Saturday 19 October 2013

A little bit of luck.

As I mentioned in my first post, I've recently left my job. Prior to that, I've probably worked every Saturday, bar about three, since I was sixteen. I'm still getting used to having weekdays and weekends be different things again so in celebration, I decided to do what most other people do on a Saturday - shop! 

One of my favourite charity shops is Barnardo's in Droylsden which is just about walking distance from my flat. If you're a charity shop fan, you may have noticed the clever strategy which Barnardo's have adopted; in some stores, items are a fixed price. I mentioned the shop in Cheadle in a previous post where everything is £1.99 - well, Droylsden have gone one better - everything is 99p. The shop is essentially a big warehouse which, I think, stores out-of-season stock for other Manchester Bardnardo's branches, with a relatively small sales floor. The stock there is unusual. I've worked extensively in charity shops before and much of it wouldn't pass most charity shop's sorting spec ie. it's got marks on or is bobbly. It's not everyone's cup of tea to have to root through to find a gem but it's what I love in these types of shop. Many of the garments I've bought from there just need a wash and they're perfect but other shops would have thrown them out. Personally, I think Barnardo's are onto a great thing selling these items for rock-bottom prices and only once have I walked out without a purchase.

Here's what I bought today:

Limited Collection at Marks & Spencer part-mohair jumper
Topshop Leigh jeans
I couldn't decide on this coat at first. The inside of the hood was a little grubby but for 99p, I chanced that it would come up clean in the wash.


This is the bizarre purchase of the day. I got held up at the till by a lady trying to squeeze a huge nativity scene into a tiny bag and this little chap was in a box with about twenty of his clown-friends. I don't know what I'm going to do with him or where he's going to go but I felt a bit sorry for him and he's so unusual, I just had to have him. 

On the way back, I discovered a new shop called C.O.T.E which is a community association shop. It was absolutely full to bursting with really good value bric-a-brac. I bought this little silver crown plate and small cake stand, along with a blue tassle-detail jumper.


What do you think of my purchases? Leave me a comment or drop me an email. 

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Manic Monday

On Sunday evening, I made a plan of what I was going to do on Monday; it involved getting up early and really utilising all the hours in the day. Since leaving my job, my body clock has been messed up and I ended up waking up as most people would be contemplating an early lunch. Not wanting to waste anymore of the day, I quickly got ready and tried to follow the plan as best as I could with the lost hours.

My first stop was Stockport. I've only actually been to Stockport once before - I've only ever travelled through it on the way to London - but it has a decent range of shops, both charity and other retailers. My first purchase was this burnt orange knit. It was on the vintage section in Cancer Research and I paid £4 for it. It's one of those items which obviously isn't truly vintage, more vintage-style. It's actually a ladies size large but the colour of it really attracted me and I think it could work worn as a dress with thick, black tights and boots for the winter.


My next purchase was this small piggy bank for £1.50 from St Ann's Hospice. I've briefly touched on my pig collection previously - basically, it's becoming out of control! I'm trying to cut down on my pig expenditure but I just couldn't resist this one's face - he looks so sad. He's one of the old style banks which doesn't have a stopper in the bottom -people would just smash them when they were full. The thought of someone taking him home and potentially smashing him, made me shudder so I had to save him. He was also on the 'vintage' section which is quite small but well presented, in one of the upstairs rooms of the shop.


Next, I went to Cheadle, which is about a 20 minute bus ride from Stockport. It's actually quite a well-known place in charity circles as the area is quite affluent and some of the actresses from Coronation Street have been known to shop there, though this is only rumour, I've never seen any myself! The first shop I went in was another St. Ann's Hospice which also had a vintage section. Now this shop is really special. I'm hoping to do a complete blog post on it with the backing of the charity so I won't spoil that but if you're in the area, it's worth a look.

The next shop down is Barnardo's. There's two very different Barnado's shops on the same road; one is completely vintage and one is a £1.99 shop. Yes, EVERYTHING is £1.99. The first thing I saw was a cream-coloured jumper with visible zip-back detailing. I'm going through somewhat of a jumper obsession at the moment and this was the perfect new addition as I have nothing in this colour.


I also purchased these black boots with gold detailing and block heel. They're from River Island and they're absolutely immaculate. And they were £1.99. At that price, they really were the purchase of the day. They're a little more round-of-toe than I would usually like but they're super comfortable and again, perfect for winter - maybe even with my new orange jumper-dress.


And that was it. Not the busiest day purchase-wise but I really genuinely love everything I bought and I still had change from a £10 note!


Monday 7 October 2013

All that glitters.

I've built up a vast collection of jewellery over the past few years, most of which I've accumulated from charity shops as high street collections are becoming increasingly expensive. The cabinets are usually the first things I look at when I go into a shop as you can normally find some beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces without spending more than a few pounds.

Here are a few of my most recent acquisitions.



I have tiny fingers and can rarely find rings to fit. These two I bought in Age UK in Stockport for £1.49 each. They're fairly simple and not too big so perfect for every day wear.


This silver-coloured bracelet was only 60p from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation shop in Cheadle. I bought it about a month ago and have never taken it off so the cost per wear is minute! I'm really impressed as the metal hasn't become discoloured or rusted at all yet. Like the rings, it's perfect for every day wear and it gets a fair few compliments!


This lovely brooch was 99p. I always struggle with how to wear a brooch without it looking old fashioned but I couldn't resist this beauty. I love the blue of the stone and am hoping to turn it into a necklace!


Also 99p was this beautiful mirrored necklace on a silver coloured chain. 



Probably one of my most impressive bargains; this was from PDSA in Blackpool. It's a discontinued Citizen Eco-Drive and retails at approximately £150-200. I paid just £20 for it which is more than I would usually spend on something in a charity shop but I've never owned a watch that I've really loved and not forgotten to put on after a few days. I'll have a problem when the battery dies and I can't get a replacement but it's beautiful enough to just wear as a piece of jewellery!

So, as my collection continues to expand, storage becomes a problem! I bought the beautiful ring holder below for £2 in Cancer Research, Stockport. Their vintage section is only small but contains some real gems and they present the stock well for the space given to it.

Last night, I finally got round to making use of the glass dish I blogged about in my last post. This is just a small fraction of my collection. I'm thinking I might have to be ruthless and send some back to the charity shop for someone else to love!



What's been the best piece of jewellery you've picked up from a charity shop? Leave me a comment.



Friday 4 October 2013

216, 330.


The problem with living in a big city like Manchester, is that none of the city's charity shops are central.  Obviously, rents are high in town centres - so much so only the 'big players' in retail can afford to rent the vacant units.

To get a bargain, you need to travel. 

On Tuesday, I visited Hyde which is about 7 miles East of the city centre, in Tameside.
I chose Hyde mainly because I knew it had some shops for charities which are less well known, alongside the usual Cancer Research and British Heart Foundation. It's not that I don't buy from the well known shops, it's just I've found that they seem to be moving to a more corporate, business-like image and sometimes I just want a root! They're also usually a bit cheaper.

This is what I bought:



These two pairs of boots were both from the British Red Cross and were £2.99 each. I hardly ever go looking for something in particular but a good pair of boots are a must with British winters. I also bought an immaculate black, calf-length pair, originally from Nine West where they retailed for something ridiculous. They were £5.99. In addition to those, I got this beautiful vintage-inspired necklace for £1.99.


Next was the Tameside Animal Shelter shop which was just the type of shop I was looking for. Like a jumble sale, everything was boxed and piled up in no sort of order. I found this gorgeous vintage leather purse and glass dish. I think I'll be using the dish for storing jewellery but not 100% on that yet.


Do you live in Manchester and know of any good charity shopping areas? I'd also be interested to know other people's views on smaller v. larger charities and the way some charities are changing the way they operate their retail divisions to become more 'high street'. 

Leave me a comment.

Thursday 3 October 2013

Number One

This blog is something I've been wanting to do for a while and having walked out of the workplace which has been making me miserable for the last nine months for the last time yesterday, I now have the time to dedicate to getting it started.

As you can see from the bio, this blog will be detailing 'my adventures in the land of the second hand'. I started shopping in charity shops in my lunch breaks at college in 2005 and over the years my love affair has only grown with my increasing lack of expendable income. 

My favourite things to shop for are:

Clothing - Charity shops are a great place to find one-of-a-kind vintage items in addition to cheaper current season pieces.
Jewellery - I'm a real lover of a statement piece of costume jewellery. 
Things for the home - My home is littered with all sort of useless decorations including a vast collection of pigs.

I will in time be building a Twitter for the blog but for the moment you can follow me on Instagram - charityshopgold.