Bag lady.

Charity shop bag purchasing common problems include: broken zips, unpleasant smells and undesirable items left in the pockets but despite this, I always find myself wandering over to the accessories section on the hunt for a new bag. Personally, I could never own an expensive bag - I put biros in them without lids on, my make up gets all over the lining and I put my bag on the tram floor at least twice a day. Expensive things just aren't my bag.

I want to show you my three favourite charity shop bags.

1. I love this little thing. It has the most stupidly short handles I've ever encountered which means it can't sit on my shoulder and the size of it makes it look ridiculous when carried on the forearm. I love the gold detail, I love the bumpy material. I just love its oddness.

It's a really old Marks and Spencer number which I picked up for a few quid in a shop in Liverpool a few years ago.

2. This black clutch bag has been on many a night out. It's a good size to hold everything I need and I think the gold detailing makes it look quite vintagey. When I bought it, it was missing the detachable straps so unfortunately I can't use it day to day.

3. I also love this brown satchel style bag which I bought for £1 about 18 months ago. It's been my every day bag now for about two weeks. My one criticism is that it's brown which puts me a little on edge when wearing black. Once again, I love the gold detailing (this has become a bit of a theme!) and the boxy shape of it. I also love that it is so secure as I'm terrible at just leaving my bag open!

Have you managed to pick up any great accessories from charity shops?

Char x

The Liebster Award

I was nominated a few days ago by the lovely Hilary of hilshaberdashery.blogspot.co.uk (@hilshaberdashery on Instgram) for The Liebster Award which as I understand it, helps people to find new blogs they might be interested in. The way this works is that I answer 11 questions and then nominate other blogs I love. I know it may be a little off topic but it was pretty fun to fill in and a good way to share blogs you love.

1. What was your first blog post about?

My first blog post was imaginatively titled 'Number One' and it was basically just an introduction to what I was going to be writing about on this blog. I think everyone has worries about putting any type of written content on the Internet and to be honest, I didn't really know how to begin! 

2. What is your favourite season of the year?

My favourite season of the year is winter because I like jumpers and hats and black items of clothing! I was also cursed with thunder thighs and the thought of bare legs in summer is enough to bring me out in cold sweats! I remember being on a college trip to Berlin about eight years ago and it was 90 degree heat...and I still had thick black opaque tights on! 

3. What's your favourite food?

My favourite food is anything oriental. My grandma and her family are from Singapore so I grew up with my mum replicating the dishes she'd eaten as a child. She also used to put chilli and curry powder in everything so I love anything hot or spicy. To be honest, I'm really not a fussy eater at all and I'll pretty much eat anything that isn't meat.

4. Who is your fashion idol?

I used to spend my life looking at fashion magazines - when I moved house recently, I threw away about 40 copies of Elle. To be honest, it doesn't influence me half as much as it used to anymore. I obviously look in shop windows and view fashion on the Internet but I haven't the foggiest what celebrity X has been wearing recently.

I'm going to say someone who influenced me into both this blog and the charityshopgold Instragram...Amie Kewley of www.creditcrunchchic.com. She's one of the most well put-together ladies I've ever seen.

5. Would you rather go on a skiing holiday or a beach holiday?

I'm alright with a beach as long as I have a towel to cover up aforementioned thunder thighs. Skiing sounds awful to me - I'm so clumsy and would undoubtably break at least one bone. 

6. Who is your female inspiration?

My female inspiration is Karren Brady. She's been extremely successful in a male-orientated environment and I love her on The Apprentice. I also think her hair is impeccable which is something I can only dream of.

7. Chocolate or sweets?

I'm vegetarian which means most sweets are out of the equation (though M&S do an amazing veggie range which genuinely taste like normal sweets!) so I suppose it has to be chocolate. Not Galaxy though.

8. What do you want to achieve by the end of the year?

It's still January so I'm still positive about my resolutions!
I used to be a really good swimmer when I was younger and I decided I'm sick of seeing people in the pool and thinking 'I wish I was still that good' so I'm going to get that good again!
I'm also going to have ice skating lessons as of next month and I'm trying to find someone to teach me Malay (If anyone reading this can teach me, please get in contact!).
But most importantly, I recently got a volunteer role with the mental health charity Mind and if I can achieve anything by the end of 2015, I want to be good at that.

9. If you could travel to anywhere in the world where would it be?

My travelling at the moment is somewhat hampered by my lack of passport but I'd love to go to New York again - I don't think you could ever see all it has to offer. Singapore because it has such a large place in my family history and I've become a little obsessed with Indian culture at the moment so India.

10. List 10 things you want to do before you die.

Become fluent in another language.
Do another degree (hopefully in maths).

I'm pretty day-to-day so that's it for my big aspirations, sadly.

11. What's your favourite moment of 2014?

I had a really crappy 2013 and when I woke up on January 1st 2014, I was determined to make the year a good one and it really was. I can't pick one single moment so I'm going to say 10 seconds to midnight, freezing in the centre of Manchester when I looked back and thought the last 12 months had been a success! That's a sickly amount of sentimental - sorry!

OK, so I am not doing well with conventions of this post as I'm going to stick with the same questions should anyone want to complete. This is mainly because I'm horrendously short on time as I have another blog to draft, to get ready and be in time for football.

Oh dear, I really have not stuck to this at all!

Char x

All that glitters is gold.

When I think of charity shop jewellery, it conjures up images of rows of hanging beads all tangled together, of a collection of odd, unwanted presents and rings that turn your fingers green. No doubt there's a lot of that about but there are also some really great pieces to be had including genuine gold and silver - you've just got to have a bit of patience. 

The three rings above are all genuine silver with hallmarks.

LEFT:

RIGHT AND CENTRE:

I bought these two together from the Age Concern shop in Chorlton - I think they came from the same previous owner. The one of the left I barely take off - it's an odd shape but quite simple. I can't have anything too expensive or detailed due to my extreme clumsiness so this ring is just perfect. I also have tiny fingers so when I find a ring that fits, I'm normally buying it! The other is a very odd design and the band is a little crooked which, for me, only adds to its appeal! These two I got for about £3.

This is a genuine gold necklace which I rediscovered when I moved house recently. Again, it's a very simple design and very light. I bought it when I was at college and going through a phase of wearing far too much jewellery at all times (I used to be called Magpie at college due to my attraction to everything shiny!). I started wearing it every day and after about a week, got out of the shower and realised it hadn't turned my neck green. On closer inspection, it is also marked! I honesty love this necklace to bits and feel a bit naked without it!

Do you buy jewellery from charity shops? Leave me a comment below. Char x

New year, same me.

If you're reading this, you've probably come here after seeing the announcement on my Instagram.

I started this blog in October 2013, on the same day which I posted my first ever picture on the charityshopgold account (it was a beautiful pair of vintage Bally boots - they're worth a look if you've not scrolled down that far!). I'd just left this horrible job (managing a charity shop, would you believe!) and I had lots of free time. Since then, I've started a new job working in a completely different industry and moved house but something that hasn't changed is my love of charity shopping. And that's where the title came from. I've made plenty of resolutions, most of which I won't keep, and maintaining this blog through 2015 is one of them. Same me as the topic remains the same. I really hope you enjoy reading and please leave feedback - it'll be great to know what you think!

I get a lot of people asking me on Instagram which shops I go to. In answer to that, the vast majority of my charity shopping is done in Greater Manchester. If you live in, or are planning to visit Manchester, I would be happy to give you an in-depth review of the best areas to shop (or just come along if you like!) and if you don't live in Manchester, I have plenty of opinions on which charities do the best in retail! Everything I'm going to show you in this post I picked up in Sale which is technically in Cheshire but can be reached easily using Manchester's trusty Metrolink.

For my first post back, I just want to share with you the bargains I picked up today, which are pictured below. Apologies in advance for the quality of my photos - I don't have a camera so I'll just be using my iphone!

The tartan purse

Everyone seems to be loving this beauty on Instagram and quite rightly so! I got it from Age UK and it cost 99p. It's material on the outside with a felt-like feel on the inside and is in perfect condition. I love a bit of tartan and am constantly on the look out for some skinny dark tartan trousers for work. I really rate Age UK shops in general. I talked on a previous blog post from 2013 about how charity shop prices always seem to be rising but I think Age UK have remained quite grounded in that respect. The shop in Sale is quite small but don't let that put you off - the prices are very fair and the Manager and Assistant Manager are wonderful. They always have a Sale Rail at the back for stock which hasn't sold and is re-ticketed at half the original price.

The lace shirt

Originally from Divided at H&M, I got this from Oxfam. They had a sale on today and it was reduced from £2.99 to just 99p! The button-up collar seems to still be going strong on the high street and I don't think you can ever go wrong with black or with lace. I'm thinking of wearing it underneath a light grey round-neck jumper with 3/4 sleeves so the collar and top of the shoulders can be seen, along with the lace sleeves. I just need to find a jumper matching my description...as if I need an excuse to go back to the shops...!

The velvet top

Let it just be said, I think this top is a little bit strange. I haven't quite worked out what drew me to it yet and I haven't got a clue what I'll be wearing it with (any styling advice would be appreciated!). It's originally from 'dm clothing' who I've never heard of. It was £2.49 from Age UK (see what I meant about prices?).

The jumper

I LOVE a jumper. 

I'd actually been eyeing this up in Oxfam before Christmas and when I went in today, I really didn't expect it to be there. They originally wanted £5.99 for it but in the sale today, I got it for £1.99. It's from Marks and Spencer, has lovely jewel and sleeve detail and feels really good quality.

(The Oxfam shop in Sale have their own Instagram - it's @oxfamsale if you fancy a follow!)

The Marriage Plot

I actually only went into Sale to look for books (reading more is another of my resolutions). I bought this as it's by the same author who wrote The Virgin Suicides which is one of my favourite novels. It cost £2 which can I just say, I think is extortionate for a potentially fourth-hand, slightly dog-eared, slightly yellowish book. Having worked in charity shop management in the past, I can say that charity shops are overrun with books which just sit on the shelves in the shop or take up space in the back for months and it really annoys me that they charge so much for them. Reduce the price and go for quantity of sales. But then I guess me buying it suggests that people will pay those prices...oops.

And that's that. Please let me know what you think of my buys and of the blog in the comments section, on Instagram or to my email charityshopgold@gmail.com. Also, if there's any element of charity shopping you'd think would make for a good post, please don't keep it to yourself!

Char x