In a previous post I said I was going to write a short "guide" into bargain hunting as I am a huge bargain lover! Even if nobody is interested in how I find all my bargains I would love to help the small few out that are interested. If you've read or wanted to read more on my blog you can see just a small amount of the huge number of things I have bought cheap some as little as 50p! It's a great thing really. I love the feeling when I have got something I really like for a great price because I am such a shopping addict and if I paid for everything full price I would be in SO much debt right now!
So my first point would be to do research - even though it's only shopping and meant to be fun, bargain hunting is a whole new league of shopping, it could even be a sport, I swear. Look into kinds of designers and styles you really like the look of. Everyone knows of certain designers/looks they want, for example my favourite designers are Vivienne Westwood and Moschino and I love 90's and 80's clothing so between them 4 things I can find so many things I want/like!
My next point would be know your area - Go explore your town/city, know where the charity shops are and what charity shops are the best for what you want! There are so many charity shops in Hull and around but some just aren't as good as others. My favourite ones as some may know is one is down Holderness road which is quite near my house really, it's not a wealthy area which is usually not helpful when looking in charity shops but I love the items I find down there! There are some more dotted around Hull that I frequently look in and get good things from. So go around an explore as much as you can!
Are there any markets in your area? - Google markets in your local towns, car boots on Sundays? It's an early day but it can bring a lot of bargains! I regularly go to Walton Street Market on Wednesdays and have come hope with SO many cheap clothes! I've come home with YRU, Motel, Nike and loads more! Even with food I managed to get 42 bags of crisps (seabrook ones too) for £1 and I'm still getting through them now! Some things you get from markets are just so good! and if you're looking to sell things too markets are a good place to go as well!
eBay never fails - eBay and Aliexpress is my absolute angel. Not so much Aliexpress at the moment because my things are taking too long to arrive but some things you can get from China for SO cheap, I got a gold skull septum ring( fake one) for 1p including postage. If you choose the option of cheapest first when searching in eBay and have the patience to wait then you're on a roll, I have got so much stuff for cheap from there by searching with the cheapest first option! I got a lilac velvet motel dress on eBay for 99p which was great! but you have to regularly search your favourite brands in eBay like at least every couple of days to see what people are putting up, I search Moschino like so many times and got myself a gorgeous pair of jeans for quite cheap! Although be carful with designers as some people on there like everywhere sell fakes and nobody wants that!
Take a trip into the City as many times as possible - So many secret deals happen in shops and not online, it's so easy for people to just shop online and shops need people to go in the actual shops, this means there's more chance of there being better offers in- store than online! I wanted a pair of shoes from Topshop and I saw them in London for £35 in the Oxford Street store but they wasn't online! I then went home and in my store in Hull they were £15 a few weeks later when I went in. It was a great moment because I love these shoes and I got an extra £20 off! I also work in Primark so I am one of the first to see their sales and some times they have such GREAT ONES! its fab! Such simple stuff and so cheap. Primark don't all the time have good sale items but some times there are some gems! I have had millions. In Germany I managed to grab a pair of pointy stilettos in holographic for €3 which is like £2.36 and they're still £12 full price here. I know Germany is a bit far to travel for bargains but if you're there already why not...
TKMAXX is King! - Looking for designer stuff cheap then TKMAXX is your place to go! They have some super gems in there but each store has different stuff so it is very hit and miss! I've had good luck there though with both high street and designer clothes. I managed to get some gorgeous flares for about £3 from there and also some Moschino sunglasses, a Vivienne Westwood handbag, Jeffrey Campbell shoes and lots more things, makeup included. Even though the things in TKMAXX are a few seasons behind it's still great for the money because of how cheap it is, especially if it's in the sale!
Faulty items not all bad.... - Have a sewing machine? Sometimes (NOT ALL) faulty items are a REALLY good way of getting a good deal. Shops nowadays will do discounts for things as little as a small makeup stain which will obviously easily come out in the wash with a bit of ACE bleach ( not real bleach just the name of my favourite stain remover ) and some times a few sequins hanging off or a tiny FIXABLE hole, £££ can be saved if you have the time and patience to fix these things because the shops won't be able to do much with it if its faulty and people don't buy the item. I went to my leaving dinner in 2013 with a AMAZING topshop full length gown head to toe sequins with a side split (best dress ever) and it retailed at £96 but down the seam it had a split down it about 4 inches long and it had being reduced but as no one bought it, it kept getting reduced, reduced and even further reduced, finally when it came to me (my mum) buying it for my leaving dinner it was only £24 and thats just because someone didn't have the time or patience just to sew 4 inches back together. It took me and my mum literally 10 minutes if that due to the material to fix it and on the night the amount of compliments I got in that dress was totally worth more than the £24 we paid for it. Sorry for the terrible photo but this is the lovely dress! and looked better in real life!
Charity shops do change their stock GO VISIT - Don't be afraid to visit your local charity shops because they're always loaded with goodies, my favourite one is a discount shop so nothing is more than £2 including coats, shoes, bags, clothes, etc. which is absolutely amazing especially if there are things you want, and every- time I go in they have new things. Like I don't think that there has ever been a time that they have the same stock in from another day I have been in which I think is amazing and unlike most shops, and by most i mean ALL!
and my final and most important point is.... BE PREPARED TO RUMMAGE - if you want to be a bargain queen like myself you have to be passionate about it, you have to LOVE cheapness and really get a buzz from finding one or it's just not worth it. If you're that kind of person who's like oh I CBA to wait 2 weeks for my £3 item I'd rather pay £20 and get it in 3 days, then bargain hunting is not for you. I can spend SO long looking in shops traipsing round taking a good luck at absolutely everything (especially when a sale is on I have a field day) Today I was in TKMAXX for a good 1 hour and a half searching through everything as they only really have one of everything so you have to look through everything because if you miss that 1 thing it could have been the bargain you was looking for! Annoying right? I think I may just be too addicted into bargain hunting! but yeah be prepared to have to spend a long time doing it, it is a very time consuming process I won't lie but once you get good at it, like anything it's worth it in the end and may I mention, TOTALLY ADDICTIVE!
Thanks for reading, I do hope this helps any of you who wants to bargain hunt out there and if you get some bargains and blog about them please tell me about it I LOVE to hear bargain stories!
