Earth Day Swap Meet

I love a good yard sale. My car automatically swerves toward yards or garages where yard sales are held.

I hate to host a yard sale. Around here, everyone wants to buy everything for a quarter. An entire weekend can be spent something like this:

"How much you want for that designer hand-bag?"

"$10, it was originally $80."

"Will you take a dollar for it?" If you ponder too long they rescind the $1 offer, having instead found a box of dusty old cassette tapes they can buy for a dime a piece.

"How much you want for this Playstation 2 Game?"

"Well, it is brand-new in the package. I was thinking $20."

The game is laid back down on the table. No bargaining, no dickering. If you go over two or three bucks around here, you are doomed.

By the end of one day your answer changes after you have looked at the designer handbag and brand new video game all day.

"How much you want for that handbag?"

"A quarter."

"I'll take it."

"How about that video game?"

"How about a quarter? It's brand new."

"That's a deal. I'll take it."

No kidding. I swear to myself I'll never have another yard sale as long as a live. Then the junk starts to pile up again. This year I have a new idea and it's just in time for Earth Day. I'll arrange a swap meet.

It doesn't have to be done on Earth Day, but a swap meet allows others to get rid of items they no longer want and get something they do want in exchange.

When arranging a swap meet decide on the number and type of items that are allowed. If you are having a women's swap meet, then you might want to mark power tools off the list of acceptable items. You can limit the swap meet to handbags, jewelry, CDs, DVDs, or collectibles.

I think it is more fun, interesting, and entertaining to have a White Elephant Swap Meet. Bring anything you no longer want, but think someone may want. You have to have tough skinned friends for this, because when someone shows up with a beat-up, chewed-up Harlequin Romance novel and no one wants it, things either get touchy or very funny.

Limit the number of items guest can bring to your swap meet. If you don't, one of your friends will pull up with a truckload of items and you'll end up storing them until your next yard sale.