When new is cheaper than used

So how do I feel when I see new shirts on clearance at Wal-Mart for less than what I just spent on secondhand T-shirts for the kids at Goodwill?

Well ... a little conflicted, sure. At first. But then you take a closer look, and the material feels chintzy, even for a T-shirt. And the styles are all so ... Wal-Mart. (Or rather, Wal-Mart as envisioned by the people who run the sweatshops in Asia.) Whereas the styles in any thrift shop are as diverse as the people who shop there. And even with a few washings in their past, I feel confident that the kids’ “new” shirts would outlast those new shirts in an endurance contest.

Besides, when I’m uncomfortable with the prices at a Goodwill or Salvation Army store,  I simply subsidize the purchase with money from our charity fund. That changes the equation, so that it wasn’t really a case of spending $3.75 apiece for used shirts when I could’ve paid $3 a pop for new ones. I paid $1.50 each, and kicked in a $2.25 donation.

And I feel a lot better about where that money’s going, as opposed to the money I would’ve spent at Wal-Mart.