declutterbug

Yes, tonight it's that time again...

Time for a periodic potluck and super swap.

Here's the invite I usually use, to give you an idea of what the event consists of:

It's that time again, yes, time for the Give-n-Get Periodic Potluck and Clothing Exchange! New this time around: Check out our Book Department!

Come empty handed and go home with as many fine parting gifts as you can carry, or clear out your closets & bookshelves and bring bags of goodies to give.

How it works:

You bring stuff, like that now-vintage sweater you got from Aunt Sylvia for your Bat Mitzvah; the book you couldn't put down last summer, but have been tripping over all winter; the 4" platform shoes you HAD to have from the Haight (too bad they're a size 7 and you take a 9), those plastic neon purple pants you bought in a fit of retail hallucination, and all your doubles of Sue Grafton's Alphabet mysteries (I know, you were holding out so you could spell your full name with the titles...give it up).

Oh, and you bring some veggie food to share so our blood sugar doesn't plummet during the festivities. (No one likes a cranky shopper!)

We dine. We talk. We eye the bags and boxes covertly, wondering if there's a special treasure in there for US...

Then...

We put everything out.

You shop for free. Well, there are some prices to be paid. We may insist you try certain things on and give us a fashion show.

When we're done, we'll box up the rest and donate it to charity.

I don't intend to take much in, but rather to give a lot away. I typically do very well with that--several (this time, probably 6-8) large bags and boxes go out and maybe 2-4 items come in.

I didn't have time to cull my books, so it's mostly clothes and shoes this time for me. Typically, I have a lot of folks over, from 8-15, but this time I am doing it in conjunction with a dance performance troupe meeting, so it will be only a handful of folks. I hope it works out okay with the smaller number.