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How To Host A Clothing Swap

September 16, 2021 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Everything you need to know about hosting a clothing swap.

Who doesn’t love free clothes???  I LOVE free clothes.  But, do you want to know what is even better then free clothing???  Helping all of your friends score free clothes too.  It makes for the perfect girls night!  Time with friends plus free clothing equals everyone is happy!  Want to know what the heck I am talking about???  I’m talking hosting a clothing swap!

What Is A Clothing Swap?

A clothing swap is a party where everyone can bring their gently used clothing/accessories to exchange for other gently used clothing/accessories.  Each clothing swap will differ from each other in terms of rules and expectations, but the simple motive stays the same:  to help others get rid of clothing no longer loved and find new clothing to love again….without having to spend any money!

Why Host A Clothing Swap?

There are many reasons to host a clothing swap!  I’ve already mentioned the chance to get new to you clothing for free!  But, here are a few other great reasons:

  • A clothing swap is an environmentally friendly to recycle clothes and reduce waste.
  • It’s a fun way to spend a night out with friends and make new friends!
  • Attending a clothing swap will motivate you to clean out your closet and get rid of items you rarely wear.
  • It encourages you to try new clothing that you normally wouldn’t wear.

How To Host A Clothing Swap?

A clothing swap is fairly simple to host, and the best part of hosting is that you get to make up the rules!  Here are a few things to consider when planning your event:

1.  Choose A Location

The first step to planning a clothing swap is to choose a location.  The location will depend based on the number of people attending.  Most of the clothing swaps I have attended have been small and held in a friends living room.

If you have a bigger crowd attending you might be able to find free rental space at a local library or church.

2.  Set The Rules

You should spend some time deciding what the rules for your swap will be.  This is an important step to ensure that everyone knows what to expect from the party and you can all be on the same page.  A few rules I recommend are:

  • Clothes should be in good condition.  No stains, holes, broken zippers, etc.
  • Clothing should be freshly washed.
  • Encourage guests to bring 10-15 high quality clothing items.  Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to hosting a clothing swap.  If to many clothing items are brought, the swap can become overwhelming to sort through.
  • Set a theme.  Make sure to set a theme for the types of clothing to be swapped.  Some swaps focus on trading children’s clothing, others might be just for women’s clothing.  Decide what type of clothing you want at the swap and let your guests know ahead of time.

3.  Invite Guests

Now that you have your rules set, you can start inviting the guests.  If you are wanting a small clothing swap, limit your guest list to your closest friends and family.  If you want a bigger swap, try branching out and inviting acquaintances along with your friends.

4.  Set Up

It’s important for the clothing to be dropped off before the actual event is set to begin. You might want to ask for clothing to be dropped off the night before the official swap, to give you plenty of time to set up.  But, asking for donations 1 hour before the swap can also work!  It will depend on how many people and items you are expecting.

When setting up the swap, make sure to organize clothing items by size and category to make it easier for your guests to sort through.

It’s also a good idea to have a place for guests to try on items during the swap.  If you are hosting at your home, a guest bathroom works great.

5.  Swap Time

When it’s time to swap you can organize it a few different ways:

  • Free for all:  Let everyone shop and grab items to their delight.  This works best for small groups or close friends.  If the group is to big it could cause problems with some people grabbing the “favorite” items first and others leaving without anything.  The goal is for all attendees to leave happy!
  • Lottery:  Another way to arrange the swap is to use a lottery.  Write all guests names down on separate pieces of paper and put them into a bowl.  Draw names out one at a time and assign each name a number in the order they were drawn.  Next, let the first 1-5 names drawn shop for the first 15-20 minutes.  Then the next 5 names can shop for the next 15-20 minutes, and so on.  This gives all guests a fair chance at the clothing.
  •  Swap For Swap:  Another way to ensure fair swapping is to give each guest a ticket for every item of clothing they bring.  If one person brings 7 clothing items, they will receive 7 tickets.  For each ticket they are given they will be able receive that many items of clothing to bring home.

Now, all that’s left to do is enjoy the clothing swap and watch everyone leave with a pile of new to them clothing!

6.  Donate Unwanted

After the party is over, make sure to donate whatever clothing items are leftover.  Choose a charity, such as Goodwill or Salvation Army to donate the leftover items to.

 

In Conclusion

A clothing swap is such a fun way to hang out with friends and get some new articles of clothing.  They are totally addicting though!  Once you start going to these activities, it’s hard to stop!

 

Related Articles:

How to Save Money on Back to School Shopping

Money Advice For Your 20s

How To Live Frugally

 

Pin For Later:

hosting a clothing swap - easy way to save money on clothing

how to get free clothes - fun clothing swap girls night

I hope this helped you learn how to host a clothing swap.

How To Live On One Income

March 5, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life20 Comments

How to save money as a stay at home mom.

Have you wondered how to live on one income?  I’ve been doing it with my family of 5 for over 15 years now.  It’s definitely not easy, but it’s possible!

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a stay at home mom.  I struggled choosing a career path in high school and college because I only had dreams of being a mom.

I have been living my dream for 15 years now and am so grateful.  My husband is a good and hard worker, but he is also a blue collar worker and he does not earn a large paycheck.

It’s not always easy to be a stay at home mom when I know that our financial situation could be much better if I would go to work.

We have had many financial ups and downs and I have had to learn to change from a natural SPENDER to a SAVER.  It has not always been easy, but I have learned a few things along the way to make it more doable.

Today I am sharing my secrets for how to live on one income!

This post does contain affiliate links.  I will be compensated for purchases made through my links.  Thanks for supporting my little business!

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How To Live On One Income

Here are a few tips I have learned to save money as a stay at home mom.  I hope they help you learn how to live on one income.

Secret #1:  Stay at Home Moms Contribute To The Family Finances

As a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM), I do not earn a physical paycheck, we are living on one income after all.  But, that does not mean that I don’t contribute to the family finances.

I consider it a large part of my job to stretch my husbands paycheck as far as I can.  A stay at home moms paycheck comes in the form of saving money, budgeting smartly, spending less instead of more.  Taking this part of my job seriously has helped us to save more and live more contently.

Money saving tricks for

Secret #2:  Make a Budget and Stick To It

One of the most important parts of saving more money at home is by making a budget.  This budget will help you keep track of your income and expenses.  It’s important to refer to it often to be sure you are not over spending.

At the end of every month we have a “Budget Meeting” where my husband and I sit down and discuss our finances and make our budget for the next month.

It is not always easy to stick to this budget (especially not at first).  But the more we kept working on it, the easier it has become and the more freedom we have felt.

Having this budget keeps my money in check AND gives me freedom to spend without feeling guilty.  We prefer to spend most of our money using cash, and that has helped us spend so much less!

Secret #3:  Do NOT Spend A Lot Of Money On Kids Clothes

As a new mom I use to love buying cute dresses, outfits and accessories for my baby girl.  There are so many colors and fun items to choose from, I mean who wouldn’t get a little carried away?!?

But, when living on one income I learned quickly that my money is not going to go far if I continued with that habit.  Once I actually looked at my budget, I couldn’t believe how much money I was wasting on kids clothing.

Kids grow out of clothes so very quickly, they spend most of their time playing outside getting their clothes dirty…..and honestly, most kids (especially younger kids) do not care how much their clothes cost or what brand they are wearing.  So why spend the big bucks on them???

Here’s a few ways you can save money on kids clothing:

1.  Save Everything

If you are planning on having more children, save all of your kids clothes.  That way when the next child comes you will already have plenty of clothing that you can use again.

I organized all my children’s old clothes into boxes (diaper boxes work great for this!).  If you are concerned about storage space try this under bed storage and keep the clothing under your child’s bed.  To keep the clothes organized label each box by the age and gender of the clothing.

2.  Buy USED!

There are so many high quality, gently used kids clothing options available.  And buying used is usually less than half the price of buying brand new.

My favorite option is a local children’s consignment store.  Check to see if you have one in your area and stop by regularly.  Some days I leave without buying anything, but other days I leave with a bag full of like-new name brand items.

A few other places to find used kids clothing are thrift stores, garage sales, Facebook marketplace and eBay.  Remember, when shopping used, check often!

3.  Shop off Season

New clothes will be heavily discounted at the end of each season.

In the spring you can find winter clothes for cheap and in the fall summer clothes have big discounts.

Buy a size up from what your child is wearing currently and save it for them to wear the next year.  It’s always fun to pull these out each season.

4.  Sell Clothes That Kids Grow Out Of

If you aren’t planning on having any other children and your kids have grown out of their clothes,  SELL the clothing.

I have had a lot of luck selling kids clothing at consignment stores, Facebook marketplace and garage sales.  If you are going to get rid of them anyways you might as well make a few bucks right!?!

  • Related:  10 Items In Your House You Can Sell Quickly To Make Money

5.  Shop at Discount Clothing Stores

Try to get into the habit of shopping at discount clothing stores.  I personally love Ross and TJ Maxx.  These stores have high quality clothing, but for a really great price.

Shopping at these stores is a bit like a treasure hunt, you never know what will be in stock, but there is no better feeling than finding the perfect outfit for the best price!

Secret #4:  Meal Plan

Every week on Sundays you will find me with my pen and paper and planning out our weekly menu.  A meal plan will help stop the temptation to buy take out, and encourages eating at home, which is much cheaper than eating out.

When making your weekly Meal Plan look through ads at your local grocery stores to see what the stores have on sale.  Try to plan your meal plan around those sales.  It takes time, but it saves a lot of money.  You know the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  Make a plan!

  • Related:  Start Meal Planning For The Complete Beginner

 

 

Secret #5:  Cook from Scratch

Another tip for learning how to live on one income is to cook from scratch as often as possible.  I still throw a frozen lasagna into the oven occasionally, but I have learned that the more I cook from scratch, the more money I will save.

If you struggle having enough time for cooking, browse pinterest for instant pot recipes and crock pot recipes.  I use these regularly and they have stopped me from buying take out food many times!

Encourage your kids to help in the kitchen.  It makes it a little more fun and easier if the kids help out too.  We love to turn on some tunes, dance and laugh together while we cook.

  • Related:  Easy Pasta Dinner Recipe

Secret #6:  Travel Frugally

Traveling is a fun way for families to build bonds and make memories.  But, you do not need a fancy expensive vacation to make memories.  Explore areas nearby for your family vacation.  Become tourists in your own area.

For example, you could go camping at a nearby National Park, spend a couple of nights at a hotel for a “Staycation”, or explore a few local museums.

Join Groupon and look regularly for deals that you can use as a family.  Your town just might be more interesting than you originally thought, and your kids will appreciate the extra time spent together.

  • Related:  Over 20 Tricks for Travel on a Budget

Secret#7:  Consult Pinterest Cautiously

As a mom Pinterest is my go-to resource for finding kid activities and recipes.  However, if you are trying to save money you should view Pinterest cautiously.

Pinterest is full of wonderful helpful ideas, however it can also be far to easy to get swept away with the fancy home décor and lavish birthday parties.  The “keeping up the Joneses” can come out strong on this website.

Enjoy your time browsing Pinterest, but be careful not to get swept away in the pins that will end up only costing you more money.

Secret #8:  The best things in life are actually free

Sometimes it’s hard to see others going on exotic vacations and buying fancy new vehicles.  But, I have learned that the best things in life are actually free.

Try to find joy and contentment in the simple things in your life.  Going on a family bike ride, dancing in the kitchen, and snuggling with my kids while reading books are all moments that I will treasure forever.

No amount of money is worth more than these quiet times with my children.  When we learn to find joy in these special free moments (something I am constantly working on) those lavish experiences won’t seem near as tempting.

Living on One Income Conclusion

It is possible to be a stay at home mom and live well while only on one income.  It will require some sacrifice and extra work, but it has been so worth it in my life.

Being able to be with my kiddos every day, reading them books, packing their lunchboxes, helping in their classrooms, playing with them at the park, has been a dream come true.

I understand that this way of life may not be the best fit for everyone, but it my dream and my heart.  And I’m so glad we have made the financial sacrifices to make it happen!

Liked what you read?  Remember to pin it for future reference!

tips for living on one income for stay at home moms

how to live well while on one low income

 

Related Articles:

Fun Birthday Traditions for Small Budgets

12 Side Hustles for Stay at Home Moms

15 Free Spring Break Activities for Kids

I hope this article helps you learn how to live on one income.

Hello! I’m Melanie!

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