What to Know
Given that the holiday season can be extremely costly, one mom is doing what she can to save money this year. This means she set a strict budget for Christmas shopping, and she will only spend $100 on her four children.
While this might seem like a pretty lofty goal, the mom has been able to find inexpensive gifts at thrift stores. When she took to social media to explain why she’s doing “Thriftmas,” however, the concept ended up sparking a fiery debate.
It’s the kind of debate that makes you wonder: will moms be criticized regardless of what they do? After all, the mom, who goes by Jade on TikTok, is buying her kiddos gifts and also taking them to Disney next year.
But because she’s doing her Christmas shopping at thrift stores, some people suggested that her kids won’t have “a real Christmas.”
The mom explained her thought process and approach in a video.
In the video shared on TikTok, Jade acknowledged that the $100 budget for four children might sound “insane.” At the same time, she’s committed to it.
“We refuse to go into debt over Christmas, and we really wanna go on a nice vacation next year,” she explained. “And I feel like with how expensive everything is, you almost can’t have both.”
She showed her followers some of the gifts she found at the thrift store, including a jewelry box for her 10-year-old, a unicorn hoodie and a toy shopping cart for her two-year-old, and some children’s books.
In the caption, the mom shared another reason why her family is embracing thriftmas: “We have tried to lower our contribution to consumerism where possible!”
But apparently, saving money is pretty controversial.
@jaeliz22_ What is your Christmas budget this year? Mine is $100 by choice & the refusal to buy brand new if possible, we have tried to lower our contribution to consumerism where possible! #budgetfriendly #christmasshopping #thriftmas #thrifting #thriftfinds ♬ Christmas Nostalgia – NC MUSIC
Although the mom’s video made it very clear that she’s still buying her kids Christmas gifts (and taking them to Disney next year), people in the comments criticized her and told her that she shouldn’t have had kids if she couldn’t afford to have them. “People need to stop having kids if they can’t afford them omg,” one person commented on the video. Another person even suggested that the mom should apply for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which provides Christmas gifts to children — except the mom is buying her kids gifts and also taking them on vacation next year. “Please sign them up for angel tree! Your babies deserve a real Christmas!” that person wrote.
Other critics called the mom’s approach “so sad” and told her that her kids “deserve better.” Additionally, several people acted like the mom has some sort of budgeting problem if she can’t afford to splurge during the holiday season. “You knew Christmas was coming all year. Learn to budget it in,” someone else wrote.
Another person added, “Go into debt? Why not buy a little at a time throughout the year. Shop clearance & sales.”
Others praised her approach though.
@jaeliz22_ A thrifty queen 👸 #budgetfriendly #thriftmas #overconsumptionrecovery #christmasonabudget ♬ Christmas MashUp – Christmas 🫶🏼
Though there were lots of haters in the comments, Jade also received encouraging comments from people who liked the Thriftmas idea. Reacting to all the backlash, one person wrote, “i feel like people are out of touch because what young child cares about new things? when i was 2-4 I don’t even remember Christmas.”
Others agreed, adding that kids are way more likely to remember a vacation. “I hardly remember gifts, looking back on my childhood, I remember every vacation we went on, down to the minor details of what we ate at the beach,” someone else wrote. “Trust me, giving them a wonderful vacation is giving them memories to treasure for life.”
Besides, as some people pointed out, the thrifted gifts are “new to them.” One TikTok user said, “I got thrifted toys as a kid! I loved them just as much as any new toys I get! Kids don’t know they’re second hand, they just know they’re a toy :)! This is great and so much better for the environment too!”
Someone else told the mom that she’s definitely “not insane” for setting a $100 shopping budget. “We need to stop this overconsumption and get back to just love,” they wrote.
