Influencer and mum-of-three, Sarah Falls, grew tired of spending thousands of dollars on Christmas presents for her kids, only to see them lose interest in the toys just days later.
So, she set herself a challenge this year to thrift all of her kids’ presents.
“My kids don’t go without. They are very lucky. I wanted to go against the norm and be more sustainable while supporting not-for-profits,” the Northern Territory mother told news.com.au.
With a budget of $150 for all her kids, Falls documented her thrift shopping adventures on TikTok for her 23,000 followers and was “surprised” by the treasures she found.
However, she was taken aback by the immense backlash she received.
“I didn’t anticipate it, but then again, the internet is a weird place,” she admitted. “I just wanted to normalize this and give parents a different perspective, while also reducing the amount of plastic toys heading straight for landfill.”
In Australia, it is estimated that nearly 27 million toys are thrown away every year.
Despite her environmental ambitions, many commenters took issue with her showing off her budget finds, all while wearing an $80 Sabbi T-shirt.
In response to the critics, she explained, “Sustainability looks different for adults and children. I spend more on an item of clothing that will fit my body for years and will last that long.
“Kids grow so quickly, so I’m better off buying second-hand, giving that item another life, and then either passing it on or throwing it away if it can no longer be used.”
In one of her videos, which is part of an eight-part “Thriftmas” series, she shared, “As you know, I’m thrifting for Christmas with a budget of $150 for all three kids.
“My goal is to get everything I know they like, love, want, and need for Christmas at my local thrift shops. I’m going to show you what I got for $47.50. This brings the total for my children’s Christmas presents to about $120, and I’ve got one more $20 item to pick up next week on Facebook Marketplace, so we’re on track for a total of $140 for all three kids.”
She then shows her impressive haul, which included a wooden toolkit for $4, Christmas books and shirts for $1 each, a $5 Bento lunch box, a Smiggle schoolbag for $8, and clothing from Bonds, Seed, Myer, and Cotton On Kids for less than $5.
Other items she picked up in other hauls included play food for a toy kitchen, a plastic truck for their sandbox, a plastic ball, a drink bottle, a wooden Montessori-style train set, a Peter Alexander Grinch onesie, a pillowcase, and a wagon filled with colourful blocks – still all under budget.
Falls hoped her videos would inspire others to reconsider their shopping habits for Christmas, but instead, many accused her of being “stingy” and gifting her kids “dirty” items.
“I’m disgusted by this,” one commenter stated. “The drink bottle is a hard no.”
“As a mother, your kids should be more important to you than your shirt,” quipped another.
“I think for Christmas, kids deserve something new,” someone else shared.
“Buying them bags and bags of $2 sh-t whilst doing Sabbi hauls kind of irks me,” a different user wrote.
“I would hate to get second-hand junk for Christmas. It’s a once-a-year thing. Come on, at least get them one new toy each from Kmart! Poor babies,” remarked another mum who claimed to spend $500 on each of her four kids, despite being unemployed.
However, some commenters spoke out in support of Falls.
“Personally, I wouldn’t buy second-hand items for my kids, but to each their own. If it means children get Christmas gifts, then why not?” said one commenter.
“Many of you are acting as if you aren’t struggling in this economy. This is a great idea, and you’re a wonderful mum,” wrote another.
“Her kids are very important to her, that’s why she’s so smart with her money,” commented a third person.
“I don’t understand why people are so against this. Do people not wash their items after thrifting?” questioned a fourth commenter. “The drink bottle is just the same as drinking out of glasses at a restaurant.”
“I think thrifting is really cool, especially for young kids. They have no specific preferences and just want things, so why not save money? It’s different for teens or tweens, but for kids under four, it’s a great idea,” another person pointed out.
Falls insisted that gifts can be meaningful even if they aren’t brand new and said that the most important thing is to treasure the time spent with loved ones, rather than focusing on the gifts received.
