Every year my wife and I exchange stockings. I really enjoy the challenge of trying to find small gifts that are useful and things that she will use.
We are both very practical when it comes to the things we purchase, so I try to find things that she needs but hasn’t gotten around to purchasing. If you’re putting together a stocking for another adult, consider some of these practical stocking stuffers:
1) Contigo Mug
My wife introduced me to Contigo mugs a while back and since getting mine I’ve used it pretty much every single day. I like to drink my coffee over a long period of time and find that most mugs won’t keep it warm for more than an hour. Not the Contigo mug; it keeps liquids warm for up to four hours and cold for up to eight hours. This is perfect for any adult’s stocking.
The Contigo Mug is $22.99 at Target.com.
2) Water Bottle
Water bottles are another practical stocking stuffer that any adult can find a use for. I have a water bottle for at home and one for at work to avoid having to bring mine back and forth between the two.
The Contigo Grace Water Bottle (left) is $10.99 at Target.com
The CamelBak BPA Free Better Water Bottle (right) is $17.99 at Target.com
3) Gift Card to Coffee Shop
While it’s not the frugal thing to promote, coffee shops do serve their purpose. Like many adults, I love my coffee and I especially love getting a fresh-brewed cup of coffee at my favorite coffee shops.
Coffee shops have become places where people go to get work done, socialize, and relax. Most adults will be happy to see a coffee shop gift card in their stocking.
Starbucks gift cards are $15, $25, $50, or $100 at Starbucks.com
4) Scarf
Scarves are essential for surviving the cold Winter, so considering giving one as a gift to the adult on your Christmas list.
The Merona® Men’s Scarf (left) is $14.44 at Target.com
The Merona® Women’s Scarf (right) is $14.99 at Target.com
5) Office Supplies
If you have a home office I’m sure you’ve realized how frustrating it is to run out of office supplies. If you are looking for practical stocking stuffers, it doesn’t get much more practical than office supplies.
Bic Medium Atlantis Ballpoint Stick Pen, 12/Pack is $13.73 at Walmart.com
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If you are buying gifts for an adult this year, consider purchasing some practical gifts that they will get some real use out of.
What practical gifts are you buying this year?
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Great ideas, mugs and coffee gift cards are always appreciated by pretty much all the adults I know!
colormefrugal Definitely! I use my contigo mug every day at work as well as on the weekends when I’m going from place to place.
iTunes gift cards are always a good stocking stuffer for me…..I’m always in need of new tunes to workout to. :)
DebtChroniclesYou should check out Spotify! It’s a lifesaver when I’m working out.
Office supplies in my stocking would be AMAZING. And I don’t even work full-time from home! :)
CSMillennialSame here! I went through the office supply row at Target recently and could have easily spent $100. :0
I love Contigo mugs, and their water bottles. I have both, and I use them daily. Here in Canada (not sure about the States) you can get them at Costco, and they’re pretty reasonably-priced.
I have a bit of an obsession with scarves, so I definitely second that one – as long as it’s light and fashionable enough to wear in my office – my neck is always cold :)
FinDiffractionMy wife loves those scarves you can wear indoors without getting too hot. Definitely a great gift.
Great ideas DC! I always get my wife a gift card to some coffee place in town as a stocking stuffer. You’d think I bought her jewelry with how much she loves them, lol. It may not be the most frugal, but it’s definitely worth it.
FrugalRulesYes it doesn’t sound too frugal (coffee places never seem to be) but definitely a great gift for someone who enjoys getting coffee there. Makes it guilt-free when you have a gift card.
Do the gifts have to be practical? :-) I like getting “Burt’s Bees” products in my stocking – really, any of them. They are a little more “spendy” than other products, but they are so good. Receiving them is practical, and a little special, too.
RobertaRenstromNyquist They definitely do not HAVE to be practical, just the way I am (and Victoria) so I can think of practical gifts easily haha. I easily could have made this list 20 or 30 gifts long! Burt’s Bees is awesome!
A water bottle is a good idea!
My mom always gets me earrings and socks in my stocking! She still gets us stockings and gifts even though we’re all in our mid-thirties =)
Holly at ClubThrifty My Mom also makes stockings for us still, and I don’t see her stopping! She loves to pick out gifts for people.
I’ve been wanting to get a good travel mug for a while now, so thanks for the tip!
Matt @ Mom and Dad MoneyNo problem, Matt! Honestly the Contigo is the greatest thing. Perfect for work.
Office supplies sound good to me! I also like makeup :) My mom usually covers that though!
SingleMomIncome Nice! You’ll need more now that you work from home full time.
Cool Ideas! I will definitely be using the coffee cup and coffee gift card ones!
Imogen_Daley If someone doesn’t have a Contigo mug, they need one. That’s my approach to it, at least ;)
Nice ideas! And honestly I still haven’t gotten to this – counting on Amazon Prime!
moneyconeYou aren’t alone, I haven’t done much shopping at all yet.
Pretty cool ideas…might use it for the holiday grab bag thing at work. Actually one time someone did give a box of pens as the secret santa gift. It might have been from the supply closet. Not cool. But office supplies would be fine by me if it’s something I needed.
Andrew LivingRichCheaplyHaha wow that’s absolutely terrible. A box of pens from the supply closet. Does it get any worse? No thought or effort involved.
I have an amazon wishlist I add to throughout the year because my parents are always asking for ideas at Christmas. Funny enough I have pens on my list each year (I’ve only got a few left from last Christmas!) and I added a Camelbak bottle too. We’re trying to simplify and have less clutter so I do my best to only add practical things we actually need. Would I love 5 more bottles of nail polish and a bunch of clothes? SURE! But I don’t want to deal with more meaningless stuff.
Miss Tightwad Yeah I’m pretty big on the practical gifts. I like practical stuff in general and have trouble spending money on entertainment and things I don’t really need. We’ve been selling stuff throughout the second half of this year and have so much more to sell. It’s nice to clean out the clutter.
I have a Contigo mug, and after the looks of jealousy from my mom, I got her one a few Christmases ago. They do keep liquids warm for a while, but I read reviews about the top being difficult to wash and gunk gathering there, which seems to be true. I just drink from the mug part. I love pens, and would be excited to receive them for any occasion (I’m a bit of a pen fanatic). I love the idea of practical gifts in general.
JourneytoSaving Yep I did have that problem with the top part, though I think if you give it a good rinse after you are done using it that can really help. Definitely the one drawback for sure.
I love that CamelBak water bottle! It is well made and the ONLY water bottle I have ever owned that doesn’t leak. Worth every cent.
RatherBeShopping Those CamelBak water bottles are the way to go!
I have a $30 credit from Office Depot because of my purchases for work. David I’m sending you a stapler for Christmas.
Charles@gettingarichlife I’m holding you to that!
Coffee gift cards work well enough because most places have enough drinks to satisfy everyone. If you don’t drink coffee, there are plenty of tea selections. If you don’t want that option, you can go for a smoothie, hot chocolate, or cider. Also would be handy to have this information at the ready in case you get greeted with a “Thanks, but I don’t drink coffee”.
MicrosMissions Very true. I wasn’t a coffee drinker until about two years ago (now I drink it every morning and can’t imagine not having it) and I would still enjoy going to coffee shops because of all the other drinks. Tea is always good, as are smoothies. So many options.
Great suggestions! I always like to get toothpaste, gum, espresso too to stick in there.
MoneySma1 All great choices!
These are great. I would put chapstick on my stocking list, and KIND granola bars.
brokeandbeau Granola bars and chapstick are necessities!
I can never have too many socks, nail clippers, or too much tape. Duck tape fixes everything!
Nail polish is good for chicks. :D
Nothing brings a smile to my face more than a Target or Starbucks gift card! :)
Ahh, you had me at “practical”!