"I've saved more than £400 shopping in second hand stores this year"

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Luxuries like new clothes and shoes are the first thing most of us cut from our outgoings when we start to feel the pinch, and with the cost of living skyrocketing, they're at the bottom of the priority list now.

Reporter Rebecca Lockwood, at our sister paper Lancs Live, used to make clothes shopping her payday ritual, either heading into town to take a look at the latest fashion or filling up an ASOS basket with special treats. However, the effect on her bank balance, as well as the environmental impact fast fashion causes, made her decide to switch her shopping habits - browsing pre-loved threads instead.

At the start of the year, she made a pact with herself to only buy from second-hand shops for at least a month to see if she could ditch the expensive habit and four months later she says she'd never go back to her old ways. Since January, she estimates saving over £400 on the retail price of the items she's picked up, mostly from charity shops in Lancaster.

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In a post about her experience on Lancs Live, she said: "Yes, while we shouldn't make ourselves feel bad for dropping £30 on a new coat in Primark here and there when we need one, shopping second hand could save you hundreds of pounds. People assume charity shops don't boast on-trend stock in the same way a high-street shop does. But I'd dispute this pretty quickly.

"Thanks to TikTok, the hottest trends in stores and online right now are typically 90s or early noughties inspired and what better way to enjoy this than bagging an original coat or t-shirt from that era (not a cheap replica), without breaking your budget?"

Here are some of the bargains Rebecca managed to bag, costing a total of just