Buy items secondhand

Buying items secondhand is a popular way to save money whilst saving money, and it’s very sustainable too. One way to buy pre-loved clothing is to look online. Sites such as Depop, Vinted and Thrift+ allow you to buy pre-owned items from the comfort of your own home. On Depop and Vinted, these items have been posted by the users of the platforms and you can message directly with the sellers. On the other hand, on Thrift+, the items are posted by the company itself. The plaftorms are pretty easy to use, but sometimes you have to search for a while to find what you wanted, especially on Vinted and Depop. It’s also important to remember that you may not always be able to return items for a refund and you can’t try them on before buying, so ask sellers for measurements where possible.

Another way is to go to shops that sell secondhand clothing. They are pretty easy to find in most towns in the UK, and a lot of them are set up to raise money for a particular charity, such as British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK (among others). Buying in person often means that you’re able to try the clothes on to check the fit, as a lot of these shops have changing rooms. Plus, buying from a charity shop means that as well as being sustainable and saving money, you’re also contributing to the funding of important charity work!

Organise/attend a clothing swap

Clothing swaps are a great way to find new clothes as they are low cost to set up and attend. When I was studying at the University of York, my friend and I attended a clothing swap set up by the university’s Swap Don’t Shop society, who can be found on Instagram (uoyswapdontshop). The society advocates for the importance of sustainable and ethical clothing consumption to try to slow down the spread of fast fashion. Their swaps used a token system: for each garment you brought to the swap, you got given a set amount of tokens depending on what type of piece it was. You could then use these tokens to “buy” items of clothing, meaning that the process was entirely free! I got several items of clothing, including a T shirt that I wear for pyjamas, and formal trousers that I’ve worn to a job interview.

There are various other organisations that set up clothing swaps, and you can find events on websites such as Eventbrite. Not all of these events will be free – some might charge for tickets, or for certain amounts of clothes (such as by weight). But don’t worry if there are no swaps set up near you! You can easily set up your own swap between friends and keep it low cost or completely free.

Buy mindfully

Sometimes, you may find yourself needing to buy something at its full price, and that’s okay! Secondhand shopping is great, but for some people it can be more difficult to find clothes in their size, or there may just be a lack of secondhand options that you feel would suit you. Or sometimes, you might just see something in a shop and want it. The important thing when buying something full price (especially if it’s fast fashion) is to shop mindfully – be as intentional as possible about what you buy.

This means that you think carefully about the pieces you buy rather than picking things up on a whim. When I was younger, I would buy things I liked without much thought for how well they’d fit in my wardrobe or how many times I thought I would wear them. Nowadays, I try to ask myself questions before I buy new items: how often will I actually wear this? What other items in my wardrobe could I use with this to put together an outfit? If I’m not sure that I’ll actually get good use out of an item, I often don’t buy it. If I think I would wear it a lot but I’m still hesitant, I sometimes will leave the shop but come back later if I find myself still thinking about the piece. The main thing is to make sure you’re not just buying things impulsively and you’re taking more time on each new item you buy.

It’s also important to consider the quality of the clothing you’re buying. This includes taking into account the material, the stitching, and where the item was made. For more information on quality checking when buying, read this article by The Guardian.

Take good care of your clothes