16 Comments

  1. I wear the shirt for the event, then either donate it or dedicate it as a lost cause for painting or other dirty work. They’re also good as smocks for kids doing art projects or as bedding for animal shelters.
    It might be an anomaly, but I’m rarely asked to pay for the shirt specifically–it’s more often bundled into the price of the event and given for “free.”

    • I like to use them as supports for plants in my garden. I cut them into strips and tie up my tomato plants.

      I see your point about the bundled cost of the t-shirt. But they have to be paid for somehow, right? Even if a company donates the shirts, couldn’t they donate to the cause instead?

  2. I have and wear the shirts. I mostly wear them around the house and to bed. I see your points here; it’s something I’d never before given much thought.

    And I tried Marie’s folding method. Though I love the concept, it only worked for a week. Maybe. I choose hangers. And no ironing.

  3. I wear the shirt for the event, but I’m pretty picky on the shirts I want to wear these days. They have to be soft and not have too much screen print. (because comfort, not style).

    I don’t know if there’s a better alternative for the event t-shirts, but I get your point that being a walking billboard may not be as effective in supporting a charity as an actual cash donation.

    • I don’t mind supporting the cause at all. I just don’t know if I actually am supporting the cause less. Someone has to pay for the cost of the materials, right? I think about the ice-bucket challenge. What a great way to get the word out for the cause and still let all the money go right to the charity.

      • I think you nailed it with supporting the cause less. I just did a memorial walk for colleague and we got all kinds of “goodies” – shirt, water bottle, bag – etc. that were all donated. I had no idea we were getting all of those things and we will likely never use them. If the companies who donated them could have donated the money for them to the cause – more good would have been done.

  4. If you stop buying the t-shirts, I bet you’d have all kinds of great material for a new Awkward Money post! Just imagine the looks you’d get when describing why you don’t want to buy a t-shirt for a good cause!

    On that note, I actually love t-shirts like this, but it’s because I wear them routinely. ALL THE TIME. I’m a frump though.

  5. I’m not much of a t-shirt wearer either, for the reasons you mentioned. I’ll sleep in old t-shirts, donate them, or put them in my rag bag. I’d rather donate the money directly than spend it on a cheap shirt, like you said. But I’m not sure what to do about the co-worker part–that’s tricky.

    • Especially because we wear our shirts in front of students. So I don’t want them to think I’m not supporting a cause. I’m hoping that we’ll start to repeat charities, and I can just re-wear last year’s shirt or something.

  6. I’ve used more gallons of paint than I care to recall. Most of my shirts end up being work shirts. I wipe a fair amount of caulk and dry wall mud on them, so they don’t last too long. =)

    • Ha! That’s my husband’s strategy with extra t-shirts too. He’s the painter in the family. Once I tried to help, and I rolled the roller right on the floor. Oops.

  7. I am super picky about my clothing. Most of those shirts I hate. I need soft things in bright colors and a feminine cut. I don’t want a regular t-shirt no matter how much I care about a cause. I mainly receive shirts via races and my sports leagues, but I’m in gay sports leagues and we take our shirts very seriously. They are actually cute and comfy.

    • That gives me so much hope, ZJ. Can you teach our middle school fundraisers your awesome ways? I just learned of two more shirts I’m going to be buying this year. Sigh. It’s so frustrating to me, especially now that I’m trying so hard to declutter. I do not want to give precious real estate to things I do not want. Sounds like you have a much better plan!

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