Cost of living crisis: Why preloved shopping in Sussex charity shops helps save you money while supporting a good cause

But you don’t have to spend a fortune, especially if you go down the preloved route.

With this in mind I set off to St Barnabas House hospice charity shop in Lyons Farm, Worthing, to see what I could find.

Shopping at a charity shop is a key revenue stream for charities - £10 could provide a patient with a delicious home-cooked meal at the hospice, catered to their individual needs.

While £18 could mean that someone who is seriously ill gets an hour of care in their own home from one of the hospice’s healthcare assistants.

Browsing through the clothes racks I was surprised to see some items were brand new, with the original label still attached.

There were also outfits that had clearly only been worn once, including many that would be perfect if you need to attend a wedding.

Another reason you may be looking for a new outfit is a job interview and as I made my way through the rails I found many items for under £5 that would work well, including a smart blue jumper for £4.50, a pair of black and white striped trousers for £5, and a black top for £4.

It was a real eye-opener to see what you could get for not very much money.

‘Shop, donate, recycle’ is the retail message and I was interested to learn the charity shops work closely with specialist recycling companies, meaning even unsaleable items can be safely repurposed.

Last year St Barnabas House hospice raised an additional £100,000 through recycling. To put that into perspective, that amount could fund 458 nurses to work on the hospice ward for a full day.

St Barnabas House has 13 charity shops located across Worthing, Adur, Arun and Henfield and 11 Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice shops in Sussex and South-East Hampshire.

Some of its shops sell furniture, the Broadwater shop in Worthing is a discount shop, and their Wedding Boutique is in Rowlands Road, Worthing.