Wanna Swap?

I've decided to stop feeding my kids.....it just costs too much. And I'm not letting them outside anymore because their clothes get worn out too quickly and I don't want to spend money on them. I'll just make them stay in the house naked so I won't have to buy as much laundry detergent.

Okay, I really won't do any of that...but the thought has crossed my mind. Kids are expensive! Geez, if I knew how much they'd be eating at the age of six I'd never have decided to have twins!

Oh, right.....God didn't give me a choice there...ha!

Anyway, who doesn't want to give their family what they need, and some of what they want, without breaking the bank in the process? I found a new website, I've been cruising quite often for the last month Swap.com that has saved me a bit of money and helped clean my house at the same time.

The premise of the website is really simple. You create an account and build a list of books, movies and/or video games that you have but no longer want and what condition they are in. Then you make a second list of things you want; books, movies and/or games. Then the website matches you with other users who want what you have and have what you want. Then you swap!

Alas, nothing is free including swap.com but the cost is minimal and you are billed once a month. The website charges fifty cents to a dollar per swap depending on the item. Then all you need to do is ship it to the provided address. The swap.com website also allows you to print a postage label from home that includes tracking from, usually around $3. I haven't found anything comparable in price or quality on Amazon for that price.

The downside is that they don't trade VHS tapes and I sure have a ton of those laying around that I wouldn't mind getting rid of! And of course just because you want something doesn't mean there is someone out there who wants what you have so your want list may continue to be just that, a want list, for some time to come.

But in the last month I've done five trades;  for me Wicked and Johnny Cash's Unchained, and for the kids How to Eat Fried Worms and Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest and for my husband When Genius Failed all of which have been in very good condition. All in all I've not even spent $20 and gotten rid of stuff that was just collecting dust on my shelves. Especially since we are big readers in our house I'd say that is a pretty darn good deal!

Not yet convinced? Well, swap.com also hosts swap4schools where you can donate something you have to a school who needs it. We all know how school budget keep getting smaller and smaller every year and this is a great way to help out a teacher. Are you a teacher? Jump on and tell us what you want. If I've got it I'd be happy to help you out!

I'm a cheapskate frugal shopper and it's great to find ways to save money. Do you have any money saving tips or websites to share? Who doesn't want to save some money these days?