Guest Post: Hosting a Clothing Swap
FREE CLOTHES
Do you have a friend who has amazing style?
Let’s Swap-
Do you need something new to you?
Let’s Swap-
Have you worn the same outfit over and over again to every “dressy” function because you do not have anything else to wear?
Let’s Swap-
What do you have that I want? What do I have that you want? Setting up a swap for girl’s night out is fun, free, and fabulous. So how do you get a whole new wardrobe for nothing or at the very least, something new and exciting to you?
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First, you write down a list of people who you would like to invite. The more particpants, the better the swap is!
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Second, design a cute invitation using EVITE. This site will keep track of who can attend and who declined. If you have enough room, you can even suggest your guest bring a friend.
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Third, cut and paste the following rules into your invite.
Please, empty your closet and vanity. Remove anything you have not worn or used in over a year. Everything includes shoes, jewelry, purses, bags, hats, coats, clothes, and beauty products. This is not an event to see who can bring the most items. It is also not required that you leave with the same amount of things that you came with. The swap is intended for you to get rid of those items that you are not using and replace them with something that you will use. You will be asked to sort your items by like kind and wait until the party begins to “shop”. The items that are not selected will be donated to charity.
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Conducting a swap for every season, insures keeping your closets free of unused clutter. This will force you to decide if an item is worth keeping or not. More than likely, you will feel more at ease with getting rid of an item if you know a friend will use it and care for it. Why have it sit in your closet? That space could house something you will actually use.
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How do you set up for a swap? Grab a full- length mirror, a marker, paper, and tape. Make signs so that people know where to place their items. Make signs that divide the items into categories like the following: shoes, make up, jeans, dresses, and accessories etc. This way everyone knows where to put their items when they arrive. Have your guests sort their items when they arrive into the preselected categories. Then have them sit tight and wait for the party to start. It is best to have the party start 30 minutes after the invitation says so that people have time to deposit their items and look around.
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There is one simple rule, “she who sees it first, gets it”. Have the guests try on the clothing and if the item does not fit, have them offer it to the next person who is interested in that item. I have been interested in the same shirt as someone else before. However, she saw it first. It ended up being mine after she tried it on and discovered it was too tight. If you have a large party you could have people pick numbers and pick one item in a rotation format.
It is a really fun night where you get to go shopping for free. Who doesn’t love free? And not to mention fellowship with your girlfriends!
Some swap variations: household items, children’s toys, children’s clothes, craft items… well anything you can think of.
Set up a swap now you will be glad you did!
Renae and Amee are 2 mom’s that write for Madamedeals. They write about frugal fashion and still living large on less.
Melissa here. I think this is the most amazing idea!!!! I love it so much I have decided to host one myself here in fresno. If you are interested in doing this, please send me an email at thesassysaver at gmail dot com and I will let you know where and when it will be. I hope to have it done by the end of October so we can have some new clothes for those colder months!
