Apr 02 2009
Would You Put Your Child in That?
In these tough economic times many of us will be turning to consignment stores, yard sales, and hand-me downs to clothe our children. Hey, I’ve been doing this since my daughters were born and you can find some great bargains out there. You can also find some things that make you scratch your head and wonder if the giver truly thought about what they were doing.
A few weeks ago my daughters’ preschool teacher told me another mom had six bags of girls clothing she wanted to donate to her church, but then thought of me and wondered if I would want them. Sure. I’m not above hand-me downs and neither are my daughters (at least not yet since they don’t understand the concept of name brands). I finally had a chance to go through the bags and a lot of it made me sad. Out the six bags I filled an entire bag with stuff that simply needed to be tossed. I’m talking non-removable stains, dirt and holes. Small stains I can handle. A quick wash, a little stain remover or bleach and there’s a good chance that tiny stain will be gone. It’s one thing to get rid of your old clothes, it’s another thing to think the recipients will take any ‘ol thing.
Don’t get me wrong. I am very grateful that the person in question thought of my family when going through all these clothes. I still ended up with three bags of clothes for my daughters (two more bags I’m going to donate because there were some things I just didn’t need… and no, I didn’t put the aforementioned stained clothes in there). I just wonder what goes through people’s minds when they’re getting ready to donate items to charity.
I remember when the country rallied to help those affected by Hurriane Katrina. People nationwide were making generous donations of food, money and clothing. Yet I also remember reading that some of the donations were simply ridiculous: evening gowns (because when you lose your home to a hurricane the first thing you need is an evening gown) and used underwear (come on!).
Now is the time to look at your “stuff” and see if you have anything to give. But give wisely and kindly. Are you donating your old clothes because they no longer fit or are out of style? Or are you donating them because they are ruined but you can’t stand the thought of throwing them out? I know I sound harsh… I don’t mean to be. I just ask that when you give, no matter how good the intention, ask yourself if what you’re giving is something that you would want to receive.
8 Responses to “Would You Put Your Child in That?”
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When I was a kid, we were impoverished. We routinely got our clothes from Goodwill and that’s where I donate my own. I no longer need to purchase second hand clothes for my kids, but I make sure that we only donate wearable clothing. And I still appreciate a thrift find. For me, the bulk of my clothing donations are clothes I can no longer wear due to weight gain or due to the fact I’m no longer young and sexy like once I was. And the fact that my idea of young and sexy when I was in high school and college makes my teenage daughter roll her eyes. Stained/torn clothes (unless I repaired them) get tossed as do shoes since shoes get worn to fit one’s foot and can do harm to someone else’s foot if they try to wear them after you. I make exceptions for shoes I never really wore (a huge proportion of my dress shoes).
Naturally, with a 1 year old and a five year old, I have lots of clothing I can donate that have little wear and, usually, no stains. With my teenager (and her destructive ways), I’m usually limited to clothing she never really wore (mostly things I picked out) that she either wouldn’t get caught dead in or has since outgrown. Fortunately, her growing is tapering off.
I don’t have a problem donating formals, though, and I’ll tell you why. When I was a kid, “formals” we got from Goodwill were our make believe/dress up clothes. Not saying they’d be practical for Katrina refugees, mind you, but I don’t hesitate to donate even though it might be cost effective to sell them to a local resale shop.
Well I think you are a good person for trying to do what you can rather than do nothing at all. Lets Link exchange. I also dropped on your EC.
Stephanie: good point about the formal dresses. My mom always got old prom dresses for me to use as dress up clothes. Plus even older formal dresses can come back with the whole “retro” thing.
MsLovely101: Yes, there’s something to be said for good intentions. I think it’s great that people think of others and want to give generously. I just become sad when people think donating damaged items to charity is better than tossing them. (I’m adding your link tonight)
Gotta love the moms of multiples sales! Tagging… not so much fun. I’ve heard mixed reviews of Freecycle but really like the concept. When I was on the Freecycle site for my area people were pretty up front about the condition of their things, which I thought was nice.
Donating items should be the best of what you have to give. Not junk. I shop consignment for my two year old, and the baby gets all of the older one’s stuff. The shop that I go to actually has bins labeled “play clothes” with items that may have small holes or very small stains - just stuff that is not quite perfect, but still not junk. I think they charge like a quarter for a plastic grocery bag full. Not a bad idea to try to get rid of the stuff without just tossing it.
Anyways, now I’m in the mood to shop!!
Quadmama - Thanks for the extra EC credits, I really appreciate it!
Jungletwins: my grandparents had a neighbor who always gave me hand me downs and that’s how I got name brand clothes. She wore lots of stylish things and that’s how I felt “in style” growing up.
Ckcramer: LOVE the “play clothes” section of your consignment shop. What a great idea. That way you know you’re getting well-worn clothes but know what to expect.