'I Only Buy Second-Hand Gifts for Christmas'

I first started buying second-hand presents for Christmas when my daughter was born. I realized that when your child is so little, there's not much point buying them expensive things because they have no idea what any of it is.

But it wasn't just because she was small. It was a necessity. When my daughter was small, I had a job where I worked from my home in Gloucestershire, England, and only earned a few hundred pounds a month. I got into debt, and I didn't have any money, but I still wanted to get my daughter Christmas presents that she would like, and not be so stressed about it all.

My daughter is now 11, and I am financially comfortable, but I still buy pre-loved gifts now. When you start, you realize why it is such a good idea.

Not only are you helping someone else declutter and earn some extra money, but you're also saving money and helping the environment. Plus, whoever you're buying for is still getting the item that they wanted. I think it's a no-brainer.

I don't buy much for other people—it's mainly my daughter. My partner and I don't tend to buy each other that much, except the occasional gift card, but if I saw something second-hand for him, I would be more than happy to get it. The majority of my spending, however, goes on my daughter, and a lot of that is second-hand.

My daughter has never mentioned anything about her gifts being second-hand, and she has never commented on there being no packaging on her presents. I think, as adults, we would be aware of the missing packaging but, in my experience, kids don't care.

I haven't gone out of my way to tell my daughter where I get her presents, or that they're second-hand, but she's never noticed or commented on it. She doesn't seem to mind at all.

Where I buy second-hand gifts

When I'm looking for gifts, I will check car boot sales and Facebook marketplace. Those are my main favorite places. I also look in charity shops, especially for second-hand books. I tend to get a lot of my daughter's clothes from eBay, where I make sure they still have their tags on, or on sites like Depop and Vinted.

I think a lot of people don't realize that if you go to car boot sales or on Facebook marketplace, you can get brand-new stuff—even if it's technically second-hand because you're buying it from someone else. When your kids are small, you get so many duplicate toys, and that's what people want to sell on.

I like to be organized and buy presents in advance, so I will go to car boot sales in the summer, with a list in mind. I will do my best to find each gift second-hand but if I can't, it will be bought new. But I'd estimate around 80 percent of my gifts are second-hand.

The present that really stands out for me, and which got the biggest reaction from my daughter, was the roller-skates that I got for £1 from a car-boot sale when she was 7. They weren't in any packaging and they weren't pristine—the wheels had slightly worn away—but she didn't care. I got a picture of her expression and she was so excited.

Now my daughter is older, she has varied taste. This year, I've managed to get most of her presents second-hand, including: second-hand clothes, a children's watch, a lot of books and an iPad that had been in a damaged box, so it was discounted. I haven't got her a lot, to be fair—she doesn't really ask for a lot.

How much money I save buying second-hand gifts

My daughter has always had second-hand gifts for her birthday, as well as Christmas. With second-hand gifts being cheaper, you can buy more. I've bought a whole birthday present collection for £5 before—a Disney princess Barbie, not in the packaging; the rollerskates; dolls; a Barbie carriage. This saving meant I could spend more on my daughter's birthday party.

I don't know exactly how much I spend, year to year, but I try to keep it under £50—and I still manage to get my daughter everything she wants. The amount of money I save every year depends on what I buy but I'd say that I've saved hundreds of pounds on Christmas gifts.

The money that I save might go into my daughter's pot for the next birthday or Christmas, or towards whatever my financial goal is at the time, like overpaying the mortgage or contributing to my pension.

I'm now financially comfortable. I paid all my debt off years ago and I'm hopefully on track to retire early. We're definitely very comfortable, and I recently bought a house with my partner.

I think I will always buy my gifts second-hand. When you have a lot of money, people say, "Why don't they spend it?" But that's how people stay wealthy, by not spending their money. You don't have to spend all your money just because you've got it. And we're saving for bigger things—while, at the same time, still managing to get my daughter what she wants for Christmas.

Francesca Henry is the owner of the financial blog, The Money Fox.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

As told to Newsweek's My Turn deputy editor, Katie Russell.