I love clothes. Shopping for them, trying on different pieces together to create different ensembles. It’s such a great feeling…until the clerk tells me how much I owe. Then I get a strange feeling in the pit of my tummy that doesn’t feel like excitement anymore, more like my logical side screaming “Are you nuts? You can’t afford to do this every week, woman!” There had to be a way to satisfy my clothes-shopping fetish without breaking the bank.
So a few times a year I like to host a party for me and my girls, a clothing exchange party. The deal is: you go through your closet and pick out the clothes you haven’t worn in a while. If you look at an item and try to think of a reason why it should stay in your closet, then be honest with yourself and toss it in the to-go pile.
Everyone shows up at my house looking like Santa as they haul a huge garbage bag full of clothes over their shoulder – which also include baby clothes for children’s clothing swaps! I have a table set inside with finger foods and beverages and 90s music playing in the background.
We each pick a section in my living room to lay out the clothes we brought. Once that’s done, we go around looking at each other’s apparel and pick out what we like! It’s soooo much fun – FREE CLOTHES! And the best part is: the mirrors in my home aren’t like the ones in retail stores that seem to give you a flawless-yet-untrue look.
Anytime you’ve seen a friend wearing a blazer you love, a pair of shoes you wish you had that went well with your fave outfit…all those moments come back to you and suddenly, you know which piles to tackle first. Oh the joy!
Everyone fills up their garbage bag again but with clothes they’ll make use of now. How great is that? And any unfortunate pieces that no one wants go straight to a donation center. And for hopeless items like Ursula’s jogging pants with too many holes – (why she brought them I’ll never guess) – well, I’ll cut them up and use them as dust cloths to polish my wood furniture.
I think this is a great way to save money and feel amazing about it as you’re coming home with free clothes you love. And moms can bring the clothes their kids have grown out of for some free kids clothes swap fun.
Trust me, this is a fun party. Especially when some of the girls have items from high school. You dress up in neon tights with a bandana in your hair and flash dance to the 90s music that’s conveniently playing.
For a night of great laughs, hilarious memory making and free shopping, throw a clothes swap party!
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Frugal Tips