Facing the festive season on a tight budget, a new mother has revealed how she cleverly funded her entire Christmas shopping spree by selling unwanted items on the popular online marketplace, Vinted.
Maternity Leave Budget Sparks Creative Solution
Abigail Nicholson, a content editor, was approaching the end of her maternity leave in the lead-up to Christmas last year. With a statutory maternity pay income of just £184.03 per week, most of which was spent on essentials for her baby daughter, the prospect of festive costs was daunting. Determined not to rely on credit, she declared a "thriftmas" and set out to find affordable yet thoughtful gifts for her family.
The Vinted Strategy: Declutter and Earn
Already a regular user of Vinted, Europe's leading second-hand fashion platform, Abigail saw an opportunity. While sorting belongings for a house move, she listed her daughter's outgrown baby clothes, along with unused books and toys. To her surprise, selling just three bundles of these items generated over £300, creating a dedicated Christmas fund without impacting her household budget.
She then turned to the platform for her gift shopping, discovering that Vinted also hosts a vast array of new and unused items. Her savvy purchases included:
- A trio of The White Company hand creams, still in original packaging, for £8.85 (RRP £20).
- Liz Earle gift sets worth £20 for just £15.
- A genuine Swarovski dice necklace for £15.
- Soap & Glory tins, a Little Dutch abacus, and new-with-tags Nike shorts for her fiancé.
Substantial Savings and a Festive Win
By embracing the second-hand economy, Abigail spent just under £200 on gifts that would have cost £400 brand new. Every item was either new in sealed packaging or, in the case of toys, thoroughly cleaned. The experience allowed her to withdraw her Vinted earnings to pay for cards, wrapping paper, and even a festive family trip to Liverpool.
"I was honestly shocked by the savings," she said. Her family was impressed by the deals, with many vowing to use Vinted for their own future gift-giving. While noting that not every gift need can be met on the platform, Abigail's story highlights a powerful way to manage finances creatively during expensive life stages like maternity leave.
