What do you think of buying clothes from charity shops, and also buying supermarkets own brand food?
March 1, 2010 - 11:32 am
I am really struggling for money at the moment, so need to REALLY limit the amount that i spend.
What do you think about buying SOME clothes for me and my kids from charity shops?Do you think its skanky, or ok?
The same goes for own brand food from supermarkets?
There’s nothing wrong with buying used clothes.
A lot of them look brand new anyway 
Where I shop, the supermarkets brand food is actually very good. You can’t tell the difference sometimes.
March 1st, 2010 at 4:49 pm
There’s nothing wrong with buying used clothes.
A lot of them look brand new anyway
Where I shop, the supermarkets brand food is actually very good. You can’t tell the difference sometimes.
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March 1st, 2010 at 5:00 pm
you need to stop worrying about what other people think.
I buy all my clothes from primark
Why pay £ 30 for a top in river island when you can get a whole bag of clothes from there.for same price..
Everyone has budgets ……………
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March 1st, 2010 at 5:28 pm
It’s perfectly okay. Although, I’ve found that places like Ross, Marshals, and Target have new, well made clothes for about the same price.
I’m not sure about all supermarket brand foods but we have HEB’s in Texas and their brand name food is awesome (most things anyway).
Besides, who cares what others think!
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March 1st, 2010 at 6:11 pm
absolutely no reason why not-who knows!
it is sad that today-it seems to matter!
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March 1st, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Its ok, who will know? AS for the food as long as it not the VALUE range, its ok, I found that Sainsbury’s own brand is pretty good
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March 1st, 2010 at 6:36 pm
go for it! Most mommies I know shop that way.you can get decent clothes that are like new…no one can tell. And store brands are often the same products…you can’t tell. I actully do not know many moms who Do buy all brand name !
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March 1st, 2010 at 7:08 pm
There is nothing skanky about it at all. "Charity" shops do have good clothes. But just be sure to look for stains and holes and whatnot. A lot of people shop for things there, at both of these places. It doesn’t make them skanky or bad or whatever.
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March 1st, 2010 at 7:15 pm
I wouldn’t buy clothes from good will (or charity shops) just because I am not THAT bad off and I always buy clothes on sale for all of us and I figure there are people who need it more, if you get coupons and shop at cheaper stores you can get good deals on new clothes.
However buying generic brands in the store, well I used to be kind of picky about it and wouldn’t buy generic but now I buy a lot of generic stuff, it really does save a lot of money. There are some things I won’t, like cereal because I like certain brands but if it’s like canned tomatoes or something I will buy the generic.
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March 1st, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Who cares what clothes you have as long as you have some? It’s not like you’ll be boasting about it.
As for the food thing- when you buy brand name items, you know you’re just paying for the brand, right?
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March 1st, 2010 at 8:01 pm
When my son was really young, we struggled for money in a big way, so I bought all his clothes, other than the couple of "going out" outfits I had, from charity shops.
With regard to supermarket brand foods, I try to avoid them. Here in Australia, we have a supermarket monopoly and I believe the brand names are perpetuating that. Many of the own brand foods are putting local businesses out of business because they are importing the foods and labour. So I try to buy locally made and manufactured products. It is just my little statement and making my personal effort. However, I guess it depends where you live and what own brand foods are available. I just read my labels carefully.
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March 1st, 2010 at 8:31 pm
There’s nothing wrong with buying supermarket value brand, I do it all the time because a lot of things don’t seem to even change in quality from the branded products.
Also with charity shops, I doubt anyone’s ever going to know so no-one’s going to judge you but even if they did, it’s a pretty normal thing to do. Personally I’ve got a weird thing about second hand clothes (I think because I was the first child born into my mum’s friendship group so I never had any hand-me-downs), so I feel weird about using charity shops, but I wouldn’t find it weird that other people did.
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March 1st, 2010 at 8:54 pm
I have saved thousands of dollars buying used before. It’s not skanky, it’s smart.
My homes are tastefully decorated with antique furniture that I couldn’t ever begin to afford to buy a similar style new. I bought a used car at an auction, have been driving it for 2 years, and just got done with a 2 week tour of the coast a few months ago in it.
No one will know where you’re getting stuff if you don’t tell them. Also, some store brand food are great, and others not so great. Read labels, compare prices, because sometimes they aren’t the better bargain.
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I have 2 homes, 3 vehicles, a business, a wonderful family, and so many things, because I learned to be thrifty when I was younger. And, that’s thrifty, not stingy and NEVER skanky.
March 1st, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Buying used clothes is not a bad thing!!
The only difference between supermarket brand and name brand is the name. You can not taste the difference except in things like pop.
The food channel did a special about supermarket brands and I was surprised to learn that they are made at the same shops as name brand!!
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March 1st, 2010 at 9:55 pm
If buying clothes and food on a budget means providing necessities for your family then i think it is ok. Just be sure to wash the clothes well before use. I would also suggest buying only clothing, not undergarments, towels, bedsheets etc. I find that most home brand food is actually better than the expensive brands. Goodluck
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March 1st, 2010 at 10:40 pm
you are kidding right?
sigh
skanky means some one who is nasty sexually
not some one who makes correct spending decisions
you have children (plural )?
maybe you are a 13 year doing research for a school paper
i will hope for that
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March 1st, 2010 at 11:10 pm
If it helps you stay in your budget there is no problem ~ because children grow so quick you get great bargains in the charity shops and for yourself too ~ The own brand food is fine and if you have a freezer stock up on 2 for 1 bargains ~
Good luck
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March 1st, 2010 at 11:52 pm
its not skanky, you do what you need to do. were doing ok right now and i STILL buy store brand alot, sometimes they are even better then the name brands….or at least WE like them better. clothes from charity shops are fine, especially for children, they dont wear them any time and they grow out of them ,they arent hurt, are still in new condition lots of times. my kids wear alot of second hand clothes. most times you cant tell they are even second hand.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 12:33 am
Why would there be anything wrong with it? You need to buy within your means. If you cant afford Prada then buy what you can afford. If that means charity shops so be it. Nobody is jusging you by what you spend on an outfit or what brand of pasta you are buying.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 12:39 am
I always buy Value range food and supermarkets, it saves about £20 a week i think.. Also my auntie, has always, and always will buy clothes from a charity shop. Nothing wrong with it at all.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 1:21 am
I shop at the thrift store for myself all the time (there’s one across the street from my work). I have no shame. You can find some really good clothes down there for cheap. I’ve found plently of $30 shirts for $2..some even with tags on it! I usually don’t buy my kids clothes from there as kids are very messy and most may have stains on them but I did buy my one son 2 pairs of footie pj’s the other day from there.
I also go to K-mart when they have their clearance stuff. At the end of summer, I buy my kids the next summer’s outfits for $2.00 an outfit. Same thing with winter clothes. Right now they have their winter clearance going on. My husband just got probably over $300 worth of clothes for $100 there.
I buy store brand things as well, but not for everything. I’ll buy generic tea bags, sugar, bread, etc…but I still buy Cheerios instead of Toasted Oats (I think toasted oats taste gross).
But to answer your question, YES it is okay to buy from thrift & store brand items! Especially with this economy…you need to save every penny you can.
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<3 Mama of 4 year old Tyler & 14 month old Riley <3
March 2nd, 2010 at 1:38 am
In the past i have give clothes to a charity shop some where brand new.In the past i have also shopped at charity shops.There is nothing wrong with it.Brand named foods also nothing wrong with them i buy all
the veg.Try buying one tin of what you usually buy a brand name of & try it.I found some are not very nice but on the whole there is hardly any difference.Sorry you are on hard times.
Good Luck
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March 2nd, 2010 at 2:28 am
I love charity shops. You find some excellent bargains like the Laura Ashley dress I bouth in there the other day – good as new for £11 and the Next top I bought last Saturday – brand new (it still had the original tag on) for £3.50. If you don’t see anything worth buying then don’t buy it.
Own brand food is good within reason. Some things are not so good i.e. washing up liquid, toilet rolls, ready meals are a big no no but bottled water, lemonade, OJ, butter, vodka, gin, bacardi to name but a few are good.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 2:50 am
There is nothing wrong with buying from second hand stores especially now with the economy the way it is. There are some people that look down on this but I don’t understand why. I took my 11 year old daughter to Goodwill this school year and bought all her clothes there for school. Almost all of them still had the tag and they all looked new. Not to mention they were name brand Levi, Gap, etc, etc.
As for the store bought groceries I almost always buy these brands because they are cheaper and it allows are family to have more money available and in most cases they taste just as good as the name brand or better. Understand that it is no ones business where you buy your items or how you shop but you and your family. In the case with my daughter she did not mind whatsoever, and did not mind when friends asked where she got the cute clothes at she told them at Goodwill. Good luck hope this information helps.
By the way, the clothes I got my daughter was only $55.00 and she got like 14 shirts & 10 pair of jeans.
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life experience.
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:58 am
it doesnt matter if you shop at charity shops you can get loads of realy good stuff that has hardly been used and supermarkets can be great too
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March 2nd, 2010 at 3:41 am
I don’t think there’s a problem with either.
I’ve never bought from a charity shop but friends have got some nice things from there and people often donated new/never worn clothes. Own brand food can often be just as good or even better than branded stuff which is definitely overpriced. I mostly buy own brand.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 4:11 am
I shop at the consignment shops for my son and stepdaughter when money is tight. I don’t care what people think of me and I’m certainly proud of the bargains that I get too! There is nothing wrong with a consignment shop whatsoever. I know half the stuff I donate or have donated may not ever have been worn by my son. Others have been worn once or twice than he outgrew it. So just because it’s consignment, doesn’t make it “dirty” or gross.
As for avoiding name brands, they’re the most expensive anyways, so it’s no biggie to skip over them. Now if you have some coupons for those name brands, then it may be worth buying, but otherwise, stick with what you can afford.
When times are tough, and you have a family to feed, you stop worrying about what other people think and you just DO. Best of luck to you!!
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March 2nd, 2010 at 4:52 am
i always buy asda smartprice my cupboard looks like part of the supermarket haha and ive always shopped in charity shops/carboots etc for clothes for kids and me, spesh for kids coz you know what its like the grow out of them so fast,but i have to say alot of the charity shops round here in lancs are getting very expensive, cheaper in places like primark, peacocks, ethel austinxetcxx
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March 2nd, 2010 at 5:11 am
I have bought plenty of clothes and books from charity shops, no-one knows if I have had it for a while or not. The other point is you can go and buy the items that have never been worn with tags still attached as I do.
I have been buying shops own branded items for years, with some items you are definitely better off buying the more expensive brands for the taste, however with things like cereals you really don’t know the difference.
I started doing this when I was struggling for money a few years back, then stuck to it as I realised that when I did have more money coming in, I could spend more on things like taking my children out rather than named clothes.
Thankfully my children don’t give a hoot about what they wear as long as it is clean.
So don’t feel ashamed, or embarrassed, feel proud that you are no longer tied to worry and guilt by trying to afford things you can’t.
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please note my nickname freebienutter, I have had years of doing exactly what you are thinking of trying
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:33 am
I had a job about 15 years ago, at break time the women would talk about where they shopped and it was always this store, or that store. I would wear something like a shirt or purse, and they would give me a compliment. I would tell them I got it at thrift store, garage sale or wherever. Until I spoke up those people would never admit they shopped those places, and maybe some of them didn’t before. One lady began telling us her bargains, she was proud of finding something new or nearly new for 10% of the store price at a garage sale.Then the others would too. If you think it is skanky, then you probably aren’t going to put much effort into finding something nice. People have been conditioned by the media and glossy magazines to buy,buy,buy until they max their credit cards out. That is what is wrong right now with the economy. People are losing their jobs and still have to pay for the bling they thought they couldn’t live without. As far as store-brand foods, most are manufactured by the same companies as the brand names and the store labels are put on it. There are a few exceptions with quality, but it doesn’t hurt to try it once. I’ve never used a credit card one time in my life, don’t have to worry about debts, and my advice is to be creative with your spending. You aren’t alone because a lot of people are scraping by today.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 6:03 am
no i think your really being mature about this! if your in tough times then you do what you can for you kids and you seem to have a great head upon ur sholders! well done!
Buying clothes from charity shops is nothing to be ashamed about some of the stuff you find in there is brand new or even if you root thru designer! You also have ebay! thats a good source to buy cheeap ANYTHING!
A s for own brand food there a ressision going on so im guessin your probs not the only one buying own brands! but theres nothing different about them they taste exsactly the same! the only thing i cant buy thats own brand is coca cola i just dont feel it tastes the same! (crap pop as peter kay wud say! lol) but you go for it!
Your doing what you need to do! you go for it! well done! u sound like a great mom! x x x your kids will thank you for it! x x x x
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mother of one! AND an avid ebay buyer and own brand consumer! exsept coca cola! x x
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:52 am
Personally i’ve never bought anything from charity shops but i’ve been in a few and they have some good quality stuff , i donate all my children’s used clothes and stuff to Barnado’s and the stuff is always clean and in good condition ,i see it as a way of recycling ,when i was a kid this is where my mum would go and get stuff for us kids or she would go to a good as new sale in the church hall as money was tight when we were growing up so this is how mum managed
,
I normally buy shop own brand stuff if it’s tins or pasta things like that i also buy shop value frozen chicken pieces meat and frozen veg it doesn’t taste any different and if you can add a few special touches to the stuff your family will never notice that it’s shop own label stock your cupboards with spices herbs and stock cubes you’ll notice how they can add something you might think is just normal ,if you can make things from fresh and freeze them this will help i make casserole,stews soup and pies in bulk so when i do my shopping i’ll get a big packet of mince or stewing steak and cook them up and then separate into 3or4 containers and this will last my family for at least 4 weeks think on doing things like this to cut down on waste
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March 2nd, 2010 at 7:23 am
Firstly dont worry about what other people think, we all have budgets we have to stick to and seriously would you rather not eat than put any non branded food in your trolley because of what people would think?
Also not all but some charity stuff is brand new and actually good stuff, my mums friend is really snobby and buys alot of expensive branded clothes and when she dont want them she sends them to the charity shop and most of it shes only worn once or twice.
Primark is worth having a look in as that is just as cheap and thats all new stuff if you really didnt want second hand.
Foodwise i buy the majority of my stuff supermarket own brand, because it does actually save an awful lot of money, the only things that i do buy proper branded stuff are my washing powders and conditioners but only because i have sensitive skin and the supermarket brands iv tried are no good and cat food because the cats are incredibly fussy!
And youd be surprised Aldis own viennesse swirls are lush!
A tip to get extra money in, try doing mystery shop reports, there well worth it.
http://www.retaileyes.co.uk
Tomorrow 30 pound will be going into my account for doing 3 mystery shops for Burger King, Wetherspoons and a coffee shop. and it hasnt cost me a penny!!
Hope this helps!! xxx
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March 2nd, 2010 at 8:07 am
own-brand stuff is fine as long as you like the taste. my kids prefer tesco squash to Robinsons and their own version of marmite to the real thing. Haven’t managed to convince them about the baked beans, though….still has to be heinz!
As for charity shops…for things like coats they’re good, you just need to be prepared to rummage! However, most of the supermarkets do cheap clothing. got my son (who lost his PE kit again) a 75p white t-shirt, a £2 pair of joggers and a £3.50 sweatshirt…all of which he can use to play out in as well.
Don’t worry about what people think. as long as everything’s clean and ironed, it’ll be fine!
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mum of 4!
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:50 am
I buy own brand foods sometimes just cause I like the taste. There is nothing wrong with it.
You can get cheap clothes in Target, that are decent
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March 2nd, 2010 at 9:14 am
Nothing wrong with it, why don’t you try car boot sales for clothes, or Primark?
As for own brand foods, check the labels and you’ll see there isn’t really any difference!
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March 2nd, 2010 at 9:55 am
Nothing wrong with either of those things. When money gets tight we do what needs to be done. Nobody will every know where you bought the clothes. I buy store brand food all the time, just to save money, I think a lot of people do. It, to me, isn’t any less quality…just less expensive.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 10:38 am
I’ve got some lovely clothes from charity shops, you do have to rummage through a lot of junk but there’s nothing wrong with it at all! You’d be surprised at the stuff some people don’t want, one woman’s trash I suppose! I always wash them before wearing them, just in case lol!
(Oh, btw, I’m 24 and dress pretty fashionably…I think! lol!)
How about asking friends/family who are about the same size as you to take part in a mini clothes swap-shop, I did and got some gorgeous river island jeans for free!
As for own brand food, I buy some of them, but start off by substituting stuff like toilet roll, that doesn’t make much difference. Own brand fromaige frais, exactly the same, and look out for BOGOF’s.
You aren’t being skanky!
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March 2nd, 2010 at 11:01 am
There are some things that are OK second hand- as long as it is still in style when you buy it so it doesn’t look bad. I’d avoid buying shoes, socks, underwear, swimwear and hats though. You can get those fairly inexpensively new at places like Target and Walmart.
As for store brands, most of them are pretty good. I’ve found the only stuff that isn’t in a store brand is stuff like peanut butter, but then again, right now, I don’t think anyone is buying much peanut butter with the samonella scare- name brand or otherwise.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 11:23 am
We love going to thrift stores to get our clothes. They don’t put anything out that is in disrepair and we always wash before we wear whatever we get.
Nothing wrong with store brand food items, either. Most of those are made at the same factory as the name brands, using the same recipes – then boxed up as ‘generic’. Why pay extra for a pretty box?
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March 2nd, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Nothing wrong with buying from charity shops. Honestly, practically all of my children’s clothes come off of e-bay. I find that I can get clothes there considerably cheaper than in any second-hand store around here. With the shipping included, I pay $1 an outfit (AT THE MOST). Goodwill has some things, but even their cheap things are like $1.99 a piece and they aren’t even that nice.
As far as store brand foods, I buy the cheapest there is…and it is always considerably cheaper than the name brand. Especially at Walmart, if you get the Equate or Parent’s Choice instead of the brand name.
Afterall, there is nothing wrong with saving money.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Supermarket brand food is fine. It is honestly no different than the other brands, in fact most of them are made in the same factory and labelled differently.
Also, charity shops are fantastic.
I’m not struggling and still buy supermarket brand and pop in the charity shops ever now and again, maybe that’s why i’m not struggling?
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March 2nd, 2010 at 12:56 pm
I went through the same stage for a couple of months. No, it’s not skanky to buy clothes from charity shops. Kids grow out of them, or ruin them playing anyway, so i don’t see the point in spending a fortune on expensive clothes anyway. I buy most of my son’s clothes from Primark, George at ASDA or Tesco.
As for the own brand foods, it’s pretty much all i buy! Why pay twice as much when it’s exactly the same nutrition in the box??
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March 2nd, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Are you serious? Honey, I get nearly ALL my kids clothes from charity shops and car boots sales. And nearly all the foods I buy are shops own brands (with the exception of pg tips, but I always stock up when they are on offer)
I thrive on getting bargains and living as cheaply as I can. I have been using Microsoft money to help me stick to a budget. I find it really satisfying to see how little I am spending. I’ve set each family member a budget of between £100 and £150 per year for clothes, (We are a family of 10) and to be honest I don’t think I will even need that much.
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