Meetup.com

Happy New Year!

It's been awhile since my last post. I wasn't sure what to write about! With the fresh scent of [new] New Years Resolutions in the air, I thought this topic might be helpful to some of you Resolution-ers.

If your New Years Resolution contains these words:
Meeting People 
New Friends 
Dating 
Staying busy 
New Hobby 
Getting involved with something 
Being active 
Find a new interest
Networking 
Wanting a Change

Then keep reading!!!!

I have recently been recommending this website to people, because it worked for me!
http://www.meetup.com/

Helps groups of people with shared interests plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world.

I heard some IU kids out here talking about this website to helo find something to do and make new friends after moving to LA. I thought it was a genius idea and I wish I had known about it sooner. Last year, I was in a rut for many months. I was lonely and needed a sense of community and some new friends out here. This website was exactly what I needed!

The site contains THOUSANDS (at least in LA) of groups based on every interest under the sun. You like hiking? BAM! Hundreds of hiking groups you could join. Ladies Nights? Dating? Reading? Networking groups? Parenting? THEY HAVE IT ALL!!!! There are currently 15.89 million members, 141,885 Meet Up Groups in 196 countries around the world. So there is something for everyone!

I signed up for meet up last year and decided to start with a group that was for ladies in their 20s. I thought making a new friend close to my age would be a good place to start. I attended a "Clothes Swap" event. They posted all the information about the event. You rsvp on the page and the event leader contacts you to make sure you aren't a psycho. haha Then she emailed me the address of where it was held.

The event was far away in Long Beach. I noticed other people were posting they wanted to carpool, so I contacted a girl named Hayley back. The ride to and from Long Beach really helped Hayley and I to get to know each other. The event was pretty cool, but not exactly what I expected. The lady in charge didn't seem to be in her 20s and other women had multiple children. Another lady just complained about being pregnant, and not fitting into the clothes we were swapping. So, that was kinda the thing I wanted to stay away from. (I'm no where near the mindset of getting married or having children). Besides that, I met some other cool chicks, who had fun trying on each others clothes. I donated what I wasn't able to swap and went home with 2 new dresses, a shirt, AND A NEW FRIEND!! =)

Luckily, Hayley and I live relatively close to each other so we were able to keep in touch. Today, she is one of my good friends who I hang out with on the reg. Word. The site definitely helped me tremendously and that was only ONE meet up!

So if you are looking for something to do, new friends, dating, find a new hobby, networking, etc THIS website is perfect for you! Check it out!
It worked for me, and I hope it works for you. xo