A great way of saving money is to organize a swapping event with your friends and neighbours. Who has not got something in their homes which they no longer use or which they may have purchased and never used in the first place.
For those interested in this concept, they may want to read the article in The Canadian Press on the subject.
A not-for-profit group called the S.W.A.P Team began hosting clothing swaps in Montreal in 2007, and its Take Off Your Clothes events have now expanded into several Canadian cities and a few U.S. ones.
Since then, some 28,000 items have been swapped, nearly 32,000 items have been donated to charity and 60,000 have been diverted from landfills.
Participants drop off bags of clothes ahead of time or on the day of the swap. They get tickets for each item they contribute, which they can then trade for new pieces.
A bar or a restaurant is transformed into an impromptu boutique for a day. A DJ spins tunes while a throng of swappers claw through stuffed racks and volunteers rush to replenish the stock. Many swappers forego fitting rooms (i.e. bathroom stalls) and try items on right in the open. The atmosphere is frenzied, to say the least.
But the effort can be worth it. At a Calgary swap in 2010, one lucky swapper came away with a Prada handbag, said Necole Hines, the vice-president of operations who started out leading Calgary’s S.W.A.P chapter.
“I’ve been able to get some amazing pieces that I don’t have the money to go out and buy brand new,” said Hines, who said she picked up a gold vintage dress that’s perfect for holiday parties.
“And I know a lot of my peers actually have attended the event because of that – because they were able to get the quality, and they just don’t have the extra cash to go out and do that shopping that they used to do five, six, seven years ago.”
Read more on this article … saving money
Having spent some time with a local cafe owner today, I am looking forward to passing on this information myself entirely because I know that they will profit in some way. This could be by the fact that more people will be visiting their premises and buying drinks or they could even charge an amount for the use of their premises for the afternoon.
The benefits are:
The owners of the premises can make an income on the percentage of the sales.
People can clear out items they no longer need or use.
People can swap or even purchase items that they can actually afford.
Items could include, clothing, toys, bikes, books, ornaments and any item which was available for swap or for sale.
Saving money by swapping any items you have in your home could well become the new phenomena created by this recent recession.
