HOW TO OP-SHOP LIKE A PRO
Op shops can be overwhelming places – don’t expect to wander into your local St Vinnies for five minutes and find exactly what you’re looking for. Instead, you’ll probably need to roll up your sleeves and do some serious rummaging through the mountains of donated bits and bobs. Go with time on your hands, comfy clothes and patience by the bucketload. You might even like to make a day of it and map out a trail of nearby stores.
On the topic of planning: don’t leave the house with an empty wallet. Though some charity stores are happy for shoppers to pay for their finds by card, many are cash only (they’re mostly dealing in tiny sums, after all), so start your op-shop jaunt with a quick trip to an ATM. This will also set you a budget of sorts, forcing you to stick to purchases you really, really dig.
Travellers have long waxed lyrical about
