Saturday, September 29, 2012

Mama Loves: Swap and Sell

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!

Manic Mother
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So. I realized earlier this week that I just completely forgot to do a Mama Loves last week. Doh! I was very under the weather Friday/Saturday last week, and we were in the middle of potty training (which turned out to be way harder and exhausting than I could have ever imagined it being). 

So, Saturday just sort of came and went. Please forgive me? Over the past couple of weeks I've been tardy with my posts, before completely dropping the ball last week. I know some of you plan ahead to post/link up, which is particularly hard to do when there's nothing to link it to. 

Today, I'm back!

But first...

...thank you to those of you who linked up your Real Life. I really enjoyed reading the comments under your posts. It seems you sharing the messes was blessings to your readers; to see a slice of the imperfect. Thanks for being vulnerable right along with me. 
  • I love this one! Krista shares a lovely story about a craft/activity she planned for her son that didn't work out so well. 
  • Melissa gives us all a beautiful slice of her life, and some very funny perception pictures that you should definitely check out! 
  • Sweet Melissa inspired this in the first place. Thank you for sharing your messes here.
  • Dearest Mandy, thank you for bravely showing us your kitchen counters
And then Ginger, thank you for linking up your fabulous "ice cream" idea----genius, as always!
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So, is anyone else on a local "swap and sell" facebook page? 

I've recently discovered our local swap and sell, and it is fabulous! I'm not opposed to yard/garage sales, it's just a lot of work, and involves waking up really early to get the good stuff. 

This is, literally, a virtual garage sale. And you get to meet some cool people too! (And, it's way less scary than Craig's List).
If you're looking for a specific toy, or article of clothing, or piece of furniture you can throw a comment up on the wall, and very quickly people will begin posting pictures of what they have that might just fit the bill. 
Or, if you're done with all your 2T pants, you can snap a picture and put it up on the page---"$3 each", and people will buy, buy, buy!
 
 
I've recently purchased:
  • An organic Ergo baby carrier that was used twice for $50 (retails for $140---score!)
  • A used train table for $40
  • Two cute costumes for Halloween this year for $6!
I've met people at their homes, at Starbucks (great excuse to get one of those pumpkins spice lattes, you know, since I was already there), and even the parking lot of Walgreens. It's been fun to connect with other moms around the area, and to find gear/clothing at much cheaper prices. And, it's
a very "green" thing to do, if that does it for you.

So, if you live near me, and are not hooked up to the swap and sell, let me know, I'll invite you to join! And, if you don't live near me, and you don't know of one that exists, start your own! It's easy:
  1. Start a group on facebook.
  2. Invite your friends to join
  3. Tell them to invite their friends, etc. 
  4. Start listing what you want to sell/buy.
  5. Have fun!
Can't wait to see what you're loving!
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2 comments:

Marcia (123 blog) said...

I so wish SA'n moms didn't see this as a no-no. When people here are done with their clothes, they would only donate to an orphanage. It's seen as taboo to give clothes to someone else because maybe you're insinuating they can't afford to buy their kids clothes.

(of course I LOVE hand-me-downs)

Life on the Gravelly Road said...

I started using a swap and sell facebook page this last year. I tend to spend a bit more than garage sales but its easier to find some things -- especially since my son is getting to an age where boys seem to destroy their clothes :) I did have one instance where I bought a bunch of kids books and got home to find papges missing and coloring inside though the seller said they were in good condition. Otherwise good luck.