Under £10
3 hr
Ages 4+
Charity shop challenge
A fiver each, one charity shop, and a mission to find the best games. That's a whole weekend sorted.
Days out
Marketplace mission
For the big wishes, like football goals or a table football game, skip the new one. Save up, search Facebook Marketplace together, and go and collect your treasure.
Ages5+
Time2 hr
CostTheir savings
MessLow mess
WhereIn or out
What to sort
A grown-up handles all messaging and collections. Collect in daylight, take another adult if you can, and meet somewhere public for small items.
How we'd do it
Pick the big wish together and agree how much they'll put towards it.
Look up what it costs new, so they know what a bargain looks like.
Sit down and search Marketplace together. You scroll, they compare. Talk about condition, photos, price and how far away it is.
Shortlist two or three and let them decide which one to go for, with your veto on anything dodgy.
You message the seller and arrange collection. Let them help write the message if they'd like to.
Go and collect it together, count out the money, and celebrate the find.
Real talk
- My football-mad boy found his favourite this way. Getting it second-hand made it feel like he'd hunted it down himself.
- Waiting a week or two to find the right one builds the excitement, and teaches that patience pays off.
- Let them see you check things over before you pay. It's a brilliant lesson in not buying a pig in a poke.
- Big plastic toys and garden kit come up all the time, especially when families move house or kids outgrow them.
Love a bargain hunt?
Car boot sales and vintage toy fairs make a brilliant family morning out when the weather's good.
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