Mom Accused Of Being 'Cruel' For Choosing To Thrift All Of Her Kids Christmas Presents
She defended her choice not to spend more than $200 on gifts for her children.
Inside Creative House | Shutterstock With holiday shopping currently underway for many people, we're all definitely looking for the best deals and discounts. Whether we like it or not, buying Christmas presents can be a real expense, especially if you're a parent buying goodies for your children.
To combat the high cost of buying Christmas presents, a mom named Sarah Bullock shared that for the first time, she would be shopping for her kids' presents without breaking the bank, but was unfortunately met with a bit of backlash.
A mom was accused of being 'cruel' for choosing to shop for her kids' Christmas presents at thrift stores.
In Bullock's video, the mom-of-three explained that for the first time, she was going to be thrifting her children's gifts for the upcoming holiday. She wanted to share some of the things she'd picked up with viewers to give them an idea of what was at thrift stores and hopefully help other parents save themselves some money. Bullock admitted that her budget was $150 for all of her kids.
"Before I show you, though, I've gotten a few comments like this," Bullock said, addressing a comment that she'd included in her video, which claimed that it seemed "cruel" to spend only $150 on three kids. They also criticized Bullock for wearing a rather expensive shirt, meaning she could afford to spend more on her kids.
The mom explained that buying new isn't always better.
"I think when you put it like that, you're essentially saying that my kids aren't worth me spending money on or thrifting is less than buying new," Bullock said.
"I actually find thrifting to be worth more because of the time and energy I'm putting into each individual item I'm getting for my children."
If you're ever been thrifting, it's truly a labor of love.
It's hours sifting through racks of clothes, shoes, purses, and knickknacks. There's nothing "easy" about thrifting, which makes it extremely fulfilling when you manage to come across items that can be wrapped up in a gift for someone.
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To insinuate that thrifting is "beneath," someone implies that there's something wrong with wanting to save money and buy used goods, which are sometimes way better than splurging on something that someone will only enjoy for a limited amount of time.
Plus, thrifting is really great for the environment.
The mom showed off some of the items that she found for her kids at the thrift store.
The Australian-based creator explained that she ended up finding a pair of Adidas Gazelle for her son. The sneakers were a bit worn but still in good condition, so he could wear them until his feet eventually grew out of them.
Bullock even expressed a desire to give them to her son sooner rather than waiting until Christmas because of how cute they were, and how much her son would probably enjoy wearing them.
Next, Bullock showed off a $5 shirt with planets and other space-related doodles on it, a children's farm book, a children's book about unicorns for her daughter, a doll, a backpack, some sandals, and a little mug.
Bullock admitted that she would need to make alterations to some of the items, including the doll because its angel wings were not sewn properly.
A majority of parents dread having to spend money during the holiday season.
According to a LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, 47% of Americans are dreading the holidays this year due to the costs involved. Americans expect to spend an average of $654 on holiday gifts this year, and almost a third (31%) think it’s possible this spending could send them into debt. In fact, 10% of Americans are still paying off last year’s holiday bills.
There's definitely pressure for parents to go above and beyond when it comes to Christmas gifts, especially with the popularity of social media and showing off the extravagant presents that are under the tree.
However, there's absolutely nothing wrong with admitting to yourself that splurging is not an option and instead choosing to thrift.
Even if you can afford to splurge, deciding to go to the thrift store or DIY a gift doesn't mean that you're being a terrible and "cruel" parent because the cost of a gift has nothing to do with the love and compassion behind it.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.