The holiday season can be hard on our wallets, but one Reddit user found an exciting money-saving loophole: a thrifted Christmas tree.
In their post on the r/Frugal subreddit, user u/littlechefRD2B shows off their new Christmas tree, which they found at a thrift store for just $15.
"I am currently in grad school and knew I couldn't afford a new tree but wanted to enjoy the holiday season!" the user writes in a comment. "I found this mystery tree at the thrift store with no information on it such as height or type, but I took a gamble! It came with a rotating stand, and has multiple heavy duty power cords within it. A few branches are missing, but it's perfect for my first Christmas tree on my own."
The holiday season is one of the most wasteful times of the year, and Christmas tree waste is a significant part of the problem.
The National Christmas Tree Association estimates that there are 350 million Christmas trees currently growing on Christmas tree farms in the United States alone with about 25 to 30 million real Christmas trees cut and sold every year.
Business Waste also reports that 14% of people with artificial Christmas trees still throw them out each year instead of reusing them. By sticking with an artificial tree for multiple years — especially one that's thrifted and only costs a fraction of the price — you can save money and avoid some harmful Christmastime wastefulness by reusing the same tree over and over again.
According to Statista, real Christmas trees sold on average for $78, while fake Christmas trees sold for about $104. But neither figure can hold a candle to $15 at a thrift shop in terms of savings and sustainability.
Users shared their enthusiasm for the amazing deal in the comments.
"That's how I got my tree too! Good deal," comments one user.
"Nice find - it looks so festive!" another writes.
"You did very well for $15.00," says a third.
Follow The Cool Down on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter.
Cool Picks
