Childhood memories.

Let me preface this blog by saying I love Southport. I have lots of really happy childhood memories of days out there and I think, even if the shops had been rubbish, I'd've reported positively! It's been a long while since I went charity shopping in Southport and I was happy to find it hadn't changed all that much. 

First up were these shoes (yes more shoes Donna!) from Scope for £3.50. They're in absolutely perfect condition - I feel that since I had a moan about never being able to find second hand shoes, the charity shop shoe gods have smiled at me!

I got this floral skirt, originally from Next, for £1 in one of the weirdest shops I've ever been in! I'm still unsure as to quite what it was. It was a huge space filled mostly with odd, unpriced furniture with two or three rails of unpriced, mixed up clothing. Most of it wasn't in great condition but I was pleased to find this bargain.

I got these boots for £2.50 from the RSPCA shop. Again unworn (thanks charity shop shoe gods)! I find most RSPCA shops reasonably priced and I try to shop in them whenever I can as I've supported the charity since I was a little girl saving my pocket money up to donate to them.

I got this bracelet for £2.99 from PDSA. I avoided PDSA for a long time after a bad experience working for them but have recently started to go back in after about three years! I figured my wardrobe shouldn't suffer because my boss from years ago wasn't too nice! It's really unusual and I like the colours on it. I actually felt a little pressured into buying it after asking to look at a few items in a locked cabinet and having the lady stand over me whilst I looked at every single one. I must not look too trustworthy!

I got this Zara top from Age UK for £3.59. It's got a cute little faux-leather neck and a button-up back.

I also picked up this simple tshirt from the same shop for £2.99. It has really cute beaded detail - in my experience it's really rare to find such items completely intact.

Next up was this blouse, £3.50 from Scope. Love the colour and the delicate detailing at the front.

I also got this light blue midi dress for £3.50 from Clic Sargent, a really small shop away from the main roads. The two ladies working in there were absolutely hilarious - I wish there had been more stock in there so I could've stood listening to them for a while longer!

I got this Topshop shirt from Jospice (I'd never heard of the charity before - the tag says money goes towards helping Liverpool's terminally ill) which was a great little shop! There were lots of really up to date items - I'm fairly sure this has been in Topshop in the last few months. It cost £3.75.

And finally, I picked up this jumper with cute shoulder detailing - also from Jospice from £3.50.

Haul's like this (I spent £30.82 in total) make me wonder why people shop on the high street! The Topshop shirt alone would've cost that. It's true that there's a lot of crap in charity shops - bobbly, worn, ugly, ill fitting clothes but shops are getting so much better at filtering and everything I buy, looks like it's hardly been worn by the previous owners.

I would recommend Southport to anyone who loves buying second hand. I spoke to one other lady who had travelled over an hour and a half to get to the town just for the charity shops. I also directed two ladies to their hotel who had chosen the town for a holiday partly because of the positive things they had heard about the charity shops there!

Southport has the perfect mix of big chains like Cancer Research and British Heart Foundation but it also has amazing little charity shops. I actually missed Sue Ryder and British Red Cross which I'm really sad about. I guess it just means I'll have to have another visit!

What's your favourite item from my Southport haul?

Char x