Especially note brown wig I "bought" at a charity auction
Recently I have found myself the recipient of other people’s stuff. Some of this may be due to the fact that I have developed a bit of a reputation as a “go to” person for those who are trying to prune their wardrobes and homes of extra stuff. Other’s know I am frugal and don’t buy much so they figure I probably need more stuff. And then there are always the “duty” gifts that people give around Christmas and birthdays – not stuff I really need or want, but someone’s trying to say they care about me by giving a gift. This increased supply of stuff raises several questions:
- Can I count the stuff that other people give me to pass on, as my generosity? After all, who’s counting the 9 items in the picture? 😕 (Of course I did count it enough to make it the focus of this blog.)
- Is it being ungrateful or miserly to “regift” something I don’t want to another person or thrift store? I’ve decided that regifting is simply a way of sharing the wealth, as long as you are careful not to give it back to the original giver (unless it’s one of those annual joke regifts). How do you feel about regifting?
- Is it fair or child abuse (or at least insensitive parenting) to give away your adult children’s stuff? Recycling our kid’s stuff continues to be a problem for me. I made a futile attempt to get our son, who currently lives in Singapore, to allow me to give away some of his books, tapes, and CDs when he was visiting over Christmas. Alas, he said, “No way.” Although I could have made it an ultimatum and said, “Anything you don’t specify as “a treasure” is going to go to a worthy music store,” I didn’t have the heart to follow through on this advice I give to others. Maybe next year…
