Poverty Lifehacking: Swap n’ Save

Bartering and buying are out. Swapping is in. In fact, it’s more than in — it’s everywhere. Whether it’s spurred on by the eco-friendly movement or related to the recession, swapping stuff hasn’t been this cool since trading Pokemon cards (Bulbaswap? Swapizard?).

Swapping is smart. Money is saved, landfills are a little less unfilled and you still get the thrill of acquiring new stuff.  Where do you start though? Search through this roundup of some of the best swapping places around. While National Swap Day was on January 22, the swapping madness doesn’t have to stop there. Make it The Year of the Swap.

SWAP CLOTHES

Clothes are a biggie.  Everyone has  that shirt or dress that you bought even though it was a size too small or too big or isn’t your color and you really should give it away but you can’t bring yourself to do it. Resolution? Give it to someone who will actually appreciate and wear it.

Swap Meet

Swap senseis Amy Chase from Punky Style and Melissa Massello of Shoestring Magazine hold clothing swaps across the country, but are based in Boston and Worcester, meaning more swaps for us. Find a meetup near you at theswapaholics.com. The swaps are a bit like a Filene’s Basement/Running of the Brides scenario, but that only makes the finds that much sweeter. Wear your running shoes and be prepared to grab.

SWAP BOOKS, DVDS, CDS AND VIDEO GAMES

Swap.com

Swap those dusty books and already uploaded CDs at this ingenious, but simple, swap site. You enter what you have – a book, CD, DVD or video game – and it will tell you what you can get with it. Or you can look up what you want and see if you have anything in return. You only have to pay for shipping and you can pay online, print out the label at home and avoid the post office hassle.

SWAP ART

This is a pretty nifty new venture in the South End, but it’s not open to everyone yet. According to their Tumblr, a group of artists were invited to hang a piece of art in a gallery during their month-long exhibition. After installing one of their pieces, they request to swap their art with another piece of equal value. Both artists must agree on the exchange for it to go through.

SWAP LANGUAGES

This is brilliant. You help teach someone else English and in exchange they teach you their native language. It’s run by BU’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs and apparently, Russian, Korean and Chinese are in high-demand right now. Sign up on their website and they will work to find you a match.

About Heather Vandenengel

Heather Vandenengel (CAS '11) is a campus writer for the Quad.

View all posts by Heather Vandenengel →

2 Comments on “Poverty Lifehacking: Swap n’ Save”

  1. As far as clothing swaps go, people should definitely check out the Buffalo Exchange that opened in Allston (Harvard Ave) this year. They’ll either buy your old clothes off you or give you store credit for them, which you can use to buy new old stuff. The good thing is they sort through the clothes first so you’re more likely to find clothes you’ll actually want and not just mom jeans and grandpa sweaters.

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