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Christmas tree, decorations and all her gifts for friends and family – one woman has got it all wrapped up for less than £100 and says if she can do it – anyone can
Top tips for a thrifty bargain Christmas
A woman from Oxfordshire is planning a magical £100 Christmas by baking from scratch and buying most of her presents secondhand.
Zara Canfield, 31, who lives in Banbury with her fiance Olly, 30, a videographer is a former “fast-fashion addict,” but says you don’t need to splash out to put a smile on someone’s face. The voluntary marketing manager loves baking mince pies and brownies for her friends and family and says trawling around the charity shops often means she finds more unique and meaningful gifts than she would buying items new.
“I just love the idea of giving gifts with a story and a bit of history behind them,” she says. “The thrill of finding that perfect, one-of-a-kind item is something I look forward to every season. It’s not just Christmas when I buy secondhand – I buy pretty much everything preloved. We’ve just bought a house and all our furniture is secondhand.”
Even her Christmas tree is secondhand – 20-years-old, she found it in her parents’ loft. And it’s adorned with cute homemade decorations and ones she’s added over the years from charity shops.
She has even found matching Disney pyjamas for herself and her fiancé which cost just a couple of quid – while Minnie, their sausage dog, loves wearing her secondhand Christmas jumpers when it’s cold outside. Normally, she sources at least 10 secondhand festive gifts and spends very little on Christmas food, by using her local community larder. There she gets food for a fraction of the supermarket price and she does her own festive baking.
Zara’s secondhand obsession started in 2019 when she took part in Oxfam’s Second Hand September – a month-long campaign that encourages people to buy, wear, donate, and restyle second-hand clothing to reduce waste and combat climate change. The same year, she started having her secondhand Christmas and has never looked back. She particularly rates her preloved secret Santa gifts, after her colleague loved a tea cosy she bought so much she uses it every day. Some of her best secondhand presents include a mint condition 1978 Grease original soundtrack vinyl for £2 and a gorgeous Jaeger cashmere jumper. which she bought for her nan for only a fiver.
“I’ve always loved secondhand shopping. I probably got the bug from my nan who’s now passed, as she used to take us round the charity shops when we were kids,” Zara says. “We’ve grown up getting stocking fillers from charity shops, so it’s never felt weird. My nan absolutely loved the Jaeger cashmere jumper I bought her. It’s mine now and I still wear it sometimes.” But it’s not just about the gifts. Zara even uses secondhand wrapping paper, created by using pre-loved scarves and ribbons to wrap up her presents. This means people can get two gifts for the price of one. As well as buying preloved gifts for her friends and family, Zara always finds her own secondhand party outfits for Christmas – including an Elf dress she picked up last year for just £3.99.
She says: “I get a lot of my presents from charity shops like Oxfam. Some of the stuff they sell is new – but it’s sustainably sourced. The bookshop is great for children’s books and there are also lots of charity shops on eBay now. so you can even do your charity shopping without having to leave your sofa. You’d be surprised how many of the things I buy have brand new tags on and haven’t even been worn. Charity shops are great for stocking fillers and little nick nacks. Vintage is currently all the rage and there isn’t a stigma around buying preloved anymore.”
But she draws the line at secondhand undies. “I definitely don’t buy second hand underwear,” she laughs. “PJs are OK though. I bought my sister Christmas pyjamas this year – but even though they were preloved they were brand new with the tags still on! It’s surprising how much stuff you get that has actually never been worn. People who have never shopped secondhand don’t know what they’re missing.”
Looking into the new year, Zara has her eyes set on buying a second-hand wedding dress after her boyfriend of 11 years, Olly, proposed to her earlier this year! “Some wedding dresses cost around £2,000 brand new but you can get the same one for £200 secondhand. Even if you have to spend a bit of money on dry cleaning and alterations – that’s still a massive saving. I also have my ‘something borrowed’ as I’ll be borrowing a veil from my partner’s sister – so at least that’s already sorted.”
Zara’s thrifty tips for buying preloved this Christmas:
- Set a budget and make a list of what you want to buy for everyone
- Look on eBay – there are loads of charity shops selling online through eBay now
- Start small – perhaps do your Secret Santa shopping in charity shops
- If you’re uncomfortable buying second hand for others – buy your own Christmas and New Year outfits from secondhand shops
- When it comes to buying for children – Zara recommends buying children’s books that were your favourites as a kid
To kickstart your own pre-loved Christmas and help raise money to tackle poverty and inequality around the world, visit your local Oxfam shop here: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shops/
