... and Why You Should Shop at Them More Often!
Ah, the charity shop! I have four where I live, meaning there is quadruple the chance of finding a hidden gem :) A great place to give your old things to, today I'm going to chat a little about why I love buying the things people donate...
Some of my favourite pieces of clothing are from there!
I have had these jeans for donkey's years. Never worked out where they were originally from. as they're label-less, but they have served me well on our adventures together. They were also a charity shop bargain at under a tenner if I remember correctly! One of the joys of charity shops is that low cost can equal quality as everything is profit for them, where as with clothing companies it costs them more for things to be made to a better standard. Talking of which...
You can buy designer, cheap!
I once saw a mini Burberry bag for a fiver. I repeat, I once saw a mini Burberry bag for a fiver. I had no need for it so didn't buy it, but I mean, who's bright idea was that! The charity could have made a lot of dough from that item! However, from chatting to my Mum, who works at a charity shop, over the years, I have come to understand that they may feel they can only really price things to a certain extent as people come in expecting things to be cheap. And to be fair, it was tiny. So there you go, if you look hard enough you can find really decent bargains :)
You can use the money you save for alterations!
I tried on the above skirt the other day and fell in love with the pattern. However, it was too tight and long on me so I ended up not buying it 😠However, had there been enough seam allowance left over on either side to let it out, I would have probably bought it and had it edited. This is one of the fab things about buying clothes from charity shops: even though there is only one of everything, if you find something you love that doesn't fit, because they are normally cheap you can use the money you saved to have them altered to fit you :)
They are great for setting up home
Along with all the knick knacks they sell, more and more charity shops are branching out and selling furniture. This means that you could quite easily furnish your home when you are short of cash. From second hand kitchen utensils (though of course with kitchen things, some stuff should really be bought new), to an arm chair for the living room, you could save a tonne of money this way (which is always useful when trying to pay off a morgage!). In fact I know of someone who furnished most of his house from a British Red Cross charity shop, so it really is possible :)
You're donating to charity...
...whilst getting something in return! I've left the most obvious point to last (mainly because it was so obvious, that I almost forgot to add it as a point 😂). If I haven't already convinced you to head to your local charity shop, then I hope the incentive of doing good through treating yourself is enough- who knows what gems you might find in the process?!
What's the best thing you have ever found in a charity shop?
June xx
