For me, shoebox season doesn't start in November..it's a year round project. I start collecting items to fill our boxes pretty much the moment I leave our local collection site. You will be surprised at how many items you can get for free throughout the year if you just keep your eyes open. I have a large tote in the basement that I use to keep all the items as I get them, and as you can see it's only March, but I've got quite a collection going already (right). Not everything in the tote was free, since I also collect clearance items as I see them, but that's a different post for another day.
Below is a list of just a few places we've found some free stuffers...
Fairs and Expos
Local county fair, garden expo, bridal fair, home shows...these are all great places to get free stuff. Items we've collected include: drawstring backpacks, cloth bags, pencils, notepads, balloons, plastic cups, small balls, frizbees, lanyards, coloring books, crayons, stickers,...
Parades
I don't know about you, but sometimes parades can be a bit overwhelming. Like a dress rehearsal for Halloween, the kids come home with bags overflowing with candy and other "treasures". After parades, I secretly sort through our giant collection of candy and pull out whatever might be shoebox worthy (suckers, smarties,...) of course not all of them, but you can thin down the mix. Other free items we've collected at parades include: toothbrushes, small frisbees, plastic cups, necklaces,...
Menards
Check your local Menards flyer for items that are free after mail-in rebate. You do have the cost of a stamp, but if you use your rebates to buy more "free after rebate" items the next trip, you can really snowball your investment. I've picked up flip flops, coffee mugs, and t-shirts for our shoeboxes this way.
Harbor Freight Tools
Keep an eye out for free item coupons in your local shopper, newspaper, and magazines. Or sign up to receive their coupon booklets. Items that are often free include flashlights, screwdriver sets, and other tools. Just watch the fine print. Some coupons are free without purchase. Others require a purchase or even a minimum purchase of $9.99.
Hotels
We don't travel very often, but even if you don't, you probably know people who do. Gather up the bars of soap and pack them away in your suitcase. Housekeeping will replace them when they clean your room, so you can get new ones each day of your stay. These bars are small so I usually place several together in a snack size ziplock bag for each shoebox I pack.
Regift
In our affluent culture, and very generous families, we are overflowing with gifts at times. Like overwhelmingly overflowing at times. Why not give these items to others who could use them much more than we could? Luckily, my children are still toddlers so I can filter through which items actually get opened after big events like Christmas and birthdays. But even for myself, I probably only keep about half of what I receive as gifts, because I'm constantly trying to eliminate clutter. We've regifted in our shoeboxes things like aprons, holiday kitchen towels, clothing, socks, costume jewelry, puzzles or games, stuffed animals, hooded towels,...
If it fits in a shoebox and you don't need it, why not regift it? Not only does is avoid the possibility of accidentally regifting into the same circle of friends or family, if you're like me, you probably prefer to go out and pick something specifically for that person anyway.
