Gransnet forums

Chat

Your best ever bargain.

(72 Posts)
Sago Fri 26-Nov-21 08:37:04

I have not bought into the whole Black Friday nonsense, it got me thinking this morning though as I deleted all the BF emails.
What was my best ever bargain?

One was a brand new Regatta weatherproof walking jacket in a charity shop, labels still attached £4.00.
It’s fantastic and has kept me warm and dry all over the Lakeland fells and Yorkshire Wolds and Dales.

The other was a brand new Cos dress from another charity shop,£240 RRP, it was £8.
I wore it for a wedding then sold it on EBay for £80!

What was your best bargain?

OnwardandUpward Sat 27-Nov-21 00:37:53

DH just got a Regatta jacket half price but Im unimpressed by things Ive seen in the shops for black friday hmm The clothes in Next are not even that nice and the designs seem poor, plus so does the quality.

DH is probably my best bargain too! I love shopping at Redbubble where the discounts can be really huge and you can buy things that are unique.

Marydoll Sat 27-Nov-21 01:29:00

A £99 gent's cashmere sweater for 99p in an M&S outlet store.
DH was delighted.
On the same day also £99, a coat for my DD, at £8.99.
Two ladies followed me around the store, asking if I was certainly going to buy them! Of course I was!!

Kalu Sat 27-Nov-21 01:45:09

I visited a local fabric centre hoping to find bronze velvet for some upholstery work. Had a look in their Sale area and couldn’t believe my luck, 8M of bronze velvet for £16!

CanadianGran Sat 27-Nov-21 05:25:46

Kalu, that sounds interesting, what a lovely colour for upholstery. Any photos?

Curlywhirly Sat 27-Nov-21 08:22:19

As I'm a real bargain hunter I have had loads of really good finds - a large Tod leather bag in mint condition for £5.99, bought it about 8 years ago and it's still beautiful; a Christian Dior man's suit for £5.00; a beautiful black Ted Baker cashmere man's crombie overcoat for £25 (hardly worn, if at all); a Victorian mahogany piecrust occasional table for £10. I love mooching in charity shops and love the thrill of a good bargain!

inishowen Sat 27-Nov-21 10:44:43

I've been collecting my tesco reward vouchers for a long time and have about £80 worth. I spent £36 the other day on pyjamas, slippers, make up and a book. All Christmas presents.

GrammaH Sat 27-Nov-21 10:46:03

I bought a gorgeous red & cream wool coat in a large houndstooth pattern. It was an M&S second & I paid £15 for it I don't know how many years ago. It still comes out every year, it's as warm as toast and I invariably get " Oo what a gorgeous coat, where did you get it?" every time I wear it. It really has been a wonderful bargain.

Alioop Sat 27-Nov-21 10:51:59

Germanshepherdsmum that is a such lovely thing to say flowers

b1zzle Sat 27-Nov-21 10:57:56

Don't know if this counts, but my Kenwood electric hand mixer. Bought for me as a wedding present in 1971 and still going strong ...

nipsmum Sat 27-Nov-21 11:01:30

My daughter spent £25 buying a Springer Spaniel from a newspaper advert. I had 13 years of companionship , joy , company, protection from threats, not to mention and alarm clock, the laughs the cuddles and occasionally some mud and at the end a broken heart, but worth every penny. Definitely the best buy.

Neilspurgeon0 Sat 27-Nov-21 11:04:44

My kilt, £5 in a charity shop. A friend in the same bag pipe band as me, paid £200 for an identical weight kilt made by the same London tailor, and that was considered a bargain ! I keep mum !!

Ampersand Sat 27-Nov-21 11:14:22

About 30 years ago on the first day of Harrods sale I fell in love with an authenticated beautifully framed limited edition print of a Pierre Bonnard painting. Sadly it was £250 = over the length of the sale it was gradually reduced further and on the last day it was £100 in the morning, £5o0 in the afternoon and mine for £25 ten minutes before closing. Probably not to everyone's taste but I have treasured it ever since - I love its simplicity www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337089

Teacheranne Sat 27-Nov-21 11:15:32

inishowen

I've been collecting my tesco reward vouchers for a long time and have about £80 worth. I spent £36 the other day on pyjamas, slippers, make up and a book. All Christmas presents.

I save my Tesco club card vouchers to pay for RAC membership each year. Having just bought a new car which comes with free road assistance for a year, I’ll be able to treat myself with something else this year.

Paperbackwriter Sat 27-Nov-21 11:18:38

We had our kitchen re-done and our Aga had to go as we'd now need one with a different kind of flue. I looked on eBay and there was exactly the right gas-fuelled Aga, barely used (the owner had moved to an area where there was no gas). It was £3,500. A brand new one would have been about £10,000. It's wonderful, still going happily in my kitchen 15 years later. Best eBay item I've ever had!

mrsgreenfingers56 Sat 27-Nov-21 11:34:14

Just found a pair of Rohan ladies walking trousers in a charity shop for £4.50p. What a snip, anyone who does any serious walking will know Rohan are a top make. I am very pleased!

Kali2 Sat 27-Nov-21 11:40:53

My Kenwod Chefette- got free with Greensheld stamps in 1971- and still going strong.

A long grey leather coat with sash, from M&S sales in 76... wonder if it is still going- gave it to Oxfam shop when we moved... (couldn't get into it anyhow- size 12)

Sputnik Sat 27-Nov-21 12:03:04

We moved to a new (to us) home 3 years ago and needed new living room furniture - I found two elegant (not the heavy overstuffed kind) leather reclining chairs on Facebook marketplace for £10 each. So comfortable! So good looking! The lady selling them had also recently moved house and they no longer fitted her decor. Win win. And good for the planet too.

Hil1910 Sat 27-Nov-21 12:21:31

After shops reopened after the lockdown I bought from an M &S outlet a pair of 90*90 fully lined heavy weight curtains reduced from over £100 to £5. At the same day I also managed to get 2 winter wool coats reduced from £95 to £15. I’ve also managed to add to my Old Charm furniture collection with a few eBay purchases.

Kalu Sat 27-Nov-21 12:38:56

CanadianGran

Kalu, that sounds interesting, what a lovely colour for upholstery. Any photos?

No photos yet as Covid hit and upholstery work is still on hold CanadianGran.
I am quite a dab hand with an upholstery stapler though and I am toying with the idea to reupholster a king size bed base and headboard myself…..as soon as I am in the right mood. ?

jocork Sat 27-Nov-21 12:43:10

Ro60

Just remembered another supermarket sweep. It was a few days after Christmas and we'd been eaten out of house & home.
Popped into Sainsbury's and there was smoked salmon marked down so I picked up 4 packs. When I got home I pondered why the shop was less than I'd expected - only to find, the salmon was at the reduced price but then their system had applied the original discount to buy 2 aswell. Meaning that, they were paying me to take the salmon away!

I check all the offers at Sainsbury's on the nectar site before my weekly shop. I write them all on a slip of paper so I remember to pick up the best bargains.
Recently some printed out coupons at the till gave enough points to cover the cost of the item. Obviously you have to pay for the item but then get enough points to cover the outlay. They repeated that offer about three times so I'm very well stocked in those items - thankfully not something with a use by date!
I remember once when they had a surplus of melons and were selling them for a penny each! There is a limit how many I can eat but I told lots of my friends so they could get them too. Sainsbury's prices are pretty good if you shop carefully and due to the extra points on items I buy regularly I rarely pay full price for some items.

madeleine45 Sat 27-Nov-21 13:09:19

Many years ago a pop up charity shop run by WI had a black beautifully supple childs leather jacket, but had ripped knitted cuffs as though a dog had ripped them or something. I had precisely £6 in my purse (before using cards days) and a son of 4 years. Asked the price with bated breath and they said £5 . I paid and dashed out in case they changed their minds! I hunted in haberdashers to find suitable material to match collar and spent 25pence for material. A good friend who sewed and had a machine that coped with the leather put the cuffs on and my son wore it with great pleasure until it really couldn't do up any longer. I then gave it to a friend with three little boys, who also wore it for some years and passed it on to her sister. Who knows it may be travelling round still. My greatest clothes bargain which gave such pleasure to the children.

Annaram1 Sat 27-Nov-21 14:04:05

In a charity shop some years ago I found a lovely brown anorak type coat of a well known make for £6. When I took it to the counter the lady told me I could not have it as there was a rip in the lining next to the seam which I had not noticed. She said it would have to be dumped for recycling. Noticing my disappointment she said, "Well, I have to sell it, but if you really want it I will charge you 1 penny. " Of course I bought it. Who wouldn't? I still wear it now.

PipandFinn Sat 27-Nov-21 14:07:11

I bought a fabulous nearly new Burberry Duffle Coat in a charity shop on line for £45. They sell for about £1000. I feel I've won the lottery every time I wear it....

VioletSky Sat 27-Nov-21 14:16:27

Ro60

Just remembered another supermarket sweep. It was a few days after Christmas and we'd been eaten out of house & home.
Popped into Sainsbury's and there was smoked salmon marked down so I picked up 4 packs. When I got home I pondered why the shop was less than I'd expected - only to find, the salmon was at the reduced price but then their system had applied the original discount to buy 2 aswell. Meaning that, they were paying me to take the salmon away!

This is my favourite lol

I once realised I hadn't been charged for a pair of trousers so I went back in to pay for them and the manager was at the checkout and gave me a £20 gift card as a good will gesture for coming back in. The trousers were £18 so I made a £2 profit in the end!

It really made my day

Rosina Sat 27-Nov-21 14:29:30

I saw a beautiful coat in a West End store at a price completely beyond me. A few weeks later I walked past our local branch, and saw the coat, hanging on the front of a sale rack, for a tenth of the original price. I defied gravity leaping through the door and grabbing it - they had just one, in my size, and I wore that coat for about ten years, every winter - it fitted as if it had been made for me.