I love clothing swaps- If you have read my blog, you know it’s one of my favorite ways to refresh the kid’s wardrobes (and my own).
There are a few upcoming swaps that I recommend. Both are for adult clothes and accessories.
April 8, 2023 Porchlight Community Services, Inc. 8888 Clairemont Mesa Blvd From their site “We invite you to be part of our SWAP PARTY! Bring clothing, accessories, personal hygiene, or toiletries.
There is a $5 fee, however, it goes to offset the cost of their programs, which are incredible.
I always find cute clothes at this swap, and I love it because it’s all plus-size clothes. I always fill my Ikea Bag with clothes, accessories (and usually shoes too).
And if you are looking for more information about clothing swaps, check out my post (with other San Diego, CA area resources) here.
I’m bringing this up because it’s time to pull out some of my fall/winter clothes and donate some of my older clothes, or clothes that I don’t wear as often.
Here are my Five categories for giving clothes the boot:
Stains: You know that one shirt in your closet that you love, but it has a stain that won’t come out. It’s time for it to go. Clothing can be donated to be recycled. To find your closest clothing recycling location, click here.
It doesn’t fit: Too small, big, long, or short- it has to go. Time to throw those in the donation pile. This goes for shoes too!
Needs repair and you lack the time or skills to mend/fix. The pants hanging in your closet are so cute but they are 1/4 inch too short and you can’t sew? One Caveat- Undergarments that are holely or stretched out go directly to the trash. No one is darning mass-produced socks. I mend and repair my clothes as needed weekly. If you are looking to learn about mending clothes, check out my post here.
Out Of Style: Low-rise jeans? Powder Blue Tuxedo? Your Prom Dress from 1997? Time to throw those in the donation pile.
Cheap Crap: This encapsulates several categories- Knock off’s (They are mass-produced in horrible conditions), poorly produced “fast fashion” that offers no quality and doesn’t add anything of substance to your wardrobe, and anything you bought and wore once, and it was damaged or you swore you’d never wear again. In my opinion, cheap shoes are the worst and are usually tossed into this pile.
Once you have your donate pile, if you are looking to donate straight away, check for your local non-profits needs. I also like donating my unwanted good clothes to local clothing swaps. For more info about clothing swaps, click here.
I love clothing swaps- If you have read my blog, you know it’s one of my favorite ways to refresh the kids wardrobes (and my own).
There haven’t been too many clothing swaps since the pandemic started, but I have found two coming up that are going to be GREAT!
Saturday, August 06, 2022, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Foothills Church 365 W Bradley Ave, El Cajon CA
The women’s ministry is hosting a FREE clothing exchange! You can swap gently used women’s & children’s clothing and infant essentials. They have limited space, so please no toys or books. There will be no childcare available, so keep that in mind. If you want to drop off items early, Look for the bins in their lobby. I’m dropping off items tomorrow.
August 27, 2022 Porchlight Community Services, Inc. 8888 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Suite B San Diego, CA
Clothing Swap
From their site “We invite you to be part of our SWAP PARTY! Bring clothing, accessories, personal hygiene, or toiletries, OR you’re welcome to donate a bag of canned/shelf-stable food to participate. *Expired food will not be accepted*”
This is a fundraising event, donate what you can ($5 suggested) or you can bring canned goods to donate on the event date to participate. We will gladly accept them on the day of the event.
Please drop off items to swap in advance: 8/25 Thursday 10 am-5 pm or 8/27 Saturday *Before 9 am. For more information, check out the event page here. And to learn more about Porchlight Community Services, check out their website.
And if you are looking for more information about clothing swaps, check out my post from earlier this year here.
I love clothing swaps. It’s a great way to keep stuff out of landfills! And with how fast kids grow, it’s nice to share clothes with other families.
Since the pandemic started, there have been almost no clothing swaps, but slowly they are starting to come back. If you are looking for some swaps in your area, here are a few recommendations:
Check out Meetup. I’m a member of Thread Bumpin’, a clothing swap group in San Diego. They post swap opportunities (swapertunities?) as they become aware of them, and various members host swaps as well.
And as always, here are a few other clothing resources:
Naomi’s Closetis located in Santee, and they provide clothing and toiletries to women in need.
The Sonrise Church in Santee has a clothing swap too! One for kid’s clothes, and another for women’s clothing. Miss Charity’s Closet & Little Blessings Boutique 2nd Saturday of every month at 9:00 am Contact Charity Murphy for more info clmurphy71@gmail.com
And Finally, theCloset of 54thisn’t a clothing swap per se, but they do help those in need with new to them clothes. They are open once a few times each month. You can find them on Facebook. They are located at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 3060 54th Street, San Diego, CA. Contact The Closet at thecloseton54th@gmail.com.
Talk Back: I’d love to hear about other San Diego area clothing swaps that you know of! Favorite swaps and/or what your best score has been!
Starting fresh means different things to different friends. For some, it’s New Years Resolutions to Eat Better, Lose Weight, Get Organized, Spend more time on Self-Care. Whatever Starting Fresh means to you, I’m here to help.
For me, Starting Fresh means grabbing new calendars for the kitchen, kid’s rooms, and my room (I have a bulletin board next to my vanity with a wall calendar so I can review each day while I brush my teeth in the morning). I update the calendars each month with appointments, days off school, birthdays, etc. I usually get free calendars in the mail towards the end of the year and use those. For the kitchen, I get a Holiday a Day calendar and use that- It’s a great way to include silly “national” days into the meal plan or weekend plans. Like National Pizza Day (it’s in February) or National Bake Cookies Day (that was yesterday- we’re celebrating today).
Other Ways I Start Fresh Each Year (and keep it going through the year):
Inventory my Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry (and donate/share any unwanted still-in-date food). You can buy my inventory sheets here on Etsy.
Deep Clean/ Organize one area of the house each week. Start small. I start with the front coat closet.
Clean my car out. If you are a parent, you know. I take a laundry basket and a trash bag down to the car, and once the trash is out, and the stuff that needs to go into the house is in the basket (and back upstairs), I take my car to the carwash and pay $20 to have someone else wash and vacuum the car (and clean the windows inside and out).
Get rid of stuff that no longer serves you. I like to start in my closet. It’s a great chance to weed out clothes that no longer fit or serve me, and I can donate or share them. I tend to do one area a month. I work on it for 10-20 minutes a few times a week, so it is not a mental burden.
In the same vein, do a toiletry/beauty/makeup purge. Travel-sized/sample-sized toiletries can be donated to homeless or domestic abuse shelters or local rehab/inpatient centers. Makeup and personal care items do expire (check out this article from Insider for more deets). If it smells weird or has a strange texture- toss it!
Space out Appointments or other “Adulting” tasks. As someone who had two mental/behavioral health appointments, an IEP Meeting, and a doctor’s appointment last week, I can assure you I was mentally and physically exhausted. As it was the end of the year, provider time was limited, so I didn’t have much of a choice, but going forward, I’m limiting myself to 1-2 “Adulting”/appointments per week. Otherwise, it is overwhelming and everything else, like tasks of daily living, gets pushed aside (shower, what’s that?).
Spend time Doing Stuff I Like. Yeah, seems weird? Spend a little time doing something that makes you happy. Play a game on your phone for 10 minutes, read, do a craft, work on a project, play Legos with your kids, go for a walk.
A content creator I really like, Rayna Cohen put it simply, ” Allow yourself to enjoy the new energy of the new year.”
My kid’s school sent out a Kindness Calendar for January. I plan on incorporating some of these RAOK throughout January and beyond.
Talk Back: I’d love to hear about how you are Starting Fresh for 2022!
SWAP & SHOP: It’s time to spring clean your wardrobe ladies! Bring your gently worn WOMEN’s CLOTHING *Max of 20 items
How it works:
Bring your gently used WOMEN’s CLOTHING, accessories, shoes, etc., and trade them for items you want to take home. No selling, no buying, just swapping. You simply drop your items on the front table and you can start taking shopping for items you want to take home for free!
If you don’t have anything that you want to share, but need new clothes (I know a lot of people in that boat) bring along $5 in lieu of bringing items to swap.
Items can include:
-Gently used or semi-new clothing pieces
-Gently used or semi-new shoes
-Jewelry pieces
-Accessories: scarfs, hats, purses, belts
-New or unopened scented candles, lotions, perfume sprays (i.e., Victoria Secrets or Bath & Body Works)
Come and drop all the items you want to swap and leave with items that will bring value to you.
Reminders:
* SHOP FOR YOU. NO LUGGAGE PLEASE. NOT FOR RESALE.
* Bring a bag to cart home all your finds
* Please bring clothing pieces on hangers or folded (not scrunched up in a big trash bag)
* Wear tights and a fitted blouse to easily try on clothes.
* All leftover items will be donated to a local charity.
Contact the coordinator if you would like leftover items. Arrange pickup with her. Event Coordinator: Raquel (619) 873-6016
If you’re like me, you’ve been socially isolated/staying home for the better part of a year, wearing the same clothes, and it’s getting a little repetitive.
But at the same time, you don’t want to go to the mall. And as much fun as shopping on Amazon is, it’s hard to buy clothes on Amazon sometimes.
Last week, after I dropped the kids off at school and ran a couple errands, I found myself in South Bay. I remember that there used to be a discount/mark-down clothing store off of Palomar Road and interstate five, so I decided to drive down and see if it was still there. It is! And it’s even better than I remembered. It’s called Everything’s A Deal (it used to be Everything’s $5.00) and they’ve changed their store again.
The address is: 1141 Bay Blvd, Chula Vista, CA 91911
In a true wholesale try store the more you buy the cheaper the price per item becomes. If you buy between five and 10 items it’s $27.50+ tax for all 5 to 9 items. And the prices go down from there. Unlike a lot of discount clothing stores (I’m looking at a Ross) it’s not mostly trash/fast fashion/awful sweatshop crap.
Originally $44, marked down to $5.99!I love this brand! They make such cozy sweaters and jackets. Originally sold at Nordstrom’s Rack.
Everything’s A Deal buys lots from well-known retailers (Sears, JCPenney, Nordstrom‘s Rack, or fifth Avenue, just to name a few) and they have a large warehouse-style store where everything is separated by size. All the plus sizes are together, all the small, medium, large, etc.
The nice thing is that the sale prices are for everything. Shoes, accessories, purses, close. They have kids’ clothes in men’s clothes too. So conceivably you could read your entire family there and some really cute outfits and not break the bank. Everything is new with tags. I bought five items and spent $29.99 after tax out the door. I got a jacket, address, two new T-shirts, and a really cute vest that I’m going to tie-dye.
All five items are name brand, and the jacket is a brand that is sold at Nordstrom rack. I googled the RN number and discovered that the original price of my brand new coat was $89.99. My two shirts had the tags still attached, my vest is from a brand I remember seeing at Macy’s, and my new dress, which is adorable, is from a brand that target sells.
Super Cute Sweater from A.N.A. a JCPenney BrandThis sweater, originally from JCPenney started out life at $47, and is now $5.00! Such an amazing deal!
There’s another location on Broadway in Lemon Grove (7696 Broadway Lemon Grove, CA) if South Bay is too far of a jog for you. Honestly, the stores are a great help for us, they help me stretch our clothing budget for new items. I’m able to afford better quality items for the same price that I would be paying at Walmart. And because the clothing swaps are going to be not happening for probably the next year or two, we won’t be able to pick up hand-me-downs or other secondhand clothing and household goods.
Clothing swaps are one of the ways that we are able to save a lot of money and keep the kids’ clothes. The kids are starting to grow out of the clothing that they have been wearing, and because there’s been no clothing swap this year, I don’t have clothing in the next size ready. I am going to have to purchase clothes.
I have been doing buying clothes and replacing our wardrobes little by little when I find stuff on sale and clearance that kids and I will like. This is mostly through jcp.com because they have such great sales and coupons. And I can combine those with cashback deals from online aggregators like top cashback, MyPoints, and Honey.
Universal Standard is a pretty cool clothing company that I learned about from a friend a few months ago. What I like is that are very inclusive- They sell from size 00-40.
Right now they are partnering with Marimole (a clothing recycler) to help keep your unwanted clothes out of a landfill. Pay $4.50 for postage, and you’ll receive a bag- fill it with up to 4 pieces of clothing, seal it up and send it off (postage is paid- the $4.50, remember?).
Universal Standard will credit you $25 per item, up to $100. A $100 merchandise credit at Universal Standard is pretty cool! You can definitely find something nice. I’ve got my eye on a few pieces!
So if you’ve got some clothes that you’ve been meaning to drop off at the local charity/thrift shop, try this instead! You’ll be helping the planet.
Purchase of $4.50 + tax (if applicable) recycle bag required to redeem offer. Promotion expires 3/1/21 at 3:00 AM ET or while supplies of Reset, Recycle, Refresh bags last, whichever is sooner. All credits expire 4/1/21 at 3:00 AM ET. US, 18+ only. Limit 1 per person. Terms apply.
I wrote about this topic 4 years ago, and my… how the savings game has changed. In addition to sharing how I save and earn money each month, I’ve included some other tips at the bottom of the post.
1st and 15th: Mail out SBKC junk mail envelopes. I process our mail when it all comes in and I put the junk mail in the envelopes as it comes in.
Daily: I spend a little time each day (usually while I drink my coffee in the morning working my points programs. This includes Mypoints (I save all of my Mypoints emails and do them all at once, one time a day). I also check my Field Agent App to see if there are any quick tasks I can do to earn some extra money that day.
As I am notified via email: Paid View Point (some of the surveys are time sensitive- those usually pay extra!), PineCone Research (surveys must be completed 3-6 days upon receiving the email).
Last day of the month: Clean out coupon wallet and removed expiring/expired coupons.
As needed/codes become available: I use the Swagbucks tool bar to do most of my internet searches, so I earn Swagbucks points intermittently with that too. I also order free samples when I see them available online. I’ll be posting about what I do with all the samples coming up.
I try to do as much shopping online with discounts as I can. That means I check with Mypoints and Topcashback to see who is giving the better points/cash back, and I shop online a lot (especially in the summer when I’ve got both kids at home- it’s easier on the budget).
It’s time to start cleaning out the closets, dressers, and drawers! My favorite clothing swap is this weekend!
I love clothing swaps- it’s a great way to get gently worn clothes and other goods (I love looking for linens and new accessories), and get rid of the clothing your kids have outgrown.
The Skyline Swap is scheduled for March 30, 2019. I’ve got it in my calendar and I’ve started the bag of clothes to swap! It costs $2.00 to get in, kids under 12 are free. I have two huge bags in my garage ready to go!!
And as always, here are a few other clothing resources:
Naomi’s Closetis located in Santee, and they provide clothing and toiletries to women in need.
The Sonrise Church in Santee has a clothing swap too! One for kids clothes, and another for women’s clothing. Miss Charity’s Closet & Little Blessings Boutique 2nd Saturday of every month at 9:00 am Contact Charity Murphy for more info clmurphy71@gmail.com
If you are looking for a group that hosts clothing swaps more frequently, check it out theThread Bumpin’ Meet up Group. They host a monthly swap in OB area.
And Finally, theCloset of 54thisn’t a clothing swap per se, but they do help those in need with new to them clothes. They are open once a few times each month. You can find them on Facebook. They are located at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 3060 54th Street, San Diego, CA. Contact The Closet at thecloseton54th@gmail.com.
Talk Back: I’d love to hear about other San Diego area clothing swaps that you know of! Favorite swaps and/or what your best score has been!
I love clothing swaps- If you have read my blog, you know it’s one of my favorite ways to refresh the kid’s wardrobes (and my own).
April 8, 2023 Porchlight Community Services, Inc. 8888 Clairemont Mesa Blvd From their site “We invite you to be part of our SWAP PARTY! Bring clothing, accessories, personal hygiene, or toiletries.
The Second event is my personal favorite: Spring Swap for extended sizes 14 and up on May 7, 2023.
I’m bringing this up because it’s time to pull out some of my fall/winter clothes and donate some of my older clothes, or clothes that I don’t wear as often.
For me, Starting Fresh means grabbing new calendars for the kitchen, kid’s rooms, and my room (I have a bulletin board next to my vanity with a wall calendar so I can review each day while I brush my teeth in the morning). I update the calendars each month with appointments, days off school, birthdays, etc. I usually get free calendars in the mail towards the end of the year and use those. For the kitchen, I get a 
My kid’s school sent out a Kindness Calendar for January. I plan on incorporating some of these RAOK throughout January and beyond.
I wrote about this topic 
Hewes Family Fun 