The Best Kind of Fun

One of the most interesting facets of the new “culture of thrift” is that the cheap-o things I already like to do have become popular with a much wider group of people.

I’ve spent years thinking about and implementing ways to spend money efficiently - that is, to get the results I want for the least amount of cash. I routinely calculate the cost per serving of the meals I make, and I have long used Amy Dacyczyn’s “cost per wow” factor in making spending decisions (things that give me a big WOW for the cost are worth it!).

It isn’t that I count every penny – I don’t – but I get a lot of enjoyment, strange as this may sound, in experimenting with and plotting out paths to get what I want and need without spending a lot of dough. (I am the Wealthy Baker, after all! Always need to conserve my dough.)

Last week, I was invited to participate in a clothing swap. A couple of women, only one of whom I had ever met in person, got together at a house in my neighbourhood. We brought unloved or unworkable items from our clothes closets in hopes of finding new homes for them.

Over a glass of wine, we staged an impromptu fashion show, each of us modeling various items of available clothing to find the best fit, literally, for the things we were ready to move on out. And later this week, I’m co-hosting another swap, at a vintage store in the west end of Toronto.

In my experience, swapping for clothing provides a way to scratch your new-threads itch without spending a dime. (In fact, lots of the items at last week’s swap were either new or very close to it: we heard a lot of, “the tags are still one this one!” or “I only wore this one time!”) So it’s not surprising, given the current mood of the country, that it isn’t difficult for me to stumble across clothing swaps in my social circles.

And, as much as we are hearing that women make better investors, women are also the ones who say they are most affected by current economic conditions – meaning the pool of women participating in clothing swaps may be poised to grow. In particular, the Consumerology data I explored last week showed that women give quite different answers than men about their expected consumption habits in recent past and the months to come.

Of those surveyed, women were more likely than men to say they were doing worse economically. Far more women than men said they were:

• Thinking differently about “needs” versus “wants” (63% of women versus 48% of men),
• “More of a bargain shopper” now than they have been in the past (59% versus 46%),
• “Care less about owning big name brands” (59% versus 47%), and
• Are more likely to buy no-name and generic products (51% versus 43%).

Also, while the total number of men and women saying they had reduced their spending over the last few months was very similar, more women than men said they had “significantly” reduced their spending (while men’s responses were more concentrated in the “slightly” reduced spending category). Clothes swapping, for sure, is a way to significantly reduce your clothing budget while still adding pieces to your wardrobe.

I’m really looking forward to this week’s swap. As Chaya mentioned, I have a lot of great stuff to pass on. But more than that – I’m looking forward to connecting with like-minded women, having what I think is the best kind of evening – frugal fun!