UK's stingiest mum backlash after sharing Christmas savings

Sadie Farren posted a video on TikTok where she made the playful but provocative statement, proudly announcing 'my Christmas shopping this year has come to £80 and I'm done'.

The 27-year-old hospitality manager claims she managed to get everything on her children's Christmas list for a total of £80 by looking for deals and buying second hand.

The single mum-of-three said she used to get herself into debt forking out for expensive gifts at Christmas time.

Sadie Farren posted a video on TikTok where she made the playful but provocative statement, proudly announcing 'my Christmas shopping this year has come to £80 and I'm done'. (Image: Kennedy News and Media) But she believes the festive season is far less stressful now that she lives within her means - and claims her kids 'don't care about presents'.

Since Sadie posted the video on November 16, TikTok users have viewed the video more than 270,000 times.

Sadie, from Leeds, said: "I posted that [the video] to help others and the fact that so many were receiving backlash at the time for spending £100 or £200.

"I feel it [Christmas] gets more competitive every year. It's all just been commercialised.

"I used to spend thousands when my son was born. I hated it.

"I actually did it for my own validation. It wasn't even for him, it was the pressure of Christmas.

"He was really overwhelmed and I think I've learned over the years that actually, my kids don't want much.

"They don't need much and they're happier with such basic items. So instead of getting myself into debt I've really learned a lesson.

"I wanted to prove people wrong, because I was a young parent, I felt pressured anyway. That is ridiculous, I didn't have to do that at all.

"The pressure now doesn't bother me, I think I've learned a lot.

"My kids don't care much about presents. They're nice and they're a bonus but they remember memories.

"So they're more bothered about that and their experiences than what's under the tree every Christmas.

"My kids are learning to be more grateful for what they've got."

In the video she shares tips on how to shop on a budget, explaining she bought many of her children's presents on Vinted or from TikTok shop.

Within her £80 budget Sadie has bought her children five presents each, including a skateboard, rollerblades, a Frozen doll, a karaoke machine, cars and jigsaw puzzles.

The most expensive item was a Peppa Pig e-reader which Sadie said cost her £12.

Sadie said: "I prefer the way I'm doing Christmas now, it's a lot less stressful.

"I never have a strict set budget, it's whatever I can afford. It's never more than £200 I've noticed.

"I'd call myself a bargain hunter. Some stuff is second hand and then buying things from Vinted brand new.

"Either black Friday sales or charity shops, they're really good.

"They've got five presents and then they've got a few to share because they're board games.

"My oldest found it very easy to write a list. He knew exactly what he wanted last year.

"But usually it takes a bit of encouragement, my daughter actually only asked for one thing."

More than 2,000 comments have been left on the video, with many not agreeing with Sadie's decision to have a frugal Christmas.

One user commented: "Unless you are struggling financially I think this is far too low. £80 on all of them seems really stingy."

Another said: "My fave memories of Xmas was waking up to a sofa full of presents. They could have been £1 each…judge me all you want… but I couldn't give my daughter just five presents."

A third commented: "Just dunno how people can defend this video. Bet the parents vape, spend unlimited amounts on junk food but managing the money tightly when it comes to kids on Xmas."

But some leapt to Sadie's defence, saying that 'it's the presence not the presents that matter' and others saying there is 'no right or wrong amount to spend'.

Sadie said: "The first two [comments] were like this is relatable and then that's when the negative comments started coming.

"They were going, you are stingy, this is ridiculous, you can clearly afford more.

"That's not the point. I don't want to be in debt again. It's just living within my means but instead of working to survive, it's to live instead.

"If you've got it, spend it. Fair enough. There's some families who have never been able to do that and then when they get into money they just want to give their kids the best and I totally understand that.

"It's the ones that are doing it for the wrong reasons. I used it more for validation. That's not healthy at all.

"It's not very supportive. Everyone's life choices and how you bring up your kids are always different but I feel like we should be supporting each other because parenting is hard.

"It actually doesn't bother me at all. Just be kind because you don't know how those comments can affect people."