Money Saving Wednesday…Swap Meets

Holding a swap meet is a great way to clean out cupboards, attics and garages while at the same time,  getting items you may need, or even finding an unusual item for a gift. All this, without the hassle or expense of a garage sale or an Internet sales site.

To have a successful Swap Meet it’s all about thinking outside the box. This is not the time to empty your “stuff” into a big box and show up at a friend’s home. It’s time to make it an event and to get together with those who have similar goals and needs.

1). Make it fun. Plan a potluck, dessert potluck or cookie exchange. In addition to bringing items to swap everyone bring food to share. For a cookie exchange have some brown paper lunch bags ready for everyone to take home some goodies.

2). Before you send out invitations, outline some ground rules.What is acceptable to swap? For example, all clothing should be mended, washed and ironed. All appliances must be in working order. Decide how to handle disagreements over items. What happens if more than one person wants an item? What happens to things that don’t find a home by the end of the party. Will everyone be responsible to dispose of their own extras or will you call Goodwill or someone to pick them up?

3). Draw up some guidelines about how the swap will work. You could pull numbers from a hat and each person will be able to choose one item at a time, or you could hand out numbers as people arrive, those who come early to help get priority. You could count how many items a person brings and they get to take home the same number. Once everyone has chosen then anything left over is up for grabs.

4). Invite the right people. You could have a free for all with anything allowed or you could be specific as to the items people can bring. Get together people with similar interests and you meet will be more fun and more successful.

Consider:

A clothing swap

A children’s items swap

A home furnishings swap

A garden swap ( seeds, tools, plants)

A book swap

A talent swap (cooking, baking, sewing, babysitting, canning, hair cuts, etc.)

A school supplies swap (great for school teachers or Sunday school teachers or home schoolers)

A swap for a cause: How about a swap of music and art items to benefit your high school band program.

5). Invite enough people. If there are those who need items but don’t have items to swap they could bring freezer foods to swap or make up some IOUs for babysitting or housecleaning.

6). Choose a place. A home is usually the best location as it will allow you to set up and to keep items displayed without a time limit for getting cleaned up. Be sure to have plenty of large tables for display and also some boxes or bags to take home items. You may want to assign people to bring additional folding tables.

Finally, make a list before the day arrives, of items you want to be on the look out for. Swap meets are great for getting those items or services you would otherwise have to pay for, remember that is the objective. Remind yourself you are looking for specific items but you are also looking to make room in your home for more important items, like food and emergency supplies!

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