The Danger of Charity Auctions

Filed in archive Charity on March 27, 2007

I have a weakness that I'd like to confess. I generally lose my mind at charity auctions.

If you're not familiar with charity auctions, they often work as follows. First, there will be a silent auction, in which you make bids by writing your name or a number that represents you on sheets of paper next to items you'd like to bid on. For example, I often bid on sports tickets to get good seats to a particular game. My wife bids on handmade jewelry. The silent auction will end at a certain time---whoever has bid the most wins. It's the eBay model.

The second part of the auction is usually a live auction, in which bigger items are auctioned off with a real live auctioneer. If you want to bid on something, you do so, but in this auction the bid goes on until there's only one man or woman standing. If you haven't participated in this type of auction, you at least understand the concept.

Here is the problem with these auctions. They encourage you to drink alcohol at them. Very often, by the time you get to the live auction, you're a little tipsy, a little silly, and you bid on things you don't need or can't afford. Or I should say, that's what happens to me.

At these events my hand will shoot up to bid on something and my wife will say "What are you bidding on?" This is a source of conflict between us, as I rarely consult her first, as I might in more sober times. A few years ago I bought our whole vacation at a charity auction. It was a nice vacation, but the lack of planning for this vacation or consulting on whether my family might like to go to this particular destination really got me in some trouble. And it probably cost more than it would have if I'd simply booked a similar vacation on my own.

I'm glad the charities get the money, but they've been getting too much of mine. I encourage you to go to charity auctions as often as possible, to support these worthy organizations but just as much to save my money and my marriage.