People stunned by mum’s pile of Christmas gifts which took over living room & she got it ALL thanks to a budget trick
A MUM became the envy of everyone after she revealed she’d got a haul of Christmas presents that covered her entire living room floor for a fraction of their original price.
But Francesca, dubbed “your online thrifting bestie”, isn’t gatekeeping her secrets and has lifted the lid on the clever hacks behind her shopping success.
Francesca posted a video to social media in which she showed off all the amazing presents she was able to buy her young children last year.
The beautifully wrapped gifts for the festive season overtook her Christmas tree, and she later took videos of her kids tearing into their amazing goodies.
And it seems the huge haul, which took up most of her living room and went down a treat with her children, has inspired her to be similarly savvy this year.
The TikTok user, who can be found at @francescacharityshop, is determined to do it for Christmas 2024, and has shared her simple tricks to sticking to a budget, and how you can follow in her footsteps too.
The mum-of-two asked: “Would you believe me if I told you that I spent £250 last Christmas and I got all of that stuff?
As the camera panned to a high street store, the social media user continued “And I didn’t go to shops and pay full price.”
Instead, she revealed how she’d cleverly chosen charity shops and the items inside them, raving about her second hand purchases.
Francesca continued: “I’m on a mission to make Christmas as cheap as possible, but I want to get good quality items that I know my children will love and cherish and they will have the most magical day.
“I have a nine year old and I have a three year old, so if you have children of a similar age, stick around because I have so much to show you.
“I’m going to be sharing tips and tricks and the best times to go – what charity shops are the best to visit and I’m going to be taking you on my journey of everything I managed to find for my children.
“So let’s break the stigma that second hand is second class, or that you need to spend thousands of pounds for your children to have a magical day – because that is not the case at all.
“You might think that you can only find things for small children in charity shops, but I’m going to be showing you things for teenagers , for your friends and for your family, for your parents.”
Francesca has since unveiled some of her top tips of bagging bargains in charity shops, filling her 89.9k followers in on her expert secrets.
These include travelling up to 40 minutes away to the best charity shops around, and being clever when buying gifts.
For instance, in a post about shopping for a teenage boy, Francesca said there was plenty to have them smiling from ear to ear.
I’m on a mission to make Christmas as cheap as possible, but I want to get good quality items that I know my children will love
Francesca
This ranged from £10 and under designer T-shirts and shirts to £2.99 Nike trainers. While other things in her basket included a mini football table for £2 and a £1 backpack.
Francesca’s TikTok followers couldn’t get enough of her helpful tips, as they said they would be lapping up her advice and were stunned to see what she’d manage to get for such a low price tag.
“This is brilliant,” one wrote. A second added, “This isn’t only good for your wallet, it’s brilliant for the environment too – such a good idea.”
While others said they’d already come round to her way of thinking and were charity shop converts thanks to her videos.
One person said: “I love your outlook on gifts and thrifting. We live in a society where most people are so materialistic but I loved charity shops, Vinted etc.”
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