Call me a Grinch, but I am not okay anymore with loading up my kid’s Christmas stockings with more toys and lots of candy. I don’t feel my kids really need much of either in their lives. Personally, we try to keep stocking stuffers inexpensive (like $10 or less), and cheap dollar-store toys drive me nuts a few days later when they are abandoned everywhere. I have become more and more selective about what my family consumes, both in food and purchases.

Don’t get me wrong, I used to stuff them with cheap toys, goldfish, and their favorite candy bars and put them on top of their favorite hand-picked sugar-filled cereal. But, as our family nutrition goals have shifted, it left me a little searching for what that should look like now. And, as we feel like our kid’s rooms are overflowing with toys, we’ve minimized and carefully selected any new ones we give them.

So, what does that look like? Here are some ideas for you:

Memory Makers

These will vary in price depending on what your activity is. 

• Experiences – tickets to various community, art, dance, sport events to make a new memory!
• Date gift certificate with mom and/or dad – give them a budget and let them steer the ship!

Candy-free Non-Toy Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Under $10

Disclaimer: When I added these item links, the item at the time was under $10. Please keep in mind prices fluctuate due to demand, which is out of my control but hoepfully still gives you good ideas! Also, these are affiliate links – you get the direct link of items I love, I get a small affiliate kickback for you buying it through my link. 

1. Family coupons (FREE!) – chore pass, stay up late pass (weekend nights only), choose their favorite dinner coupon, etc. Get creative! Use my Christmas Coupon FREE PDF DOWNLOAD to give you an easy printable you can fill in and gift. 
2. Fun socks – So many options here! Whether it’s fuzzy socks, funny socks, or activity specific like hiking socks, there are lots of options under $10. 
3. Art supplies – hands down one of our favorites! Stickers, fun markers (the kid in me adores these scented markers!), fun crayons like these scented twistable crayons, coloring books, watercolors or watercolor books, washable paints, perler bead sets, small sketch book, origami, sidewalk chalk, etc.
4. Office supplies – Last year I got my kids their favorite animal post-its and book tabs from Amazon, so fun!
5. $5-10 Gift cards – iTunes, Starbucks, movies, etc.
6. Hair accessories (for boys or girls!) – Things like these popular hair ties, claw clips, hair tinsel, or heatless curls for your tween/teen girls or styling powder (my son LOVES this!) or this pomade pack that helped my son find his favorite type of hair products for teen boys. 
7. LED Lights – My kids LOVE these and we’ve given them many times as gifts. They put them in their room, on drum sets, around desks, etc. There are lots of brands out there at varying lengths and costs. This one is nice and long for only currently $10 or HERE are some other $10 options. 
8. Hand sanitizer – We love all the fun scents and names from Bath & Body Works. My kids dig it, they smell good, and are cleaner. Win win! They love sticking them in their backpack or car. 
9. Facial products – Face masks (Target always has a fun section of these!), tweezers for various plucking, or my boys love these blackhead nose strips. Or, I’m getting my teen son who TikTok convinced he needs to “ice” his face to close his pores this Ice/Hot face mask
10. Make up/jewelry/nail polish/girlie accessories – I have 5 boys, you are on your own here, lol! Though this is my favorite $5 mascara that works so well! Or these Hard as Nails line are inexpensive nail polish that holds up well. 
11. Nail manicure/maintence set – All my boys now have one of these, as we kept having a hard time losing nail clippers. Now they manage their own nails and it’s worked great! There’s a cute girl version here as well. 
12. Sunglasses – There are plenty of under $10 sunglasses online or at stores like Walmart. My husband loved these ones from Amazon. Or, CLICK HERE to see all of the sunglasses on Amazon for under $10!
13. Inexpensive watch – YES! There are watch options for under $10, including ALL of these on Amazon
14. Body spray – even my tween boys like this one! I usually take them to the mall and let them pick out something affordable that they like the smell of. 
15. Puzzles – We love a good puzzle! Everyone and age is different for how many pieces are right for them, but HERE is a list of all the $10 puzzles on Amazon. Our favorites include this Lego Minifigure Puzzle, a Puppy Selfie Puzzle, this Solar System Puzzle, or BLANK puzzles for your kiddo to design their own!
16. Hats/gloves/scarves – again, out of my wheelhouse, as I live in CA, but an option! Though my fashionable boys love a good beanie like these ones or these beanies. 
17. Wallet – These have been a good basic wallet for my boys. Or these are cute for teen girls. 
18. Pocket knife – Like this one…just don’t cut your fingers off, ok kids? (And don’t take to school, they are considered a weapon. Great for backpacking or camping though!). 
19. Cell phone accessories – case, camera lens like these ones, pop socket, portable charging bank or this one, selfie stick. Or if your teen is like mine and loses earbuds ALL THE TIME, $10 wireless earbuds might be right up their alley!
20. Books – also one of our faves! My kids 12 and under are loving the Weird but True series from National Geographic. And my 11 year old LOVES these Sticker by Number books – great for church, planes, or road trips!
21. Electric toothbrush
22. Rubix cube – could be deamed a “toy” but we see it as mental stimulation ; )
23. Small games – My family has loved the card games like Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Sleeping Queens, Exploding Kittens ($15 but worth mentioning for how much we love it!), or Skipbo. We also love dice games like Farkle, or Qwixx.
24. Playdough
25. Not so fun, but necessary: Undies ; ), or a fun new sports bra – there are some cute inexpensive strappy sports bras HERE and HERE. 
26. Candles – Obviously, be wise in having flames in your house. But, my teens all LOVE candles. There are some like THESE that are scented more naturally with essential oils. Or, see HERE for other $10 candle ideas. 
27. Neck Ties – Sounds boring, but my kids go to church every week and love a new tie! We are getting floral ties this year. 
28. Water bottle
29. Spa/bath items – Like bath bombs, shower steamers, epson salts, or bubble bath. My athletes love the power of an epson salt bath to ease their muscle soreness!
30. Lotion of various sorts – I am getting two of my boys this lotion set this year. 
31. Lip gloss or fun chapstick
32. Shoe cleaning brushes or new laces – Two of my boys love keeping their Jordans pristine by having their own shoe brush kit. I know, never thought I’d be saying that, but they love it! If you have a teen who loves their shoes, this is a great gift. Or, help them shake it up with some fun new laces including these popular “no tie” laces. 
33. Journal or diary – We gave our boys One Line a Day journals to help journaling feel approachable. 
34. Bubbles
35. GUM – I teach bible study to 14 teenagers. I haven’t met one so far who isn’t excited about a pack of gum! Yes, you might call that candy, but if it’s sugar-free and ADA approved I would beg to differ ; )

Remember, every tradition can be rescripted and we love some of these, especially the kids coupon book and date night coupon, more than any of the easy junk we used to fill our stockings with. 

Have any other favorites I didn’t include? Drop them in the comments!

Happy Holidays!