Many people begin this habit in their teen years, but the beginning of college is when it all goes down hill. It all starts with that first free shirt at freshman orientation.
The number of T-shirts I have received from sports games and several organization fairs is endless. However, when I joined multiple organizations, including Greek Life, that is when it all blew up.
There are several reasons why we say yes to T-shirts ALL THE TIME.
1. It's free? Toss it at me!
2. If I fill out this survey or sign up for something I'm not interested in, I still get the free shirt? OK, I'll do it.
3. Comfort Colors. No explanation needed.
4. It's got a cool design, therefore you MUST have it.
5. The proceeds from that T-shirt may be supporting a philanthropy or charity of some kind, so you've convinced yourself that buying that T-shirt will "help the fate of humanity."
6. When seniors are giving away their old T-shirts you tell yourself, "I could always use an extra sleep shirt or workout tank. One more couldn't hurt," and then you walk away with 10 of them.
7. I love this band or artist, and so I obviously need this shirt.
8. A combination of an animal and some nature/space, basically any T-shirt at Walmart, automatically has you telling the cashier to shut up and take your money.
Now I am definitely not against wearing T-shirts because they are really comfortable and are low maintenance. But when you start to notice that your T-shirt collection has become so large that you have no room for them all, then you'll end up like this....
Also, T-shirts are really expensive. From $10 to $15 to $20 or more, it adds up like crazy. As a college student, being financially conscious is extremely vital because, later down the road, you'll start selling those T-shirts for cheaper than you paid and wish you never blew your money on them in the first place.
Moral of the story: It's not a big deal to own a bunch of T-shirts as long as you aren't just getting them for the hell of it or because other people are buying them. Peer pressure is a real thing with T-shirt buying, trust me. Treat a T-shirt like any other piece of clothing you own—like an investment. If you're going to buy a shirt, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind:
Am I actually going to wear this often?
If I want to buy this, is it because I actually think it's cool or because everyone else is buying?
I already have three different shirts of cats flying in space on some form of junk food. Do I need another one?
When it comes to cleaning out your closet of unnecessary T-shirts, remember to think about whether you are actually wearing that shirt, or if you just have it to feel cool about owning it (e.g. me and my multiple cat shirts). Once you actually decide to get rid of some shirts, donating or selling them to friends who may actually wear them isn't a terrible idea!
T-shirt hoarding is a thing, but if you find the will to slow down then our wallets and our closets will thank us.
