The Joy of Swaps
Is there anything better than hanging with a bunch of cool ladies? How about when there are tasty snacks involved? Now add getting your paws on a fresh batch of free clothes.
Paradise, right?
This dreamy evening can be yours if you plan a girlie clothing swap. Heavenly fun all around.
My lady friends and I have been having clothing swaps for years, and it is always a joyful experience. Moreover, it is win win on so many levels.
Here’s the concept for those of you who may be unfamiliar:
1.Purge your closet. Accept that you will not fit in those jeans you’ve been keeping for when you lose ten pounds. Realize that the cocktail dress you bought for drinks on the town doesn’t fit with your Netfix on the couch lifestyle. Bid adieu to the sandals that chew up your feet every time you wear them.
2. Breathe a sigh of relief that your closet and drawers aren’t exploding anymore and you no longer hear the mocking laughter of those damn shoes you never wore.
3. Throw them all in a bag.
4. Pat yourself on the back for making a step toward becoming a minimalist.
5. Order your girlfriends to do the same.
6. Set a time and a place for the swap evening.
7. Tell everyone to bring drinks and snacks, because everything is better with drinks and snacks.
8. Start swapping!
There are different methods that people employ for a swap. Our method is that everyone takes turns holding up their items and whoever wants it grabs it. Hearing the history of someone’s items is half the fun. Over the years the swap has expanded from just clothes and accessories to books, kitchen items, and weird gifts that people have received that they don’t know what to do with. It can be as big or as curated as you wish. The point is to help everyone purge and to come away with new treasures in the end. Everything that remains is donated to charity.
We all have those things in our closets that we don’t wear. Experts say that in general we wear 20% of our clothing, 80% of the time. Oftentimes, however, it is still hard to let items go. Knowing that someone else will give them new life makes parting with our unworn items a little easier.
Photo credit: pixabay
As well, it helps to be more mindful of the environmental impact of the fast fashion industry, and our need for cheap and cheerful fashion fixes. Every year fast fashion retailers contribute to pollution from their methods and our disposable approach to fashion contributes to tonnes of landfill per year. I am definitely guilty of being drawn to the cheap and cheerful. I often want to reward myself with a cheap something-something and quickly grow tired of it after a few wears.
Swaps are a great way to assuage buyer’s remorse and still get your treat fix. You come away with new to you goodies, you’ve cleared out some of your own space, you aren’t adding to landfill, and you’re donating to worthy charities in the end. Not bad for an evening with friends…
Start purging and start swapping! ( and contact me if you come across any dainty size ten shoes!)
