Swap and Save
Upstairs, in various boxes and plastic containers, is a large collection of my children’s belongings. Clothes, books, toys, furniture. Most parents have such a collection and wonder what to do with it. Sometimes I give items away just to get the mess out of my house, while other times I take the time to organize it and sell it.
Those are two common ways to get rid of unnecessary items, but what about a third? In these tough economic times, more and more parents are gathering together for old fashioned swap meets. There are many kids of swap meets, but the basic idea behind them all is for parents to get rid of some of their kids’ unwanted items and go home with more new things for their kids. It’s a great idea and fairly simple to pull together.
When you first begin a swap meet, you need to decide how you want to run it. Laying the ground rules is important so that participants know what is expected of them and how things will work. Here are a few tips for starting you own swap meet.
Image by Joe Shlabotnik
Fees?
First you must decide if there will be fees or not. Smaller swap meets are often just giveaways and trades made between friends, but bigger swap meets sometimes involve trader fees, entry fees and/or fees for the items. If you go with a free system, you can allow participants to take as many items as they bring. If you are going to charge, you need to offer some guidelines on pricing, keeping it cheap and fair.
Participants
Do you want to just invite a few friends, or gather many people from the community and have a sale with a larger amount of items to swap? Having a swap meet with only a few people is good because it is a small gathering of friends who will often be willing to give their items to each other. Small swap meets are fun and sociable, with friends just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company. The advantage of large swap meets is that you will have more participants and therefore more choices. There will be many clothing sizes, books on many levels, and toys for various ages. That way, most people will find some things they want to trade for.
Image by Kalyan Kanuri
Exclusivity
If you are just having a swap meet with friends, you don’t have to worry about this, but if you are planning a larger sale, you have to determine who will be allowed to participate. You can leave it open to anyone, or limit it to a certain group of people. Often clubs and community organizations or churches are great places to find your participants. Just keep in mind that you want families with children of various ages to take part. This means schools are another great place to find people interested in a swap meet.
Location
The size of swap meet you are planning will determine your location. If it’s just a few friends, have it in someone’s home. This makes it even more fun, and you can include snacks or a meal as well. You’ll get rid of your unwanted items, come home with new items, and you’ll have had a sociable night out in the process.
If you are planning a larger swap meet, you may need to borrow or rent space in a larger building like a community centre or church. If there is a charge for the building, you can pay for it with money raise by charging traders a fee to display their items. You may also need to think about things such as tables that you may need to provide for your participants.
If you have kids, you know how much it costs to buy clothes, books and other kids’ items. If you can get gently used, like-new clothes and and pay little or nothing for them, you are doing great. You’ll feel good about cleaning out your closets and helping someone else, and you’ll feel even better about the newer items you bring home for your children. So instead of feeling overwhelmed by your piles of old clothes and toys, start planning a swap meet and enjoy the many benefits of swapping your items with others.
Related posts:
- 7 Ways to Put Your Old Clothes to Use
- How to Save Money with Friends
- Painless Budget Cuts: 4 Simple Ways to Save
- Affordable Art: 3 Ways to Decorate for Less
- 5 Ways Working Women Can Save
Category: Frugal Living
