Note to my relatives coming to my house for Christmas: Spoiler alert! Don’t read this until after Christmas!  

I’ve had a pretty hectic December–including a back injury that has made some tasks impossible and forced me to spend more time resting than usual–but my gift shopping has come together pretty well.  Just last night, though, I realized I had forgotten to seek out any stocking stuffers and didn’t have any already on hand.  Luckily, there’s a product I discovered earlier this year that everybody can use, that I can buy at my handy neighborhood 24-hour drugstore!  This is not a paid endorsement; this is a spontaneous, honest review of a product I’ve used myself.

Bottle 2 Pen ballpoint pens are made from recycled plastic beverage bottles.  83% of the plastic used in the pens comes from actual used bottles deposited in recycling bins, and another 3% is recycled from factory scraps.  When these pens run out of ink, they can be refilled with standard Pilot ballpoint refill cartridges, so the pen case is reusable.  However, unlike some refillable pens I’ve had, B2P pens are so affordably priced that I wouldn’t be upset if I lost one.  They come in 5 colors, including purple and green!  They are retractable, so there’s no cap to misplace.

I bought a pack of B2P pens in the early summer and have been using them since then, including a few lengthy writing jobs.  They write very smoothly and are comfortable to hold.  They are at least as good as most ballpoint pens and very superior to the super-cheap non-refillable type.

Even in this electronic era, everybody can use a pen!  Children especially like to have their own pen and are fascinated by the spring-loaded retraction mechanism.  Because B2P pens are designed to be taken apart for refilling, kids can take them apart and put them back together over and over again–great for practicing fine motor skills and learning about how things work.

B2P pens work for me, as stocking stuffers and in life in general!  Visit Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways for other low-cost, Earth-friendly ideas!  Check out my other practical stocking stuffer ideas!