You’ve probably all heard about clothing swaps, and maybe even experienced one first-hand, but do you know about the S.W.A.P Team?

The S.W.A.P. Team is behind North America’s largest clothing swaps. So far the organization has exchanged over 12,000 items! I had the pleasure of volunteering with the Calgary (Alberta, Canada!) chapter this spring, experiencing the beautiful chaos that is a clothing swap. And it’s definitely something everyone needs to know about.

For the “Take Off Your Clothes” events, a S.W.A.P. Team staple, volunteers collect clean, undamaged items ahead of time (people can also bring them to the event, though they have to wait for them to be sorted.), at which point they are sorted to make sure they are swappable. If your stuff meets the criteria, you (the swapper) are given one ticket for every item you bring in. Then, on the day of the event, you take those tickets and go shopping… er… swapping, choosing from the thousands of items in the “boutique.”

Yup, you get tons of “new” stuff and you don’t have to spend a dime! That’s the beauty of the swap.

Not tempting enough? If getting a bunch of “new” free stuff doesn’t do it for you, perhaps some designer duds will. In addition to the stuff you bring in, S.W.A.P. chapters often get items donated from designers, meaning you can end up with gorgeous, high-end duds that are 100% one-of-a-kind!

It’s absolutely brilliant. But if you’re still not convinced that swapping is right for you, well, listen up, missy. There are three huge benefits to swappin’:

1. It’s free stuff: How can you not love that?!

2. It reduces consumption: We all love ourselves some new clothes, but do you ever think about how much that wastes? Forget just the materials – think about the energy to make it, the gas to ship it, and everything else involved in bringing that new shirt to you. Swapping allows you to update your wardrobe without all that mess.

3. It helps the planet and the people who live on it: With leftover and un-swapped items going to organizations like the Salvation Army, swapping helps people in need and keeps much-needed clothes from filling our land-fills.

See? Swapping is the answer to all of our problems and The S.W.A.P. Team is taking it to a whole new level. Interested in joining a “Take Off Your Clothes” event? Check out their website to find one near you. Or, better yet, to bring one to your town!

And by the needy I mean those of us with an Ugly Sweater Party coming up that need the ugliest top we can find.

When I was walking through my neighborhood department store last week, then, I was more than surprised (revolted might be a better word) when I came across an abundance of these things hanging on the walls. Yes, brand new Christmas sweaters – as in they were designed and manufactured in 2009 – for sale! Which means that people are still buying these fugly things. And I mean fugly.

I went in for a closer look (after making sure there was no one around to witness it); it took my eyes a bit of time to adjust to the florescent light bouncing off the sequins but when they finally did I was nearly blinded by the price. Seriously, some of these things cost as much as a good pair of designer heels. It’s like people are paying extra for the fug. WTF?!

I don’t know why these things still exist or who is letting their loved ones stock up, but they’re out there. In places you’d never expect. What you are about to see is real. And it’s really happening right now. Brace yourself; it’s not pretty.

By just being a tad more conscious of your recycling options, you can make a huge difference with relatively minimal effort.  Here are some common products that you can recycle right in your home town!

Batteries – These babies are full of heavy metals and toxins that are of special concern to soil and water contamination, so be sure to recycle them!  Keep a box in your room so once those batteries from your remote control (or any other battery powered “appliances”…) burn out you can send them in to be recycled.  Batteryrecycling.com has a good program where you can send in pretty much any commercial battery for recycling, or you can check out any local recycling centers in your area to see if they offer this service.

Laptops – I don’t know about you, but I have definitely made my way through computers.  My most recent, Doris, has a cracked screen and a dead battery.  Who in their right mind would want to take her off my hands?  Gazelle.com, that’s who.  They offer laptop recycling services and even offer payment for some laptop models!  If poor little Doris can have a $30 value, just imagine what your old laptop can fetch!

Clothes – As college girls, I’m sure we’ve all become familiar with the beauty that is Goodwill.  There is no better excuse for buying new clothes than donating the old ones to a good cause.  But what about those that are just too threadbare to donate?  Surprisingly, you can donate them anyways!   Goodwill and the Salvation Army send out these clothes to “rag sorters” which recycle the fabrics themselves.  Another good option for running shoes in particular is Recycled Runners, a company specializing in recycling and donation of running shoes.  Hit up their website for donation info and sights in your area.

Glasses – Although we hate to admit it, most of us sport a pair of spectacles now and again.  Now I’m sure you look fabbb in your Polo readers, but what about those fug pink wire ones in hidden your closet from 6^th grade?  Believe it or not, thousands of people are without glasses when they really need them.  Donate them via New Eyes for the Needy or drop them off at your local LensCrafters to ensure that they are handed off to somebody who really needs them.

Medications – Even if your new birth control meds make you bitchy, never ever flush them down the toilet!  Pharmaceuticals can seep into our water supply, polluting local bodies of water and even our own drinking water!  Instead, find a local pharmacy with a “take back” program for any over-the-counter drugs, personal care products, and prescription drugs and spare the fishies your terrible PMS symptoms (joking!).

Anything else – If you can’t find a good place for it, just donate it or, better yet, put it on Craigslist!  Craigslist perfectly embodies the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”; no matter what you have you are bound to find someone else that has been dying to find it.  What’s more, they’ll even come pick up your junk and might even pay you for it!  I really can’t think of a lazier way to make money while exercising your eco-friendly side.

Even if your junk isn’t on this list, it can probably be recycled!  Check Earth911.com before you throw anything away – it’s a great resource for recycling info! It even has a search tool so that you can find a local drop-off site for all of your unwanted junk.  Happy recycling!!

Ever since I was given a fistful of dollars and a ride to the mall to buy my own school clothes, I was a thrifty shopper. I liked the new stuff too, but once I discovered that, by looking in the right places, I could find better quality things for WAY less money, I was hooked, and thrift stores became my new shopping mall. Now, when I say thrift store, I don’t necessarily mean Goodwill or Salvation Army, though I have been known to find some killer stuff there too. (I happen to live in New York, and I’ve gotta say, people get rid of some top quality clothing.)

A step above that are second-hand stores like Buffalo Exchange and Beacon’s Closet; really excellent spots for finding top notch clothing at a fraction of its boutique price. The great thing about these places is that they have very high standards of quality, so you’re not going to find anything with rips, stains, holes, or anything else like that. The key is being able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Just because something has a designer label stitched into it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the genuine article. Here is what to look for in your quest for honest to god designer clothing.

The biggest indicator of designer work is quality of material. It seems simple, but it’s an oft-overlooked factor in the clothes hunt. A rule of thumb: if it feels cheap, it probably is cheap. If it seems thin, rough or coarse, that’s a big red flag. Designers use really lovely fabrics in all their work, so anything else is likely a fake. Pattern can also be helpful in catching counterfeits. If the fabric has a pattern on it, the pattern will line up at the seams, making one, uniform print all the way around. If you see a flower cut in half on a seam or something, I would think twice about buying it.

Stitching is a dead giveaway in knock-offs, especially in jeans. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fancy jeans. I really do. But I can’t spend upwards of $150 on a pair, so I have found all my most beloved denim in second hand stores. Fakes are not even worth the price of the boxes they are shipped in, in my opinion. In true designer wear, all the stitching will be tight, even and uniform. Turn the garment inside out and check the stitching there as well, where counterfeiters are less careful. Sloppy stitching will often overlap on itself, go crooked from time to time, or be unevenly spaced. I call fake!!

Look at detail work. Buttonholes are a good indicator of quality. If the stitching in a buttonhole is sloppy, and has strings sticking out, that ain’t designer. Same goes for hooks and eyes, snaps, anything like that. Designer work is often hand-finished, so everything will be clean and tight, just like the stitching.

Trying the garment on is important, because fit is crucial to all designers. If a seam twists anywhere, or there is any unusual puckering, chances are the garment was poorly made in a counterfeit factory somewhere. It’s possible that it was a designer factory reject, in which case you should check out some of the other factors, but generally speaking, designers do not let rejects into circulation. They have reputations to keep up, after all!

Tags do not a designer garment make. Come on, if you could sew in a Marc Jacobs tag, so could anybody else. If you have particular designers that you like, read up on them, so you know what their hallmarks are. MJ, for example, loves his hardware, so all buckles and buttons, etc., have a logo stamped into them. On his things, a plain button means a fake garment, pure and simple. Find out what your fave designers go for, and you’ll have some really helpful hints when you go hunting for them.

Believe me, I’ve accidentally bought enough baaaaaad knock-offs over the years to have learned my lesson well, but I’ve also cultivated a pretty awesome wardrobe at the same time. Come on, who doesn’t want Citizens of Humanity and Diane von Furstenberg draped on them all the time? If you’ve got the patience to sort through second-hand racks, it is SO worth the time and energy spent. So learn from my mistakes, and get shopping! It’s a recession out there people, and if there was ever a way to score some great stuff AND stimulate the economy, this is it!!

I adore vintage stuff. Nothing makes me squeal quite like walking into a vintage boutique and running my hands along the delicate lace dresses and feather trimmed hats. The fact that all vintage shops have such adorably cleaver names just endear them to me more (Hello, Again Boutique? Another Man’s Treasure? *squeal!).

Sigh. Too bad they’re all too damn expensive to shop from. Ever since vintage became fashionable, the prices have skyrocketed. Eighty bucks for a blouse? That’s like, eighty times what it sold for in the seventies! When it comes down to it, I’m not willing to pay that much for a brand new shirt, let alone an old, used one. And don’t get me started on Goodwill – trust me, you don’t want to set foot into the one by me. Not only do they lack anything remotely cute, but the place is pretty gross, smells funny and houses some sketchy people. Ever get hit on by creepy homeless men while digging through a barrel of old nighties? No? Well you can take my word for it – it’s not fun.

Anyway, back to my point. In an act of sheer desperation born from an utter lack of cash, I went rifling through the only other place I knew that could possibly cater to my vintage needs: my 78 year old grandmother’s closet. Oh yeah, I went there… and to my surprise, I actually snagged some great finds!

It turns out you can find a lot of great stuff that, while it may not look so hot on your aged grandmother, will look pretty darn fashionable on you. It’s all about how you rock it – add a belt to an oversized dress to make it fit better, hem the skirt if it’s too long. Hell, while you’re at it, turn it into a mini and make your grandma really squirm.

If sharing outfits with your granny is too much for you, dig through her old jewelry box (with permission of course; you wouldn’t want to lose the diamond heirloom passed down for generations at some club). With luck, you might score some awesome costume jewelry: chunky necklaces, cocktail rings, and pearl-encrusted brooches maybe? Have fun with it. I did. And the best part of it all? I didn’t spend a dime.

So go for it, dear readers, and make sure you leave a comment to tell me about your awesome finds! Just do me a favor and stay away from the granny panties (literally)!

It most definitely it ugly Christmas sweaters.

Seriously, I die. They are like the mullets of holiday season: everyone knows that people make fun of them, but they never go away. Why? Is there a secret love of sequins I didn’t know about? I think it’s because I am always such a good girl every year and someone upstairs knows exactly how to repay me.

I know I am not alone in my love for overly adorned sweatervests, mostly because there were 3 other Ugly Sweater Pub Crawls happening on the very same day I took mine (see photo below). And because I saw a whole slew of them in the window at Talbots. And, the best reason of all, because someone created this amazingly awesome website where you can make your very own Christmas sweater!

Score! This is even better than finding those gems at the Salvation Army… and it doesn’t smell nearly as musty. The possibilities are endless! Choose your style (crewneck, sweatervest, or cardigan) and then throw as much Christmas crap as you can on there! Sure, it looks a little overdone, but I am pretty sure I saw this exact sweater at the thrift store when I was shopping.

You got some ugly sweaters? Send your pictures to Lauren@collegecandy.com and we’ll post em right here for everyone to love.

If you had fun on Halloween, just wait and see what the Festivous season has in store. Here are some ideas so you can throw your own rager for Christmahannukwanzakuh… or whatever you celebrate.

Tacky Christmas Party

Now’s the time to dig out the sweater you got last year from Aunt Millie – the one with real pom poms sewn on to represent snowflakes, with bedazzled reindeer flying across the front. If you don’t have your own tacky Christmas sweater, rummage through your mom’s closet or hit up the Salvation Army. These parties have been gaining quite the reputation over the last few years, with party goers trying to out-ugly each other. Decorate with lawn ornaments from the Clearance rack at K-Mart, and serve Malt Liqour to your guests. Who doesn’t love a white trash Christmas?

Hannukah Song Party

Who says you have to put your Halloween costume in the closet on November 1? Give your best celebrity costume another go by throwing a party where everyone goes as their favorite character from Adam Sandler’s “Hannukah Song.” Once everyone gets nicely buzzed, the phrase “OJ Simpson- not a Jew!” will echo through the halls, and “Put us together- what a fine lookin’ Jew” will be the pickup line of the night.

Gingerbread Tran Party

Cross-dressing meets Christmas. Need I say more? If you love Angel from Rent, this party will be right up your alley. Another fun evening? Rated X holiday baking. Who ever grows out of decorating pervy gingerbread men and women? Throw on an apron, grab a rainbow of frosting choices, and let your dirty little imagination run wild. Then hand out the tasty treats to everyone on your floor. See if your RA turns as red as Rudolph’s nose.

Naughty or Nice Party

Which list are you on this year? Think of this as the holiday version of a “Heaven and Hell” party. It’s a great excuse to wear your red bikini in December. Other costume party ideas? Dress up like your favorite Christmas song (and yes, Justin Timberlake’s D*ck in a Box counts) or your favorite holiday story character (Ralphie, anyone?).

Of course, with limited time, and in the midst of finals, you may opt to have a straight holiday party, where everyone can wear their normal clothes. That’s no reason to forego the holiday drinking games just because you don’t have time to plan something elaborate.

Play “Drinking Dradle,” where every side of the dradle is designated with a rule, e.g. “Drink one shot” or “Social.” Better yet, play it just over a week to put new meaning to the phrase “Eight Crazy Nights.”

Have a Liquor Grab Bag. Have everyone bring something potent and throw it into a box, still in the brown bag. After everyone’s chosen their “gift” for the night, you can be a Grinch, and make everyone take a swig without opening the bag to see what they’ve chosen, or you can play Tiny Tim and let your guests trade to promote some good old holiday cheer.

Still too busy to really get into the holiday spirit? Half-ass the party by making red and green jello shots or serving up some warm, wintry cocktails. The best part about a holiday party? You can splurge for an ice luge on the back porch, and it won’t melt until spring.

[Every week, CC and John will bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, saddest things he hears on his college campus. Join the Overheard revolution! Leave your own overheard convos in the comments.]

“So this sandwich – portabello and provolone, I mean, it should have been good — but I mean, it was, like, a slab of provolone. Like, exactly a blob. Like I was trying to eat a brick. And so then I ate it, and I went back to my room, and I threw it up, and it was like ‘Yup, now I get to have dinner again’.”

“My mom, you know, she’s pretty, but she’s not that pretty.”

“Yesterday, I did that thing where – you know? You’re, like, Wal-mart, and you’re Halloween shopping, but you end up in that weird kinda retail fog. And so you go, hey, furniture, maybe I want a … futon, and hey, mechanical stuff… I want some turpentine, and then you walk around some more and then you’re outside and it turns out all you bought was an industrial size thing of Cheez-Puffs.”

A child — six, maybe seven — is at the counter in a Salvation Army store. He has a small bag of plastic Wild West action figures in his hand, and some change in the other.

“That’s one dollar and five cents,” says the old lady at the counter.

“There, now, give the lady the dollar,” says the boy’s father, behind him.

Slowly, carefully, the boy takes out each coin. He needs to make sure that he counts them perfectly — he needs this to be absolutely correct. He pushes them across the counter, looking up solemnly.

“Is this right?” he asks.

“Yes, that’s right.”

He smiles.

“So I went back to my room, and of course I figured nobody was there, so I opened the door and was just ‘All right! Masturbation seems like a good idea!’ And then my roommate’s girlfriend was on the couch, just kinda looking at me.”

“I wanted everyone in high school to call me ‘blow me down’. Then it sorta came back in my face. Like, the blowing.”

“Maya Angelou’s coming here?”

“Yeah, I’m imagining it sorta like this: Maya Angelou sets up a half pipe on the stage, and just takes an Impala and does tricks for an hour. Then she flies off a jump into the audience and the crowd goes crazy.”

“It’s a shame that ‘penis’ defines what it does, you know, because it’s such a good word.”

So, where to look for the best finds, as well as the best prices? Check out these stores and, if they’re not near you, pop on their websites!

Target – This is the mini-mall of a college girl’s dream. Here you’ll not only find the best bedspreads and towels, snacks and sodas, but you can now also peruse the clothing section, which seems to be coming out with new high-end-like lines every other day. With prices ranging from $9.99 and up, you’re sure to find some cute basics and exotic prints at this fine, serious leap from Wal-Mart.

Marshalls/TJ Maxx - Get ready to dig, dig, dig, but dig with the best of them because if you do, ladies, you can find the best Seven Jeans, Joe’s Jeans and Theory shirts all for a quarter of the price than on the racks at Nordstroms and Bloomies. Who said we can’t have designer trends in college, despite our almost empty pockets? (Why, I was just in Marshalls today on my lunch break – productive, I know – and I snagged a pair of Joe’s Jeans for just $69.99, a quarter the price than the $200 plus pairs at Bloomies!)

Salvation Army - I’m not kidding here, kids. My girlfriend scored a vintage fur coat at a salvation army in Brooklyn for $10 bucks and rocked her campus hard in the winter. Go for it.

Thrift. Thrift. Thrift. If you don’t have a Salvation Army in your town, head over to your local thrift and/or consignment shop for the best digs. I spent about two hours in Beacon’s Closet in Brooklyn one Saturday and wound up with some of the cutest tops for day and night that were unique and cheap. These stores also happen to be heavenly for accessories and bags.

Sample Sales. Dig up your local newspaper and see if there are any clothing sample sales in your area (yes ladies, they do exist!) and hit ‘em up. Designer duds for less? Sign me up!

Of course, malls and outlets are great places to stock up on clothes, (Editor’s Note: Have you seen those new JC Penney commercials? Their stuff is lookin’ gooooood!) basics and all your other necessities, but if you’re looking to spice up your life, eh hem, I mean wardrobe…try these places out!

(Photo courtesy of monsoontrust.com)

The thrifty girl’s best friend is, well, the thrift store. While I can’t afford to drop hundreds of dollars on clothes each month, plenty of people can and do. And when these people get tired of their outfits, they sell them or give them away. That’s where we come in.

The first step to good thrifting is knowing your stores. Scope out your town or city and figure out where the good shops are. Most cities have a Salvation Army or Goodwill, as well as various consignment shops. Bigger cities and most college towns will have thrift or vintage stores (but keep in mind–vintage is often code word for EXPENSIVE!) If you find a shop you like, go there a lot, even if you don’t buy anything when you go. You’ll get a sense for when new clothes come in, so you can get to the good stuff first.

A lot of thrift stores have varied and arbitrary pricing, so if you know your local shopgirl you are more likely to get a discount on that dress with the small tear (which you can repair yourself). If your local shop buys clothes, bring along the stuff you don’t want any more (in good condition), and see if you can get store credit.

Once you’ve established yourself, you’re ready to start shopping. While everyone has their own methods for thrifting, I find there are usually a few important principals to live by:

1. Be patient!

Thrift stores are usually disorganized and packed full of junk. The best part of thrifting is the find–buried in that bin of cheap shoes is an adorable pair of heels, but only if you have the energy to dig all the way down to the bottom. It takes a lot of time to really look through every item on a crowded rack, but trust me, it’s totally worth it.

2. Don’t go looking for something specific

You’ll never find it. That’s what cheap chain stores like H&M and Forever 21 are for. If you walk into a messy shop looking for a blue spaghetti strap dress, chances are you won’t find exactly what you want—you might find a blue long sleeve dress or a green spaghetti strap dress, so make sure you’re flexible and open to anything.

3. When in doubt, try it on

Rarely do thrift store items have size tags, and sometimes older clothes have no size tags at all, or use an older sizing system. If it doesn’t look ridiculously big or ridiculously small, go ahead and try it on. Ignore the size, you may find it fits you anyway! My very favorite thrift dress is labeled almost 2 sizes smaller than what I normally wear.

and finally…

4. Have Fun

This may sound cheesy, but it’s true. That gold lame dress is only $5…why not buy it and figure out how to incorporate it into your wardrobe? Try something different–maybe you don’t usually wear patterns but your local shop is full of old 50′s skirts. Go ahead and buy something unexpected–you may surprise yourself!

For our NYC girls, here are a few of my favs:

Beacon’s Closet

N. 11th Street between Berry and Wythe, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

This is the mecca for stylish New York City girls of all incomes. Located in a massive warehouse, they buy discarded clothes from the hip Williamsburg/Bushwick crowd. Last weekend I scored a $15 dress from Urban Outfitters, an $8 romper from American Apparel, and a pair of Vans slip-ons for $10. They have a great selection of dresses, and a lot of newer stuff–you’ll see H&M t-shirts packed in with Marc Jacobs jackets.

If you want to sell your stuff, be prepared to go up against some really snooty buyers–they’ll take one or two items (if any) and donate the rest. They won’t take anything out of season either.

Village Style

7th Street between 1st Ave and Ave A, East Village, Manhattan

The go-to for cowboy boots, converse, and bags. The hours are weird though, so try going in the afternoon. Not great for clothing.

Flores Antique Clothing

529 Grand Street, near Lorimer Street, Williamsburg

For vintage dresses, there is no better store. Almost everything is under $50, and there’s even a discount if you buy in bulk. It’s a no-nonsense, decidedly un-New York shop.

Do you have a favorite shop in your town or city? Let us know in the comments!