I decided to see if I could fill a shoebox for £10.00 for an elderly couple in 2024. The results below show that if you shop around throughout the year, you can purchase the essentials and many additional items for under £10.00, and even if you’re only starting to gather items for your shoebox a couple of months before the delivery date it’s still possible to get the essentials and at least 5 additional items for under £10.00.
Elderly Shoebox 1
The first Elderly shoebox is using bargains that I’ve picked up during the year, so some items will no longer be available or will be more expensive.
I start out with the minimum requirements based on the Link to Hope leaflet and show the total for the minimum requirements, i.e. the 6 essential items and 5 additional items.
The first photo shows the 6 essential items and the second the 5 additional items.
This still leaves over £4.00 to add further items to make the shoebox special.
The full box with all the extra items for £10.00.
There are lots of combinations you could choose. A couple of emery boards, hair grips, ties, hats, sewing kit, cutlery etc. I have found some real bargains during the year, but my second box shows you can still fill a shoebox for under £10.00 if you shop around.
Elderly Shoebox 2
My second Elderly box is filled with items available in September and October this year. Prices for items from Temu do vary daily and between sellers, so do check if there are cheaper options, and remember the minimum spend of £15.00 for free delivery and delivery time.
I put a bottle of Aldi’s 3 in 1 shower gel in each elderly shoebox as a shampoo, as it’s a hair wash as well as a face and body wash and is great value at 55p.
This still leaves a few pounds to add some extra items.
The full shoebox with items purchased in September and October 2024.
Another tip which could reduce your costs or increase the contents of your shoeboxes is to look on recycling websites such as Freecycle or Freegle for free items. I haven’t used any of the free items in these boxes so they could be even fuller. You do need to ensure that the items are in good condition, but I’ve got some wonderful items including, wool, fabric, candles, ties, and 90 brand new notebooks that were a misprint. (Some of the notebooks have gone to Door of Hope for their Bags of Education and the rest will be going into shoeboxes.)
If you can knit, crochet or sew there are lots of items you can make to add something individual to your shoeboxes, with patterns on the Link to Hope website or a quick internet search should give you inspiration regardless of expertise.
Hopefully the ideas will help you fill one or two shoeboxes. Don’t forget they need to be packed and delivered to your area receiver by Friday 8th November.