Frugal Foodie Stocking Stuffers
Ever wonder what to get for that foodie in your life? Well these stocking stuffer ideas are great frugal finds just for that hard-to-buy-for foodie. These ideas are under $15 and most are closer to $5. So even if those foodies seem to have everything, you might find a few new ideas. And we all need to replace our worn out spatulas and potholders once in a while, don’t we?
- Silicone Basting Brush-Depending on the quality you get, you can get these super cheap in a dollar bin. But I’ve gotta tell you. I’ve bought the super cheap before with regret because the top pops off of them. I still have them and just pop them back on. But I LOVE these because they are so much easier to clean than the standard basting brush. The oil comes right out of them instead of rinsing and re-rinsing, and re-rinsing those old basting brushes, saving water and money. And you can easily get a better quality brush that’s still under $10.
- Spatulas-Okay. Spatulas are like the ultimate money saver, literally helping you scrap every last drop of that cookie batter, so NOTHING goes to waste, right? I need to break this down into a few different categories since all spatulas are not created equally. Break it down. Break it down. Break it down (there’s my inner rapper for you-okay. Maybe not). Several years ago JSarr got me a couple of High Temperature Spatulas. Never heard of them before that. We used those things all of the time especially near a hot, hot mess like blazing beans on the grill (Jonathan liked those spatulas better than a spoon with those beans). But this summer they breathed their last. Off to spatula heaven they went. So it’s time to replace ’em. Also I love having those Teeny Tiny Spatulas for those tiny jars and hard to reach places, and those extra Large Spatulas for those heavy duty jobs. And then there is the Metal Spatula. We have 3 of them (one with a melted plastic handle-not a good idea kitchen tool manufacturing people), and now that we are using the cast iron skillet daily, I wouldn’t be sad if we had just one more…with a metal handle, too please.
- Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter It took me long enough to get this, and I finally broke down and bought myself one last spring. So glad I did because I’ve sure enjoyed sharing “zoodles” with family and friends. And I love that plain old zucchini magically transforms into swirly noodles ready to be topped with all sorts of saucy goodness.
- Oven Mitt-Is it just me, or are oven mitts hard to keep clean? Mine are always crusted after getting shoved into the side of some bake goodness coming out of the oven. I’m constantly washing mine. And I like to have two. One for each hand for those heavy duty jobs. You know what I mean. But one of mine got burned. Not cool to have a hole in your oven mitt. So I use it carefully now. Next time I want to get a silicon Oven Mitt.
- Skillet Handle Potholders-If you use a cast iron skillet, you know how nice it would be to have a custom pot holder just for that handle. That skillet of mine there below can be a beast. So I started making some of my own skillet potholders a few years ago. You can follow this link for the tutorial. I finally found one on Amazon if you are interesting in purchasing them. Now I finally know a name for them. Hot Handle Holders.
- Kitchen Shears-We got our first kitchen shears for our wedding. I use those things ALL. OF. THE. TIME. in the kitchen. So much so that when I found Betty Crocker Kitchen Shears at the Dollar Tree I had to get them. And then get them again. We’ve had 3 pairs of the shears in our rotation for several years. Often times all three of them end up in the dishwasher. I don’t want a 4th though…If you have a Dollar Tree near, get ’em there. They’ve carried them for years. And get some for your friends. They’ll lovingly remember you every time they cut…ahh how sweet.
- Metal Measuring Cups-Seriously, we’ve been married 15 years and have 6 different mismatched sets of measuring cups. 6 different sets, I just counted! I have yet to find a plastic set where every measuring cup stays intact for more than a year. Have you? Are they out there? Anyway it wasn’t until JSarr gave me my first set of metal measuring cups a couple of years ago, that I haven’t needed another replacement. He’s asked me why we still have these mismatched sets. We use them. That’s why. Plus I need the plastic for sourdough.
- Zester and Garnisher-I love my zester and garnisher. I love that you can quickly make a meal or drink look gourmet or festive by adding a little zest here and there. And zest in smoothies. Yes!
- Pie Server-These things need to have a magnet to attach to the pies they come with. I lost mine. I left it somewhere. At a church potluck? At a friend’s house? They are just so easy to leave behind. And they are so handy. I need one. Did I say I need one?
- Serving Tongs-If your foodie friend hosts lots of events, parties, and potlucks, it’s always nice to have some extra serving tongs on hand. Or to replace the ones they leave at other events.
- Fun Spices-Spices are so fun to experiment with. You can find some or make your own like this Red Robin Seasoning or Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Woh! This sounds a lot like a Christmas wish list. Like a Christmas list that would be made by me. Oops! I promise, promise, promise this wasn’t meant to to be my Christmas wish list by any means. That’s not what I set out to do. I have all of this stuff. Except that high heat spatula. And the pie server. And the extra metal spatula, well, that’s not a need. We’ll see if JSarr sees this though…
So what are your favorite frugal foodie kitchen gadgets and tools?
Melissa French, The More With Less Mom says
I so want a zoodle cutter! Thanks for posting. Hello from Fat Tuesday.
Sonja says
Hi Melissa. We love having a zoodle spiralizer! You’ll love having it!
Teri@The Freshman Cook says
I love these stocking stuffer ideas! I wish I could stuff my own stocking! They are all wonderful!
Sonja says
Thanks, Teri, and thanks for visiting!
Keri says
It’s not cheap but I told Brian that I wanted a bottle of fermented cod liver oil in my stocking!
Sonja says
Hi Keri! That’s totally funny! I actually just started taking cod liver oil a few months ago, and then I found out about fermented cod liver oil right after I bought the bottle. So next time I buy some, that’s what I’d like to try. Have you tried it? If so, what brand??