2nd -hand

As I'm something of a cheapskate with an eye for a bargain, I usually don't have any problems with buying goods or clothes in sales or second-hand. In some ways, I prefer to buy some clothes (not underwear!) from charity shops, as I know that whatever the source of my clothes, I make mistakes in sizing or style that I don't notice until it's too late to take them back to the shop. And I like the knowledge that I'm not just contributing to a big chain's profits, but to a charity.

The exceptions to this have been when I've been unemployed. For some reason, when I can't afford to buy new & quality out of income rather than savings, I don't want to buy cheap. I don't know whether this is due to pride, embarrassment or plain perversity, but it's what happens. Usually, when I feel skint, I can just stop spending on myself and live on reserves for a while.

Let's touch wood, and hope that I don't need to do that for a few more years.

:o/