Like many girls, I absolutely love clothes shopping! But, as a student, I don’t have a lot of money to keep up with the latest fashion trends. 

Especially when it comes to vintage clothes, which are in fashion at the moment - I can’t afford many things in vintage shops. I like to look on ebay, but I find it difficult to buy clothes online because they don’t always fit well when they arrive. I like to always try on clothes in the shop before I buy them - it makes each shopping trip much more fun!

In England, we have shops called ‘charity shops’, where people donate their old clothes, shoes, books, CDs, DVDs, and children's toys and games. In America, they are called ‘thrift shops’ - which you may know from Macklemore’s hit song! I love these shops, because you can often find a bargain - brand new clothes with the tags still on them, or real vintage items which haven’t got a big price tag!

The only downside to charity shopping is that you have to search through everything in the shop, which can take a lot of time. Also, sometimes it is disappointing - I have searched for hours before and not found a single thing to buy! But I find this with big department stores in shopping centres too, so perhaps it is just occasional bad luck! The majority of the time, however, I have found some bargains, and saved lots of money! In the past, I have found lovely handbags, new shoes, hardly-worn clothes, and some fantastic second-hand books and DVDs at a fraction of the price that you’d find in a normal shop. And the best part about charity shopping is that the money goes to a good cause!