Hosting a Swap Party

Today a friend of mine brought some clothes to the office she didn't wear anymore and wanted to get rid of. After going through her clothes, I ended up scoring a pair of jeans, a dress and a cute cardigan (see pic) ..Thanks Steph! (You know I could never pass up on free clothes). That just got me thinking, what better way to update your wardrobe without buying new things than by having a Swap Party. Plus, you also get to clean out your own closet from things you don't wear anymore. For those of you new to swap parties, it's basically a party where you get together with friends and swap items you don't wear or use anymore. Here are some tips from Ehow.com on how to host your own party.

• Send out invitations to all of your friends. The more friends you invite, the greater the clothes selection including clothing sizes. Be clear on your invitation to let everyone know atleast how many garments to bring.


• Go through your own closet to pull out the clothes you no longer wear. Include only clothing that someone can still wear in your clothes swap pile.


• Wash, press and hang the garments. Tell your friends to do the same so everyone can easily see the clothes for swapping.


• Set up tables and garment racks. When your friends arrive, take their clothes and display them just as you would if you owned a store.


• Plan on how to go about the swap. Have each person pick a number, and the person with the number 1 has the first choice of an article. The person with the number 2, the number 3, etc. follows, until no more clothing is left, or everyone has picked up the amount they have wanted. If no one else wants an item, allow any other person who wants it to go ahead and take it.


• Bring accessories to the clothes swap party, too. Everyone can swap purses, shoes, belts and jewelry. You can leave with a completely new outfit without spending a dime.


• Donate any unwanted items to chartiy or charitable thrift shops.