A woman has revealed a simple change in her clothes shopping habits which could save her £1,000 a year. With the UK currently going through a cost of living crisis which is seeing people unable to pay bills and an increase in prices, many households are searching for ways to save on money.
Lisa Johnson, 49, from Wilmslow has revealed her simple way of saving hundreds of pounds and all it takes is a change in attitudes.
The mum-of-two has started to shop for clothes more sustainably and says that buying second hand is saving her a lot of money.
Nowadays, there are a host options to chose from when buying "pre-loved" secondhand clothing items online. Websites like Depop, Vinted, Ebay and Facebook Marketplace means buying secondhand has never been easier.
Lisa started to search for more clothes through these avenues four-years-ago after getting more involved in climate change activism.
She told HullLive: "Being involved in climate change activism, one of the first things you learn is that fashion industry is one of the most environmentally damaging. I’ve never really changed size that much; I’ve always stayed the same size. So I thought, ‘Do we need to keep buying new?’
“Obviously if you have a growing child, you need to buy things for them. As an adult, can you not just look in your wardrobe, see what you have and switch it up with a bit of nice jewellery?”
According to Greenpeace, Brits buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe with around 300,000 tonnes of used clothes burned or buried in landfill each year.
But Lisa does not just buy from secondhand sites as she has been making money from selling items on Vinted.
"It’s brilliant. You can go and search for a green cardigan and get one someone else doesn’t want anymore for £2," she said.
"When you sell, it all adds up, so you have credit in your account and you don’t need to spend money on clothes at all. That’s what I’ve been doing."
On average, a British person will spend £1,042 on clothes and shoes every year, working out to as roughly £86 a month. But those who buy secondhand are saving up to around 25% per item, according to research conducted by Depop.
Lisa said: "I’m not judging people who need to buy new at all.
"It’s just for my lifestyle. My kids are 13 and 15 and they aren’t interested in new clothes either. They’re happy to look in charity shops with me and get secondhand stuff. Their school has a secondhand uniform shop too.
"When you do find something you like [from the charity shop], it’s just so lovely. I never look like other people because I’m wearing something unique."
Charity shops and second hand shops have been recording bigger sales in recent months as more people turn to them to cut their costs.
Cancer Research UK shops recorded a 13.1 per cent rise in sales between April and November 2022, new data has revealed. During this period, the charity saw its highest quarterly sales figures on record.
The British Heart Foundation experienced its "biggest ever sales week" at the end of December 2022 while Barnardo’s and Age UK also reported a rise in revenue.
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