Oh, Mother!: Auction Fever

 It’s no accident that annual fundraising auctions designed to bolster the coffers of schools are held at venues where wine and liquor flow.

Joining many institutions from around the metropolitan region, my daughter’s school held its own annual fundraiser this week. The place was packed with parents geared up for a good night out.

As a veteran participant in social events with a philanthropic overlay, I like to help get bidding moving during live auctions by raising my paddle when I’m confident I won’t actually win what’s at stake.

It’s fun -- and as long as I stick to two drinks -- I know I won’t accidentally get carried away and spend thousands of dollars for a Nintendo (NTDOY) Wii or a summer membership to the residents-only rooftop swim club with breathtaking views of the New York skyline.

It’s self-control during the accompanying silent auction I’ve yet to master.

Through past experience I’ve learned not to get emotionally attached to the signed original scripts, artwork or sports memorabilia I once scribbled high bids for, only to wake up the next morning hoping I didn’t win.

But I’m still a sucker for things I would use that have a true dollar value. I can easily rationalize these as items I’d eventually pay for anyway: tickets to sporting events, gift certificates to restaurants and services like haircuts and backyard landscaping. Or my perennial weakness - gift cards for bookstores such as Barnes & Noble (BKS).

I never bid above the actual value of the item, so when mine comes in the highest, I still feel like I’m getting a steal. The trouble is with the cumulative effect.

Blame it on the spirit of the moment and the spirits from Diageo (DEO), but I went a little bit overboard again this year.

I wasn’t feeling so expansive as to make a four-digit donation to the cause, but I cracked the $500 mark by running around placing last minute bids on certificates for restaurants I already love or was eager to try. I wound up winning eight of them - an eclectic assortment including one new place with a to-die-for jazz brunch and the corner pizza joint.

Looks like I know what I’m doing for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and more than one evening in between. Bon appétit!

Do you have a buyer’s remorse story tied to a charitable auction? Weigh in on The Exchange.