My charity shop bargain, I’m loving it! What are you chuffed with?

Crossstitchfan

Someone once told me that if I wanted to buy from a charity shop, I should go to one in a different town. That way, if you buy clothes, you’re not likely to bump into the person who donated it! They also said that, the ‘posher’ the shops were, the better quality the clothes are! Makes sense I suppose.

I doubt if there was only one of that particular garment.
Shoes to say that person didn’t buy it.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked around the shop I volunteer in ( I just sort donations) and I see something and say ooh, that’s nice and then realise I donated it 😂

Well, after reading all these comments, I'm off tomorrow to have a good old rake around at the nearest charity shop. Usually I just pop in, have a quick look and then come out. I must have missed quite a few bargains.

I’ve recently dropped a dress size, so have had to completely change my whole wardrobe, but worried that I may put the weight back on so didn’t want to spend a fortune, so new clothes are 95% charity shop finds including some really nice quality evening dresses for our cruise, best bargain was a brand new with tags Nobody’s Child jumpsuit rrp £85 for £6

I have always loved the Rondalay pattern of Royal Doulton and my friend has left me a full tea set in her will. Imagine my delight when I saw four cups and saucers in this pattern in a BHF charity shop window, a bargain at £30. I went in to pay for it and asked them to hold onto them whilst I did the rest of the shopping and the assistant asked me if I was sure I could manage to carry it all! That’s when I discovered the four cups and saucers were only part of a full tea service and substantial part of a dinner service as well, four large boxes all together! I borrowed a shopping trolley from the supermarket next door to transport it to my car and I did also make a generous donation to BHF! My best charity shop find ever! It was all in perfect condition and looked completely unused!

Mine was many years ago. I bought a Harrods winter coat for my 2 year old daughter for £1 at our local charity shop. Even in 1975 that was a bargain. I changed the buttons, several were missing. Cost me another 20p

When she grew out of it I passed it on to a friend, who wanted to pay me several £s for it because she thought I had bought it or it had been a gift. i told her just how much i had paid for it and she went away with it, delighted.

My best buy was a showerproof coat that I bought in a charity shop sale for £2. It's an off white Per Una one that I reckoned would have been about £60 new. It didn't look as if it had ever been worn but had a name label sewn into it. I think it was probably bought for a school trip by someone who dumped it as soon as they got home again. I like it because it's very like a coat that Biba were selling in about 1968.

Another good buy was a see through black skirt with sparkly silver embroidery all over it. I wear it as a jacket over a vest top at Christmas and it cost me a whole £1.50.

A pair of leather, sheepskin ankle boots, bought over 5 years ago, already broken in, my favourite boots and £3. YAY! Still wearing them.

I have so many vases. Now I know they are still wanted, I will clear some out.

Hunted everywhere for a tidy coat that was also waterproof, got mine courtesy of British Heart Foundation.

Ladies, if you still have a faux fur coat, they are now hugely in fashion this year

Love the lilies!

I bought a chunky necklace about 10 years for 50p. Still loving it!

Currently sporting a lovely almost new wool coat, costing £20 - by Jaeger!

Many years ago I bought a beautiful little coat for my DD who was about 4 years old. It was pastel coloured paisley fabric with a fur trimmed hood. I managed to buy a pair of gloves with different coloured fingers matching all the colours in the coat to go with it. She wore it to church next day and someone said to her " Oh what a lovely new coat you've got" She replied very loudly "Yes Mummy bought it for me from Oxfam!" Charity shop shopping wasn't so popular back them but fortunately I'm not easily embarassed!

I bought this Vintage Claret Eiderdown from a charity shop last week. It cost ten pounds.
I always wanted one as my elderly much loved aunt had one in the same colour and design.
As you can see my cat loves it too🫶

Forgot photo…

I have been searching charity shops looking for a good sized zipped bag in which to keep all my knitting/crochet paraphanalia I attend each week two or three knit and natter groups and wanted something where I could keep everything and just needed to add in whatever I was currently working on when I went to them.

I have nearly always purchased my normal handbags either off market stalls or in charity shops - never understood the incredibly expensive prices of some new bags, know nothing about 'labels'

So when I saw, on a high shelf, in local shop a good sized black bag asked someone to get it down for me, had a look and Yes, it was strong, rooms, with some extra zipped compartments, pretty much what i was looking for - then I saw the price £40!!!!! No way - we are not in a fashionable or expensive area, this large charity shop sold items cheaply (knitting patterns at 20p, card of three buttons for 30p, women's jumper for £1). etc.

So I left assuming it had been mis-priced but did not have time then to try to sort it. Returned a few days later and shop nearly empty so this time I got the assistant to get it down, and asked her if it had been mis-priced. She was as surprised as me to see that price tag, and said to me, it looks more or less new, would I be willing to pay £25. It looked to me as if it might actually be real leather and i agreed to that price, although had not been intending to pay so much for a knitting bag.

Brought it home, and it turned out absolutely perfect for what i wanted. Intrigued, I looked at the fitting on it which told me its manufacturer, and on a chance I asked google about that bag maker. Then discovered that this bag was new, being marketed on line and in fancy shops for at least £125!!!!

Not sure now if I should go back to that charity store and give them the other £15 - although cannot really afford that, or just treat it as a lucky break for me.

My warmest, cosiest and waterproof coat, bought when I was soaked and freezing on a day out, for £2.00 from a charity shop in west Wales.

My GGD was only months old when I saw a lovely, brand new dog on wheels in a local charity shop for just £5. It was too good to miss. I gave it to her for her first Christmas when she was well and truly mobile, if only on four legs, but she grew to love the dog and play with him (her?). Now of course she is 3, going on 4 and far too big to play with the dog, but it served its purpose.

My dentist is 40 miles from me so every six months I get a mooch around a lovely old market town. Last year I found a G Tech hand held vacuum with accessories in one of the charity shops for £7! It is the most useful thing.
I’m clearing my dad’s flat atm and have an entire table covered with beautiful crystal vases/jugs /bon bon dishes/ring holders and other such things.
I’m keeping one jug which I think was my great grandmothers and is sparsely decorated; the rest are much too flowery and floofty for me. It makes me sad because they were once prized possessions and the charity shops are full of similar things.

jocork

Many years ago I bought a beautiful little coat for my DD who was about 4 years old. It was pastel coloured paisley fabric with a fur trimmed hood. I managed to buy a pair of gloves with different coloured fingers matching all the colours in the coat to go with it. She wore it to church next day and someone said to her " Oh what a lovely new coat you've got" She replied very loudly "Yes Mummy bought it for me from Oxfam!" Charity shop shopping wasn't so popular back them but fortunately I'm not easily embarassed!

My first children are twins so buying everything was expensive.
There was a fab charity shop in my little town that only sold great quality children’s’ items. I once bought a bagful of t shirts and jumpers and one of the girls asked if they were second hand. I explained how the charity shops work - someone gets the pleasure of a new item then gives it to the charity shop where we can buy it cheaply AND the charity gets money to help other people - and they’ve been hooked on charity shops ever since…. In their 30s now.

When my DGD was about two I saw a doll’s high chair in a charity shop window . It had a doll sitting in it and the assistant told me that it was included. It cost £1.50 for the two! My DGD is now eight and she still adores the doll, who she decided is a boy, and who has the most adorable baby face. Over the years I have bought him various clothes, including a football kit and he is the first thing she goes to when she comes to our house after school twice a week. He often has to come out with us and still uses his highchair. £1.50 well spent!