There's a misconception that charity shops only sell old, worn clothes that are out of style.
But on a scavenger hunt to find an outfit for New Year's Eve, I found several trendy pieces from major high-street stores - at a bargain price.
In Liverpool, we have multiple charity shops dotted around the city centre. I started my trip with a walk up Bold Street, the hub for alternative fashion and vintage stores.
The first shop I stumbled upon was the British Heart Foundation. Across Cheshire and Merseyside, around 550,000 people are thought to have high blood pressure, including up to 150,000 people who don't yet know they are affected.
By supporting the British Heart Foundation, you power their research into heart and circulatory diseases. So, on the quest to find a night-out outfit, the Bold Street store was a great place to start.
Inside, they had a wide variety of clothes, bags and shoes, all in different sizes. One of the first items that caught my eye was a pair of nude £10 Pretty Little Thing heels that had barely been worn. Online, they retail for £28.
But I had a £20 budget and I only wanted to look for shoes once I'd found the perfect dress or jumpsuit.
The next place I went to was Oxfam - and let me say this now, as soon as I have a day off work, I'll be going straight back there. As soon as I walked in, I noticed what must have been over 100 new Zara items.
Much like Rebecca Bloomwood in Confessions of a Shopaholic, I unashamedly ran to the racks to see what I could find. Among the items was a stunning tan faux leather jumpsuit that had been doing the rounds on TikTok. It was priced at £12.99.
I also spotted a gorgeous baby blue textured blazer with an RRP of £69.99, for £16.99. But my eyes were drawn to a metallic thread dress featuring padded shoulders and a knotted front. After a quick search, I found the dress on eBay for £74, but in Oxfam, it was £9.99.
With the base of the outfit sorted, I moved on to the next charity shop, Barnardo's Take 2. In this store, I was looking for either a pair of shoes, a clutch bag or accessories that would match the dress.
Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the items in Take 2. These included several new with tags Boohoo dresses and jumpsuits. I also found a pair of Kurt Geiger heels, but sadly they were not my size.
Abandoning Bold Street, I headed towards my next destination, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, which was founded in Liverpool in 1990.
Out of all the charity shops I visited, their store in St Johns Shopping Centre had by far the best bargains. A lot of their shoes were tagged at around £3 while dresses were £4. Given the current cost-of-living crisis, I was very impressed by their affordable pricing that caters for every budget.
With still a bag, shoes and accessories to find, my next stop was Scope, a disability equality charity on Lord Street. Similar to Oxfam, Scope had several new-with-tag items. This included a Boohoo sequin suit for £35, online the blazer alone was £45.
They also had a pair of new-in-box Schuh classic cream loafers for £7. I also found a black clutch bag, which would match my Zara dress, but it was priced at £7, which would only leave me with £3.01 for shoes and nothing for accessories.
Deciding I hadn't given enough time to British Heart Foundation on Bold Street, I wandered back through town, but cut through Williamson Square in a bid to avoid the Christmas shopping crowds.
While on my way up, I discovered a second British Heart Foundation on Richmond Street. In the window, they had a pair of Alexander McQueen black glitter trainers.
The shoes came with their original box, authenticity card and dust bag. Harrods sell the trainers in their shop for £450, at Liverpool's British Heart Foundation they were £80.
However, in my case, £80 was very much over budget, so it was back to Bold Street. Walking into the British Heart Foundation I was greeted by the same friendly staff.
Speaking about my plans for New Year, I told one of the women about my sparkly dress. After describing it, she pointed me in the direction of a silver gem necklace, costing £2.
I continued perusing around the store and found a new small black velvet bag with a silver chain. The simplicity of it meant it would go with my dress and best of all it was £3.
The last item to check off my list was shoes. I'd spent £14.99 at this point, so had £5.01 left. I thought I had hit the jackpot when I spotted a pair of black wedge heel sandals for £6, taking me 99p over budget. However, my joy was short-lived as I turned them over and discovered they were a size too big.
While I didn't find a complete outfit, I was made up with my purchases. It's also nice to know the money for the items is going to a good cause and reducing waste.
Have you ever found any bargains in a charity shop? Let us know your best purchase in the comments section.
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