to be chuffed at my charity shop find today?

[ophelia275]

I went into one of my local charity shops not really expecting anything. Anyway, there sitting looking at me are a pair of pink, high-top converse in my size, looking hardly worn (I think they are actually new) for £7.99. I have been coveting a pair of pink converse for ages and looked on ebay and new pairs are going for £40+. Am so happy, feels serendipitous.

What are your amazing charity shop finds?

Vintage classic purse by disaster designs worth about £25, bought for £4.99.
Unfortunately, by my son's insistance it's covered in peppa pig stickers. Doesn't look so posh now !

Anyone

My favourite one was a few years ago when we were going on a skiing holiday for the first time and had been saving up for ages. I was on my way to decathlon to buy DD all the ski gear after pricing up where was cheapest. On the way stopped at the bank to get the money and walked past Oxfam, and there in the window on a dummy was age 8 ski pants and jacket! Beautiful, white and clearly only worn once. Got them both for £9.

I thought I was dreaming!

Perfect condition new set of five orange le creuset pans (£10), three stock pots, two large round and an oval (£5 each), and a frying pan (£3).

I still have them, quite a few years later.

This week, a box of Lego- £20. My son was desperate for it- we have enough Lego for legoland so he said he would go without pocket money until Christmas (I said deal, he gets £1 a week).

In the box is a motorised AT AT, republic gunship, halifire droid (the model he wanted for Christmas but is no longer made and you can get it for £80 on eBay) and what looks like at least 3 other models. My 9yo is a Lego savant.

We guesstimate the haul at about £300!!

I have to go back no give them some more money now, don't I?

Filled DS2's entire stocking for £2 once.

Have never shopped in a charity shop but I regularly donate. A lot of the stuff I send is branded (mainly outdoorsy brands). I recently gave them a Helly Hansen coat - was beautiful but just wasn't comfortable on me. About 10 minutes later I saw a mum walk out the shop with her daughter and was pleased as punch with her branded £5 coat.

It was obvious that this family were 'struggling' and it felt great that a teenage girl had something she could be pleased to wear, and that would keep her warm through the winter.

It would never occur to me to tell the shop staff what something is worth so they would bump the prices up - I kind of always thought that charity shops were meant to be cheap - helping the charity, and those who can't afford or don't want to pay shop prices. I could put the stuff on ebay and make money for myself but I can't be bothered. I also like the fact that although I am not giving financially to charity each month, I do support them.

Carrier bag full of toy cars for £3. Has kept ds occupied for most of this holiday. Thank you Age Concern.

I would love to know where all of you live that find these cool things :) (especially lego and the like) The charity shops around here (Fleet area) are rubbish!

Mind you, I never look at the clothes or shoes and wouldn't know a 'brand name' if it hit me square in the face but toys, I know my toys!! especially lego

Chipping, if you are ever in North Camp Aldershot and Farnborough way, Camp Road (I believe) has some excellent charity shops, or did two years ago!

Lots of army officers clearing out their 'junk'.

Sailor boy is a treasure trove but the RSPCA one had the best bargains IMO.

Vintage Cacharel jacket for £12....it is the most beautifully cut garment I have ever worn.

Nickname - I used to live in Aldershot (many many years ago) but don't really get over there these days, no real reason to go. But if I'm ever over there I'll have a look! I'm just amazed at the things people find in them - our local ones only seem to have battered Trivial Pursuit games and twenty billion horrid jigsaws

Iv had some good finds clothes wise,just yesterday I bought a wooden wicker storage box new label underneath said £20 I bought it for £2

who would pay £20 for a little box?

Probably best value was a new designer coin purse in its box bought for 99p,new price tag underneath said it £69.99!
I actually don't like the purse that much it's very big girly/young style and it isn't all that practical for me but can't bring myself to get rid/sell for some reason so it sits in the cupboard.

Hooray for charity shops. My mum has helped to run one for the past 20 years (rota of old ladies, you know the kind of thing) . The shop makes about £100k a year for mencap, so keep on coming round, people!

She gets the most amazing things in. Not so much nice clothes, it's a bit dowdy where she lives :) but Le creuset pans, posh corkscrews, bread makers, slow cookers, good winter coats...

I live in another town, and our local charity shops clothed all my DC for years.

So many of the things that just drain your budget are there for almost no money.

I love a charity shop find, yesterday in age uk I got a lovely black & grey striped blazer it's washed and ironed and now ready to wear with skinny jeans and heels this weekend!

I live in the north west but best charity shops IMO are ilkley, wilmslow, Alderley edge, clitheroe, Skipton. Apparently coronation street donate to the cancer research shop in wilmslow there's always a cabinet with designer shoes and bags in there but never in my size.

The shelter shops I have been in have had new stock recently.

Our local ones are very expensive and have a lot of rubbish! I usually use them for DSs school dress ups ('mum, I need to go to school tomorrow as Scott if the Ant/artic'). We also have a very fancy Oxfam full of designery stuff and lots of £!

Our local one is very cheap! I got a merino jumper in a lovely marl blue, which I lived in last winter for £2. This week a brand new pair of GAP skinny jeans for £1!

A cashmere jumper that I'd seen in Tesco but being a poor student I couldn't afford at the time, I then found in my local shop a year later. Cue cheerful me!

This thread is making me very jealous. Here on Spain the whole charity shop thing just hasn't caught on at all. When I lived back in the UK I was a regular charity shop buyer. Now I'm pregnant I think of all those kids toys and books you can get for a song and it makes me so homesick!!!!

We have a lot of those huge big donation 'bins' near us. I always see people rifling through the donations (and they don't look like they are particularly in need) and it makes me very cross.

I got some great bargains yesterday! All saints top for £7, a wool blazer made by a local tailor (felted collar, iridescent lining, pure wool) for £1, a lambswool cardi for £1, river island tunic for £2 and a brand spanking new shirt for DH for £1. DD scored with a pile of animal sob rescue stories for a couple of quid and an Orchard Town game for £2. Spent virtually nothing, grinned all day like a loon.

Nine West kitten heels look like they have been worn once or twice indoors (label on the bottom was intact but scuffed) - £10.

Can't wear them to work (intended purpose) as the heels are too thin for a whole day, but v nice shoes anyway :)

A pair of baby blue chunky heels by Dries van Noten, RRP probably about 700 quid, mine for a pound

I just poked my nose through the door of our local hospice and saw a pair of Versace (sp??) Jeans (looking rather new) for £30. They looked my size but the lady in the shop said they were closing for lunch and could I mind coming back (bah!). I may go for a closer inspection later! Button flys though - a bit too 1980s 505-ish?