Fashion
I’m a charity shop pro & buying all my ‘Thriftmas’ gifts secondhand but I’m keeping the £50 necklace I nabbed for £2.50
SHE’S no stranger to finding bargains in the charity shop.
So when it comes to buying Christmas presents, Caroline is all about enjoying a good ‘Thriftmas’ – and buys as many secondhand gifts as she can.
Caroline was immediately intrigued when she spotted this little box on one of her charity shop huntstiktok.com/@caroline.shops
tiktok.com/@caroline.shopsWhen she opened it, she found a sterling silver necklace that looked like it should have been sold for around £50[/caption]
She zoomed in to show the sterling silver markings and the CZ letters for Cubic Zirconiatiktok.com/@caroline.shops
But that also means that, on occasion, she’ll find an item she has no choice but to treat herself to.
In a video on her TikTok page, Caroline explained she’d found a “humdinger” during a hunt at her local charity shop.
“This little find is part of my Thriftmas series,” she said.
“On the lead up to Christmas I’m going around charity shops, I am rummaging through jumble sales and I’m scrolling the likes of Vinted to find second-hand gifts for people for Christmas.”
It was when she went into a charity shop in Ditchingham in Norfolk where she spotted a little jewellery box marked up for £2.50.
When she opened it, she quickly realised its contents were worth a lot more – and spotted a sterling silver hallmark, and CZ, meaning Cubic Zirconia, on the back of the necklace.
It even looked like Pandora’s much-loved Circle of Sparkle necklace.
And while she was somewhat disappointed that it turned out not to be a Pandora, she was still thrilled with her find.
“You’d be looking to pay for something like this for any kind of brand between possibly £20 and £50,” she added.
“So who am I going to give this to at Christmas time? Well, let me tell you, I’m giving it to myself!
“I saw this and I instantly fell in love with it and I thought what an amazing gift idea for Christmas.
“But then I thought we should be treating ourselves at Thriftmas as well.
“So I’m keeping that for me.”
“What a find!” Caroline added in the video caption.
People in the comments were quick to weigh in, with one writing: “Bargain – I found the Pandora hoop earrings with hearts for £1.50 -has the correct hallmarks too!”
“I love charity shops,” another gushed.
Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis’s charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity’s Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, as it’ll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels – Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn’t sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home – While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.
“I recently found a Canada Goose jacket in my local PDSA.
“I paid £40 – saved over a thousand pounds.”
“Sitting during the video thinking ‘if Caroline doesn’t keep that for herself’ and then you did!” a third laughed.
“Quite right too. It’s perfect for you!”
“Absolutely treat yourself, great find,” someone else agreed.
While another wrote: “It’s so pretty. I would love that for Christmas. You are right we should treat ourselves!
tiktok.com/@caroline.shopsCaroline concluded her video by showing herself wearing the necklace[/caption]
SHE’S no stranger to finding bargains in the charity shop.
So when it comes to buying Christmas presents, Caroline is all about enjoying a good ‘Thriftmas’ – and buys as many secondhand gifts as she can.
Caroline was immediately intrigued when she spotted this little box on one of her charity shop huntstiktok.com/@caroline.shops
tiktok.com/@caroline.shopsWhen she opened it, she found a sterling silver necklace that looked like it should have been sold for around £50[/caption]
She zoomed in to show the sterling silver markings and the CZ letters for Cubic Zirconiatiktok.com/@caroline.shops
But that also means that, on occasion, she’ll find an item she has no choice but to treat herself to.
In a video on her TikTok page, Caroline explained she’d found a “humdinger” during a hunt at her local charity shop.
“This little find is part of my Thriftmas series,” she said.
“On the lead up to Christmas I’m going around charity shops, I am rummaging through jumble sales and I’m scrolling the likes of Vinted to find second-hand gifts for people for Christmas.”
It was when she went into a charity shop in Ditchingham in Norfolk where she spotted a little jewellery box marked up for £2.50.
When she opened it, she quickly realised its contents were worth a lot more – and spotted a sterling silver hallmark, and CZ, meaning Cubic Zirconia, on the back of the necklace.
It even looked like Pandora’s much-loved Circle of Sparkle necklace.
And while she was somewhat disappointed that it turned out not to be a Pandora, she was still thrilled with her find.
“You’d be looking to pay for something like this for any kind of brand between possibly £20 and £50,” she added.
“So who am I going to give this to at Christmas time? Well, let me tell you, I’m giving it to myself!
“I saw this and I instantly fell in love with it and I thought what an amazing gift idea for Christmas.
“But then I thought we should be treating ourselves at Thriftmas as well.
“So I’m keeping that for me.”
“What a find!” Caroline added in the video caption.
People in the comments were quick to weigh in, with one writing: “Bargain – I found the Pandora hoop earrings with hearts for £1.50 -has the correct hallmarks too!”
“I love charity shops,” another gushed.
Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis’s charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity’s Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, as it’ll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels – Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn’t sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home – While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.
“I recently found a Canada Goose jacket in my local PDSA.
“I paid £40 – saved over a thousand pounds.”
“Sitting during the video thinking ‘if Caroline doesn’t keep that for herself’ and then you did!” a third laughed.
“Quite right too. It’s perfect for you!”
“Absolutely treat yourself, great find,” someone else agreed.
While another wrote: “It’s so pretty. I would love that for Christmas. You are right we should treat ourselves!
tiktok.com/@caroline.shopsCaroline concluded her video by showing herself wearing the necklace[/caption]Fashion – Latest Style News And Fabulous Trends | The Sun
