Spending and Saving

Swapping is the New Shopping

For the past month, I’ve had to close my eyes every time I pass the window of J. Crew because I am absolutely dying for an oversized, button-down boyfriend sweater – but it’s so not in my budget!  But I got one in the end – and I didn’t pay a dime for it!

How did I do it? By swapping.

Swapping is the new shopping – only better! Why shell out your hard-earned cash for something when you can just swap something of yours for the item you desire.

Not only do you get cool new stuff, but it doesn’t cost you a thing.

Work the Web: Sites like BarterQuest.com, SwapTree.com, U-exchange.com and TitleTrader.com let you swap almost anything online.  PaperBackSwap.com and BookMooch.com are great for trading books; SwapStyle.com, ClothingSwaps.com, DignSwap.com and RehashClothes.com are great for trading clothes.  Craigslist.com can also be a goldmine – just check out their barter section.

A word of warning:  Proceed with caution when swapping online.  Use reputable swap sites.  If you can, meet to exchange the items in person in a public place.  If you aren’t able to do that, make sure the person has a good seller-rating (if the site offers that feature) and that you see photos of the items.  Finally, go with your gut about online swappers – if you don’t have a good feeling about a person, swap with someone else…

Read the rest of this article on the LearnVest blog.

Tags: clothes, saving money, shopping