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Lurkers' Week: What's been your best bargain?

(38 Posts)
LaraGransnet (GNHQ) Fri 13-Mar-20 09:31:28

I picked up a beautiful red coat in my local Oxfam which fit beautifully and was in brand new condition. Looked it up online afterwards and they retail it close to £200. I got it for £10!
Doesn't have to be charity shop related but what is your best bargain? Could be a cheaper version of an expensive product that works just as well?

nipsmum Mon 16-Mar-20 19:21:02

I bought a beautiful almost new condition Stress less armchair for £200. Its the best thing I've ever sat on . so roomy and comfortable.

MoonB61 Sun 15-Mar-20 20:35:53

A brand new suede jacket from a Salvation Army jumble sale for £4 (with fake fur de-tatchable collar) when I was only looking to use the loo in the hall, whilst on holiday. I bought flip-flops, earrings and a "blackbird" for my pies too to make the grand total of £5.50!

Dancingmadnanna Sun 15-Mar-20 14:51:57

A mans dressing gown for £5 in M&S reduced in the sale from £50

Marydoll Sun 15-Mar-20 08:24:42

My mother of the bride outfit, however I cannot disclose until after the wedding in two weeks! ?

fatgran57 Sun 15-Mar-20 06:19:16

A Harrods Burberry trench coat from Vinnies(op shop) for AU$15.00.

Unfortunately it was a men's so OH was the lucky one.

Being a label snob I told him to make sure the brand was showing when he had it folded over his arm grin

He has grown larger since then so it is a bit small but I won't be getting rid of it.

susieq3 Sat 14-Mar-20 22:24:57

A Longine watch bought for 200.00 on eBay now worth 2,500.

GagaJo Sat 14-Mar-20 09:12:16

M&S had a similar offer years ago glammagran. I didn't do it deliberately, but had bought a whole 'business wear' wardrobe, which looked awful on at home. Got a voucher for every £25 spent, which came to about £30. Before the days of 'online' vouchers so they were still valid after the clothes went back.

glammagran Sat 14-Mar-20 09:08:50

About 23 years ago I realised that BHS had not really thought through one of their offers. If you purchased an item of children’s clothing for over £25 they gave you a £5 voucher to use against a future purchase. I bought a beautiful coat for my daughter. I then took it back and repurchased getting another voucher. I did it several times more until I ended up paying £5 for the coat. Hope I’m not the reason they went bust ?

GagaJo Sat 14-Mar-20 07:30:07

I have a saucepan that ex husband and I bought at a thrift store in the USA (charity shop) when we were first married, almost 40 years ago. We couldn't afford new housewares so bought a few bits second hand. Turned out, the saucepan was a good, heavy, copper bottomed pan. I still gave it. It outlasted all the saucepan 'sets' I've had since and still looks like new.

Marydoll Sat 14-Mar-20 00:12:40

cookiemonster That is my kind of bargain!

I had been watching a brand new (fake) fur coat, complete with labels on E-bay, but decided not to buy, as I have too many coats already.

The seller offered it to me tonight for £5, of course I bought it!

Rock17 Fri 13-Mar-20 20:48:23

A pine chest that I bought from a local newspaper ad for £12. It's housed all my memories for the last 20 years.

cookiemonster66 Fri 13-Mar-20 20:22:01

I just went to Dreams today the bed store, and got a double bed size, white valance, 400 thread count , reduced from £50 to £2 bargain of the century!

Marydoll Fri 13-Mar-20 19:28:43

A M&S gent's cashmere jumper reduced from £99 to 99p in the M&S outlet.

Fernbergien Fri 13-Mar-20 19:20:44

Wanted a particular colour hat for son’s wedding . Went into local store and saw a hat from afar a decided it was for me whatever price. Fitted perfectly and loved it. Looked at price a it was £7.99 reduced in sale from over £50. I felt great in it.

Ziggy1914 Fri 13-Mar-20 17:05:24

My husband bought a trilby from a boot fair for £2 50 it had inside a label with Lock & Co Hatters st James street London we found out it was worth £350 00

Flytothestars Fri 13-Mar-20 14:27:18

A year or so ago I bought a beautiful, soft, black leather swing coat for £5 in a local charity shop AND it was reduced from £10.

harrison53 Fri 13-Mar-20 14:23:28

I wanted a matching bedding set I’d seen at Dunelm Mill, but didn’t buy as it was so expensive. I had a look on Ebay instead to see if I could find anything in a similar pattern and saw the exact same set I’d had my eye on. I placed a bid and hoped for the best. A week later the auction finished and no-one else had bid against me. I ended up with a matching double quilt, bedspread, 6 pillow cases, 2 cushions and a pair of curtains - all brand new, still in their packaging for the princely sum of… £12.50 including postage! It would have cost me £236 from Dunelm Mill. Best bargain ever!

4allweknow Fri 13-Mar-20 13:53:29

Was on holiday and live spending time browsing charity shops. Saw a lively white and black soft toy dog. Just loved the look of it and was for sale at £3. A few months later had a visitor with a 1 year old so brought the dog out. Visitor exclained I must be rich to have that soft toy as it cost £80. in shops. Love the toy even more. PS I don't collect soft toys; it just had so much appeal.

AlysonH Fri 13-Mar-20 13:45:32

Found out a couple of weeks ago that Ryan Air were starting a service to Copenhagen from Newcastle. Books flights for £20 which I considered a bargain. Sadly not sure we will get to use them now!

Kaggi60 Fri 13-Mar-20 13:35:20

I brought a piggy bank out of the charity shop was really dirty so I gave it a real Good wash found it was a Dolton. Only £2.50.

CherryCezzy Fri 13-Mar-20 13:22:39

A quite heavy, thick bottomed 1930s cast iron frying pan. It was (and is still) in immaculate condition and is quite regularly used. I bought it in a jumble sale in 1991 for 10p.

dkdd Fri 13-Mar-20 12:28:37

A sofa on ebay for 50p that came with a £1 lost down the sides!

GreenGran78 Fri 13-Mar-20 12:03:28

I have had some great ebay deals from www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/local-ebay-deals/
It filters out your local items which have to be collected, and you can specify the distance you are willing to travel.
My best bargain was a full pallet of new bricks for only £12, just a couple of miles from my home. It took me 5 journeys to ferry them all to my house, but I now have a lovely double garden wall, full of daffodils right now.
I have also bought a huge, new garden planter for £5 and an almost unused breadmaker for £10, among other things.

Leah50 Fri 13-Mar-20 11:57:48

I've just noticed my giant (3ft) circular bathroom mirror has a little bit of silver spotting. So disappointed as it cost me the huge sum of 50p at a car boot sale nearly 30 years ago. I pushed it home on my bike & got some very strange looks from passing motorists.

Hilltrudger24 Fri 13-Mar-20 11:49:25

Years ago with 3 teenagers and no money, we bought a good quality oak kitchen that had been removed from a new house as the buyers did not like it. Units, worktops , sink and tiles for £100, my husband fitted them and they served us for 10 years!
I looked up the make for an extra door front to hide our boiler and this was over £100. Absolute bargain!