Frugal Online Swaps Mean Great Deals for Parents and Kids

If you’re looking to save money during the holidays and the rest of the year, you probably already have some idea of where to look to score deals, like Craigslist and eBay.  But what about swapping to score the stuff you want for yourself, your kids or others?

Given current economic conditions, the shift toward saving and increasing ‘trendiness’ of frugality, more parents are looking for new, creative ways to stretch their hard earned dollars.  Swapping goods is one way to save big time.

If you read NEKMoms, you know about Freecycle, the swapping list with groups throughout the Country, including a local list, that allows people to offer unwanted goods or post “wanted” listings for recycled items.  Freecycle lists contain offers or wanted posts for everything you can imagine, from bubble wrap to exercise equipment.  There’s no charge to join Freecycle or to participate.

But Freecycle is not the only online-based swap.  There are book swaps, like PaperBackSwap, and parent-friendly swaps like SwapMamas, where parents can swap baby gear.  For clothes and toys, there’s the brand new site, ThredUp, which launched last week.

For parents, swaps just may be the ultimate way to safeguard that bottom line–not to mention the lastest ‘trend’ in frugality and eco-conscious parenting and living.