TIME FOR GIVING

Monica Marriott-mills, 28, from Yorkshire, always manages to find the perfect gift. But how does she do it for half the price?

Carefully tying up the bright red ribbon, I admired my handiwork proudly. With its pristine tissue paper, vintage tag and festive bow, you would never be able to tell that this present was secondhand!

Christmas was fast approaching, and I’d started my gift wrapping early.

I’d already managed to bag some Calvin Klein socks, a Ralph Lauren shirt and a beautiful brown wool coat for my husband, Alex, 32.

He was going to absolutely love them – I already couldn’t wait for his reaction.

Only, they hadn’t broken the bank... his gifts were from the charity shop!

I’d spent around 75% less than if I’d bought the items brand-new, so we could use the extra money on a trip or dinner together in the new year.

I’ve been thrifting since I was 16 years old.

My Nana sold vintage clothes for a living, and would show me her beautiful pieces.

‘Come and look at this darling,’ she’d say, bringing me up to her store room.

‘Wow!’ I exclaimed, in awe. ‘This is amazing, Nana.’

The whole room was filled with gorgeous unique clothes – from lace-trimmed blouses to fur-lined coats.

Running my hand along a beautiful brown jacket, I slipped it on.

‘I love it,’ I said. ‘Where do you find them all?’

Leading me up to the gorgeous vintage sofa, she sat me down and told me her thrifty secrets.

And after that, there was no looking back.

I set up my own Tiktok account, and started posting the things I’d found on there.

People seemed to love it – I now have 24k followers!

They always ask me for my top tips for thrifting, and I happily share them.

I want people to realise that there’s nothing ‘dirty’ about buying preloved items.

If anything, the items I find are nicer than shop-bought – you get to buy something unique and help out the environment, too.

As I got older and got my first job in marketing at aged 21, I couldn’t wait for Christmas to finally arrive.

It was such a special time of year, and now I was an adult, I couldn’t wait to give my family the gifts I had gone and found myself.

As much as I loved seeing what people had got me, the joy really was in the giving for me.

So, as soon as I got my first paycheck, I happily headed into my favourite charity shop, thinking about what I could get my family for Christmas.

My sister, Maddie, now 19, absolutely loved luxury brands, so initially I thought it was going to be a challenge buying her gifts secondhand.

But, leafing through the jewellery section in British Heart Foundation, a pair of earrings caught my eye.

They were Vivienne Westwood, worth £300!

Turning the label over, I braced myself for a hefty sum.

Only to be greeted with a

I couldn't wait for Christmas to arrive