them for ages and they filled it up nicely.

Have this issue here with the 14 year old! Last year was a long tube of mini packs of Pringles, long tube of Jaffa cakes, mini football, massive tub of flying saucers and pj's! So the majority of it was food but it took him a fair while to get through it all. This year I've bought a massive jar of Nutella and got a personalised label to go over the Nutella one!

How old is the youngest? My mil got huge stockings for my kids but they only lasted a few short years when they were replaced with cute ones that could only fit a few tiny things. Now my kids are teens only the pets get stockings as they look cute hanging off the mantle.

Big, thick, old fashioned puzzle book, water colour pencils, drawing pad.
Visit The Works there’s loads of cheap craft items/sets and books.

Lots of chocolates and sweets generally including choc coins at the bottom, a choc orange and a tube of sweets. I usually get a few bits from poundland or b&m to top it off.

My teenagers always loved their own box of tissues, about £1 each. Whatever big packets of crisps were on offer, a bottle of shower gel or bubble bath, a magazine. Father Christmas was always great at finding a few books in charity shops.

I have been doing exactly this type of shopping today.
Home Bargains have a set of 9 hot chocolate bombs filled with marshmallows for £7.99. I'm splitting these out between my 3 and will wrap each separately in funky paper or something.
Sainsburys have stocking filler games for about £3-£6 - I got 3 but can't remember now what they were although one was history-related.
B&M have some stocking filler sets that are quite chunky - I almost got the SuperNoodles and bowl set but didn't because the bowl looked crap. I did get a set of mini chutneys because one of my older boys loves the stuff, a set of mini hot chilli sauces for another one, and a coffee syrups set for the third one.
They will also have a Pot Noodle, chocolate, a small book, a puzzle of some kind and a tangerine. They normally get a new toothbrush too, labelled "You're going to need this tonight, Love from The Chief Elf".

Following! Our stockings aren’t massive but still struggle to fill them as DD1 is coming out of the toys era.

Cereal multipack is genius, as is popcorn or big crisp bag. Drawing pad would be good too.

Not keen on the idea of a plastic inflatable just to fill a stocking though sorry.

Cheap ear pods, waterproof shower radio, mugs have a look on iwoot they often do cheap stocking fillers

DS would love a poker set. I’ve looked on Amazon and they all say Texas Holden Poker, is this the same as regular poker? (Never played in my life!).

Wrap small things in big boxes.

My brother and I had massive stockings as kids. They were never full and we never questioned it.

But there was always something like the Guiness book of Records in there.

AwfulTed, "looking forward to stopping buying for buying’s sake it feels so wrong" ; I hear you. Feels wrong because you know it is, on so many levels.
Just don't -implement it this year. If your DC are old enough, they will understand, and if they're little they won't know any different. Most kids really love pulling stuff out of their stockings, what it is is secondary. Buy only what is actually needed, such as underwear and socks, hygiene products. Could you buy some items second hand (lots of as new, boxed, unwanted or duplicate gifts selling on second hand vending platforms such as eBay and FB)? If you've got a garden, perhaps some bulbs or seeds and little modules and a small bag of peat-free potting compost?
The gratuitous consumption in the run up to Christmas is so off and is only occurring because we're propping up our DC's (and each other's) expectations of material stuff, but not of responsible stewardship of the planet.

Have a thought for the planet and dont buy massive tat for the sake of it.

Buy something your children will like and use and put it in something smaller. Surely they are old enough to understand.

Could you fold / roll the tops of the stockings down so they are a bit shorter too?

Idratherbepaddleboarding · Today 06:31 The poker set was a couple of years ago, tkmaxx. It came in a case like a toolbox complete with chips and cards and (importantly!) the rules! All can be used for regular or Texas …
love the idea of bulbs , it’s true That we present buyers do have the power to change traditions and I’ve have certainly moved to consumables and wearables.

slippers are good and bulky as are those big foot warmers and would be used now the house is a little cooler!

I'm liking the food ideas.

For my dc I will put in a whole big tube of Pringles / Doritos and popcorn. Basically snacks they can eat with a movie on Christmas night.

Thanks @AwfulTed Amazon have loads that sound the same as yours, he’ll love that and it’s something to do on Christmas Day as a lot of his presents are hobby related.

Box of decorative tissues to match their bedrooms.

mine get a shower gel, shampoo, stuff that they need and will definitely use.

Hair mask( you can get big ones with a cap in superdrug)

If they have a computer/laptop you could get the cans of air (used to blow all the bits/dust out of the keyboard), these are really bulky.
Packs of nail varnish will be bulky.
If you want deodorant but not Lynx, they have sets of FCUK toiletries on Boots website, £4 and £6 depending which you choose - you could split the pack and divide between the stockings.

Home Bargains is good for little bits like trolley key (for gym lockers? Only approx 40p), multi-tool pen/key (approx £1), little candles, mini games, computer accessories, etc