This is how I turn £10 sneakers for a charity shop into a new £70 pair as a Christmas gift
She’s a savvy mom who regularly picks up bargains at thrift stores and boot sales.
So when it comes to Christmas, Francesca is a pro at picking out affordable gifts for her loved ones.
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However, she relented in a video on her TikTok page that she has a way of making them seem much more expensive than they actually were.
“Tell me you’re sneaky without telling me you’re sneaky,” Francesca said.
She then showed off the Nike Air Force Ones she bought for just a tenner, adding that they are “brand new but they have no tags and no box.”
“So how am I going to gift these to my son for Christmas so that it looks like I got them from the store and paid full price?” she asked.
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Francesca then admitted that she had bought a pair of trainers from the Nike store last year and kept the box and paper inside.
“So we’re going to recycle and I’m going to put these shoes in this box, and he’s going to have absolutely no idea about it!” she insisted.
“Is anyone else doing this?” Francesca asked in the video’s caption.
The Nike Air Force Ones usually cost around £70.
And many people in the comments admitted that they do the exact same thing.
“I’ve done this three times this year,” one person laughed.
“I always keep his boxes!”
“My cupboard under the stairs is full of shoe boxes!” another added.
“The hardest thing I found is packing second-hand items without the original box,” said a third.
“Luckily my 7 and 2 year old don’t even notice.”
While others praised Francesca for coming up with the hack.
“Haha great idea!” wrote one.
The best charity shopping tips to score a bargain
Ross Dutton has been manager for Crisis’ charity stores for four years and currently runs the charity’s Finsbury Park store in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the fancier the area, the better the quality of the clothing donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, because it will probably be gone when you get back
Be aware of cut labels – Some of your favorite high street stores have made deals with local charity shops to donate stock not sold in their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they have to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay home – Although some charities have their own site, such as Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell through dedicated eBay stores such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains you would in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it might be worth looking online too.
“He’ll love them anyway!”
“I love this! You’re amazing!” another added.
However, there were those who insisted that the trainers looked far from new.
“Looking at the way the shoes came loose from the inside, I wouldn’t say they were brand new,” one person commented.
“But what a bargain!”
“The bottoms are literally in perfect condition,” Francesca replied.
“The print on the inside is peeling,” another commented.
As a third said, they are “100% not brand new.”
