More Charity Shop Bargains for 2018 & beyond!

Pollycat

yorkie_cook wrote: »

Not sure it was a great bargain but happy with my buy today in local marie curie shop, I picked up a radley mini grab bag approx 8 inch x 6 inch with short handles complete with the dog tag for £4.99. I am not a big fan of handbags, give me a rucksack anyday, this one is big enough for the phone, purse & keys so a perfect size for when I need to use a handbag

In my capacity as (self-appointed) bargain assessor , I'd give this a :T.

Magpie100

Today I went to the very affluent market town near me that has tons of charity shops. I was not disappointed. I am sure some of you will reel at the prices I paid - all I can say is I'm in the south-east of England, and everything I bought was good quality. I tried on so much stuff and was tempted by many other things - but am absolutely delighted with my haul. there was a lovely pale pink top by Oliver Bonas that might be the one-that-got-away (I looked quite washed out in it and the fit was a bit odd, so back it went on the rail), but there you go. I also really really coveted a lovely Betty Barclay top in yellos and greens. Great condition and would have fit me, but the whimsical beachside scene on the front of it inexplicably had a pair of green stilettos with beading dumped in the corner - just not me - so I regretfully had to turn it down.

Enjoy reading!

A bright red wool jacket by Royal Mer Bretagne. Inexplicably this was labelled as an '18' and was on an 18 hanger. It fits me well in an oversized way (I am a 12-14). I'd never heard of this brand but it seems to be high-quality outdoor-style (sailing, etc) clothing, made in Brittany. Looking at the UK stockists their jackets go for £65-285 pounds. This one is pure wool, I think (it has a woolmark) and I paid £7.95 for it from Sue Ryder. Way too hot for today, of course, but I love it and it is SO stylish! It's Breton styling and very French.

A Karen Millen wraparound cardigan in very thin material, in a Missoni-like pattern of blues and greens. This will be perfect for my upcoming holiday in Bermuda (I'm going to try and not buy a single thing new for it). £7.99 in the Scope shop.

A pale blue top from Cos (a brand I can never generally afford). Size 10, made of very think good-quality material. £7.99 from BHF. Perfect for work in the summer.

A Size 12 F&F vest with a lovely blue and white pattern on it. To be honest I was seduced by the pattern. I don't generally buy F&F/Tu/Primark new or second-hand, but I know lots of people love them. I probably over-paid for this (£3.79, BHF) but will be great for Bermuda or is even smart enough for work.

A cream wrap top, Alex and Co for Alexon. I think Alex and Co might be Alexon's cheaper diffusion line. Their stuff generally fits me well. This was £4.99, BHF, for work.

A Whistles jacket. This might be my biggest mis-step of the day. We'll see. It's Whistles, and again I wouldn't buy their stuff new. It's cream herringbone with pink trim. Great quality. I just am not sure how much I love it. £8.49 in BHF. I can always sell or re-donate it. I probably should have left it, but it would have nagged away at me!

A Black Urban Outfitters skirt. Long thin material with a small brown pattern on it. I recognised the 'UO Offers' tag on it from across the shop and scuttled as fast I could to it! So it is brand new. Label says £42 new, and it had been reduced to £30. I got it for £6 in the Isabel Hospice. So pleased with this. Will be great for work and a total bargain.

Size 14 cover-up from H&M. I say cover-up - it's a dress made of thin cotton. White with a pattern of dots. There is one mark on it but it looks unworn. This is a 14 which will be a bit big on me, but it's for the beach in Bermuda. For £4.50 it will cover me up and I won't worry if I get suncream and sand over it. Isabel hospice shop.

A blue and white vest top with a lovely design of elephants on it. Again for Bermuda. It has 'Large' and 'Made in Cambodia' printed on it; also '100% cotton'. £3, Isabel hospice shop.

A very pretty white top with lace detail by a brand I had never heard of called 'Apricot'. Online suggests their tops retail at £20-30 a go. Great condition, for work or holiday, £3.50 Isabel hospice.

A Green Lamb women's golfing jacket. Do I play golf? Do I even like golf? No. But I have found Green Lamb in TKMaxx before and I think it is designed by Jodie Kidd. This is waterproof, short sleeved, sporty and light. A bit of a punt at £7 so we'll see.

A black, sheer beach cover-up with gold sequins on the neck. Next, £3, for Bermuda, Isabel Hospice shop.

A pink long-sleeved running top by New Balance. I'll get plenty of wear out of this and NB are good quality. £3, Isabel Hospice shop.

A grey and white striped long-sleeve t-shirt by Mint Velvet. Another brand I'd never buy new. This is so soft and in great condition. Casual, for weekend wear. £4.50 Isabel Hospice shop.

I'm exhausted, but delighted. Two of the charity shops in this town were shut (perhaps due to bank holiday staffing issues) - it's probably just as well! I'll definitely be going there again very soon. I spent just over £65 today, but given the Cos top would have cost more than that new on its own, I am not complaining.

Now to spend a happy afternoon getting these washed and out in the sun. Enjoy yourselves!

M100

janb5

Well done on your haul...you`re entirely right about the SE being expensive. I personally avoid the chain charity shops and steer towards the single ones but it sounds as tho` you have found some fantastic bargains.

I`m sure your holiday in Bermuda will be a breeze now you`ve sorted out your holiday wardrobe! Happy hunting!

dolly84

Magpie - I would never criticise what anyone has paid, I am a great believer in sustainable shopping and second hand is the best way, you got some lovely things by the sounds of it and they will add value to your wardrobe.


I've picked up some things today. A red blazer, it's just a Primark one but was BNWT, it is lined, very lightweight, single button and ruched sleeves - £4. A M&S wool and alpaca blend cardigan, balloon sleeves, single button and fancy cable knit detail £6 and finally a TU botanical print summer robe which goes with a chemise I already had £4.


DD got 2 thick paperbacks and a hardback Sherlock Holmes book all three for £1 and a pair of bright yellow Converse high tops for £9.99 - I paid half and will share them with her.

Magpie100

Thanks Jan and Dolly! Dolly - your buys today sound fab, too.

Further updates: the Karen Millen top is dry-clean only (I should have checked first!) but I think will be fine on a delicate wash. I rarely take notice of dry-clean on news clothes, to be honest!

Everything now washed and drying. I haven't washed the Whistles jacket yet; need to have a look at the instructions first.

Pollycat

dolly84 wrote: »

Magpie - I would never criticise what anyone has paid, I am a great believer in sustainable shopping and second hand is the best way, you got some lovely things by the sounds of it and they will add value to your wardrobe.

Neither would I, dolly.

I posted this some time ago:

Pollycat wrote: »

I think if you buy something - regardless of where it's from, what the original price was and how much you paid for it - and you think it's a bargain, then it is a bargain.

So well done, Magpie - you've bought some pretty good brands. :T


Re supermarket brands, I've not bought much F&F but I've got a lot of charity shop TU - another of my old posts:

Pollycat wrote: »

I know I've said this before but TU clothing is really good quality.
I have some jersey tunics and dresses and they match up to Monsoon and Per Una in quality.

Magpie100

Pollycat - I'm sure you're right about Tu - I need to get over my aversion to it and give it a try. I think because I don't generally buy it new I don't have any way to judge the 'value' of the prices being asked in the charity shop for it. Whereas for something more high-end I can generally see the 'value' immediately. Basically I need my 'bargain' hit! :beer:

Owain_Moneysaver

Magpie100 wrote: »

I am sure some of you will reel at the prices I paid

A bright red wool jacket by Royal Mer Bretagne. ... their jackets go for £65-285 pounds. This one is pure wool, I think (it has a woolmark) and I paid £7.95 for it

A pale blue top from Cos (a brand I can never generally afford). Size 10, made of very think good-quality material. £7.99 from BHF.

A Black Urban Outfitters skirt. ... brand new. Label says £42 new, and it had been reduced to £30. I got it for £6

I spent just over £65 today, but given the Cos top would have cost more than that new on its own, I am not complaining.

Indeed not, a £100 jacket for £8 is 8% of new price, a much better bargain than a Primark £1.80 T-shirt at 99p (and quite a few charity shops would put it out at £3!!!)

I think there's much joy to be had when you get a treat that you really really couldn't have afforded/justified new, rather than just picking up something ordinary a bit cheaper than new.

DigForVictory

I suppose market stalls don’t count?
Eldest warned me “dad’s bought Lots of socks!”. No kidding. Berghaus & Brasher seconds, the first I could identify sold as RRP £25.86 & he got 18 pairs at a pound a pair & a nineteenth given as a freebie. Had he been the sort of idiot who pays full whack (& for some, he does) there would have been £450 plus blued!

He’s a bloke, who is a gruesome picky soul about his footwear. Better than an Easter egg!

For me, Denby memories 4 dinner plates & an oval platter for a fiver from a real charity shop. Despite him grousing about the colourroll design....

Miró

DigForVictory wrote: »

I suppose market stalls don’t count?
Eldest warned me “dad’s bought Lots of socks!”. No kidding. Berghaus & Brasher seconds, the first I could identify sold as RRP £25.86 & he got 18 pairs at a pound a pair & a nineteenth given as a freebie. Had he been the sort of idiot who pays full whack (& for some, he does) there would have been £450 plus blued!

Ooooh, bargain! I bought a pair of Brasher walking socks about 8 years ago when I did proper hillwalking. They had the words 'left' and 'right' on the toes. I thought it was a joke til the salesperson informed me that the socks were specially designed with support for the arches and padding specifically for the different toes and therefore the left foot had to go into 'left' sock etc. I paid £15 for them :eek: Mind you they are still going strong today.......