A mother-of-two has revealed how she hasn’t 20 years wearing only pre-loved clothes – saying she even buys underwear from second-hand shops!
Angela Morton, a dedicated mother from South Wales, United Kingdom, has been able to avoid buying new clothes from retailers for the past twenty years. Instead, she shops in secondhand stores for all her clothes purchases, saving a ton of money on the common expense. Angela, who lives with her two teenagers, Ben and Meighan, and her 40-year-old husband, David, has convinced them to also shop secondhand shops. She claims to achieve a “buzz” from her shopping habits and has saved hundreds of pounds a year by buying everything she and her family wears from secondhand shops.
Angela and her family have been able to stash away hundreds of dollars of savings every year by buying everything they wear from secondhand shops. She estimates that she has saved thousands of dollars over the last two decades of careful shopping. While she spends a lot of time at charity stores and secondhand shops, she also does a ton of online shopping on eBay and Vinted to save money on clothes.
“My children have worn secondhand or handmade clothing for at least ten years and have never had a problem with it. They didn’t know any different growing up, and now they are older, they like vintage styles and that they can get more for their money. My son loves the 70s and 80s and enjoys vintage shopping. We enjoy vintage shopping as a family day out.”
Angela’s obsession with secondhand garments began as a teenager when she was nineteen. She loved vintage clothing and started buying clothes from previous decades from secondhand shops. “I have loved the 1950s and 1960s since I was younger, in particular the clothing and music. I have never liked the styles of modern fashion and didn’t want to look the same as everyone else.”
The savings Angela has made over the years from buying secondhand clothes have allowed her and her family to enjoy more experiences together. “On just three items, I have saved around £1,304 (more than $1,500).”
She has also found some strikingly good deals, such as a Vivienne Westwood bag that had only been used once for about $70. She also purchased two Stella McCartney bags for about $50 each instead of paying the suggested retail price of nearly $1,000 per bag. One other great thing that Morton purchased was a pair of Dr. Martens boots that she spent just $35 to $40 on. The boots lasted her for eight years.
While Angela buys her lingerie secondhand, she does buy some underwear new from a sustainable brand. “I occasionally buy new from brands such as Y.O.U. underwear. It is ethical and sustainable and has a buy-one-give-two model, which means that every time you buy a pair of underwear, they donate two pairs of underwear to ‘Smalls for All.’”
The mother’s environmental and ethical concerns about what she’s buying have also led her to set up her own business and as a family, they’ve also tried to cut down on their plastic waste. Her commitment to sustainable fashion has helped her save money while also helping to reduce waste in the fashion industry.
Angela added: “I’m passionate about not impacting the planet or the people in the supply chain when making purchases. I set up my business, Equalibrium, two years ago to reduce plastic waste in the bathroom.”