'I'm only spending £100 this Christmas - you don't need to splash out to put a smile on someone's face'

A woman from Oxfordshire is sprinkling the magic back into by baking from scratch and buying most of her presents secondhand but she says there's one thing she won't buy preloved.

Zara Canfield, 31, who lives in Banbury with her fiance, is a self-confessed 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 to bake mince pies and brownies for her friends and family and she says trawling around the charity shops often means she finds more unique and meaningful gifts than she would from a store.

“I just love the idea of giving gifts with a story and a bit of history behind them…The thrill of finding that perfect, one-of-a-kind item is something I look forward to every season,” Zara explains. “It’s not just Christmas where I buy secondhand - I buy pretty much everything preloved. We’ve just bought a house and all our furniture is secondhand.”

Even her is second-hand - she found the 20-year-old tree in her parents loft - and has adorned with cute homemade decorations and ones she’s added over the years from charity shops. She's even found matching Disney pyjamas for herself and her fiancé which cost just a couple of quid - and not forgetting Minnie their sausage dog who loves wearing her Christmas jumper when it’s cold outside.

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In total, she buys around 10 gifts and doesn’t spend much on food either, as she makes use of her local community larder, where she picks up food and nibbles for a fraction of the cost and cooks her festive bakes from scratch. Zara’s second hand obsession started in 2019 when she challenged herself to take part in Second Hand September - and ended up giving up buying new clothes altogether. That same year she also decided she’d buy her presents secondhand - and she’s never looked back since.

When it comes to Secret Santa gifts, her savvy secondhand skills really come into play—the tea cosy she bought for a colleague is still used 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 she bought for her nan for only a fiver.

“I’ve always loved secondhand shopping; I probably got it from my nan, who’s now passed, as she used to take us around the charity shops when we were kids,” Zara says. “We’ve grown up getting stocking fillers from charity shops, so it’s never felt . 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 second-hand wrapping paper by using pre-loved scarves and ribbons to wrap up her presents, meaning people can get two gifts for the price of one. As well as buying secondhand gifts for her friends and family, Zara always finds her own pre-loved party outfits for Christmas - including an Elf dress she picked up last year for just £3.99.

She loves buying Christmas presents for her friends and family and insists that by shopping secondhand her gifts are often more thoughtful and unique. “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 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.”

So where does she draw the line? “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.”

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

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