Has anyone had a clothes swapping party or book swapping club

[ivykaty44]

and how was it organised?

[shaz298]

Nope haven't, but do buy my books from our local post office who sell them for 20p for cancer research. I then take all the boks I read, including the one's I bought back to be resold. Good cause and cheap reading :)

[joruth]

I run a book swapping club but "organisation" would probably not be a word i'd use about it....
I have a big bag that friends and family put read books into that they don't want back, then take a book or 2 out when they want. I date the books in pencil or with post it and when they've been in the bag for 6 months or so, or if they never get taken out they go to the local charity shop...tada!
It works brilliantly. If people feel like it they leave a note in the book about what they thought. I've certainly read books that i wouldn't have bought or picked up at the library and we all have saved, on average£30 in the year also when one of our friends was being treated for cancer and was spending many hours at the hospital I took the best of the lot round to her......
best of luck if you decide to host

by the way some of us are in the same book group which is how it all got started.

[ivykaty44]

Thanks joruth that sounds like a good system for books, will sort out bag!

Anyone any ideas for clothes?

I am not new to searching charity shops but thought the swapping maybe a fun idea..?

[Carrotsandcelery]

I have been to clothes swapping parties. They are a great laugh.

The hostess invited everyone. Everyone came with their unwanted clothing and it was put in a pile in the middle of the room. Everyone rummaged around and tried on stuff they liked the look of. Everyone oohed and aahed at people in their newly found clothing, with the occasional snort when it was way too short, tight, revealing, just plain funny etc

We all drank tea and ate homemade cakes (morning party while kids were at school)

We didn't make it a strict swap iykwim. Everyone just put their stuff into the pot and took out from the pot what they liked the look of.

I have seen it done with kids clothes too but without the trying on (obviously)

I would advise being very careful what you wear to these parties as a friend nearly lost a very expensive designer item which she had whipped off to try something on. Take a rucksack and put your own clothes in the rucksack if you are changing in public. If you are slinking off to the loo or a bedroom then it is not such an issue.

[Carrotsandcelery]

I should point out that the only problem with the system is if some of your friends are very much not the same size as the majority. It seems mean to leave them out when you have a party but if they are much smaller or bigger they obviously find it hard to swap clothes.

In those circumstances I would include a kids clothes swapping element so they can come and not feel left out. They obviously still get a laugh seeing everyone in all their loot too.

[suzikettles]

I'm in a book club where we take in in turns to host a meeting (each person probably averages once a year) and buy 7 books that they like the look of. At the meeting we talk about the books we've read since last time, the host shows the books they're adding to the "library" and talks a bit about why they chose them, and then we all choose new books for next time.

We've probably got about 50 or so books in the library at any one time. When it's your turn for a meeting you take out the books that you bought a year previously before adding your new ones.

It works really well for us. You don't all read the same book at the same time, but there's still loads of discussion about what we've read and I've ended up reading many, many books by writers that I'd never have otherwise considered.

I guess you could do it with charity shop books to keep the costs down, or even with books you already own, but most of us buy paperbacks via Amazon and part of the benefit is getting to read new books without having to buy them (well, obv once a year you do).

[Carrotsandcelery]

joruth the book swap idea sounds great. I am in a book group so might suggest it.

Another way of doing it is in a local coffee shop or village hall etc. Everyone leaves the books they no longer want and takes a book they fancy. It can be accompanied by an honesty box if so desired for charitable donations. Generally the books taken get returned and swapped for another and so it goes on.

[joruth]

Like the sound of the clothes swap party....what about including accessories then even the uber-skinny (not me) or the gorgeously curvacious (may-be me!!!) could join in. mind you i am amazed the clothes that my smaller friends wear....depends more on your shape than size; sometimes you can happily wear something a much bigger/smaller person has!!

[Carrotsandcelery]

joruth it is amazing how things fit people who looks so different but fit them in different ways. Accessories would definitely work too. You could include home items and kids toys or anything. It is just another way of making sure things don't get wasted and of conserving some cash. All the whole event costs is a few pots of tea and some home baking.

[smugmumofboys]

A friend organised one. I felt a bit unsure as I am a good size or two bigger than the others but she insisted that I go. I took a couple of bits but should have taken children's clothes too as they were also being swapped.

Some people took accessories and one friend had a couple of posh handbags to sell.

It was a good laugh and we enjoyed spotting 'new' items on people in the playground the next week.

[Carrotsandcelery]

cat your book swap system sounds virtually identical to the one running in our local supermarket.

[HerRoyalNotness]

One of my friends organizes a clothes/baby stuff swap quite often. She emails everyone and asks them to drop all the stuff to her place before the event. She organizes it into sizes and any big stuff asks for photos only, then anyone wanting it can sort it out with the owner.

This way there is not a big pile to sort through on the day of the swap. Seems very popular here.