A mum saved more than £200 by buying all her Christmas presents secondhand – and secured her daughter a doll house with all the furniture for just £40. Katie Tradie, 28, has always loved finding a bargain and decided to start buying all her gifts pre-loved three years ago.
The mum-of-two realised she and her partner Adam Tradie, 34, a plumber, were spending “hundreds” on Christmas and wanted to cut back. Now she finds all the presents for her two children - aged three and five - from Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and charity shops.
So far this year Katie found a dolls house for her daughter's main Christmas present for £40 – which cost £120 new. She also spotted an electric car for her son for just £10 - which at retails at £100. Katie has also bought books, puzzles and toys, for "just a couple of quid" in her local charity shops.
Katie, a retail assistant, from Swansea, said: “I thought I’d see if I could thrift my Christmas. The last two years I’ve got all the presents secondhand.
“The kids don’t realise something isn’t new. It’s fun looking for bargains. Charity shops are great for stocking fillers.
“You can buy more and help charities at the same time. Christmas is about giving back.”
Katies already used pre-loved sites such as eBay, Vinted and charity shops to buy most of her clothes and outfits for her children. She decided to thrift her Christmas too - after seeing how much they were spending on gifts.
“One Christmas we spent so much,” Katie said. “It was hundreds. Last year I found my son 27 monster trucks for £7 and normally they retail at £5.99 for one.
“He was over the moon with his gift. This year I’ve found a Minnie Mouse till for £3 which would cost £20 new.
“I found a doll's house with all the furniture and dolls for £40.”
If Katie is looking for something specific from her kids' wish list she will search on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, but she finds most of her stocking fillers from charity shops.
“I’ve got a clock for £1 which would usually be about £5,” she said. “I got three hardback books for a £1 and they would normally be about £7 each.
“The kids know that Santa is doing without packaging to be more sustainable. So they won’t be confused if they open their gift and it’s not in a box.
“I think a lot of people still feel embarrassed to go into a charity shop. There’s a stigma but there is loads of amazing stuff in there.”
Follow Katie @thetradiewife
Katie's pre-loved finds:
Three hardback books for £1 – normally around £7 each
Minnie mouse till - £3 – normally £20 new
Little figurines - £1 for a bag
Dolls house with furniture and dolls - £40 – normally £120 new
Toy owl £3 - normally 20 new
Paint me unicorn- £2 – normally £8
Alarm clock - £1 - new for £5
Electric car found on gumtree for £10 – normally £100 and over
Lego book - £5- normally £7
Nightlight – £1 – normally around £15
World jigsaw- bought for £2.50 – Normally £15
Elsa and Anna walkie talkies – 10p each - normally £10 for two
Total cost of secondhand items: £70
Total savings: £230
Total if brought new: £305
