15 Things To Look for in Every Charity Shop – and 3 Things To Leave Behind
Ready to save money by finding the best bargains in your local charity shop?
Here are 15 things that will save you big bucks if you are lucky enough to track them down.
1. Mirrors
Do you have a space on your wall that you want to fill with a big shiny mirror? It could set you back as much as a few hundred pounds!
The charity shops always seem to be full of them, in all different shapes and sizes. Whatever your taste, whatever your decor, you will surely find something to admire yourself in. And it will cost a fraction of the price of a new one.
2. Lampshades
This home decor item doesn’t really take a lot of wear and tear during its’ lifetime. They just dangle from the ceiling, looking pretty. Then you repaint your living room and then they don’t match any more.
If you have your eye on something fancy but can’t stretch your budget to cover it, try your nearest charity shop. If they don’t have anything you like on display, make sure and ask them if they have anything else in storage. There is often a lot of stock hidden away that they haven’t been able to fit onto the shop floor.
3. Kids’ Coats
If you have kids, you will feel this one. They just grow, and grow, like a beanstalk. Every change of the season means a change in their clothing, and last years’ just won’t fit.
The great news is that everyone else’s kids are doing the same thing – and they often do most of their growing just after someone has bought them a good winter coat. If they don’t have a younger sibling to hand it down to, you will find that coat in your charity shop and save yourself massive money every winter. And on that same note…
4. Kids’ Uniforms
With everyone feeling the financial strain lately, there has been a huge increase in second-hand uniform shopping among parents.
It’s hardly surprising; a blazer alone can cost over £100, which puts a large dent in anyone’s budget.
Some schools are actively encouraging uniform swap shops every September, where you could pick up your kids next jumper or blazer free of charge and drop off anything your littles have outgrown too.
If your school doesn’t do this, head down to your nearest charity shop and ask them what they have; often the donated uniforms are sorted into the relevant schools and are sitting there just waiting to be collected.
As clothing goes, uniforms certainly take a lot of wear and tear. We have had our share of torn knees and paint-stained shirts. If you find them in good condition second-hand, not only will you save money but you will also be infinitely less annoyed when the kids come home in the second week of term with yellow paint all over themselves.
5. Storage solutions
We all have a lot of stuff, and we all need places to put that stuff.
But have you seen how expensive some storage boxes and baskets can be?
If you don’t want to sell everything you own to buy storage – and then have nothing left to put in it – check out the charity shops. You can often find outgrown toy boxes, beautiful wicker baskets, and even those puffy vintage footstools that open up to hide things inside. Lovely!
6. Books
Even the most booky book-lover that ever booked a book will eventually run out of room in their home and need to have a clear-out. This means that most charity shops are inundated with books, and will give them away for next to nothing.
You could find a copy of the latest best-seller in perfect condition for as little as 30p – and when you are finished, you can re-donate and find another one.
7. Fancy-pants dresses and suits
If you are anything like us, an invite to a special occasion is (lovely, of course, but also) a potential budget-buster.
It can be incredibly expensive to get everyone kitted out and looking presentable. While men might get away with dusting off the same suit year after year, women have a harder time re-using outfits.
As a result, lots of people donate their fancy wedding-guest outfits after the occasion, knowing they will not wear them again.
If you have enough time before the event to trawl the charity shops, you could find your special occasion wear for a few pounds, rather than a few hundred.
8. Ties
On a similar note, if you are a man who wants to freshen up his office wardrobe with some new ties, check out the charity shops. You could find just what you are looking for for as little as a pound. You might even strike it lucky with something vintage and fabulous. They really knew how to wear ties in the 70s.
9. Frames and Wall Art
The charity shops are often full of artwork, just piled up unloved in a corner. It is always worth a look; you could either find the piece of beautiful art that your living room wall has been waiting for, or find a beautiful frame that you can use on something you already have.
10. Cookware
When I first moved out on my own, I bought myself a set of cheap saucepans with my limited budget. When I say they were cheap, they were really, really cheap. I’m not really much of a cook, but it didn’t take many beans-on-toasts for the handles to start falling off and the non-stick to come unstuck.
If I had known then what I know now, I would have been straight down to the nearest charity shop to find myself some proper pots and pans.
The big, heavy, solid type cookware that everyone’s granny used to use was built to last, and if you can find those, pick them up. You will have them for life!
11. Decorations
Do you know what has just come back into fashion again?
Those 70s and 80s style shiny foil or tissue paper garlands that we all used to hang from our ceilings at Christmas.
Christmas decor never used to be a “trend” thing. We didn’t do themes, or colour schemes, or “muted,” or “tasteful,” or “understated.”
If you had a black Christmas tree, it was because the fairly lights got too hot and set it on fire.
Now, though, Christmas trends come and go, and a lot of people love to change their decor every year.
What does this mean for you?
It means that if you need decorations, your nearest charity shop probably have boxes full of them for you to rummage through – and you could deck the halls of your house for pennies, rather than pounds.
12. Printer Ink Cartdridges
It is a shameful fact that it is sometimes cheaper to buy a new printer than it is to buy the ink that goes into it.
If you find yourself low on cyan blue (why does cyan blue always go first?) check out your charity shop before you splash out on expensive cartridges.
They can often be found for juat a few pounds, meaning a huge saving for you.
Top tip – take a photo on your phone before you leave the house of the exact type and number of cartridge that you need, so that you know if you have found the right one before you buy it.
13. Sports gear
If you or one of the kids is taking up a new sport, check out the charity shop s for any of the equipment that you will need.
Getting kitted out for a new hobby can be really expensive, and if you aren’t even sure that you will stick at it, that can be very off-putting.
You can find anything from flippers to dumbbells, riding boots to boxing gloves, all for a fraction of the price they would cost brand new.
14. Toiletries
Unwanted birthday and Christmas gifts often get donated, and end up on the shelves of the charity shop.
You could find your favourite perfume or fancy hand-cream, unopened and going cheap. Save massive money and smell amazing – win-win.
15. Reusable Nappies
This one can save you an absolute fortune.
Reusable nappies are becoming a more popular choice among parents today. We loved the basic old-style terry square with a cover, but there are many different designs and systems on the market now. The choice can be overwhelming, and unfortunately the costs can rise with each new nappy system that you try out.
Find a nappy library near you, and you can borrow different nappy types to figure out what will work for you. Check out the Nappy Lady with all of your questions and queries – and most importantly of all, if you are lucky enough to come across a bundle of reusable nappies in the charity shop, do pick them up! You could save yourself a lot of money.
And 3 Things we Never Pick Up…
1. Any kind of Helmet or Protective Head Gear
It might be tempting when you come across an absolute bargain, but these things are designed for one impact only.
If you are looking at a second-hand helmet, you have no idea how many knocks it has taken in its’ lifetime. Even a fairly innocent drop can compromise the integrity of the helmet, meaning you may as well not be wearing one at all.
It’s just not worth the risk.
2. Infant Car Seats
This, for the same reason as the helmets. If you don’t know the history of the car seat, you don’t know how safe it is for your child.
Also, the safety regulations keep changing every few years, which means an older car seat might have outdated safety features. Too scary.
3. Cot or Moses Basket Mattresses
I will happily buy a second hand cot or moses basket. Babies are expensive and if you can save money with second hand, I’m all for it.
But the recommendation is now that each new baby gets a brand new mattress with all of the relevant, up-to-date safety checks done.
The great news is, if you can save yourself a bit of money by buying all of your other baby equipment second hand, you will have more left in your baby budget to splash out on a brand new mattress.
Finally
Second hand shopping isn’t just about saving money on your clothes. There are places all around your home that can also benefit from thrifted treasure. Every time we go into a charity shop, we are on the lookout for these 15 items, because they will always be used and finding them will always save us money.
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