This month’s pre-loved finds {October 2026}….

Welcome to my monthly pre-loved bargain post, which is always one of my favourite posts to write. 😀

There’s something so satisfying about finding something you genuinely need or love second-hand, especially when it costs a fraction of what it would have done new or even what it’s worth now.  

I’ve had another good month for second-hand finds and I think I might have peaked pretty early this month when we found a charity shop in a little village near where we live that was closing down. It was their last day and everything in the shop was £1. One British pound! 😂

Obviously we had to have a look and I came away with three things for myself which I was really happy with.

£1 black trousers…

First up is probably the most boring thing I bought but also something I actually needed. I found a pair of black trousers for work which were brand new and still had the tag on them with the original price of £15.

They fit me, I needed some and they were £1 so they were absolutely coming home with me. I know black work trousers aren’t exactly the most exciting thing to find in a charity shop, but they’re something I would have had to buy at some point anyway and I’d much rather pay £1 than £15.

I think that’s one of the things I love most about shopping second-hand. It’s lovely finding unusual things that you wouldn’t necessarily buy new, but finding something you actually need for a fraction of the price is just as satisfying.

My very Marmite Roman jumper…

Next up is a jumper from Roman which I think might divide opinion a little bit. It’s definitely one of those things that you’re either going to love or hate, and I can completely understand if it’s not your cup of tea because it’s not exactly subtle.

It’s spotty, but the spots are metallic and I just think it’s fab! It’s amazing quality too, which you’d expect from Roman, and it fits lovely.

I can see myself wearing this loads over the next few months, especially now the weather is getting colder. And for £1, I was hardly going to leave it hanging there, was I?

My £1 ASOS dress…

The third and final thing I bought in the £1 charity shop was a brand new ASOS dress which I absolutely love, although I have no idea where I’m actually going to wear it.

It’s definitely more of a night out dress than something I’d wear day to day, and it’s got a rather cheeky split right up to the thigh, so I’ll need to find myself somewhere suitable to wear it.

I didn’t really need another dress, especially one that I don’t currently have anywhere to wear, but it was £1 and I liked it too much to leave it behind. I’m sure an occasion will come along eventually and when it does, I’ll probably spend the whole night telling everyone that my dress cost me a pound.

So that’s three things for £3, with two of them still brand new with their tags on. I’m not sure I’ll ever manage to beat that little charity shop haul, although I’ll certainly be giving it a good go!

The most amazing Christmas ornament…

Now this next one is probably my favourite find of the month, although it’s also one of those things that I can imagine some people looking at and wondering what on earth I was thinking.

It’s a Santa with a parachute and I paid £10 for him, which isn’t exactly cheap compared to my £1 bargains, but I absolutely love him!

We have a really random hook in the ceiling of the bay window in our living room and I’ve never really known what it was there for. As soon as I spotted this Santa, I knew exactly where he was going to go and now I’m ridiculously excited to get the Christmas decorations out so I can hang him up.

The photo really doesn’t do him justice because he’s so much better in real life. I was stood waiting to pay for him and two different people stopped to comment on him, which made me love him even more.

I know £10 isn’t the cheapest price for a second-hand Christmas decoration, but he’s so different to anything else I’ve seen and I think he’s going to look brilliant hanging in our window. I can’t believe that random ceiling hook has finally found its purpose after all this time!

A £1 wreath hook…

Sticking with Christmas for a minute, I also picked up a double-sided wreath hook for £1, which is one of those little things that I probably wouldn’t have gone out specifically to buy but will definitely come in handy.

I like that it’s double-sided because it gives me a few options for where I can use it, and with Christmas not too far away, I’m sure I’ll find somewhere for it.

Not quite as exciting as a parachuting Santa, I know, but you can’t have amazing finds every time!

And a random little ornament…

This next one made me laugh because I bought a little ornament that I either already have or I don’t. I’m genuinely not sure which!

I’ve already got three from the same set and when I spotted this one, I couldn’t for the life of me remember whether it was one of the ones I already owned.

I stood there trying to picture the three I’ve got at home and eventually decided that I liked it enough to take the chance. If I already have this one then I’ll just have two of them, and if I don’t then I’ve added another one to my little collection.

Either way, I’m happy with it, although I probably should start remembering what I’ve already bought before adding any more to the collection. 😉

My bargain cabinet…

Now this next bargain might actually be the best one of the month when you look at how everything worked out, because not only did it cost us absolutely nothing, it ended up making us £75!

A friend gave us this cabinet for free and I absolutely love it. When we first got it, I was planning to paint it and give it a bit of a makeover, because in my head, it didn’t matter if it didn’t work out as well in reality as I pictured it in my head as it was free. Totally logical, right?

But once we got it into place, my partner said he loved it exactly as it was and didn’t think I should paint it. I wasn’t completely convinced at first because I’d already had ideas about what colour I could use, but the more I looked at it, the more I realised he was right.

So the paintbrushes stayed in the cupboard and I’m actually really pleased that they did because I love the cabinet just as it is.

The best bit is that it replaced a much smaller cabinet that we didn’t really need any more, so we put that one up for sale and got £75 for it.

Which means we upgraded to a much bigger cabinet that we absolutely love, it didn’t cost us a penny and we ended up £75 better off. I don’t think you can get much better than that!

I do love a furniture makeover, as anyone who’s been following our house renovations will know, but sometimes the best thing you can do is leave something alone. And considering this one involved absolutely no sanding, painting or varnishing, I think my partner was probably quite relieved too.

My vintage charcuterie plate…

I actually bought this next little bargain while we were away over the summer and completely forgot to share it at the time, so I’m sneaking it into this month’s post instead.

It’s a vintage charcuterie plate and I know most people will probably look at it and wonder why on earth I’d want it, but I really love it.

It’s a bit old fashioned, a bit quirky and exactly the kind of thing I’m always drawn to when I’m wandering around vintage and second-hand shops. I can’t really explain why I love things like this so much, but I do, and I think it’s one of those things that will fit perfectly into our house.

I much prefer bringing home something like this from a trip rather than buying a traditional souvenir because it’s something I’ll actually use, and every time I get it out I’ll remember where I bought it.

I can already picture it filled with cheese, crackers and little picky bits over Christmas, which probably tells you everything you need to know about how much I’m looking forward to the festive season!

I think I’ve done pretty well this month, haven’t I? There’s a bit of everything in this month’s bargains, from things I genuinely needed to things I absolutely did not need but loved too much to leave behind, which is usually how these posts go.

I think the parachuting Santa might just be my favourite because he’s so random and I already know exactly where he’s going to live at Christmas, although the free cabinet is a very close second. And I’m still very pleased with my slightly questionable charcuterie plate, even if nobody else likes it!

I’ll be back next month with another round-up of whatever second-hand treasures I manage to find.

Whether I’ll manage to beat three brand new or nearly new items for £3 and a free cabinet that made us £75 remains to be seen, but I’ll certainly enjoy trying.

I’d love you to follow me on Twitter and it would be amazing to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram. If you’re interested, you can find out more about me here and while I’ve got your attention, if you’re wondering why some of my posts lately are a little bit less frugal then have a read of this post. 😉

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