Being a tight Scotsman with deep pockets and short arms, I am a regular visitor to local charity shops.

More so since I have been losing so much weight - I had no clothes left which fitted, so the shops have been getting donations as well as purchases. I still have a bit of weight loss to go, so I don't want to spend a fortune on clothes.

Bear in mind that my waist has gone down from 40ish to 32 !

Many of the clothes are brand new - people grow out of them, or discover they don't like them.

Best bargains so far

A brand new grey 3/4 Crombie Coat for £25 - cost new £500 or so
A dark grey Calvin Klein suit £19.99 - not sure of the new price, but I'm guessing a couple of hundred quid.

I'm also wearing a virtually new pair of Lee Cooper denims, new price £40 which I got for £3.99.

I also regularly buy books there, and return them when I have finished. I'm reading one at the moment on 'nutrition' (of course)

Bargain

Anyone else trawl the charity shops?

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Nope, I must admit I have a silly aversion to them. But I haven't really bought any new clothes for about 15 months now anyway

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I admit there is a lot of stuff in them that I wouldn't go near - old worn out stuff. But you sure can pick up some bargains.

I even got a brand new (still with label on) pair of M & S trousers. label price £19.99, Oxfam price £4.99.

Best ones are in 'upmarket' areas. I was in one in Scotland after our log cabin trip.

The lady in the shop said she would never have dreamed of shopping in charity shops (snobby), until she started working there; now she rarely shops anywhere else.

Crombie coats

Look at the retail price of my £25 coat ! I don't think it had ever been worn - dead man's clothes maybe

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I can't do charity but do not mind second hand

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and the difference would be?

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i've never bought anything from a charity shop. it's hard enough finding stuff i like in proper shops.

i donate to charity shops though. just the other week i donated my dead uncles crombie coat... he had the ebola virus.

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big!

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I never buy from charity shops, but recently I have donated a fair few things: three or four old suits, a whole load of t-shirts (one new All Saints top, still with the £35 price tag in it, that I got from a clearance sale in Brighton for a fiver - someone will think they are getting a bargain when they pay £3 for it!! haha), some crappy old tat from my cupboards at home, and Xmas pressies my Mum had got from kids at work. There must have been about 4 bin bags worth in total.

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i read that as "a second hand"

i thought you were being rude!

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I have never bought clothes from one (other than for fancy dress), but I have bought plenty of books - probably more than 50 over the years.

I donate lots of stuff too.

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