A THRIFTY model claims bagging entire outfits at charity shops for less than the price of a supermarket meal deal has helped her save £10,000 for a house deposit.
Johanna Kirkham regularly snaps up bargains from brands including Adidas, Karen Millen and Levi's for a fraction of their retail price by patiently trawling through second-hand rails.
The bargain-hunting bride-to-be even credits her frugal ways to helping her and fiancé Mitchell Clarke save up a £10,000 deposit on their first home together – a three-bedroom pad in Lancashire.
Johanna, 23, was introduced to second-hand shopping by her mum Kim Worsley, 50, when she was a child who was fascinated by the job lots of Barbie dolls she found – and she hasn't looked back since.
Now Johanna, who also works as an optical advisor, regularly snaps up entire outfits for £3 – kitting herself out for glamorous photoshoots for less than a sandwich, drink and crisp deal.
Chorley-based Johanna said: "I've saved thousands of pounds over the years, I sometimes look through my wardrobe and wonder 'how on earth did I find that so cheap?'.
"I love the unique pieces you can find in charity shops and at car boot sales, you can go into a shop and find such a variety of things.
"I have an eclectic fashion sense and love picking up unique pieces. I like quirky things, pin-up style and band t-shirts and jeans – not just things you'd find in a high street store.
"The by-product of shopping this way is that it's environmentally friendly as well as you're recycling things that may have only been worn once or twice."
Bride-to-be Johanna said shopping in this way helped her and 25-year-old mobile phone customer adviser fiance Mitchell save for the deposit on their £135,000 home.
Although she had always been interesting in frugal shopping, she said she focused more on it while they were saving – and put aside whatever they could each month.
Johanna said: "Buying from charity shops was instrumental in helping us save for the deposit on our house.
What help is out there for first-time buyers?
GETTING on the property ladder can feel like a daunting task but there are schemes out there to help first-time buyers have their own home.
Help to Buy Isa – It's a tax-free savings account where for every £200 you save, the Government will add an extra £50. But there's a maximum limit of £3,000 which is paid to your solicitor when you move. These accounts have now closed to new applicants but those who already hold one have until November 2029 to use it.
Help to Buy equity loan – The Government will lend you up to 20 per cent of the home's value – or 40 per cent in London – after you've put down a five per cent deposit. The loan is on top of a normal mortgage but it can only be used to buy a new build property.
Lifetime Isa – This is another Government scheme that gives anyone aged 18 to 39 the chance to save tax-free and get a bonus of up to £32,000 towards their first home. You can save up to £4,000 a year and the Government will add 25 per cent on top.
Shared ownership – Co-owning with a housing association means you can buy a part of the property and pay rent on the remaining amount. You can buy anything from 25 to 75 per cent of the property but you're restricted to specific ones.
"First dibs" in London – London Mayor Sadiq Khan is working on a scheme that will restrict sales of all new-build homes in the capital up to £350,000 to UK buyers for three months before any overseas marketing can take place.
Starter Home Initiative – A Government scheme that will see 200,000 new-build homes in England sold to first-time buyers with a 20 per cent discount by 2020. To receive updates on the progress of these homes you can register your interest on the Starter Homes website.
"We did have to resort to moving back in with my mum to save too because we were renting at the time.
"It's quite difficult to step onto the property ladder but we managed it successfully and we bought our house in June last year.
"Living frugally, including at charity shops, was a massive help and we managed to save £10,000 in 12 months.
"We're very fortunate we've got our own house but even now with the wedding in August I know I can't just go and blow £100 on buying new things.
"As much as we are saving for our wedding, we are fortunate enough that we can afford to go and buy new things, but choose to shop this way as it's exciting not knowing what we can find."
Johanna's best finds include a lavish Karen Millen evening gown for £7.49, a 50s-style Hell Bunny dress for £3.99, a Regatta coat for £1 and a pair of Levi's shorts bought on holiday for just $1.80.
The size 8-10 model also regularly tracks down tops, dresses, coats and shoes for just £1-a-pop from charity shops and car boot sales.
Johanna said: "A charity shop I regularly visit does three for £1 on all clothes and I've picked up some great stuff included branded items from Adidas and Superdry.
"I picked up a pretty vintage floral strapless dress from a £1 rail, put it with some white shoes I got at a car boot sale for £1 and a 'pearl' necklace I picked up for £1.
"I looked in the mirror and thought 'there's a full outfit for £3 – for less than a meal deal."
Johanna regularly picks up items to wear every day, but also looks for eye-catching outfits that will photograph well at shoots.
Johanna loves charity shops so much that at the age of 16 she volunteered in one two days a week for two years.
Johanna said: "When I was younger my mum and I would have a little nosey around the charity shops.
"Back then it was amazing, you could find big clear bags full of job lots of Barbie dolls – so my love of charity shops started from there.
"I would be so excited – I'm still like that now.”
Johanna now shares her bargains from charity shops and car boots to show people the stylish secondhand outfits that can be found and also regularly re-donates back to charity shops when she has a wardrobe clear out.
Johanna said: "To anyone who's not shopped this way before I would advise them to just try it.
"I love telling people how little I paid for something I'm wearing, it's amazing.
"I would say to use common sense – if something is riddled with stains and full of holes don't get it.
"I don't see buying items this way any differently than if a friend gave it to me, I would stick it in the wash and wear it."
Here's our guide to finding the best charity shop purchases.
And these are the best charity shops for bargain designer bags and shoes.
Source: Read Full Article