If you are new to clothing swaps or missed the Frugal Festival, this video explains what a swap is and how they work, plus shows you how much fun this year’s event was. If you attended the Frugal Fest on June 19, look for your cameo. There are a lot of them! Click on the video below to watch.
Lisa Boosin/Racked LA
I should have the finished Frugal Festival video to share with you in a few days. Exciting!
If you missed photos of the massive Frugal Fest clothing swap, go here. Racked LA posted a review of the event yesterday, with a picture of my Mom! Yes, that is her in the black and white Led Zepellin T-shirt. Racked LA editor Lisa Boosin also got a shot of me, above, with my new rabbit scarf-boa thingy!
Whether or not you made it to the second annual Frugal Fest on Saturday, check out the photos and news of the swapping mayhem!
I’m taking the afternoon off to wrap up the swap and get a little R&R. Big thanks to my Mom who came down for the second year in a row to help me out. You are a lifesaver, Mom!
Tune into NBC4 tonight about 5:45 p.m. and you may see a friendly face talking about the Frugal Festival Summer Swap. Not that I’m trying to jinx myself!
We negotiated five exclusive discounts for swappers at nearby thrift stores and restaurants, from 10-20% off your bill to free hummus!
ShoebBuy.com donated $5 gift cards for each swapper, which you’ll find in the reusable bag you get with paid admission along with other sweet swag.
The waterproof iPod boombox just arrived in the mail and it is nice. This thing floats in water!
In case you totally missed it: the Frugal Fest is tomorrow, Saturday June 19. Get your ticket and avoid lines the day of!
Will look cute for food.
The 25 VIP tickets to the Frugal Festival are sold out! However, you can still get a ticket to the clothing swap this Saturday, June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.
Raffle prizes and goodies for the reusable bags each swapper receives are arriving everyday in the mail! Today my two dogs nearly bit the FedEx delivery guy when they accidentally escaped. They look sweet, above, but have uncontrollable mailman phobias. Also, they only sit for photos when bribed with kibble.
I literally jumped out of bed at 6:43 a.m. this morning because I realized there are only FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE FRUGAL FESTIVAL! Breathe deeply, everything will be fine…
AAAAAAAAAAG!
To prepare for the one-day clothing/media/housewares swap we wrote a post about how the swap actually works (there are many ways to run a swap) on the Frugal Festival blog. Tip: you can take home whatever you can stuff into the free reusable bag you will receive with admission.
We also negotiated a hot 10% discount at the nearby thrift shop Someone Else’s for Frugal Fest swappers. Just another reason to come to the swap this Saturday, June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center at 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Drop off is 10 a.m. to noon. The swap starts at 1 p.m. SHARP.
Buy your Frugal Festival ticket through Goldstar.
Just one week until the Frugal Festival Summer Swap June 19. I am so excited! Goodies and prizes from sponsors WalletPop, Savings, Lozo.com, Free Fun La, Holiday Inn Santa Monica, Yelp, Restaurant.com, and others are arriving everyday. We just got word at Mani-Kir Royal salon is raffling off a $25 gift certificate!
I’m making a stash of my stuff to swap, including…
- Two pairs of pumps, including one pair I wore twice five years ago. Psst, it’s okay to swap/buy used shoes.
- A gently-used copy of California Camping by Tom Stienstra
- A brand new pair of size 8-9 hot pink animal stripped slippers, above
- A handful of tops, blouses, sweaters, and other clothes
- A slim leather black belt with white stitching (actually, I’m on the fence about this)
What are you going to swap?
Details: the swap is June 19, 1-3 p.m. at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Drop off is 10-noon same day. Tickets $5 if you have swappables, $10 if not, or $15 for a VIP ticket. Tickets sold exclusively through Goldstar.
I updated the list of goodies you’ll find in the reusable bags we are giving to every swapper, including a $25 Restaurant.com gift card in every bag! SOOO worth the $5 admission, in my humble opinion.
The free raffle works a bit differently this year so make sure to be present for the drawing at 2 p.m. on June 19. Every swapper gets one free ticket with admission.
Where to park at the Frugal Festival June 19? I scoped out the situation.
See you at the Frugal Festival Summer Swap June 19 from 1-3 p.m. at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. Buy your ticket here.
gwrrty/Flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains
A couple of years ago during the Los Angeles fall fire season I had to decide which of my belongings to pile in my car when I evacuated. The items I left might be burned to a crisp. The stuff I could take with me was limited and therefore HAD to be my favorites.
One of the things I grabbed was my Klutz book
What are Klutz books? They are THE standard in hands-on learning for everything from crafts to science.
Over 33 years ago, three college buddies stood a sidewalk corner and began selling juggling lessons. This turned into the very successful how-to book “Juggling for the Complete Klutz,” which now comes with instructions and juggling balls. People liked it. I mean, they REALLY liked it. These three guys must be making a fortune.
My first Klutz book was the polymer clay book. I bought it used because I didn’t need the clay that the new version comes with. I needed the instructions. I pulled the book apart, put the individual pages into a ring binder, and used it to teach hundreds of students how to work with oven hardened clay.
Then I discovered that many people sell their Klutz books once they have used up the supplies that come with the book. The supplies are good, but the best part is the instructions. So began my pursuit of used Klutz books.
The books are almost always bound with white wire spiral, which makes it simple to find them at a yard or book sale. I just reach in, grab that binding and if I am lucky, there is a fabulous Klutz book in my hands. Instead of paying $10 to $24, I pay a buck. Yipee skipee! Yard sale score!
I have Klutz books on face painting, costumes, table top football, nail art, trick photography, magic, science, car games and more. My latest Klutz acquisition is the “Klutz Book of Animation”
The next book I really want to get is the Superhero Starter Kit
Related posts:
Free movie tickets for kids and families this summer
The Frugal Festival is less than two weeks away - June 19 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center! Check out these new posts on the Frugal Festival blog:
Get your ticket to the Frugal Festival before it sells out!
Movie tix, Free Fun Guide, and excloo coupons in our 25 VIP bags!
If you want to go straight to Goldstar to buy your ticket, click here.
Go straight to the Frugal Festival blog to get all the latest info.
We’ve got some amazing raffle prizes in store for the swap, including a two-night hotel stay at the Holiday Inn in Santa Monica, a waterproof iPod boombox, and an 8GB iPod in hot pink! Everyone who comes to the swap will receive one raffle ticket with admission, which is $5 if you bring clothing/media/housewares to swap and $10 if you come as you are. VIP tickets, with front-of-the-line passes, freebies, and more, are $15. Tickets are being sold exclusively through Goldstar. Admission is free at 2 p.m.
Drop off your swappables from 10-noon, then chill while we organize and sort everything from noon-1. The swap is from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, 2010. What to do while we are sorting your swappables? There are a ton of restaurants, thrift shops, and stores within walking distance of the NoHo Performing Arts Center, 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood, where the swap is being held. I compiled a list of places to eat and things to do.
Directions from every direction! You shan’t get lost on your way to the swap with these guidelines.
Read all about the Frugal Festival raffle prizes, things to do after dropping off your swappables, and get directions on the Frugal Festival blog.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains
With the Frugal Festival just around the corner on June 19 in North Hollywood, I thought I should write a primer on the basics of swapping. There are two basic kinds of swaps, free and paid.
- Everything that is being swapped at a free swap is free. Some free swaps charge admission, which indicates higher quality items will be swapped. Admission to the Frugal Festival is $5 if you bring swappables. If you come empty handed, admission is $10. Admission is free at 2p.m. for the final hour of the swap.
- Bring things to the swap that you no longer want, but that are in good working order. Clothes should be clean with no stains or holes. Electronics should work. Games should have all their pieces.
- The idea is that everyone brings things to the swap. Some swaps are loosely organized and you just set them out on a table or blanket and walk away. Once you set them down, you no longer own them. They are free for anyone to take. At other swaps, such as the Frugal Festival, the organizers sort the swappables to make it easier to find what you want.
- Most swaps do not insist that you bring things to swap, but it is only good manners that you bring things to add to the swap.
- If someone brings a box of fresh picked tomatoes, you would not take the entire box. You would take one or two of the items so that others could share. Let us not be greedy.
- If a swap is running for several hours, it is fun to stay for the whole time and see what kinds of items show up. It is a nice community time. You meet nice people. You can bring something you would like to share, like a craft or a talent such as massage or balloon sculptures. However, if you just want to drop in and leave, that is fine as well.
- If the swap is being held outdoors, you may want to bring a chair and shade. You may even bring a table or a blanket to put things on.
- Bring something to put your new treasures in while walking around. If you put something down, it becomes fair game again and it just might be taken by someone else while your back is turned. If the item is big, you might want to put it in your car so you can continue to browse. At the Frugal Festival, each swapper will receive a free reusable bag to put their finds in.
A free swap is a nice way to get rid of things you no longer need and send them off to a loving family that want them. It’s a win-win situation.
Hope to see you at the Frugal Festival June 19, 2010 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, which is located at 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. The swap drop off begins at 10 a.m. and runs until noon. From noon to 1 p.m. the organizers and volunteers sort the swappables. The swap begins promptly at 1 p.m. and ends at 3 p.m. We are primarily swapping clothes, shoes, and accessories, but will also have areas for media and housewares. For more info, visit the Frugal Festival website.
There is a new post on the Frugal Festival blog about this year’s event on June 19, 2010. Please check it out!
I am in the process of updating FrugalFestival.com so if you see a posts dated 2009 it means it is from last year’s event.
basykes/Flickr
Reader Iggy is sneaky. S/he somehow got inside information about this year’s Frugal Festival and shared it in a comment on my post about the on-going reader gift card giveaway:
You should get those companies to join the next Bargain Babe Free Swap event at the park in NoHo! (hint hint…when will you have another one? The first one was tremendous fun!)
Well Iggy, I am working hard on this year’s Frugal Festival, which will be Saturday, June 19, 2010. Mark your calenders and look for an announcement Monday about who is coming to the Festival, what prizes we will be giving away, and where in Los Angeles it will be held. I can’t wait to see you there!
We collected dozens of used cell phones, printer cartridges, and other gadgets at the Frugal Fe$tival in July. I turned those into Planet Green, which gave us a check for $13.34.
All the money we earned was donated to the LA Food Bank. If $13.34 sounds like a tiny amount, remember our items earned us between $.10 to $2.41 each. If you are interested in raising money for a school or charity, check out Planet Green’s explainer page.
Thank you for attending the Fe$tival and for contributing!
