Trash to Treasure Party, Part 2 - Host Your Own

In Part 1, I shared with you that I was making preparations to attend a Trash to Treasure party. We were asked to bring unneeded items from our home so we could trade them for items that the other party-goers brought. The Trash to Treasure swap was a great reason to get the family together and we all found items that we could use without recluttering our newly cleaned closets.

My contributions included a couple of barely used, high quality hair care products, a couple of kitchen items, a beautiful crystal candle holder that didn’t fit my decor, and a CD. In turn, I went home with a George Foreman grill that my husband had been wanting for quite a while, but was the wrong size for another family. I also picked up a jacket that my daughter needed for an upcoming play, a purse for each of us and a few other fun odds and ends.

New Treasures

If you would like to facilitate a Trash to Treasure Party, there are a few things you need to do.

  • First, decide on a theme. The ideas are endless and I offered a few suggestions in the previous post. Or, you can opt to skip a theme and trade any item, as we did.
  • Depending on the theme you chose, if any, decide who you want to invite and send invitations. These can be as formal as you prefer or as informal as a phone call or email. Decide if you need the guests to bring food or drink and include the information on the invitations.
  • If you are providing food, plan your menu. Consider fixing finger foods or turning the occasion into a potluck. Our wonderful host provided us with a buffet of  delicious appetizers.

Trash to Treasure buffet

  • When the guests arrive with their items, organize the items by type, as you might find them in a store. If you have a clothing rack, consider using it for the clothes, accessories and shoes. Group the health and beauty items together. Make a kitchen section, home décor section, etc.
  • Provide bags, even if they are merely grocery bags, for the guests to carry their treasures home.
  • Decide how you will discard the remaining items. Some charities offer pick-up of donations or ask if any of the party-goers work with a charity that would benefit from the left-over items.

I hope you have fun and enjoy the time with friends while shopping for free!

For more Frugal WFMW, visit We Are THAT Family.

AUTHOR | Heather @ Just Doing My Best

Heather is a stay-at-home mom to two incredible children and wife to an electronic and technical guru. She calls Kentucky home and loves to travel whenever schedules and circumstances allow. When she isn't managing the daily duties of a home with active children and a hard-working husband, she is volunteering at her church and food pantry, blogging and writing, and scoping out bargains. She loves to cook, especially spicy and Mexican dishes, and often concocts her own. Heather blogs at Just Doing My Best, which focuses on helping and inspiring moms to do their best in their own homes. She believes there are no perfect moms and all we have is our best.

Posted by Heather @ Just Doing My Best on May 5th, 2009 | Filed Under Frugal Living
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14 comments
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  1. Kirsty | May 6th, 2009, at 12:07 am >>

    How fun!! What a great excuse to have a party. Thanks for laying it all out for us too. I can’t wait to do this!

  2. Niki DiSilvio | May 6th, 2009, at 12:18 am >>

    Great tips!

    I am all about used stuff..definitely a money saver.

    :)

  3. Nadia | May 6th, 2009, at 3:29 am >>

    That sounds like a good idea the Trash to Treasure Party.
    TFS.

  4. Beverly | May 6th, 2009, at 9:12 am >>

    Oh I love this idea, it seems like so much fun!

  5. Raise Them Up | May 6th, 2009, at 9:28 am >>

    What a great idea! I’ll have to give some thought about planning one of my own!

  6. Buffie | May 6th, 2009, at 9:52 am >>

    What a great fun idea. I think I’m going to have to try this.

  7. Courtney | May 6th, 2009, at 11:24 am >>

    sounds so fun!

  8. angela | May 6th, 2009, at 12:02 pm >>

    great idea to recycle unwanted or unneeded items

  9. Vanderbilt Wife | May 6th, 2009, at 1:51 pm >>

    Great idea! I’d love to organize one of these among my friends. What better way to “shop” in harder economic times?

    Jessie

  10. Liz@HoosierHomemade | May 6th, 2009, at 4:49 pm >>

    That sounds like a really fun idea! I’ll have to think about having one of those parties!
    Thanks for sharing!
    ~Liz

  11. Hollie | May 6th, 2009, at 9:31 pm >>

    Really love this idea freebies, decluttering and food all rolled into one!

  12. mub | May 11th, 2009, at 2:43 am >>

    This is such a neat idea! I think I’m going to suggest it as an activity to a ladies group I belong to!

  13. billie | May 21st, 2009, at 10:40 am >>

    Can you add or email me a link to part 1 of this? It sounds like fun. :)

  14. Heather @ Just Doing My Best | May 21st, 2009, at 11:56 pm >>

    Billie,
    Thank you so much for your interest in my article! You can find Part 1 at: http://happytobeathome.net/trash-to-treasure-party-part-1/.

    Have a great day!
    Heather

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