Over the last couple of weeks, a simple idea that one of the girls in my year had has taken our school by a storm. Intended just for a group of friends at first, it soon spread and now has over 300 people involved whether directly or indirectly. It's basically a Facebook group where people can upload photos of things they want to sell and buy secondhand items at really great prices, from clothes to shoes to bags to school-related supplies.

Despite being well into the exam period for the three upper years of the school, there has been a flurry of Facebook activity recently with people asking the price and size of items of clothing, and arranging to meet at school in order to make the sale. There's no obligation to buy something you've committed to, as it's perfectly acceptable to ask to try something on before you hand over the money.

There are two extremely fab things about the sale group, in my opinion. First, the way it essentially lets people do a spot of clothes shopping online, which is a great solution these days when exam revision takes up so many people's time, meaning the opportunities for shopping trips are limited. Second, we're not just talking cheap H&M stuff (although there is a fair bit of that) - there's a range of brands being uploaded every day, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike, Topshop, Pull & Bear, Urban Outfitters, Superdry and Zara, and it's possible to get something like an A&F hoodie for €7 or €8.

As something of a shopping addict myself, it would be laughable to think I'd let so many bargains pass me by, even with the obvious priority of studying for exams, and sure enough I got (and sold) a few things. I did, however, manage to restrain myself to only a few items, as it was getting scarily easy to spend money with just a quick Facebook comment. And so voila:

Plaid Sheer Shirt from Bershka, €6

I got this sheer shirt because it combines two things I love dearly - plaid and collars. This is the only one of the three things I got which I've actually worn yet, and I can safely say that I see it becoming one of my favourite things to wear.

Retro shirt from Danielle Dumar, €7

So this was a bit of a wild buy, because this lightweight stripy retro-ish shirt is kind of oversized and the sort of thing you might find in a thrift store. The colours are a bit less vibrant than in the photo, but it's definitely a statement piece, and I think it will go lovely with a white tank top and high-waisted denim shorts, for instance. I'm a bit peeved I can't seem to find anything about Danielle Dumar on in the internet, apart from that it's a German/Dutch brand, and there quite a few pieces on eBay which are often described as 'vintage'.

Denim Shirt from Zara, €7

This last thing is the one I'm probably most pleased about, because it's a) a light denim jacket, something I've been looking to buy for a long time, and b) from Zara and cost me a mere €7, which is quite the bargain given Zara prices. This kind of jacket will go with everything (except possibly light denim shorts), and it's quite thick which means it'll be great for autumn too.