Swap Addiction: How to Keep Swaps from Overtaking Your Life

It was all over for me when I discovered Swap-bot.com. The huge lists of fascinating swaps, everything from themed matchboxes and postcards to full on gift giving and crafty swaps . . . it was a swapper's paradise! But all too soon, it became evident that swapping can take over your life and cost a fortune in postage!

If you enjoy doing swaps, whether within your own community, country or even around the globe, it can be very easy to take on too much and find yourself struggling to do anything except find or make gifts and send them off! Getting those delightful packages in the mail is truly addicting and you'll find that you want to join more and more swaps.

There is a way to enjoy swapping, without giving up your normal life. It is all based on organization and moderation. First, you need to look at how much free time you have. Are you able to spend two hours or ten a month doing swaps? This isn't just crafting time, we're including shopping for odds and ends and materials, wrapping and heading to the post office. Figure out exactly how much time you have and then decide how long it takes you to do each of the steps. Obviously, some swaps are faster than others, but you will spend about the same amount of time on packaging and mailing, at least.

Now, let's say you have five hours a month, roughly. Packaging, shopping and mailing takes about 30 minutes, say. If you take on two swaps a month, that leaves you four hours to complete them. So, you might limit yourself to one crafty swap and one bought swap. Or perhaps one crochet item and one glued. It all depends on the amount of time it usually takes you to do these things. Obviously, if you have more time, you can take on either larger projects or more small swaps.

There is another trick to organizing your time for swaps and that is to make up a swap calendar. Each swap should be written in a different colour ink and marked clearly the start date and the send date. Include what the swap is for as well. Once you receive the address of your swap partners, add that to the calendar so everything is in one place. Avoid taking on three or four swaps that all have to go out at the same time, unless the start dates are very different, giving you plenty of time to finish everything up.

To save more time, you can try to have everything ready once a month and do all your packaging and mailing at once. This saves you a lot of time, but it also means going for swaps that have similar ending dates and that can be stressful. Try to avoid making special trips to the post office . . . stop by when you are already nearby doing other chores, like grocery shopping.

By planning and organizing your time and making sure you don't take on too many swaps at once, you can control the swap addiction and continue to enjoy the crafting and fun exchanges.