Don't shop; swap clothes instead to save some bucks

At the beginning of the new year, Sunny Becks-Crumpton made a promise to her husband that she would not buy any new clothes for the entire 2009 calendar year.

Her "nothing new'' challenge was inspired by a piece in the news about such a pledge in London, and she decided to go for it in the name of saving money and going green.

Honestly, it doesn't sound so bad when you consider that even with a moratorium on shopping for new clothes, you could still frequent consignment and thrift shops to get your shopping fix.

And to make it even easier, she's holding what she calls an "eco-chic clothing swap,'' where interesting women (hopefully) bring a handful of the best clothes they no longer want and swap them for other people's good giveaways.

"It was a way to bring my goal to me,'' she said, laughing at the notion of creating her own personal "swapping instead of shopping'' event to make her "shopping used only'' mission a piece of cake. "And now that it's public knowledge, I will really be accountable,'' she said.