Clothes & Fashion

Second-hand shopping has grown in popularity, both online and in charity shops. But what some don't realise is that you can often find BRAND-NEW clothing on second-hand sites. Not only can this save you money, but it's a more sustainable option for the planet too.

Nothing beats the feeling of a new pair of shoes, but this can quickly turn into heartache if they get scuffed the first time you wear them. So why not save yourself the misery (and some dosh) with a pair that isn't quite immaculate in the first place?

Jumpers are for life, not just for Christmas, but most of us only wear our most garish festive get-up for one or two days a year, then feel pressure to buy a new one the following year. That's neither MoneySaving nor good for the planet, so what can we do about it? I have a few ideas...

Recycle Week may be over (Mon 21–Sun 27 Sep), but it's still 'Second-hand September', reminding us to check if we can buy items second-hand via charity shops, eBay, apps, or from each other before buying 'fast-fashion' to help protect the environment. But the reality is, clothes and shoes do wear out, so how do we sustainably dispose of items we can no longer use?

As it's Second-hand September – where Oxfam is asking people pledge to buy nothing new all this month – I decided to organise our first ever clothes swap in the MSE office. No, we didn't all take our shirts off and switch like at a football match, we held an event where staff donated clothes, either for colleagues to take away or to help charity.

Ray-Bans aren’t exactly MoneySaving, but as they’re one of the most popular sunglasses brands we know many will buy 'em anyway, so we’ve a round-up of tips and tricks to cut costs.

Littlewoods and Very.co.uk are both essentially online 'department stores' and they're owned by the same parent company, Shop Direct. The two sites look very similar, and while the product ranges aren't always identical, there's a lot of crossover. So you can surely buy from either and it makes no difference… right? WRONG!

You find a pair of jeans, they're in your size and they're cheap... just one problem – the colour’s all wrong. I had this recently with a pair of white jeans (I wanted black) in my size, reduced from £26 to £5 in the Dorothy Perkins sale. What was I to do?

We all want to make our money go further, and signing up for retailers’ loyalty schemes or newsletters can be a great way to do this and even earn yourself ‘free’ money. However, did you know there’s often more to these schemes than earning points?

You’d better bra-lieve it, we’ve found a way for Londoners to exchange their old, worn-out bra for a bra-nd new one.