Adult stocking filler ideas - all year round!

[OMGitsnotgood]

If you're anti Christmas until December or don't agree with stockings for adults, please scroll past.

Our adult children absolutely refuse not to have Christmas stockings, it wouldn't be Christmas without them apparently. Their main present is either something they've asked for or cash. I try to get a couple of other small gifts I know they'd like as a surprise but stockings are here to stay.
I know people have different approaches to stocking fillers, here are the criteria for ours:

Small enough to fit in a stocking (shop bought type not a sock).
Anywhere from 0 - £5 per gift (£0 could be a perfume/aftershave sample)
Must be practical, fun or consumable to avoid wastage.
Can be pre-owned (eg like-new books from a charity shop).
Usual ideas are foodstuffs, snacks, toiletries, DIY bits n bobs, stationery items. All get used but a bit dull, another reason for not leaving it too late to think of things.

I keep a 'Christmas note' on my phone and note ideas all year round. Generally I won't buy until later in the year, it's the ideas that are difficult. I sometimes pick up on things in conversation and add to the note to buy later (eg DS1's girlfriend mentioned how much she loved a certain chocolate bar - now in the list).
Obviously if I spot something that I probably wouldn't be able to get again - something unique or a real bargain, I will buy when I see them but don't go actively looking. Sometimes they are things I stumble across (I recently bought a trolley coin in aid of a charity one of my DCs supports when there was a stall in a service station).

Just been ordering a couple of slimline European usb adapters to take on holiday (see pic) and have ordered a few extra as stocking fillers. Which is what prompted me to start this thread. By starting early, collecting ideas even if not buying, I think you do so with a clearer mind and end up with better stocking fillers than leaving the thinking til December when there is so much else going on.
Not sure if anyone else will be interested in this thread but just in case, would be good to share ideas or things that you've seen that are not the usual everyday items.
I'd appreciate it we could keep this thread for adults stockings only please

Erasers, pencil sharpener, stylus, mini stapler. Nail clippers, pencils - novelty or specialist. Pack of paper clips. Rubber bands. Pack of notelets. Things for cleaning computer keyboard. Spectacle chain/string that goes round your neck.
I am ancient and dumping my wish list here!

my daughter will be in oz this year (maybe for ever 😭) so i am doing stockins for her and her fella for him to sneak back when they visit in august
i need light small items - so far i have thought of random chocs, socks, mini marmite and mini nutella and i will try and get high end mini beauty tings for her, i had the bogof Bridal beauty bag offer last year which was fab

I always add a mini card game - e.g. ones made by helvetiq are small and mostly great, The Game has been well used, or exploding kittens, monopoly deal etc.

Also, lego polybags are for all ages, IMO.

So boring BUT we always lose scissors in this house.
Specifically nail scissors!

Also, I like laundry bags - for delicates/socks?
so boring but so useful

Also, lovely Xmas dec to start a collection. Older nieces and nephews love theirs (thanks dsis)

Fancy shapes ice cube tray
Bag of lollies
Hair rollers
Eyelash curlers
Vintage copy of favourite book from childhood
Sleep spray
Tin of old fashioned sweets
Plant pot and seeds

If you or DH visit hotels, save the bathroom & biscuit freebies.

Shared Earth
https://www.sharedearth.co.uk/gifts-under-5-c102x4236935

The Somerset Toiletry Company
https://thesomersettoiletryco.co.uk/product-category/christmas/gifts-under-5/

Oliver Bonas gifts under £5
https://www.oliverbonas.com/gift/gifts-under-5

Bit niche, but floristry wire - can be used for other things. Depending on size of stocking, a small vase or hurricane lamp can be purchsed for under £5, and will help fill the stocking! Tiny bottle of wine/prosecco.

I have bought a couple of things already for DH, he still insists on a stocking!

A neck warmer from Turtle Doves, he borrowed mine whilst working outside and loved it, as he refuses to wear a scarf. I got a code so was a great deal.

Whistlefish has a deal on selected tins of notelets, 4 tins for £12. Time limited.
Although I am thinking gifts for adults, they are pretty, and would be suitable for children, too. Could be useful if you have a number of stockings to fill.
I have found lots of good deals on Whistlefish.
(for those who liked my hairy string idea, there are some brands that look quite vintage)

My fav subject 😁some great ideas on here. Ours follow a formula so we all get the same but very different and a variety of things tailored to the individual. I have a spreadsheet on my phone to keep track of the ones I coordinate. In the useful category last year the slim card sized camping multi tool and a multi tool pen went down well. Another well received item was an eco reusable silicon beauty bud for correcting make up mishaps.

My fav subject, too! Sorry if I am bringing the mood down, but personal alarms?
You can buy 3 for under a fiver, or for just a little over £5 a more robust product, police approved and reuseable. There seems to be a lot of choice from spray cans to keyrings.

Another well received item was an eco reusable silicon beauty bud for correcting make up mishaps.
@YuliaJollyberry do you have a link for these please?

@gardenmusic love the personal alarm idea. Any specific suggestions?

@OMGitsnotgoodthe ones I got because I liked the packaging were from Last object beauty swab £10.50 so above the fiver threshold. I have seen similar cheaper can’t remember where possibly the big river site.

Oooh, it's NEVER too early to start thinking about Christmas!

I do small presents for my lot - I try to get small, but nicer, versions of things they already like; so posh jams, chocolates, that kind of thing. I sometimes order in a beauty box and then split the contents between the girls, so they get sample-sized expensive toiletries and make up.

Oooh, my favourite topic!

Second hand puzzle or board game.
Pencils personalised with the owners name.
A stick-on-the-window thermometer for checking the temperature before heading outside.
Those little packets of tissues, hand sanitizer, lip balm, glasses cleaning wipes, make up remover wipes.
Fancy salt.
A high-bounce ball, a slinky, a Rubix cube.
Hankies!

Might be worth double-checking the rules, would any chocolates need to be declared at customs?

Travel items (for her frequent trips back!!) - packing cubes, passport wallet, inflatable neck pillow and sudoku book for the plane.
Sunshine items - SPF moisturiser in bar form, sunglasses (case, cleaning wipes), folding sun hat.
Set of postcards in a design YOU like with AU $20 for stamps. You could even pre-address some - or an address stamp with your address on it! 😁
Tourist tea towel from local-to-you attraction.
If you have any family recipes- write out some recipe cards. Pad it out with some joke ones - mums marmite on toast.

OMGitsnotgood,
The personal alarms at 3 for under £5 were on Amazon, as were the more expensive alarms. I have no personal experience of them, my own was a give away corporate gift type thing from work.
Apologies - I am a reluctant internet user (Christmas thread aside) and not sure how to link things.

You can also get pickle/olive grabbers to go with your pickle spoon which are quite handy - there are cheaper ones available!
pickle grabber

Extendable magnet in a pen size - very handy for picking up dropped nails/pins/hairclips/anything magnetic!
extendable magnet

one of my favourite things to give someone with glasses - a glasses cleaning cloth with a photo printed on it. I've given an updated one to my mum each year so she always has a nice pic of her grandkids with her, also did one for ds when he started wearing glasses with a pic of his favourite teddy on to give a little boost of bravery - I usually just google personalised photo cleaning cloth on eBay and there's a good selection from £2.75 up

3 in 1 butter spreader knife that is great for spreading butter that's really cold and difficult to spread...
3 in 1 butter spreader knife

Lots of the following I've had very successfully from eBay over the years - if you have plenty of time you can use your uk eBay details to log onto different eBays (eg US, Australia, Canada, Europe) and bid on things that aren't popular at the moment and that they have put on there to auction at low prices - often the Canadian ones work out cheapest especially if they are Chinese things as they put them on to sell at a sensible price locally (so 99p in the UK, 99c in the US, 99c in Canada etc) and they will give you the approximate price in your currency so you can see which is the cheapest.

• Silicon utensil rest
• Silicon pot lid holders (men, witches, pigs, strawberries, chilli, birds and many more) - also useful for other things
• Expandable back scratcher (I like the ones like a rake!)
• Silicon glow in the dark cover for tv controls or fire sticks or similar

• Christmas scarf (put in key words you're interested in like festive or Santa or Robin etc - they are often cheap this time of year and you can use them to wrap up a present or two as well)

• cute or kawaii sticky notes
• cute or kawaii memo flags/index/tabs
• cute or kawaii pens (or indeed any of their stationery items)

Joules Lipbalm Duo 2 x 7.5g at Boots, currently on offer £2.62. My local Boots does not stock this, but I will do a click and collect with other things, so no delivery charge.
Jules is on special offer in Boots.

oh and if you're able to keep an eye on places like Home Bargains and Poundland - they sometimes have good deals on things - like non-apple air tags - that work reasonably well and are worth it for a £ or two.

Poundland often has nice brand make up in - you can't go in thinking you need a red lipstick and green eyeliner, but if. you're happy to get some nice lipsticks and eyeshadow, eyeliner etc for a pound a go, then it's good, I've had brands from Revlon to Calvin Klein to L'oreal and things like Burts Bees and other nice stuff that would normally be £8-15.

Plus if you're anything like me and always in a hurry wrapping stocking presents, get a couple of big packs of paper sweet shop bags - they will last for years, and you can just pop presents in and scrunch shut without the need for sticky tape (and if you're really careful - save and reuse some for next year). I've had some green spotty ones and red stripes ones in a couple of different sizes and they've not only saved hours when it's late and I'm tired and want to go to sleep on Christmas morning, but looked nice and festive to open and didn't cost much to get a 100 big and 100 small...

Mine are adults, I do a Dec 1st Box/Bag for them , same sort of ideas but a whole 24 days earlier so I have to think ahead too

DS-
phone chargers with extra long leads
Lush Kalamzoo
Cadbury Chocolate Coins

DD-
lipbalms (might buy more Hurraw)
Sol de Janiero
One year I bought her a spoon/knife/fork in one
Alcohol miniature

Scratch Card on the dinner table

<PLaceMarking for ideas>

Depending on the size of the stocking, would stick on the window bird feeders fit? e bay for about £5, Range has some on sale at present for under £5.

What a lovely thread, thank you OP. I struggle with ideas as well, even though it's me who refuses to forego stockings!