With the economy the way it is, just about everyone is looking for fun ways to save money!  With this in mind, I’m going to implement Savings Sundays! Each week, I’ll bring you at least one way you can save money! Most of these things, you probably already have heard about, but just in case you’ve forgotten, I’ll be here to remind you!!!

We’ll start out this week with how you can turn your kids’ old clothes and toys into cash!!

Everyone knows that you can sell their old stuff at yard sales, on Craigslist, and several websites online that specialize in  children’s items. But did you know that there are places you can get things your kids need.. essentially for free?? Sure, there’s Craigslist free items, and Freecycle.org.. both very awesome places to get things for free. There are also websites that specialize in kids’ items! 

Two such sites that I know of are SwapBabyGoods.com, and UAndITrade.com. Both sites allow you to search around for things you need, and both sites allow you to also list things you would like to give up. But they do work differently as far as how to “pay” for the items. 

On SwapBabyGoods.com each user is allowed to list what they have to give and what they’d like in return on their profiles. Some users allow people to outright purchase items from them, but if you want to avoid paying for their shipping costs, they’ll often waive it if you swap something with them. I’ve bought, sold and swapped with a few people on SwapBabyGoods, and it works pretty smoothly! 

UAndITrade.com works a little differently. This site keeps track of how many items you trade, and you earn points for everything you send out. All items are priced with points, and when you earn enough points, you can “purchase” other items with those points. The seller is the one that pays all shipping fees on UAndITrade. I have not personally used this site, but I’ve looked around, and it looks pretty neat. 

Neither of these sites charges users a fee to use their services, but you do have to register. 

Another idea is to start a local swap in your area! No shipping fees make it that much sweeter! I’ve heard of “swap parties” in people’s homes, and larger swaps at community centers or churches. No matter where or how large, make sure you have a system as far as how many items someone can swap! Make sure everything is still in excellent condition, whether used or new with tags. Keep things of similar value, or go strictly based on how many items a person brings in. If one way doesn’t work so well, you can always adjust next time around. Gerber has some great tips for organizing a local swap! 

The savings will be amazing! You’ll get new stuff while clearing out your closets and storage rooms! I’ll bet you’ll be hooked!