Free T-shirts

Living on a farm, you need barn clothes. Often, these are the random free T-shirts that one accumulates. These shirts work great as barn clothes, since they often served their purpose for a specific event or organization and are then no longer needed. Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of T-shirts.

While in middle school and high school, I got a kick out of winning free T-shirts at parades, festivals and at the Minnesota State Fair, not to mention the T-shirts I bought in 4-H, FFA and band. When I was a teenager exhibiting at the state fair through 4-H, my brother and I would usually get three to five shirts from volunteering to work at the Moo Booth, the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand and the Kemps Little Farm Hands booth. We would also get a 4-H shirt for exhibiting at the state fair. During down time from caring for our animals, we would also walk around the fair and play various games vendors put on, and the prize was sometimes a T-shirt.

Over the years, as my brothers outgrew their T-shirts, they handed them down to me, the shortest person in our family.

In college, I was involved in several clubs on campus, and we ordered shirts every year to wear at events we put on throughout the year. In addition to that, the college would give out T-shirts during specific events such as homecoming to encourage students to participate and show off school spirit.

After college, I got into fitness and would run four to eight 5Ks each year. I still participate in 5Ks but usually just do one or two a year and jog, as I am not as fit as I used to be. Either way, each 5K, I would get a T-shirt as part of the entry fee. Again, this was a fun way to encourage people to participate and show enthusiasm about the cause the 5K was benefitting.

By now, I have a ton of random T-shirts. Since I stopped growing a few decades ago, all these shirts from middle school, high school, college and beyond still fit me. This is nice, but I have a whole box of T-shirts, plus the handful I keep in my closet. If I put them all in my closet, I am pretty sure random T-shirts would be 70% of my wardrobe.

I have made two T-shirt quilts: one with all my Fleet Farm 4-H shirts and one with a bunch of the Moo Booth shirts. I have worn out a few of them doing chores in the barn and washing often. So, my closet might be down to about 50% random T-shirts by now.

I wear these T-shirts anytime I am not at work or church. In fact, friends and family have teased Jason and me, saying he is the high maintenance one in our relationship because I dress so casually. I really do like dressing up and looking nice, but I have all these shirts. I might as well wear them.

I have realized that I have a love-hate relationship with T-shirts. I love getting them and participating in things, but I really do not need more T-shirts. I have become more selective in the events I participate in and have opted not get the group T-shirt if the design is not something that I really like. Having kids also consumes most of my time, so I do not have the same amount of free time to participate that I used to.

I still want to support and participate in the fundraiser or event, but I have learned to be more selective, regardless of if they are giving away a free T-shirt.