Charity Shop Bargains!!

[marthamoo]

Came to post this and got all distracted by sacral dimples..ah well.

Have been looking for an old-fashioned style, lift-up top desk for DS1. He is of an extremely creative bent (presently writing a novel in the style of J.K. Rowling, all about his adventures at "Snortwarts" ). He currently has a plastic table and chair, in a corner of the kitchen, where he is protected by a fence and gate from his destructive little brother, but he is so tall now his legs won't fit underneath.

Anyway (get to the point, woman!) I had seen one in Great Little Trading Company for £99.99 - way too expensive (was thinking maybe for Xmas - but he wants the Lego Hogwarts..) Went to pick him up at school today and my friend said "are you still looking for a desk..I've just seen someone taking one into the charity shop down the road."

Cue for woman with pushchair, two children, lunchbox and book bag, to go flying down the road before someone else got it. The best bit..it is the EXACT same desk and chair as in GLTC..for (wait for it) TWENTY QUID!! This kind of thing never happens to me...I am so chuffed

AND..(sorry, too many capitals..Friday night is bottle of wine night) I got a brand new, unopened ELC Bob the Bulder Soft Stuff set (£10 in ELC) for £2, and a wooden shape sorting box for 50p. I am now determined to trawl charity shops on a regular basis - as well as excellent bargains, the money you spend goes to charity = guilt free retail therapy.

Anyone else had any amazing charity shop/car boot buys?

not yet - but friend in Sale got fabbo pink bike for her dd in local oxfam for £10 in immaculate condition. i think it helps if you can go to shop in good area (ours is a bit grim, must nip over to st.john's wood or similar)
also if anyone's interested in buying fabric - the Malabar sale is on in Vauxhall in October, will dig out date if anyone interested.

No not me, I am the world's worst at bargain hunting. I NEVER get one !

We were looking for a little wooden desk for 17mo DD to match a little pink wooden chair we got her from IKEA. Couldn't find one so luckily DD's great-grandad made her one and painted it lilac with fairies on it. It looks so sweet and she loves it.

Bootsales are great round here. Toys 50p clothes 20p generally. Got a soap making kit for 50p, never been opened, made fab soap. Also have clothes for the kids 2-3 years in advance so never have to buy anything but school stuff and shoes new!
Got B1 and B2 from bananas in pyjamas for 10p each last week..dd2 loves them could list bargains forever!

Great bargain hunting marthamoo - wish I was as good. Just wanted to say how fantastic the Lego Hogwarts is. my ds had the castle and some other bits and pieces for his birthday in June and I swear he has played with it every day (except 1 week on holiday) since - and usually for 2 - 3 hours at a time - so well worth the rrp for us.

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A while ago DH bought a box full of Brio, wooden construction stuff, complete with tools.
I've looked in the shops and for the amount of stuff we've got, the kit would cost @ £90-£100, and the tools are sold seperately.
He payed £1 for the lot in the charity shop, it had been kicking about for ages and the woman wanted to get rid of it !!!

DH is a real charity shop and boot sale fanatic, always finds bargins. He buys most of his clothes for golf from charity shops, and has bought some really stuff, he always buys his jeans there.

Maclaren double buggy for £10 in a charity shop.

OK--so it's an ugly, dated plaid and didn't have a hood, rain cover, or shopping basket, but I slipped in a shopping basket from a broken Maclaren buggy I had lying about.

I lent it to my friend and she got 2 years (!) of use out of it. And though my kids are 3 yrs apart and the older one doesn't really need a buggy, we do use it sometimes for sunny weekend outings.

Like Marthamoo, this kind of thing never happens to me.

I go to charity shops in search of books.
Like podmog I picked up a first edition that was in excellent condition for a £1. It is worth alot more than that.
I also picked up a framed newspaper for 50p. It is an original London Illustrated News from 1884. It is in excellent condition.Not everyones cup of tea but an interesting piece of history.
I did get a nice bay trading top (for out on the tiles) for 50p with £17.99 price tag attached.

i love charity shops and boot sales. best buy was chicco bouncey baby chair for 4 quid, loads of clothes, toys etc.
one of the best things i ever got wa a dolls house, an old gent was putting it outside his gate with a for sale sign on it, was £45, but the kids love it. it is handmade, covered in matchsticks in a tudor style decortaive pattern, very solid, very big and has its own stand. its a beautiful item that the old man put a lot of time and effort in for his own children and grandchildren (very old dollshouse) and my kids have hours of fun with it. they play with it more than the ELC one they also have. in fact the furniture from the ELC house has migrated to the matchstick house.

Are Charity Shops proliferating in every town? I think they have doubled where I live in last 3-4 years.

unfortunately i now sound like my mother but auctions are fantastic too for bargains. i got an unusual child's chair for a couple of quid and a sofa for 40! also got a garden bench for 35. I love charity shops too; I got some autograph jeans for 5 that still had label in them (bit strange that one) and a gap top which i wear to death. the best place to look is richmond; jerry hall takes her one-worn stuff to the second hand shop on richmond hill!!!

I cannot think of a charity shop near where i live! wish i could as probably would give stuff to it too -

marthamoo! completely off topic but a couple of years ago our school was given a bit of an overhaul with regads to desks and we had thousands of those wretched desks to give away....we asked parents for a donation to school fund in the end, and although loads were snapped up... many were actually chucked!

anyway! glad you got yours in the end!!!