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Mom reveals her tips to have a thrifty Christmas

“It’s fun looking for bargains."

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By Emma Dunn via SWNS

This mom saved more than $245 (£200) by buying all her Christmas presents secondhand.

Katie Tradie, 28, has always loved finding a bargain and decided to start buying all her gifts pre-loved three years ago.

The mom-of-two realized 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 thrift stores.

So far this year Katie found a doll house for her daughter's main Christmas present for £40 ($49 USD) – which cost £120 ($146) new. She also spotted an electric car for her son for just £10 ($12) - which at retails at £100 ($122).

Katie has also bought books, puzzles and toys for small amounts in her local thrift stores.

Katie, a retail assistant, from Swansea, Wales, 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 realize 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.”

Katie already uses 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."

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.

“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

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