101 things you've bought from charity shops/thrift stores

[Nomada]

Hmmm, lemme see.........most of my clothes, including a beautiful cape coat (was brand new too, still had tags on), some outdoor clothes such as a micro fleece. When I started my new job I'd been working in a place where you could wear anything just as long as it wasn't dangerous to wear in the lab so when I neded office wear I got trousers, bloses and some nice dresses for work too dirt cheap. Oddly enough, never a pair of shoes...not much of a shoe person really.

Also, has anyone ever been to a clothes swapping event? My workplace had one last year and it was great, I got some really nice second hand clothes and a fabulous baker boy hat. The left over clothes are donated to a charity shop.
Most of our furniture is from the charity shop, we found a coffee table, our wardrobes and chest of drawers and a welsh dresser are from various charity shops here.

Our council runs a service called bulky bobs that collects unwanted furniture and electricals and refurbishes it. Then they sell it really cheaply and even cheaper than that if you are on benefits so it recylces the stuff and makes it available to people who might not be able to afford stuff like fridges and washing machines brand new. We've bought furniture and our fridge freezer came from there. its awesome, our fridge even came with a gaurantee.

And I also buy bits like books, kitchen items like my scales, occasionally antiques which my dad likes to recive as gifts and wool and fabrics before. At the end of last year I found a gorgeous celtic knot silver hair clip for 99p that's one of the few that can hold all of this raggedy uncontollable hair I've got. Ages ago, I also found my bloke a really awesome drinking horn, I think it was from a highland cow or something!

[Arbor]

I have bought many things at Car Boots over the years. I once bought a Crisp making machine for £1. It was an amazing machine. You pushed potato or other vegetables through a cutting blade to make thin slices. This then went into a vat of hot oil and was cooked into crisps.
To be fair it stunk the house out as well as adding inches to the waistline but the crisps were deliciously calorific.
It was eventually recycled at a car boot when we decided that it wasn't the healthiest purchase that we had ever made.

[wildbee]

Old knitting machine £25 (just found a youtube video that shows you how to make socks on one)
Mid length rabbit fur coat £7 (!)
Brand new genuine leather clarks boots £3
Handspun/woven organic cotton shirt 50p
Real leather indie handbag £1
Really warm handknitted cotton men's jumpers £6(!)
Pretty much all of my clothes
Knitting needles

... some broken old cameras for £8 :/

[Henwoman]

On my last visit to the UK, 19 paperbacks, a brand new action man type doll for my grandson and a set of blue glasses - I love blue.

[mrsflibble]

3 x really crappy wooden frames for 75p. one was repainted as a new frame, one covered with crochet made from sari fabric and one became a jewelry hanger.

[skinnimini]

I bought a dress the other day, it was on the bargain rail outside the front of the shop, for £1.

[battybird]

Just recently found an Aladdin 23 oil lamp for £10...really only needed the chimney but they are really expensive (about £20+) so was very happy to have the whole thing...working as well. And can get replacement parts easily...wicks, mantles etc. It gives a lovely light with a bonus of heat too!

[indy]

All of my beloved books, all my clothes, a coal shovel a recipe book holder and a miriad of other nonsenses that have served me brilliantly

[chickenchargrill]

Over the past two days I have spent £30 on goodies, that if new would have set me back nearly £250.

5 Denby dinner plates from a charity shop.
1 saucepan - Meyer. Not sure it would have been worth the £35 new, but it's clean and works.
And a medium-sized old, proper rocking horse.

I did see a big Rumtopf jar for £3 which I was very tempted by too, but couldn't carry. Might see if it's still there tomorrow.

[spider8]

I look out for wire cooling racks for baking as I put them over planters that have seedling in and then the pesky but lovely birds can't rootle them all up . I do have a love of coloured glass but I've got to be strict now and it's got to be a stunner for me to buy it........I think that even if I won the lottery big-time I'd still go looking in the charity shops.

[chickenchargrill]

I think that even if I won the lottery big-time I'd still go looking in the charity shops.

Me too, I've had so many great things from charity shops and second-hand furniture places, I don't think I could face paying new prices for stuff. I've also bought a washer today, when my dad found out I was going to be getting one this month he told me about how he'd seen these 'cheap' ones for £190. I think he thought I was mad expecting to find one for under 100.

[wabbit955]

just about everthing at one time or another
best but got to be my 1920 solid oak table chairs and side board
that was 25 years ago and still going strong