This Jack Wills shirt was just £3.99

Everyone loves a good shop, especially after noticing that your bank balance has soared when your student loan has been paid in.

However, that money has to pay for your rent, food and everything in between for the next few months. So, as much as we’d all enjoy a shopping spree at Topshop, Zara and River Island, it’s not a good plan.

Having said that, there are ways to keep your ‘floordrobe’ covered in dirty clothes… Charity shops!

Here in Leeds there a tons of them, and what’s more, instead of your money going into the pocket of snooty designers, it will be helping those who need it most. From St. Gemmas Hospice, to Cancer Research there are so many good causes out there.

There are plenty of charity shops in both Headingley and the City Centre, all of which price their stock at an affordable rate.

Great for bargain hunters and those who don’t mind rummaging around the racks, most charity shops sort their clothes by item (dresses, coats, skirts etc), and then by size. So if all you’re looking for is a new top, then you can be in and out in minutes.

I got these New Look trousers for £2.99

If, like me, you want to search every corner of the shop, I’d be seriously surprised if you don’t find anything. More often than not, I end up coming out with at least a couple of items… It’s hard to resist when the majority of the clothes are less than a fiver.

Another benefit of these wonderful shops is it removes the sense of guilt if you lose/damage/never wear what you’ve bought. I used to hate it if I ever had a drink spilt over a £30 dress on a night out, or if I bought a skirt and just ended up sticking it in the wardrobe before giving it away. For what you pay at a charity shop, even if you only wear something once it doesn’t seem like a waste.

So, for all of you who thought charity shops just sold clothes for old women (which actually, you’ll be grateful for when you need a costume idea for the Otley Run…), think again.