Chazzers - do you budget?

PollyWollyDoodle · 25 April 2017 at 9:44AM

I've never seen a £1 rail round here (greater London), I'd struggle to find any adult clothing at less than £4. Nonetheless it's cheaper than buying new and I like the idea that things aren't going to waste so I buy almost all my clothes from chazzas. Since discovering Marie Kondo I haven't needed many new clothes and I'll only buy something if it really makes my heart skip, so purchases are few and far between. It does take a lot of trawling, I couldn't do this when I worked full time.

I don't have a specific CS budget, I have a 'wardrobe' budget so purchases come out of that. Books come out of 'spending money' and are redonated and I'm not really tempted by china or ornaments.

KitKatMum2 · 25 April 2017 at 10:20AM

I don't set a budget, but we are lucky that our local Charity shops are very low priced and for me, being on a limited budget, they are the one place I feel I can treat myself.. I rarely spend more than £3 on an item of adult clothing. Kids clothing usually tends to be between 20p and £2 - more for coats, but I think £3.99 is the most I've spent on a child's coat - obviously a lot less than I'd spend in a High Street shop.
I've been to other areas where the charity shops are very expensive - I always remember buying a dress for £1. It was just from Matalan so nothing special, but I liked it. Two days later in a different area a few miles north, the exact same dress priced at £12! It probably cost little more than that new and if I lived somewhere with CS prices like that I probably would have to budget and not go in so often.

Out,_Vile_Jelly · 25 April 2017 at 12:08PM

Prinzessilein wrote: »

I collect children's books...mainly school stories from the 'classic' age ...there was a time when a hunt through the shelves of a charity shop was almost guaranteed to bring up a treasure or two....these days you can't even get much in the way of paperback reprints in the charity shops - they are creamed off the donations and sold on to specialist book shops!....Family have a list of books I want - so they keep a look out for any that slip through the net and end up for sale.

I collect old pony books and it is indeed rare to find such items in charity shops. The best places for these seem to be car booties where people are clearing random old stuff from their lofts.

In London I baulk at paying more than £1.50 for a paperback and a tenner for an item of clothing. I treat chazzer DVDs like a library, so think £1 per disc is reasonable for something I'm going to watch once and donate back.

Apart from some of their Fair Trade chocolate flavours, I tend to avoid Oxfam these days as I think everything they sell is overpriced. Hospice chazzers seem to operate much more on the "pile it high, sell it cheap" principle with high turnover, so I try and support my local one. It has a 20p book bin and I've got Monsoon tops for a quid or so. With high turnover I'm sure they get more footfall with people popping in more often to grab a random bargain.

Towser · 25 April 2017 at 8:24PM

Is it me or do you feel that the whole world is out buying from charity shops? Does everyone from each socio-economic strata have a go or is it just the poverty stricken?
I find when I do a tour that four or five people are doing the same tour of the chazzers.
Also how often do you go looking? Everyday, week, month only when you need something?
I seem to be the only one from my group of mums in the school yard.
It's just so addictive I love finding bargains.

VfM4meplse · 25 April 2017 at 8:59PM

Towser wrote: »

Is it me or do you feel that the whole world is out buying from charity shops? Does everyone from each socio-economic strata have a go or is it just the poverty stricken?

Its everyone and anyone these days. There's no stigma attached, in fact there's an inverted snobbery about it, and I often see the same people trawl from chazzer to chazzer in any given area (just like me!).

Personally, I love books but wouldn't contemplate paying full price for them. I also enjoy chatting to the staff, as volunteers and often mature, they're not under the same pressure as other retail workers and also have a fantastic sense of humour.

Gem-gem · 25 April 2017 at 10:07PM

I don't budget in a charity shop but I do have a list of books that I go in to try and find. And try not to pay more than £1.50.

Regarding clothes, I am very fussy. I will have a look at the label and assess the price, is it good value?

I haven't bought many clothes compared to books, but will be looking in them more. I am always surprised about what people find. I also tend to look at the surrounding shops in the high street.

Other items, I always have a good look, but I don't like a cluttered house, so I am choosy. I always think do I need it not do I want it.

In the office that I work in, all people at all ends of the social-economic spectrum use charity shops. We say because we do, it means that we can afford other things that we wouldn't be able to otherwise.

I see it as a way of supporting charities, recycling but I don't want to be ripped off.

Pop_Up_Pirate · 26 April 2017 at 7:36AM

I find charity shops to be overpriced for what you get these days. Yes, they might have the odd bargain, but most of the time its just ordinary stuff. Oxfam are the worst.
They have all definitely gone up in price.

For real bargains I prefer the car boot sales. Books for 10 or 20p each, clothes a fraction of charity shop prices, other items always available plus if you buy from regular people rather than traders, you get an idea of the sort of household they have come from.

I liked that program where they showed different people in various 'states' and asked other people if they would like to buy their trousers.
Noone wanted to buy the woman's trousers who was incontinent, dirty, dribbley, sloppy with food and drink etc and everyone was happy to buy the trousers of the store manager.

Unfortunately, if is often the sloppy persons stuff that ends up at the charity shops. Urgh! Totally put me off.

Pollycat · 26 April 2017 at 7:49AM

Towser wrote: »

Is it me or do you feel that the whole world is out buying from charity shops? Does everyone from each socio-economic strata have a go or is it just the poverty stricken?
I find when I do a tour that four or five people are doing the same tour of the chazzers.
Also how often do you go looking? Everyday, week, month only when you need something?
I seem to be the only one from my group of mums in the school yard.
It's just so addictive I love finding bargains.

I've shopped in charity shops and on our local flea market (although that's gone downhill over the years) for many, many years even though I don't need to budget.

I just like the diversity of stuff that's different from what you can buy on the high street.

And when I can get bargains like this for £1:

Pollycat wrote: »

From our lovely Air Ambulance shop:
M&S summer short cardigan in 'nude' 55% linen, 45% viscose. Perfect for wearing with summer dresses.

Vanilla Sands (British Home Stores) navy & white strappy maxi dress. It is the tiered style but has a layer of navy lace between the tiers & I'm going to cut it off at the first tier below the lace which ends just on my knee to make a stylish day dress for my Greek holidays as I like to look nice when we go to restaurants for lunch.
No sewing required, just care with my dressmaking scissors.
£1.00 each.

Pollycat wrote: »

From my favourite Air Ambulance shop:
Another lovely TU jersey dress in a ditsy print £1.00
TU leggings silvery grey with black 'flock' pattern on (and still with paper inspection label on) £1.00

I love this shop!

Pollycat wrote: »

Popped back in on my way from my sister's in the afternoon and found a Monsoon jersey dress with elbow length sleeves and cross-over bodice in an Airforce blue with green and cream flowers.

And a calf length 'pure new wool' coat, brand is 'HIGH fashions', label says 'hand tailored clothing, made in England'.
It has lovely contrast top-stitching.
Colour is between brown and tan, double breasted and the sleeve length is perfect (I have very short arms) which is what tipped me over the edge to buy it.
Very smart and warm.
And I picked up 11p in the street so it really only cost me 89p.

Pollycat wrote: »

Another good haul yesterday from our local Air Ambulance shop.
Per Una red casual jacket, autumn/spring weight £1.00

Tu jersey (I love their jersey fabric) 3/4 sleeve short dress with dark background and orange & blue flowers £1.00.
I think I have some flowered DM boots that will go perfectly.

Surfanic long sleeve base layer top in mint green with white spots £1.00
This is a ski range and says:
Probably retailed about £30.
Hopeully great for walking and maybe excercising when it's not that warm in my spare bdroom.

Pollycat wrote: »

Had a good haul yesterday from our local Air Ambulance shop.
Per Una dress in fuchsia pink, purple & black, fancy neckline, 3- quarter sleeves, slim-fitting. Still with paper inspection circle on the care label £1.00
Tu jersey (I love their jersey fabric) dark lilac dress with butterflies on. £1.00
All ladies clothes, shoes & handbags were £1 but I didn't have a lot of time to browse in the morning.

who needs to budget anyway?

All these bargains are in the last 3 months.

VfM4meplse · 26 April 2017 at 8:00AM

Gem-gem wrote: »

I don't budget in a charity shop but I do have a list of books that I go in to try and find. And try not to pay more than £1.50.

This in where the online scrapbook P'interest cones into its own. Just googling and storing an image of a book cover implants it in your brain and primes recognition.

It also works the other way round - I might see an interesting looking fictional work on a chazzer shelf and P'in it to find in my location library. I get less sentimental about fiction and tend to only buy it if I've read it and love it / it's a classic / by an author I have read before and loved.

I don't think twice in the same way about non-fiction.

Floss · 26 April 2017 at 8:09AM

I don't budget as such, but weigh up the need, value & quality of whatever it is.

We have a fair range around here, from the Barnados 99p shop in the town centre & donation station near a supermarket, BHF furniture, pet charities etc to less cheap ones. My local Air Ambulance shop is in a small town that has an inflated view of itself, and the stock is mainly over my age group (early 50s) and expensive.

BTW how frustrating is it when you are "trapped" in a car, travelling, and pass several interesting looking chazzers, but can't explore them?! We drove from West London to East London at the weekend, and saw about 8 or 9 shops that were tormenting me from the high streets!

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Chazzers - do you budget?

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