It's time for mumsnetters to finally define "tat"

But then you have the arguement of what is tat as opposed to ornamental? Is the difference the cost ? Is a marble figurine totally unnecessary any less tat than plastic Xmas tree ornament . One man's tat is another man's treasure . My mother used to refer to tat including crystal vases as dust gathers .

@ApiratesaysYarrr 😆😆😆 i won ✌🏻

I used to buy 2 advent calendars for my girls when they were little. One with pictures as like you I remember them fondly when i was little and one with chocolate - i would cut the chocolate in half and they take turn opening one and the other.

then i bought one each when they were about 6 amd 5 and that was the end of an era 😿

Like porn, it is a noun whose meaning varies depending on the subject of the sentence

"They are porn addicts. You're a consumer of erotica. I enjoy challenging adult themed literature."

"They have a load of tat. You collect White Company candle holders. I enjoy my display of artisanal objet d'arts."

I particularly like it when the obvious snobby people ask what B&M is to try to prove it’s beneath them. 🤣

I can't say I've noticed.

But to me "tat" is the sort of thing that breaks/doesn't work the first time you use it.
We used "plastic tat" to describe our kids toys from the ages of about 2-6. All the toys for that age group seem to only come in the size "massive" and the colour "garish".
We did our best to confine most of it to the conservatory, where we called it "tat mountain".

I'd also put it in the category of "has no monetary value if you tried to re-sell it."

Anything bought direct from China via wish or temu is written off as tat on MN. I'm not arguing with the point that a lot is largely low quality, but it's certainly not everything.

Landfill fodder.

Something that is used once then thrown away.

Poor quality items that aren't needed and perform no useful function. Usually made out of plastic and destined to break or be discarded soon after buying.

Tat is anything which is cheaply produced and designed not to last. I would not include anything edible in tat.

Clothing made very cheaply in Chinese sweatshops is tat and always has been. Cheap stocking filler plastic toys which last 20 minutes before breaking are tat. Flash in the pan trends like loom bands or fidget spinners are tat. Poorly-made decorations and ornaments which people tire of in 3 months rather than treasure for generations are tat.

Anything your MiL gives you or your children.

less present but bugger budget

Next thread title contender right there!😂

Stuff whose purpose is to be to be purchased rather to actually be used for anything. Or where the use is secondary to the act of purchasing it.

Hence why it also tends to be cheap and poor quality. It can be, because the point isn't to use it.

It meets some psychological need to consume. Global corporations have spent billions on marketing over the past 30 years to achieve this.

I would describe it as anything that serves no useful purpose, been cheaply made, derived from synthetic materials, plastic/fossil fuels, most likely imported from China in vast quantities and from companies that aren't transparent with their supply chain operations.

We could all buy less things and make more of an effort to be more considerate of supply chains and environmental impact.

Not sure I use the word, but I normally associate it with plastic, usually cheaply made and visually unappealing. So a lot of seasonal stuff in the Range or B&M could fall into that category, also the type of toys you get in party bags or free with happy meals. Funko Pops also fall into this category even though not cheap as they just seem pointless.
I wouldn't class chocolate as tat though, except maybe Kinnerton which really is like eating sweet cardboard.

in my family to avoid tat we club together so less present but bugger budget ie. I have 2 sisters so we each pair up and give to the other one budget is 30euros so means 60euros budget. And we ask for 2/3 items and we pick one to keep
an element of “surprise”.

so tat for me could be anything from cheap to expensive. One yr one of my sister in law gave me a sewing box. She must have spent a fortune, you pull it open on either side and is in wood but such a fucking random present.
Or my husband god daughter giving him a sign that says “xxx’s (his name) garden” i know she shopped with her mum why couldnt she said it s a very expensive (7euros) for something they are not going to display in the house, any other idea you have?”
last year she gave him
a golden retriever calendar which at least can be used. And is cute!

Or for stuff in shops that poor people shop in! Like B&M, HB and on Shein.

Go on the numerous threads about giving up gift buying. There's three listed when you go on AIBU.
I was going to comment on this, because it means something different to stuff. The usual pedantic are suddenly quiet and using a word wrong. It's the height of MNs classism, like ageism it's acceptable.

That isn’t how lots of people define it though.

People have used it to describe toys like my children had, things like Spider-Man, Transformers, Toy Story characters, peppa pigs camper van, which in my house were all played with a lot over a 10 year period by my children and their cousins and friends. They were still in great condition after years of play, many passed on to friends, charity shops and some in our loft to pass on to any future family children. Some mumsnetters just use it for any toy that they don’t want to buy or anything they want to judge others for buying.

As per PP, poor quality, usually plastic ‘stuff’ that is neither attractive nor useful. Both of these things are in the eye of the beholder of course.
Decorative taste is so personal I’m always amazed by the confidence people have in giving ornaments etc, I’d never do it in case I was accidentally gifting ‘tat’

To me, tat is generic "stuff" that's bought for the sake of buying something, used or looked at once and is then thrown away/charity shopped/ gathers dust. Example: DH bought me a cat origami set as a joke present on our anniversary. We laughed. It's sitting on my desk several months later, unopened, waiting for me to take it to the charity shop. That's tat. Ditto clothes from Shein/Temu/Amazon that are so badly made they're unwearable but so cheap that they're not worth returning, so they get binned.