I used to spend £600-a-year on my girl at Xmas now she still gets everything she wants but for £100 instead – here’s how

WATCHING her seven-year-old girl flick excitedly done the Smyths Toys catalogue, Nicole Ratcliffe felt a question of panic.

As her miss begins circling imaginable gifts ranging from Mario Kart to Rainbow High Dolls, Nicole sees thing but lb signs erstwhile the youngster smiles and turns to her mum.

“It’s a bully happening you and Daddy don’t person to wage for these and Santa will bring them,” she says.

The thought of however overmuch everything connected her daughter's privation database volition outgo is capable to bring the 42-year-old mum-of-two retired successful a acold sweat.

In erstwhile years Nicole, from Manchester, would typically walk £600 connected presents for 2 daughters, 7 and three, but the outgo of surviving situation meant that past twelvemonth she was forced to earnestly chopped back.

Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Nicole says: “I wanted my daughters to get the presents they wanted and to support the magic and excitement of Christmas alive. 

“I wanted them to person the aforesaid Christmas acquisition I had arsenic a child. 

“But I felt a immense magnitude of pressure. I was going on with it portion secretly hoping I could speech my eldest girl into taking the items disconnected her list.”

Her eldest’s wishlist to Santa were Rainbow High dolls, coming successful astatine £40 a pop.

“It was a batch of wealth for a doll – but I knew she’d beryllium heartbroken if Santa didn’t present it,” Nicole says.

But a fewer days aboriginal successful November the mum was deed by a brainwave.

“I’d precocious joined Vinted – the second-hand buying and selling site-and I was online erstwhile I spotted Rainbow High Dolls connected there,” she says. 

“On Vinted I could get 2 of them 2nd manus for £16-  a fraction of the outgo and redeeming maine £64."

Nicole acceptable herself the situation to bargain each of her gifts connected Vinted. She was already utilizing the tract to merchantability items from astir the house.  

She adds: “I was already making wealth selling items connected the tract and realised if I decluttered the location and sold capable items I would person wealth successful my Vinted relationship that I could usage to bargain each the Christmas presents. 

“My girls could person everything connected their lists and it wouldn’t outgo maine a penny.”

The pursuing time Nicole acceptable astir clearing her children’s rooms for aged toys which she could merchantability to boost her Christmas fund past year.

“To my kids' delight, I rediscovered favourite toys that had been hidden away,” she says. 

“Before I joined Vinted, the thought of selling things connected seemed huge, truthful instead, I conscionable had much and much toys adding to the piles. 

“I’d had obscurity to store them and the toys were ne'er getting played with.  

“Once I cleared retired the toys I was delighted to spot my youngest kid commencement playing with toys she’d ne'er played with earlier – astir apt due to the fact that she could yet get adjacent them.”

Nicole uploaded her items to the pre-loved app wherever sellers tin acceptable the terms of items but buyers tin negociate for less.

The archetypal point Nicole sold was a brace of shoes for £1. 

She says: “It mightiness person lone been £1, but it meant idiosyncratic got what they needed for less, I wasn’t taking it to the extremity truthful it became sustainable and I was getting a small spot of wealth successful my account.”

Nicole besides cleared retired plentifulness of her youngest’s apparel that nary longer fit.  

“I recovered the full process truthful simple,” she says.

“I sold coats, leggings, tops and pj’s and it felt similar I was doing thing bully for everyone.

“I knew determination would beryllium truthful galore radical similar maine looking for bargains during the cost-of-living crisis.”

While Nicole recovered the selling process simple, she admits determination was 1 imaginable that she had been ‘dreading.’

“Before I joined Vinted the thought of printing labels, decent packaging and ne'er ending trips to the station bureau filled maine with dread,” she says.

“I thought it would beryllium a batch of effort.  But it’s really amazingly speedy and easy. 

“I recovered the uploading truly easy, past I got the astonishment that I didn’t request to people labels oregon wage for postage and past I recovered retired astir the lockers astatine the bottommost of my street. 

“I adjacent usage aged cereal boxes to station things and conscionable popular them successful a pedal bin liner for waterproof protection.

“I besides merchantability items arsenic bundles present arsenic that is adjacent much outgo effective.”

As good arsenic her selling occurrence Nicole, who works afloat clip arsenic a slumber advisor moving her ain concern (baby2sleep.co.uk), recovered immoderate gems portion contiguous buying connected the app.

She says: “I managed to get unthinkable bargains connected the items connected their Christmas lists – arsenic good arsenic the 2 rainbow precocious dolls for £16, my different champion buys were a Kiddizoom ticker astatine £10 (usually retails astatine £45) and a Fire Spirit for £4 (retails astatine £25). 

“I didn’t conscionable bargain Christmas gifts disconnected Vinted – I got a full Brownie azygous excessively and precocious bought myself a caller jumper, overgarment and container for conscionable £15.

“To beryllium capable to get everything connected the kids' lists without spending thing felt amazing. 

“There was nary mode I could person got adjacent a 4th of the gifts if they hadn’t travel from Vinted. A batch of the items were brand-new. 

“But adjacent if they aren’t successful their box, an other ribbon to marque it look similar it’s travel consecutive disconnected the elves conveyor-belt tin enactment – and adjacent adhd to the Christmas magic. 

“I besides bought decorative boxes disconnected Amazon for immoderate of the toys truthful that it looked similar determination were tons of presents nether the tree.”

Come Christmas Eve, Nicole’s location was arsenic filled with gifts arsenic it had been erstwhile years.

“When the children were asleep, I placed the presents successful their Santa sacks and arranged the bigger ones nether the tree,” Nicole says.

“The full country was filled with presents.

“Christmas greeting was perfectly amazing, the girls couldn’t judge however galore presents were nether the histrion and successful their Santa sacks. 

“Just looking astatine their excited and blessed faces felt astonishing – I had fixed them the magical Christmas I wanted and more. 

“I thought they would burst with excitement and delight.”

Nicole says she wouldn’t hesitate erstwhile it comes to recommending Vinted to different mums looking to chopped backmost connected the outgo of Christmas.

“As a slumber advisor I enactment with tons of parents of young children and galore are disquieted astir the outgo of Christmas and the cost-of-living crisis,” she says. 

“I urge Vinted to my clients and my friends. 

“Parents look truthful overmuch unit to support the Christmas magic live that families are paying done the chemoreceptor for items they can’t afford. 

“But wherefore bash this erstwhile you tin get items truly inexpensive connected Vinted? 

“Plus it’s truly bully to cognize that by selling items connected Vinted we are helping different people.  Why clutter the location with unwanted items erstwhile others tin benefit?”