Getting the Most out of Charity Shops

Many readers will know that I am a charity shop addict (I think they are known as thrift stores in the USA). I thought it would be helpful if I gave a few tips on how I find I get the most out of my charity shop expeditions!

1) Visit regularly - at least four times each week;

2) Find out if rails are re-stocked at set times and, if so, time your visits just afterwards;

3) Get to know the volunteers - they will often be pleased to have a chat and if you let them know your interests e.g. vintage style, they will tell you if something of interest has been donated;

4) Be prepared to search thoroughly through the rails each time you visit. You may not find anything of interest 9 times out of 10 but then you might just find a designer item in your size for a few pounds!

5) After a set number of weeks at full price, items are reduced to half price and then to £1. Slightly faulty garments are also placed on the £1 rail. I always search through the reduced items as even if they don't fit perfectly they can be altered, repaired or even made into a different item.

 

If you have any charity shop tips, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Alterations Complete

These are the trousers that I bought recently in a local charity shop. I needed to reduce the leg length slightly and I managed to complete the task last week. These trousers will be ideal for wearing to work if we get a cold winter as the material is thicker (a woollen blend) than my other trousers which I wear to work.

Before anyone comments, I will ensure that I wear a jacket or tunic top when wearing these trousers in public as I am still very self conscious at showing my bottom in public due to my modesty standards. Do other Christian ladies feel self conscious in this way when wearing trousers?

Some Recent Bargains

I thought I would do a quick post on some recent bargains I have been lucky enough to find in charity shops

 

This skirt cost £2.50 and I wore it several times to work before the weather started to get cooler. It has a vintage feel to it and I got quite a few complimentary comments from my colleagues.

 

I have also managed to find a pair of  trousers for £3.50 in a thicker woollen mix fabric which will be nice and warm for the winter. They are quite modest in style which is important to me and I will post a picture as soon as I have carried out a minor alteration to the leg length.