Be Green Community Swap

This weekend Dave and I paticipated in our annual community swap.  The swap supports reusing and recycling items that you have around your house that you don't want anymore that are still functional or usable.  The idea is to exchange something you own for something that belonged to someone else that is also preowned.

We thought this was a great idea and it ended up being a very interesting experience and way to meet people around the neighborhood.  It was a little like being at a garage sale except you didn't have to pay for anything.  However, the day prior to the swap, you had to bring your own preowned things for tickets equal to the number of things you contributed to the swap.  The next day, swappers are asked to bring their tickets for the swap.

Obviously, you didn't have to leave the swap with the same number of items that you donated the day before.  The idea of leaving with 50 different things is fun nonetheless.  The idea is to contribute something to the community and at the same time walk away with something a little different for yourself. Plenty of people were leaving with loads of "new" preowned things -- like tables and chairs, lamps, dishes, books and more.  By giving up a bunch of stuff you don't need anymore for 1 or 2 different things that you really could use, you are contributing to an earth friendly and practical endeavor.

Items remaining, not swapped by those with tickets, are then open for anyone in the community who wants to stop by.

So, we walked away with a few new preowned items and some stuff we plan on putting in our eBay store. Below are a couple of pics of some things I swapped for myself.  The cat pillow reminds me of some kitty pillows I had when I was a kid in the 70s.  I also picked up a bunch of dried flowers for a vase that belonged to Dave's grandma in Canada.  Overall, it was a fun activity and I'm sure that we'll do it again next year!

Perhaps, if you're interested, you and some of your friends could organize your own community swap!  What a great way to stop unnecessary waste by reusing what we have instead of always buying more!