Charity shops are my only friends and I don't mind

[Yessiryessirthreebagsfull]

Just that really.

I am pregnant with twin girls and after a slight panic at the proce of everyhting, I went charity shop hopping and found so many perfect baby clothes from 50p to £2.

I found a love to dream swaddle bag in mint condition for £1.50 😯. They sell new fpr £27/£30..

I am fully embracing my dull side but I am now only interested in charity shops (and baking, I might be nesting).

It's me, myself and charity shops against the world from now on.

Make me dream, what what you best find in a charity shop for babies (clothes, toys, furniture?).

95% of everything I own is from charity shops, Vinted, Freecycle, EBay, car boot sales. I recently had to buy a new pair of walking boots, omg the hassle, traipsing round shops simply because my knackered feet need a particular fit. . Won’t do that again in a hurry.
Congratulations on your babies.

Books, so many lovely books. From 25p to £2 in various different local shops.

Well done you, that’s great. I only wish there had been more charity shops when my DCs were little. Children’s clothes often cat my eye when I’m browsing, but my DILs would have not wanted them.
We were fortunate that we were the last of our friends and relatives to have children, so got a fair amount passed on.

Catch *

I love charity shops - can’t walk past one. My best buy recently was a gorgeous pair of Hobbs knee length suede boots that looked like they’d only been worn once or twice - £249 new, £35 to me!

I must be very unlucky because I've never found anything good in a charity shop! Where do you all live?

I live in Lancashire, but word on the street is to head to Wilmslow/Alderley edge/Cheshire Wives stomping ground 😎

I love charity shops.

I had very little money to decorate my new home and got amazing stuff from charity shops: lamp and lamp shades, rugs, artworks, chairs, tables, plant pots, candle holders, shelves, plates/food containers for the kitchen...

Also found a pair of jeans I absolutely love for £4 and lots of nice tops.

I barely shop in standard shops anymore beyond food/beauty products shopping.

I also registered with Freegle and Freecycle.

I don't live there but have easy access to Chesham and Amrsham and ALL the charity shops were great (and there are lovely areas to walk around).

@Startingagainandagain Even of I have plenty of money, I don't ever want to buy new. There wee so mamy beautiful things for the home, it's like a treasure hunt and you got something with a history.

I just need a bigger house 😀

We have a brilliant one round the corner, dedicated to kids. We've got a toddler size paw patrol tower for £6 which is £80 on ebay, jumperoos for £3, a hot wheels shark garage for £15 that retails at £120. It's great for all kinds, but not books, as they don't check for missing pages, flaps etc. I love it, the stock turnover is so high too. Got some Xmas dolls there, the disney toddler ones.

I once got a genuine leather Harrods handbag for £5! I thought it was a fake until my daughter got to see it ( she's a bit of a handbag expert!) and she was very impressed. My girls were both hoping to steal it from me, so to save arguments I eventually gave it to my friend.
I once found some Fatface jeans for £3, they were £48 on the website! I'd never pay that for jeans, unless they were gold plated, diamond studded and had my name picked out in fairy lights!
I love a good charity shop rummage, got all my posh outfits for a holiday mostly from charity shops, including a pair Armani silk trousers for about £5 I think? The grandchildren have had all their coats and a lot of clothes from charity shops. And loads of toys.

I love charity shops. I used to buy all my books from them.

Charity shops and car boot sales are great for baby and kids stuff.

Mostly rubbish I'm afraid.

My best buy ever was an early Yves Saint Laurent suit for £40. I also bought a YSL cashmere blazer for £50 and a Dior grey tweed coat for £15 which is still going strong 30 years later. There is a great Fara kids shop in Nappy Valley where I bought large quantities of dirt cheap Ralph Lauren, Petit Bateau, mini Boden. Little White company and Young England clothes for my DDs when they were little. The youngest is now a great charity shopper herself - last week she scored a Longchamp backpack, a Reformation dress and a Zadig & Voltaire jacket for £40.

@londonmummy1966 is nappy Valley Balham?

Love this op! Also love hearing about all the other bargains too. Great thread.

I came on here to say Fara shops are fantastic. They were a godsend when mine were babies.

@Yessiryessirthreebagsfull for us, Nappy Valley is Northcote Road near Clapham Junction, which I think @londonmummy1966 is referring to maybe?
There's a Fara there.

Enjoy your charity shopping!

I love charity shops, though they have got worse la. Latest buy: Black and white check Max Mara dress for DD at Oxfam Marylebone.

lately. not la.

We have a £1 charity shop, its amazing! Last month I got a port merrian (unsure of the spelling) large bowl, I adore it and I found it on ebay for £90!

I only buy books and jigsaws from charity shops, I'm not interested enough in clothes to spend much time browsing. Last time I went it was any 5 books for £1, and I got a brand new, sealed jigsaw for £2. I was very happy with that.

I'm on the hunt for a copy of Jilly Cooper's Riders at the moment - I like having a reason to go mooching around all the charity shops in town.

oh my Max Mara dress was £35, sorry. I also bought a signed copy of a Donna Leon book for £5 as a gift for a friend.

Get yourself into FB marketplace and other local FB pages. So many people are keen to give away baby stuff and the charity shops around here don't tend to take "equipment" (whether it's a baby bath or a pushchair or a jumperoo type thing) as it takes us so much space until it is sold