26 April 2023 , 23:10
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A bargain mad mum who manages to find £20k designer bags in charity shops for £5 says she has was able to treat her family to holidays with her savings.
Francesca Ramsden, 33, has always loved a great find, and started charity shopping with her parents. Now, by buying Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags for less than £5, she's been able to save a fortune.
The money she has saved has been spent on making memories and going on family holidays.
Now the mum-of-two prides herself on buying 99% of her wardrobe second-hand and the majority of her kid's clothes are pre-loved.
Francesca, from Burnley, says the key to grabbing a bargain is to go to the charity shop as much as possible, look for "stashed" items in the children and menswear areas and fix up broken garments. She recommends going to towns and cities in the north and to less affluent areas for better deals, reports Lancashire Live.
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Francesca, a nurse, said: "Thrifting is life - I absolutely love it.
Francesca with a thrifted bag (Francesca Ramsden / SWNS)
Francesca with thrifted bags (Francesca Ramsden / SWNS)"It haunts me the thought of when I'm older and when I die, my children have to live in this world - with all the things that are thrown away and all the pollution.
"I got a Chanel bag for £1 from Cancer Research in Rawtenstall and a Louis Vuitton bag for £3.50 a few months ago from a recycling centre in Manchester.
"I go into the shop with a clear vision of what I want and manifest what I want.
"I think I've saved about £20k buying second-hand and I've been to Rome and Lanzarote on family holidays last year because of money I've saved."
Francesca with thrifted shoes (Francesca Ramsden / SWNS)
Francesca with a thrifted Moschino top (Francesca Ramsden / SWNS)Francesca has passed down the passion to her own children - Hattie, three and Elliot, nine. When she isn't at work, she will go straight to the charity shop for 9am to get first dibs on the best stock.
Francesca suggests bargain hunters should get to know the volunteers and ask them when they get new stock.
She said: "Sometimes people will find good items and stash them somewhere so it's good to look everywhere.
"Get talking to the staff and don't be afraid to ask if they have stuff in the back.
"I go four times a week - it's my hobby.
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Some of Francesca's thrifted bags (Francesca Ramsden / SWNS)"I found a really badly deformed Ted Baker bag for 50p, but I made it brand new by shoving it full of jumpers and towels to reshape it.
"I then heated it with a hair dryer and smoothed the plastic out.
"I used nail polish remover to remove the scuffs."
Her favourite charity shop is Age UK, in Burnley, Lancashire - where she bags lots of clothes for just £1. She added: "All my kids' stuff is second-hand.
"I'd rather spend my money on memories rather than materialistic things."