Have just added up how much I’ve spent on DC stocking…

[MantisAndCrumpet]

And am utterly shocked it’s come to £90!!!!

Am trying to rationalize that actually a lot of the items are things I’d have to buy for them at other times anyway (stationery for school, hand cream, lip salve etc) and I can afford it, but it just surprised me when I added it up.

Has anyone else had a similar shock? Or are you sensible enough to not add it up

I wouldn’t say that’s bad at all- things cost it’s 2024 not 1990- it’s not £1 a book.

I'm not sure I want to do this but I'm going to have a go at adding it up...

I think about £50. Certainly no more. £90 is a lot but I could see how it might happen, especially if you accumulate bits over time.

For the pp who asked the 'rules' - in our house stockings are opened upstairs in bed, and are small, surprise items - always a book, a satsuma, chocolate coins, socks and other bits and bobs. Little toys like hot wheels cars and mini Lego sets when they were little, now mostly consumables with a few useful bits and pieces ( although ds15 still had a hot wheels car in his, and a pack of top trumps!)
Big presents now with teens are usually asked for and often already tried on if clothes or trainers, so I like to make the stockings fun and unexpected.

My personal rule is the stocking items have to physically fit in the stocking (so no blankets or pjs as PP have said!) and has to cost less than a tenner. Anything else will be wrapped downstairs under the tree as a "proper" gift!
I have one teen but he gets really excited about his stocking, he still brings it to our room to open. I reckon I've probably spent £60 ish, it's a big stocking and is full to bursting.
This year he's got into nice things for his room so he has a reed diffuser and a nice fake plant for his desk alongside the silly things like a Hot Wheels car, Christmas Haribo sweets and Pop Tarts!

Don’t ever add it up! No good comes from it 😂

What on earth have you put in it? I got the teens one of those mini sol de janerio sprays and some pens and chocolate and thought that added up to a lot

£90?! Wow!

I budget £25 per stocking. I buy a love2shop card for each amount then get that plus £1 chocolate coins each. I find it an easy way to stay on track as I tend to pick things up as I go rather then a stocking shop.

😂 it is in the works!

I've just finished wrapping the stocking presents for my parents (in their 70s) and DH! Opening our stockings over a cuppa makes for a fun Christmas morning here!
Our stockings are full of 'useful' stuff, and a few frivolous bits too - think shower gel, lip balm, bin liners (!), batteries, socks, jams/chutneys, nice nuts/snacks, chocolates, a mini pannetone, small candles, a christmas tree decoration...
There are some things I don't buy all year, because I know 'father Christmas' will bring them - cotton wool pads for make up removal, mint teabags (I don't drink it often!), sellotape...

Every year it feels a bit of a faff wrapping it all up (we use paper from last year's big presents to wrap it, which gets rescued each year), but it's such a longstanding tradition, and we all enjoy it.

I'm probably similar OP (maybe more) but I basically put anything small in the stocking and it quickly adds up:

Chocolate/sweets
Make up / lip balms
Phone case
Belt
Stationery / Art stuff
Socks
Hand cream
Earrings

I don't really want to know what I spend, we have always done sacks, which are pretty hard to fill once the kids are older. I'm going to have to switch to a nice knitted stocking in the next year or two! (kids are 12 and 16).

Like another poster I fill them up with lots of food treats (which they love), giant tube of pringles, chocolate bar, fancy can of pop like Fanta peach or something, this year I found dessert flavour skittles to go in there.

Then I try to get one biggish thing this year a mushroom plush for the younger and a warming plush for the elder.

Then I do practical things they use up during the year like bath bombs, face masks.

Then one or two small fun silly things.

Shopping for the stockings is usually my favourite thing to do and they love getting them!

Likely spend a similar amount I never add it up. I love stocking and have fun putting them together.

This sounds like an amazing stocking!

Like @Enko and @oobedobe I think the stockings are my favourite thing to get them as it's often the things they don't ask for so it's fun to get them surprises. Most of it is very practical and probably stuff I would get them anyway throughout the year anyway.

It is going to be really variable depending on the size of their stocking, your family traditions and how early you start picking bits up for it. Our DCs have a football sock-sized stocking filled with lower cost items.

This year they have:
Satsuma
Hot chocolate bomb
4 mini bath bombs (a gift set split 2 ways)
A selection of marbles (job lot from eBay, again split between DCs)
Sharing bag of sweets
Bag of chewy Nerds sweets
Small perfume (again, a split gift set)
Stationery
Crocheted novelty book mark
Mini squishmallow (from Vinted, added onto another purchase)
Fidget toy
Novelty socks

I would estimate I've spent about £25 per child.

Ours are also around £75 😯

Like a PP, our rules are small enough to fit and under around £10 (might be a couple of bits slightly over).

This year, we have things like:

Bath bomb
Card or small game (this year Pass the Pigs and Taco, Goat, Cheese, Pizza)
Fidget toy
Hot wheels
Schleich dinosaur
Toy baby food
Furby Furblet
Blind ball (my mini baby and Dino strike)
Rhythmic gymnastics ribbon wands
Small selection pack
Choc coins

The rules here are stocking are left downstairs by the fireplace. Father Christmas fills them up and puts them outside the DC's bedroom doors. My parents used to put them at the end of our beds - do not do this, unless you are a certified ninja, your child is a heavy sleeper who drops off instantly and your house has no squeaky floorboards. DC open their stockings when they wake up. They can either ideally open them in their own rooms or bring them into our room and open them in our bed. It's entirely up to you what you put in the stocking but I suggest making a clear distinction between what Father Christmas brings (stockings) and tree presents, which are from Mum, Dad and other real people. It makes gratitude/affordability easier as they get old enough to notice that Santa hasn't brought them a pony.

My parents used to put a book, stationery, sweets and chocolate coins in our stockings. I spend a blooming fortune on them, but relatively little on "big" presents for under the tree. Anything for an extra half an hour in bed!

Yes, this. We try and avoid tat that will just get thrown away.

When my 3 were little their stocking was hung on the bed, in was an satsuma, a few small odds and ends and chocolate coins which they were allowed to eat in bed as a Christmas treat. 3o years ago it probably cost me £5 or less.

I used to get mine a comic when they were little to take up a lot of stocking space. Now they are teenagers they get a tube of Pringles for the same reason.

I never used to spend much on stockings - just a few very little toys or puzzles to keep my daughter occupied when she woke up until 8.30 or so. I remember one year when she had just started secondary school and had transformed into a monster almost overnight, and we gave her a stocking with just a lump of coal in the bottom - it didn't go down too well 😆😆😆

It’s never occurred to me to buy specific stuff for stockings. Just put the smaller presents in there and the bigger on the floor.

As an example of one of our stockings:

• small doll = B&M £0.84
• Chocolate coins = Asda £0.80
• Toy bubble gum dispenser = B&M £0.79
• Bracelet = Ebay £0.62
• Peppa pig lolly & keyring set = homebargains £0.49
• Face jewel stickers = a make up shop £0.47
• Hair brush and Sunglasses = Ebay £0.77
• Fancy dress gloves = Ebay £0.29
• Big flat round lollypop = poundstreacher £0.29 (pack of 3 for £0.85 but each kid getting 1)
• Biscuits = poundstracher £0.25 (once again multi pack of 5 for £1.25 split up between the 5 stockings)
• Whistle lolly = B&M £0.25

So its just little bits picked up in the sales etc... over the year or multipacks split, everything is under £1 and half or more is edible stuff.

I do a big stocking and 2 or 3 presents under the tree that kids choose.

My stocking cost a lot more than OPs but I guess it's up to you how much you spend. I like to think there's nothing that won't be used, eaten or enjoyed and therefore it doesn't feel too wasteful but I over spend to over compensate I know.

Pringles are a great idea, think I may do the same!!

Dc are young adults but always added the same in their stockings, just adjusted for age-
something to read
chocolate
something to drink.
game
socks
shower gel
toothpaste
hat
something funny
pants
Diary