Regift Swap Party

The holidays gift giving season is fast approaching! Are you ready?

Have you started working on your gift list?

Have you purged your home to make room for the new items you and your family will undoubtedly receive?

Let me suggest something that addresses the two questions above, and now is the perfect time to start planning for it. It’s a fun time with friends that’s also friendly on your wallet!

Host a Regift Swap Party by inviting friends over to trade BRAND-NEW items–nice things that could be given as gifts.

We all have gifts we’ve received that we’ve stashed at the back of our closet. Either we didn’t have any use for them or they just weren’t the right fit.

That doesn’t mean they weren’t nice, which is why the items should be allowed an opportunity to find a new home and to make someone else happy by regifting them!

Regift Swap Party Rules

There are different rules you can follow for swap parties, but this is my favorite way to do it.

The rules are simple and fair, and everyone goes home with the same number of items they brought to the party!

• Divide everyone’s items into three groups according to value.
  • Under $20
  • $21-$40
  • $41+
• Assign a color for each group. (Ex. red, white and blue)
• For every item a person brings, give them a colored ticket or a colored poker chip that corresponds to the value of the item. Ex. If Sally brings two $10 items, a $35 item, and a $50 item, she gets 2 red tickets, 1 white ticket and 1 blue ticket.
• Once everyone has their tickets or poker chips, draw numbers to see who shops first and in what order.
• Allow everyone to pick 1-3 items every turn depending on how many items there are total.

Your Regift Swap Party doesn’t have to be a stand alone event. Combine it with a dinner party, a wine tasting, or a weekend brunch you’re hosting at your home.

By hosting the event in November, everyone attending will have time to regift the items if they’re a good fit for someone on their holiday gift list.

However, you could also host a Regift Swap Party immediately after the holidays when unwanted gifts are fresh in everyone’s minds. Either way, it’s a great time with friends!

TIPS:

• Stress to your guests that the items they bring must be nice enough to regift. Nothing junky or cheap.
• Send the invitation at least two weeks in advance to give people time to gather their items.
• Share the rules for the Regift Swap Party in the invitation, so everyone is clear up front.
• Lastly, don’t bring anything to the Regift Swap Party given to you by someone else attending the event!

There is no shame in regifting if you think the person will truly enjoy the gift.