Charity shop find

[Littlehomebird]

I needed a new winter coat but thought I'd leave it til the post Christmas sales to grab a bargain with my Xmas £ & vouchers. I got a nice yumi coat from debenhams which I am pleased with. Yesterday I was out walking with dh & I spotted a lovely wool pea coat in a charity shop window , I commented it was nice but the snob in me prevented me going in & I'd got my new coat anyway. On the wAy home we passed it again & dh suddenly went in & bought it for me! It's not just snobbery put me off 2nd hand clothing- I have a sort of phobia re illness & death & always imagined grieving families emptying wardrobes to take to charity shops. (Bit bonkers I know). However I have to say I love this coat, it's a known label from debenhams, looks brand new & he got it fro £9 (and a small donation). It's taught me a lesson not to be a snob & I don't have to have everything brand new. Has anyone else had a lucky find?

[Leviticus]

Nice work!

FWIW I send loads of stuff to the chazzer and I'm neither dead nor ill.

[SunnyBaudelaire]

ooh my mum showed me the way of 'la fam' as she called it when she lived in a rather affluent area of NW London - she had Nicole Farhi, Aquascutum, and more. She could go through a rail in two minutes and have any quality item off it.

When the children were small I followed her 'way' and we had some truly amazing items for them, esp nice coats.

You might be right about the grieving relatives but that is only a v small percentage of stuff that is there.

My dad's new family think I am scum of the earth for doing this, but that is more about my stepmother's issues than mine.

[Mrsteddyruxpin]

I used to be a bit wary of buying charity shop stuff, other than books but when I had my dc and saw how quickly they grow put of stuff I have bought a mama and papa tummy time cushion, ikea rollercoaster wooden toy, baby books, gro bag virtually new and toys

I am planning on taking good care and returning. Our local charity shop is for suicide prevention and I love it

[vinegarandbrownpaper]

Is that suicide prevention as in 'making sure people without much money can still buy stuff?' . but also only a bit joking!

My fave were some Jones shoes and a Timberland coat that I loved so much I tried to buy a second from ebay.. but failed..:) chazza can be great..!

[Littlehomebird]

If I had thought to look in the charity shop first I would still have my vouchers & £ to spend on something else. I know it doesn't all come from bereavement it's just the way I think (unfortunately!)

[Leviticus]

Oh and my recent bargain was an immaculate baby Gap body warmer in DS's next size for £1.

[McFox]

I'm a total bargain hunter, I very rarely buy new stuff Best buys of late are our icandy pram (£200) and fancy bespoke cot (£70), John Lewis baby jumper that I'd been coveting (£2.50) and a full length Planet coat (£30). All are in perfect condition and I think that between these items I've probably saved about £1500 - I love a bargain!

[Floisme]

I used to love charity shops but I've virtually given up on them as where I live, they're full of shite - if you find a bobbled cardi from Autograph, you're doing well. I blame Ebay.

[CointreauVersial]

I love charity shops, and think they have got better and better (or perhaps it's me getting older and older, and more in step with the demographic of the charity shop donators ). You won't find cutting edge fashion, but they are great for the classics (coats, office clothes etc). Having said that, I bought a furry gilet from one last year, and this winter they're everywhere.

One near us has a "posh" section, with best quality items, new, or upmarket labels, all on wooden hangers. You can still find a bargain, though.

[WhereIsMyFurryHat]

Ours have become a bit crap of late but you find the odd gem amongst the sea of atmosphere cast offs.

My best recent purchase was a navy joules coat for my DS. It was £4, bargain.

[Littlehomebird]

Thanks for all your replies , they're really interesting views. It got me thinking about waste , recycling, over consumerism etc & I remember seeing a slogan once which always stuck with me. "Don't throw it away- there is no away". I shall try to support more charity shops from now on & hopefully save myself some £!

[iamnotthemoronwhisperer]

I love charity shops, and have relied on them for clothes for me (fluctuating weight post-baby so don't want to spend much) and for dd. I find it depends very much what the area is like re how good the 'pickings' are likely to be. The charity shops on the road nearest to us are fairly good; two streets away they're full of crap!
I donate a lot too, although I agree with the argument that ebay is a problem, as a lot of people will not donate good quality clothes if they think they can get some money for them.

Fwiw, my current winter coat is from a charity shop, and looks new

[montyandmabel]

I occasionally buy from charity shops if I find the time to get to any!

I've also donated loads of stuff to charity shops recently, as we've had a massive clear out, including plenty of brand new items...& I'm not dead either! I do have SPD though, & the back end of a cold, so technically I'm a bit poorly but mainly grumpy

If I had the time & inclination to sell them on eBay, I would. but I much prefer to read chat threads on Mumsnet in my free time!

Well done on the coat purchase. Now I have more wardrobe space, I may go & have a browse myself...

[Ragwort]

I volunteer in a charity shop - it's a great way to meet people, have fun and raise money for charity - and with luck you will get a discount on your shopping. I would never, ever buy any clothing new.

We have the most fantastic donations, many designer labels, and we only put out the 'good quality' stuff, many customers say they will only come to 'our' shop as it is so well kept and we keep our prices very reasonable.

[victoryinthekitchen]

we were in Peebles before Christmas and passed a charity shop with a beautiful strapless summer dress on a mannequin in the window, I hopped in and bought in for £4, can't wait to wear it later this year!

[Pumpkinette]

I have always been a huge fan of charity shops. My best buy was about 16 years ago when I was a student. I got a pair of oxblood red dr martens for £3. They we practically new and they hadn't even been broken in when I got them. They are still going strong and not worn looking. I know now after researching that they are original late 70's and very rare - I could probably resell them and get at least £40 for them.

Another great bargain I got was a lovely mini Boden skirt for DD for 50p. I normally wouldn't buy her stuff from there as it's out my budget but for 50p there's no way I couldn't buy it.

Also once got my mum a show jacket (for horse riding) in a charity shop for £2. The particular brand has a starting price of £100 for jackets so it was another great find.

[TheMuppetsSingChristmas]

FCUK denim jacket for £6, rrp £95

[AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves]

Oxfam Online is good. £3.99ish for P&P for unlimited items, free no quibble returns for 21 days.

[ActionManEyes]

I love them in theory, but the ones near me are all full of tat now. I still go in and have a look, sometimes get something nice for DD but can't remember the last time I found anything for myself.

Was great when I lived in Edinburgh, I used to go down Morningside and nab the rich folk's cast-offs

[pickledparsnip]

I bloody love charity shops. I would much rather buy something secondhand that was quality, than brand new but cheap and crap.

[pickledparsnip]

I have found some amazing vintage things, Laura Ashley dresses, bags, hats. I have a big selection of vintage scarves and gloves. I'd much rather find bits in charity shops than overpriced vintage shops. I found a pair of Frye boots once for a couple of quid!

[CatsClaus]

I have always loved charity shops, had many many bargains over the years.

best of which was some DM chelsea boots, which proved to be too small for dh, so we ebayed them and made a fortune! :o

last best thing was a baby slowcooker, teeny tiny, brand new, and it's great for rice pudding and when it is just me and ds2.

[FiddleDeeDees]

I found a Brora cashmere dress recently for £10…simple, black, very elegant.

Reckon it would have been £300+ new (not that I'd have been buying it new…)

Was well chuffed with that. Wore it on Christmas day!

[Ratracerunner]

Yep another CS lover here. Have had some phenomenal designer bargains over the years. When I was starting out in my career I bought all my suits there because I couldn't afford anything else.
These days I choose to root around for fun. There aren't the bargains about that there used to be (or even the stock), but I get far more pleasure from a CS purchase than a designer boutique.
And the books....I love finding books that I would never ordinarily have considered but chanced it for 20p and found a diamond!

[Trills]

They definitely vary hugely by area