{"id":27991,"date":"2010-06-18T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2010-06-18T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/blog\/?p=27991"},"modified":"2023-09-24T09:45:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T15:45:36","slug":"dress-yourself-for-free-host-a-clothing-swap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/dress-yourself-for-free-host-a-clothing-swap\/","title":{"rendered":"Dress yourself for free: How to host a clothing swap"},"content":{"rendered":"
I spend almost nothing on clothes. According to Mint<\/a>, I’ve spent $199.50 to clothe my family of five this year. They say the average U.S. household has spent $1258.62. That’s more than six times<\/i> my spending.<\/p>\n It’s been years since I walked into a clothing store, tried on styles I liked and bought myself a new pair of jeans. That doesn’t mean I’m content to dress like a slob, or wear the same tried-and-true favorites season after season. I change up my wardrobe every few months with a huge shopping spree \u2014 from my friends’ closets.<\/p>\n <\/a>My friends and I hold clothing swaps at least once a season. We all clean out our closets of anything we don’t love that’s still in good condition. We get together and swap our cast-offs around. I’m a walking advertisement for the aphorism, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”<\/p>\n A clothing swap is a win on several fronts, For example, it decreases clutter<\/a> in your closet, and<\/i> gives you a chance to freshen up your wardrobe for free.<\/p>\n I find the selection at a clothing swap is better than I get in most thrift stores. My friends’ tastes in clothes are fairly similar to mine, so I don’t have to wade through rack after rack of 1970s polyester blouses to get to the good stuff. The last swap I was at had an entire business wardrobe of designer-label stuff in my size, a lot of it still with the tags on. I also picked up half a dozen cozy, long-sleeved t-shirts and a pair of great jeans.<\/p>\n I feel free to experiment with my wardrobe. If something fits well but is wildly different from my usual style, I can take it home and see if I like it. If it sits at the back of my closet for six months untouched, I can just return it next time I go to a swap. No harm, no foul. With clothing swap finds, I’ve expanded my staple wardrobe from simple jeans and t-shirts to include a lot more adventurous skirts and dresses.<\/p>\n Clothing swaps are great fun. I’d much rather spend a morning hanging out with a group of friends chatting and laughing while we play dress-up than spend hours trolling a mall for the right ensemble.<\/p>\n I’ve heard these events called “naked lady parties”, but men can play this game, too. I’ve hosted swaps that were just for the ladies and swaps that were co-ed. Do what works for you.<\/a><\/p>\n Here’s how to host a clothing swap:<\/p>\n The best reward to hosting a clothing swap? You get first dibs on everything that comes in as you sort through the donations.<\/p>\n The biggest risk is bedbugs. Bedbugs are a nightmare to live with and nearly impossible to get rid of. They love to travel in clothes, but can’t survive the heat of a dryer. If you’re hosting a clothing swap, make a very firm rule that everything brought into the house be freshly cleaned.<\/b><\/p>\n Hosting a clothing swap is a great way to slash your clothing budget to almost nothing, and it’s a fun way to spend time with your friends. It’s also a way to live green. We don’t usually think of clothes as recyclable in the same way a soda can is, but clothing makes up 5% of the municipal waste in New York City. That’s a lot of clothes going into landfills.<\/p>\n Swapping your unwanted stuff decreases your demand for new manufactured textiles, which can be a drain on natural resources. It also helps keep more clothes out of landfills.<\/p>\n Got any more tips on how to host a clothing swap? Leave ’em in the comments!<\/p>\n For more clothing tips, also see How to Stop Buying Clothes You Never Wear<\/a> and Embracing the Thrift Store Ethic: 18 Top Tips for Buying Used Clothes<\/a>. Also welcome Lifehacker<\/a> readers! Photo by iwona_kellie<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/span>The Clothing Swap<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Swapping is simple<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
<\/span>Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n