shaking the mystery box.

sometimes, i apply for so many freebies and shit online, that i completely forget what i’ve applied for. in the last few weeks, i’ve had not one but THREE  mystery boxes show up on my porch with a WTF, and then subsequent OMG upon opening them. i’ve gotten some really kick ass stuff in the last month… and now i’m gonna tell you about it:

it’s unitard time!

so there was a little mix up down at the old swapmaine farm, and two of us accidentally wrote a post about the same thing.  the solution, the crazier of the two posts (surprise!) has been quarantined to this blog. maybe you’ll enjoy it, it’s about unitards. however, if you’re looking for more dignified fare… the real post is scheduled to be released into the wild at midnight tonight on the swapmaine blog. perhaps you can write a 5 paragraph essay comparing & contrasting them.

T-minus 2 weeks until the swap, and you’ve probably been spending a lot of your free time running sprints and practicing packing and unpacking bags in preparation for the big day.  Well, if you want to be truly prepared for the blessed event, you also need to consider the perfect functional attire for the zero hour.

I would like to recommend the unitard.

Perfect for its speedy lack of wind resistance, and its sleek ability to fit seamlessly under any garment, the unitard is the ultimate solution to the clothing swap under-dressing conundrum. Coming in a variety of colors, types (mock turtleneck? full body?), and levels of shiny-ness, the only real feature that I find to be lacking is pockets. well, pockets and the fact that nobody actually looks good in a unitard…

So let’s be practical here. You probably don’t own a unitard (and that’s tragic, but let’s try to stay positive here), but the concept can be translated fairly easily into real-life apparel that will make your swapping experience a little bit easier:

1. Wear something close fitting. There aren’t really fitting rooms at the swap, so if you want to try things on, you will have to try them on over your clothes. If you’re wearing cargo pants and a bulky sweater, the effect could be misleading and infinitely less than cute. Leggings and a tank top, or even skinny jeans and  t-shirt work pretty well as a functional base layer.

2. Wear something lightweight. You’re going to be lading yourself down with sacks of new clothes, and any extra layers to carry around will just be burdensome. Also, all that swapping action is likely to generate a little heat. You don’t want to be sweating all over the swappables, or get tired and go home early because it’s hot and you’re cranky. Swapping is all about endurance.

3. Wear something cute. This in fact might be the most critical factor of all. Not only are Nate & Laura from Fore Front Fashion going to be wandering around snapping all the action, but you’ll also have the opportunity to get famous in our Swapperazzi photo booth. Just throw together your best swapped ensemble, step into the booth, and the fine ladies at Swap.com could put your picture up for the world to ogle.  So yes, cute shoes. (I personally will be throwing elbows to get to these).

in other swapmaine related news…

the swag bag donation list is getting sexier every day. although if these earrings don’t turn up in the bags, it’s because i stole them all.

early drop-off dates have been announced!  so if you want to get in for free, pick one and put it on your calendar. (i’ll be there the 19th if you wanna come say hello)

secret vaseline money maker?!

after sleeping until noon (yes, noon), i spent the majority of my afternoon/early evening gutting my coupon folder and trying to prioritize anything good that was going to be expiring in the next week. randomly unearthed, two $3.75/1 coupons for vaseline sheer infusion lotion. i’m not a huge lotion user, but i’ll tell you what i do like- FREE SHIT. actually, i like products that pay me for buying them. the lotion, normally $5.79 at shaw’s, is apparently lumped in with the $2.49 vaseline deal going on this week. i bought two, and made myself a tidy profit of $2.52. if you still have those coupons (from the 4-11 redplum), you should consider running your ass down there and picking some up. pad your purchase with $2.50 of other stuff, and get it all for free.

i  had a bunch of mother’s day quiche stuff to buy, so i went slightly over $2.50… but i did manage to pick up a couple of other decent finds while i was there too.

pace salsa (the only salsa that i’ve ever truly loved) is on sale for $1.99. the $.60/2 from the 5-2 smartsource brought them down to $1.39 each. i need a lot, because i’ll be dumping it all over these (the coupon goddess knows her shit when it comes to yummy).

i bought another crop of think thin bars (the chocolate fudge variety was AMAZING) still on sale for $1.99 each, brought down to $.99 with that $.50/1 coupon doubled. bitches need to go on super-sale. $.99 for a single granola bar is INSANE.

i also got 2 boxes of blackberries (my favorite spring fruit) for $1.69, and a couple bags of snikiddy grilled cheese puffs (they hit the cheez doodle spot without the garbage ingredients) on sale for $2.49 each with a bogo coupon i got for doing a survey for them. you can get them for almost as cheap by signing up on their website and getting this $1/1 coupon. so delicious.  go. go now.