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

I am so happy other people are enjoying this thread too.

I also love Sostrene Grene. They have fanstastic Christmas decorations but obviously the Christmas stock displaces lots of their normal stuff that would make good stocking fillers. Obviously true of most other shops. All the more reason to keep a look out now!

Zip buddies!
They are a tag that fits through the hole of your zip. Helps the less able and also little fingers. Or just decorative/personalising.
Looks a bit like a keyring.
RSPB has some nice ones for £3.50, unfortunately there is a postage cost of £3.95.

Boots has a lot of Joules toiletries for under£5

Whistlefish has a flash sale on their Blue Meadows range 50% off.
It looks a bit summer-ey but there are quite a few nice bits for under £5

Ooh, I too have found my people! Thanks OP for this fab thread, we LOVE stockings in our house!! Things that went down well here- Christmas socks, those wire light things you can put in bottles, cooling towel things for the gym, mini keyring torches, kind patches, dots for spots ( early twenties dn!), face masks, wind up toys ( we all got one and had races!), fluffy socks, AirPod cleaner, head massager, crimpits, silicone tongs to get toast out, a porridge spurtle, nice tea towels, flavoured marshamallows, christmas decs, hand creams, fortnum and mason jams, chilli sauces and pickles. Ooh and a wordle/ Suduko book. Def following this thread for ideas for this year!!

I've bought curry kits, japanese sweets, winter socks and nice facial cleansing and moisturising kit

Ooh ramen kits and chopsticks also good and went down well!

Loving this thread, have DH's stocking and three adult offspring to provide for! I've just ordered 3 x HiSmile Mystery boxes for £10 each, DD loves the HiSmile flavoured toothpastes. There were Mystery boxes for £5 each as well, and sachets of different flavours of toothpaste for £1 each. Aldi have freezer cocktails in different flavours at the moment for 99p. I always buy fun socks for stockings, DH also gets boxers - if you sign up to On That Ass you get a pair for free, really good quality (and very comfy according to DH) but it is a monthly subscription service so don't forget to cancel if you don't want more.

I was just coming on here specifically to mention HiSmile! 😊 I went for their £5 mystery box and three different flavours of toothpaste at £9 each, pressed order then noticed their 3 toothpastes for £18 bundle, so I’m currently trying to amend my order.

Superdrug have the Hi Smile toothpaste on bogof if that helps anyone - I was so impressed by the 5 and 10 mystery boxes I’ve indulged in a the 20 and 40 ones 😄

Poker dice.
From £2.95 on Amazon upwards for leather cased sets.

Things I've used in the past:

Bath bombs
Fancy soap
Beard comb
Pocket sudoku/crossword book
Wild flower seed packets/seed bombs
Hot chocolate stirrer
A rolled up magazine
Car air freshener
Hot sauce
Sharpie
Cookie cutters

DS just popped round to borrow a suitcase belt, not so much for security rather to make it easier to spot his black suitcase. I've made a note to put one in his stocking.
Luggage scales also a good little present.

In Aldi and Morrisons (and I guess other supermarkets) there are many different types of flavoured Heinz baked beans at the moment for about £1 a tin. The tins are quite funky bright colours. I've bought Jalfreizi, Tikka and BBQ flavours for the 3 adult stockings I'm doing. One recipient is a student and one is a chef, so hopefully they'll find them funny for different reasons!

That's a great idea @Myamoth ,thank you -very much my kind of stocking filler: practical, unusual, funny and not expensive.. I find men particularly difficult, these would be good for 2 of the young men I do stockings for.

I found Guinness flavoured crisp one year. Obviously wouldn't go in the stocking but I sat them on top, they got opened immediately and passed around whilst opening the stockings.

I got a USB charger candle lighter after seeing it suggested on a Christmas thread and it’s great!

This is a lovely thread, thank you!

Jokes
Trivia cards
Funny dice
Wax melts
Bookmarks
Tea
Power Bank
Lego minifig or polybag
Nail clippers
Nail varnish
Face/foot masks
Card game
Pens
Arts and crafts
Notebook
Hair ties/scrunchies etc
Hand cream

I like to look at places like gift republic amd menkind for ideas. Plus etsy, if I have some theme in mind.

Sephora have this Nuxe Christmas cracker with minis for just under a tenner. Can easily be split, used for Secret Santa or as a standalone gift x

https://www.sephora.co.uk/p/NUXE-Festive-Christmas-Cracker?curr=GBPcurr=GBP&gadsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwko21BhAPEiwAwfaQCD-C9DHRYQo4bj92IIjYoMYYZIKbUKy5HFcOa2T3H3xVUHR7-bBoCQKUQAvDBwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Halfords have emergency poncho's. Envelope size, would go in a pocket £2.50.

Following on from @Myamoth 's excellent baked bean suggestion, any other stocking sized food ideas? Either something unusual like those flavoured beans, or maybe upgrades to eg better coffee, hot chocolate, jams, truffle mayo etc. Or back to childhood favourites eg big jar of Nutella.
Mine loved the chocolate oranges with popping candy one year but not sure
If they still make them.

I did buy space food on the back of an MN thread years back when I was struggling with ideas for teenage boy stockings. The space ice cream was such a good idea but vile, a complete waste of money.

There are many different types of Toblerone these days, and (yuk) a Guiness flavoured Marmite.
Patum peperium is in a beautiful pot - it's a bit of an aquired taste, as it is anchovy paste.
The museum catalogues often have novelty chocolates, though the postage is prohibitive.
Kew.org does Raspberry and Rose chocolate for £3.50. (Kew has 15% off if you sign up for e-mails)

Thank you @gardenmusic , I hadn't heard of any of those !

You are welcome - the Kew chocolate is beautifully wrapped

For food/drink stocking fillers I recommend farm shops, tebay/gloucester services, sous chef/delli websites (have not bought from delli but plan to), tk maxx, Asian supermarkets, garden centres, Marks and Spencer, ebay (American import candy for example and any foreign holidays you've got coming up!

Miniatures of alcohol
Cans of cocktails
Flavoured popcorn (Joe & Seph for example)
Nuts (Mr Filberts for example)
Peanut butter (some lovely flavours at gloucester services, but also at farm shops and even M&S usually do a festive flavour
Hot chocolate spoons
Jam/marmalade
Mini panettone from tk maxx
Chilli crunch oil
Sriracha key ring
Mini glass bottles of ketchup/mayo if you have an addict to buy for

Food and drink is the easiest for me, I could go on! Also, a spork for anyone who eats on the go

I know at £20 this is pricey for a stocking filler, but it was recommended somewhere on this site and I bought myself one - so good am now going to buy several for friends and kids who craft.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glocusent-Knitting-Crafting-Brightness-Rechargeable/dp/B07WNRN9WQ/ref=asc_df_B07WNRN9WQ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697226009656&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10884797509450149218&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045225&hvtargid=pla-829639877685&psc=1&mcid=d47adb7a91b83db8b7807bd6f3c917f4&gad_source=1