On a wet Thursday afternoon, I was let out of The Northern Echo's offices with a crisp £10 note, and the instruction to buy myself something nice. 

This was not a treat for a job well done but rather the latest in this newspaper's investigations into the cost of living crisis - I was to go to a charity shop and buy myself an outfit for the upcoming office Christmas dinner.

I was optimistic, remembering the summers of my childhood spent buying second-hand books for 20 pence - but the price tags quickly disabused me of this notion.

Attracted to a set of sparkly dresses that looked as though they were straight out of the Strictly Come Dancing closet, I thought I'd wow my colleagues - but for £20 a pop, it was not to be.

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I found a range of lovely-looking stuff, hoping that I could snaffle something even if it wasn't Craig Revel Horwood-ready, only to discover that they were part of the vintage range, with prices going up to £65. 

The Northern Echo:

Eventually, I settled on a skirt and a shirt, from George at Asda and Boohoo respectively (so not exactly designer) - and was pretty stunned when they came to a total of £9.50. 

Hoping to secure a novel, just in case my colleagues were boring, I headed to the bookshelves, only to be rendered speechless at the prices. £3 for a battered old detective story that your dad read on holiday in the noughties. 

There seemed to be nothing under £1.50 - meaning I was unable to pick up more than a couple of items. 

I am not under a false impression that the British Heart Foundation's location on Durham's North Road is representative of charity shops - I am sure that there are cheaper charity shops out there. 

The Northern Echo:

In fact, I am sure most shops are cheaper. In the centre of a university town, where students increasingly find vintage to be cool, charity shops can charge a pretty penny without losing out on custom. 

Goods are fairly high quality too - striped tops from Joules, tag-on items from Per Una, and plenty of genuine leather. 

Together, this means that prices are steep - and the issue is compounded by the cost of living crisis. With charities needing more money than ever - their shops are having to charge more than ever. 

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The Chancellor recently revealed his economic plans in the Autumn budget - the same day I went charity shopping - and the message he outlined in his budget was reflected in what I saw; we are set for a difficult winter. 

Climbing prices mean that people who could previously rely on the second-hand option, are priced out. People are still shopping in charity shops - but I wonder whether client demographics are now skewed towards the middle classes. 

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