6 Hal yang Kamu Sadari Saat Ditinggal Sahabatmu Menikah

I first learned about clothing swaps when I was a kid, from a book filled with "super fun slumber party ideas". The rules were simple - clean out your closet, invite some friends over, look through one another's clothing piles and trade your items for their items. It sounded so fun (and it is) but I imagined being even better on a slightly larger scale. The issue is, not everyone has the same amount of stuff, not everyone wants to make a direct trade with you. Whoever lays eyes on an item would get it first - and for young ladies this could spell trouble. When I actually held my first Clothing Trade I organized it a bit differently. I am now approaching my 27th birthday and I am proud to say that I have hosted a clothing trade at least once a year, every year since I was 10 years old. Now I am here to share with you the most effective (and fun!) clothing trade ideas.

"Stores" When you first arrive at my Clothing Trade you are assigned a store space. This will be one of the rooms in my house. (If your trade is in a smaller space, like an apartment, you can allocate corners/pieces of furniture to each person. Ex. Your shop is on the couch, my shop is on the dinner table, etc) You can merchandise your shop however you'd like. Lay your items out in an appealing way so that all of the party guests can see your goods without digging through bags or missing a gem. You can name your shop and even make a sign to post at the door. This is a great addition to a party where guests don't know one another well. Sitting down to decorate a sign can be a great ice-breaker (and a great time to eat some snacks or - for the 21+ crowd- enjoy a cocktail) "Sessions" Sometimes guests arrive with 15 items and sometimes they arrive with 350. It can be nearly impossible to lay out 350 items at once, so for this reason I have divided the evening into 3 separate "sessions" of shopping. Each guest divides their goods into 3 groups and only lays out one group of merchandise at a time. This makes it possible to take in all of the sweet items everyone has bought and eliminates digging through piles.

"Money and Sticky Notes" Upon entry to the trade, I will hand you an envelope full of Clothing Trade Currency. It is brightly colored money that I printed out on my computer many years ago and continue to use every year for the Trade. You will also receive a stack of thin (bookmarking) sticky notes. Once the first session starts, everyone goes from store to store and puts sticky notes on the items that they want to buy. During this portion of the trade no actual purchases are made. This gives everyone a chance to see everyone else's goods rather than rushing wildly around trying to buy things before anyone else gets there. It makes for a relaxed atmosphere and doesn't result in hard feelings of one friend's shop always being the last to be visited. Once everyone has taken a look in everyone else's shop, it's time to make purchases. Each shop owner will set aside any item with multiple stickies on it for The Auction at the end of the party. All items only wanted by one guest can be purchased. Cost of items is determined by the individual shop owner. People with tons of items usually charge lower prices, such as '$1" or "$2" per item where as people who only brought a few items may charge up to "$5" or "$6" per item. This can be a great way for girls and teens to learn about economic structure - all under the guise of shopping. The amount of money given to each guest is completely up to the host. The more guests you have, the more money they need at the beginning in order to shop the entire time even if they never make a sale themselves. With 5 people at a Clothing Trade, I would give each person "$150". "The Auction" Perhaps the most exciting phase of the Clothing Trade is the auction. After you have completed 3 sessions (or however many you decide to have) of browsing and shopping, it's time to bring out the big ticket items. All of the items with multiple potential buyers (that had multiple sticky notes on them during the browsing phases) are played out in a common area (at my event we all gather around the table so that everyone has a seat). Be sure to allow guests time to try on items before the auction actually starts, to make sure they would fit properly. After everyone has determined which items they are most interested in, the auction begins! Each person takes a turn auctioning off one of their popular items. Guests bid, in true auction fashion until a winning bid takes the item and the money is exchanged. This continues until every item has been auctioned off. Then everyone gathers up their new goods and happily goes home!

Tips - It's often surprising which items are popular items. Sometimes friends will buy something for sentimental reasons, or because they think it's funny. You never know who might have a use for that useless item you own. Don't restrict yourself by trying to only bring "good" items. One woman's trash is another woman's treasure! - Not surprisingly, books, movies, housewares, recreation items and other size-less items tend to be popular. My friends vary in size from a size 4 to a size 16, but everyone has a fantastic time. - It's a great way to get needed items without feeling like a moocher. You always loved that blouse? Now it's yours. You're having a baby soon? Take all of your friends old baby clothes. No real money needs to be exchanged and you don't feel like you're stealing from a pal. - Younger girls will have fun including other elements to the trade as well - we used to play that it was a town and we would create laws to follow for the night. - Ladies may also want to bring husbands along as well. We have some fellows who attend and enjoy the experience as well. Be sure to lay out some food for them and they will chat with each other, buy a few items and bid really high on books and DVDs during the auction portion! - By structuring the event as I played out above, it allows guests to arrive late and leave as needed without showing up to a picked-over mess. - People become fast friends because it's such a structured event. It removed the awkwardness of a first meeting because you are both actively engaged in the activity. - Less clothing ends up in landfills - and you end up with new items without spending a real dollar. - You can structure your event however you'd like to fit your tastes! If you're short on time, or only have a couple guests, consider skipping straight to The Auction. It's a lot more fun than sifting through bags! - An added bonus is hearing people's stories behind the items they are giving away, it can be fun to know where the item came from and why they have decided to part with it. It's a great bonding experience between friends as well.

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