With so much chatter about decluttering, simplifying and freezing spends at the start of a new year, we decided there’s no time like the present to get organized– all while being able to welcome some new threads into our closets for zero moolah. While we can’t quite host a Hand-Me-Down Party like the good old days [circa 2019], we’re putting a 2021 spin on the fun. Today we’re sharing just how easy and refreshing it can be to host a clothing swap with your girlfriends– virtually, that is.
If you’ve been following along for some time now, you may already know we’re pretty big advocates of sharing the love with our gal pals. And by “sharing the love”, I mean sharing well-loved items from our closets. Insert: closet clean out. It’s something we all know we should do but something we may not all actually want to do. Filling up bags full of items that are most likely going to sit in our basement for 2 1/2 years until our husband forces us to take them to the nearest donation spot [maybe it’s just me who sucks horribly at the execution of removing my clothes from the house] can be a task that is hard to get super excited about. But what if you knew that on the other side of cleaning out your closet meant that you could share these items with your closest friends, family, co-workers while they share their gently used, no longer needed items with YOU?! Think: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, except for your entire wardrobe.
ps. If you need a refresher on how it all works, you can take a trip down memory lane here!
How to Host a Virtual Clothing Swap:
- Invite Your Guests: Whether it’s friends, co-workers, family, or whoever you secretly want to raid their closet, just invite them! Round up said girlfriends and encourage them to purge their closets. Set a Zoom date [or good old fashioned Facetime call] that works for everyone.
- Closet Clean-Out: Whether it’s pieces that no longer fit, items that you know you haven’t worn in the past six months and will most likely never wear again or something that you know will look even better on that one girlfriend of yours, just start digging through and cleaning out! Tops, pants, dresses, accessories, handbags, jewelry, shoes, whatever it is you can find to get rid of, add it to the pile! ps. We get it. Parting with well-loved clothing isn’t easy. A good rule of thumb? If you haven’t worn it in the past 12 months, it’s time to say your goodbyes. On the bright side, it’s going to a loving home AND making space in your wardrobe for brand spankin’ new additions.
- Let’s get this party started! You’ve purged, now it’s time to swap sweaters [or shorts, or shoes, or whatever else you’re ready to clear out 😉 ], virtually– that is. Pour a glass of wine and let the online auctioning begin! Take turns showing off your old trusty faves. If your crew shares similar sizes, this part can get a liiiittle tricky. In order to keep things fair, we suggest drawing names to determine order of selection. Your name gets drawn first? Easy. You get first dibs on which pieces are coming to live in your closet. Come on home to mama. However you chose to do it, don’t forget to make note of which items belong to who! May I suggest a sticky note and Walmart bags? Nothing but high class ladies and gents, high class.
- Doorstep Drop Off: Once you’ve worked your way through each others closets [and had a glass of wine or two], it’s up time to sort and eventually deliver items– we’re no experts, but depending on the amount of wine consumed, we might advise delivery on a separate day. If your girl gang lives within a close distance to one another, you can work out a delivery plan with each other. But if you’re the hostess with the mostest, you can avoid the wild goose chase altogether. We suggest having everyone drop their CLEAN [this is an important one, it’s 2021 you know!], sorted, and labeled items off at the hostesses home. From there, everyone can use the her home as the central location for porch pick-up. Of course, if you’re really feeling the love, you can deliver the items directly to their intended doorsteps. Feel free to include a sweet treat or note to spread a little extra joy this season! Find more ideas for doorstep drop-off gifts here.
- Donation Station: There is a good chance that not everything will be claimed. We suggest donating whatever is left over to a local shelter for women who could use the items! A party the benefits you as well as your community is a party we can totally get down with.
And that’s all there is to it, friends! You’ll be amazed just how great it will feel to get rid of the items that have been hanging out in your closet and in your drawers that you know you needed to part with, all while filling your own closet with new-to-you items that you just scored without having to spend a dime! Win/win all around!
Founder and creator of LIY, Erin turned her dream of a hobby blog into a full-time career which she now runs alongside the LIY team! When not in front of her computer screen [with a La Croix or wine in hand] or in front of a mirror taking mirror selfies, you can find Erin spending time on the water, cuddled up with her two pups and husband most likely watching the latest Shark Tank episode, or getting lost in an easy beach read.
