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VIDEOBidding for the Greater Good
By
Laurie Petersen May 01, 2009 8:00 am
Why I'll spend my birthday with the fire department!
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I look at it this way: Don’t those of us who still have full-time jobs share some collective responsibility to support causes that rely on public donations? In my case, these were a local scholarship fund and the town’s historical museum.
During last year’s auction season, I went overboard on restaurants. This year, in keeping with personal changes I’ve been making, I went temporarily insane bidding on things that are really good for me.
So my daughter and I will be sunning and swimming at the rooftop swim club overlooking the New York skyline. My economic rationale: It’s something I’ve always wanted and it gives her a chance to swim daily during weeks she’s not at sleepaway camp.
There’s more! Later in the year I’ll celebrate my birthday with 8 of my girlfriends and the Hoboken Fire Department. The firemen will do the cooking!
The swim club splurge and fiesta with firemen were bid on at two different auctions. My daughter accompanied me on the second one.
I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I passed on the fever. In fact, I encouraged her. She had her eye on a big round metal vintage Coca-Cola sign on display in the silent auction section.
She bid on it. She watched. She circled back. Someone else bid. She raised her bid. Her opponent (a local mayoral candidate) came back and bid higher. I could see my daughter really really wanted it.
An antiques dealer in the room said by his appraisal the sign was worth $500. The official show program gave it an estimated value of $200. My daughter had birthday money. She knew just where she wanted to put the sign – directly opposite her treasured loft bed.
So I introduced her to my strategy. Put yourself in a position to win by zooming in right before the bidding closes. She won, and walked home beaming, drawing compliments from passers-by all along the way.
Sometimes you’ve just got to let go!
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No positions in stocks mentioned.
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