By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
LA Swapaholics Sip & Swap
Last week I went to a great swap run by The Swapaholics, co-hosts of last year’s Frugal Festival. Swaps come in all different sizes and shapes. Some are free. Some you have to pay to get in. Some are in person. Some are virtual. You can swap everything from houses to horses. Either way, swaps are a big money saver.
To get the most value out of a swap, here are the five things you need to know:
- The merchandise is tied to the people who attend the event. If you are looking for plus-size clothes and everyone at the swap is pencil thin, you won’t find anything but accessories. The best way to find the kind of swap you want is to search online for “swap”+ “your city”+ “qualifier.” The qualifier is the kind of swap that you are looking for such as mom, kid, toys, plants, plus-size, books, or recipes. So you might search “swap Los Angeles kids.”
- I believe in swapping karma. (more…)
Clothing swaps have given way to swaps of make up, vegetables, and cars. Credit: alanadanielle88/Flickr
This post was brought to you by Workwear, specialists in uniforms and corporate clothing.
Think swapping is just for clothes fanatics? If you’ve ever used Netflix, Craigslist, or attended a garage sale, you are a swapper. I recently talked to Melissa Massello, co-founder of TheSwapaholics, which was recently acquired by Swap.com, about swapping beauty products, vegetables, and cars. Full disclosure: Melissa and I co-hosted a swapping event called the Frugal Festival this past July. At the end of our interview, I pulled together resources to find a swap near you, what to bring to a swap, and swap tips for newbies.
Clothing swapping is fast becoming main stream. Clothing swaps have been around, as one blogger said, for as long as women knew their friends had closets. (more…)
If you are new to clothing swaps or missed the Frugal Festival, this video explains what a swap is and how they work, plus shows you how much fun this year’s event was. If you attended the Frugal Fest on June 19, look for your cameo. There are a lot of them! Click on the video below to watch.
Today only! Get 25% off with this Banana Republic coupon, which expires June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Online only.
Got kids? Want a cheap source of clothes? Join ThredUp and get the Pro membership (worth $30/year) free for two months. It ends up being about $.81 per item of clothing. Cheap!
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
Will look cute for food.
The 25 VIP tickets to the Frugal Festival are sold out! However, you can still get a ticket to the clothing swap this Saturday, June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.
Raffle prizes and goodies for the reusable bags each swapper receives are arriving everyday in the mail! Today my two dogs nearly bit the FedEx delivery guy when they accidentally escaped. They look sweet, above, but have uncontrollable mailman phobias. Also, they only sit for photos when bribed with kibble.
I literally jumped out of bed at 6:43 a.m. this morning because I realized there are only FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE FRUGAL FESTIVAL! Breathe deeply, everything will be fine…
AAAAAAAAAAG!
To prepare for the one-day clothing/media/housewares swap we wrote a post about how the swap actually works (there are many ways to run a swap) on the Frugal Festival blog. Tip: you can take home whatever you can stuff into the free reusable bag you will receive with admission.
We also negotiated a hot 10% discount at the nearby thrift shop Someone Else’s for Frugal Fest swappers. Just another reason to come to the swap this Saturday, June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center at 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Drop off is 10 a.m. to noon. The swap starts at 1 p.m. SHARP.
Buy your Frugal Festival ticket through Goldstar.
Just one week until the Frugal Festival Summer Swap June 19. I am so excited! Goodies and prizes from sponsors WalletPop, Savings, Lozo.com, Free Fun La, Holiday Inn Santa Monica, Yelp, Restaurant.com, and others are arriving everyday. We just got word at Mani-Kir Royal salon is raffling off a $25 gift certificate!
I’m making a stash of my stuff to swap, including…
- Two pairs of pumps, including one pair I wore twice five years ago. Psst, it’s okay to swap/buy used shoes.
- A gently-used copy of California Camping by Tom Stienstra
- A brand new pair of size 8-9 hot pink animal stripped slippers, above
- A handful of tops, blouses, sweaters, and other clothes
- A slim leather black belt with white stitching (actually, I’m on the fence about this)
What are you going to swap?
Details: the swap is June 19, 1-3 p.m. at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Drop off is 10-noon same day. Tickets $5 if you have swappables, $10 if not, or $15 for a VIP ticket. Tickets sold exclusively through Goldstar.
I updated the list of goodies you’ll find in the reusable bags we are giving to every swapper, including a $25 Restaurant.com gift card in every bag! SOOO worth the $5 admission, in my humble opinion.
The free raffle works a bit differently this year so make sure to be present for the drawing at 2 p.m. on June 19. Every swapper gets one free ticket with admission.
Where to park at the Frugal Festival June 19? I scoped out the situation.
See you at the Frugal Festival Summer Swap June 19 from 1-3 p.m. at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Buy your ticket here.
The Frugal Festival is less than two weeks away - June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center! Check out these new posts on the Frugal Festival blog:
Get your ticket to the Frugal Festival before it sells out!
Movie tix, Free Fun Guide, and excloo coupons in our 25 VIP bags!
If you want to go straight to Goldstar to buy your ticket, click here.
Go straight to the Frugal Festival blog to get all the latest info.
We’ve got some amazing raffle prizes in store for the swap, including a two-night hotel stay at the Holiday Inn in Santa Monica, a waterproof iPod boombox, and an 8GB iPod in hot pink! Everyone who comes to the swap will receive one raffle ticket with admission, which is $5 if you bring clothing/media/housewares to swap and $10 if you come as you are. VIP tickets, with front-of-the-line passes, freebies, and more, are $15. Tickets are being sold exclusively through Goldstar. Admission is free at 2 p.m.
Drop off your swappables from 10-noon, then chill while we organize and sort everything from noon-1. The swap is from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, 2010. What to do while we are sorting your swappables? There are a ton of restaurants, thrift shops, and stores within walking distance of the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood, where the swap is being held. I compiled a list of places to eat and things to do.
Directions from every direction! You shan’t get lost on your way to the swap with these guidelines.
Read all about the Frugal Festival raffle prizes, things to do after dropping off your swappables, and get directions on the Frugal Festival blog.
There is a new post on the Frugal Festival blog about this year’s event on June 19, 2010. Please check it out!
I am in the process of updating FrugalFestival.com so if you see a posts dated 2009 it means it is from last year’s event.
