I’m only giving my kids secondhand presents this Christmas, they don’t know the difference & it’s saving me hundreds
A THRIFTY mum is not giving new toys to her three children this Christmas, and is instead buying them secondhand gifts, as well as hand-making presents for her family and friends.
Harriet Knock, 24, from North Devon, said she realised Freddie, four, Edward, two and Daisie, six-months, wouldn’t know the difference and said being frugal has saved her hundreds of pounds.
The mum-of-three has spent £300 this year which is the same amount she has spent previously just on the kids alone.
She believes she has saved herself over £200 this year on presents for her family and friends.
The influencer condemned the amount of plastic toys going to landfill each year as “disgusting”, and said she is teaching her children the value of kindness, time and effort over money.
She also believes there should be “no shame” in buying second-hand presents and bagging a bargain, and she says she hasn’t been stressed out in the run-up to Christmas this year.
Harriet, who shares an insight into her life as a mum-of-three on her Instagram page , said: “As a mum to three little ones, I’ve managed to save hundreds of pounds this Christmas.
“All by buying secondhand toys for my children and making homemade gifts.
Most read in Fabulous
“There should be no shame in buying things secondhand and bagging a bargain, especially if you are a family on a budget.
“I think I've saved about £200 on what I've bought second-hand, meaning I've actually been able to get my little ones more presents because they've cost less per item.
“So they have quite a few things to unwrap each and stockings too.I think people don't realise that being on a budget and shopping second-hand doesn't mean your child has less to open.
READ MORE REAL LIFE STORIES
“Christmas can be just as exciting with less money as it's about memories not things. I appreciate this does get harder as children get older though and I'm lucky mine are all young and don't necessarily want much or know the value of things!
“At a guess, I'd say I've spent less than £300 including family, which would usually be my budget for the children's presents alone at a £100 limit per child.”
FABULOUS BINGO: GET A £5 FREE BONUS WITH NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED
Harriet has made homemade candy cane vodka presents to give to the adults in her family. She said homemade items are cheap but also meaningful - as a lot of time and effort has been put into making them.
She added: “I’d love to receive something that someone had put some effort into!
“And my little children won’t know the difference if a toy is secondhand or not - one toy I saved £22 on, it’s secondhand but still brand new and boxed.
“I paid £5 for it and it retails for £27 so that was a no brainer! Therefore, the majority of my little ones' presents are preloved or secondhand.
“Plus, not only does this save money, it also helps to reduce waste.”
Harriet said she is doing her bit for the environment as she said the amount of plastic toys that end up in landfill is “disgusting”.
Shopping on a budget and buying secondhand also means the savvy mum hasn’t been as stressed this Christmas.
She said: “Doing this has definitely helped to ease the financial stress of Christmas, and making your own Christmas presents is fun too!
“If you get the children involved with homemade gifts, you’ll be creating special memories together at the same time.
“It also helps to teach them the value of kindness, time and effort over money!
“I haven’t given any of the gifts out yet but a lot of people in the online communities also make homemade gifts and are savvy when it comes to secondhand gifts and saving money.
“I think it’s a very positive thing to do. Who wants to get into debt for one day of the year anyway?”
Harriet and her family managed to save money in the lead-up to Christmas by buying some of their tree decorations from charity shops.
Plus she said she was able to find brand new gifts in charity shops for cheaper.
She referred to the Grinch Christmas movie saying - “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”
There’s also some websites where she managed to get presents that were free.
Harriet added: “My boys really like Transformers toys which are expensive as they’re branded, and they’re made of plastic.
“Buying them secondhand is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly. My little girl’s Christmas dress we bought off of Vinted secondhand too.
“When shopping online, there are often vouchers for certain sites to save money, and you can use cash back apps to save some pennies too!
“There are some sites where you give things away for free and the buyer just pays postage. I’ve got a few toys off of there for the children which were essentially free.
“I’m not sure how much I’ve saved in total but it’ll be quite a bit! I got a Yellow Jumping Teletubbie for £3.80 and the red one is currently selling for £39.99 on Amazon.
“That’s £35 plus saved on one toy! All it needed was new batteries and a bit of pen cleaning off - it’s now as good as new. We can’t wait for Christmas!”
Meanwhile, a money-saving expert reveals how to save money on your last-minute Christmas shopping & fill up stockings for free.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
And we revealed the easy swaps to save money on your Christmas dinner while still cooking up a feast & why you should raid the freezer aisle.
Plus a mum spends £4k on Christmas presents for her 3 kids and get them 100 each.