goodwillYou never know what kind of treasures you'll find at Goodwill. I've found a lab coat, once. But check out what one Midwest City, Oklahoma Goodwill employee found hidden in some donated clothing: A LOT OF CA$H MONEY. How much money? I don't know! They won't say -- they're using the exact amount to identify the owner. But it was enough to make the employee stop and think, Hey, maybe I shouldn't just pocket this for the laundromat.

A spokesperson for Goodwill was impressed with how the worker reacted to finding the cash: "From what I understand, it was very surprising but she reacted very calmly." Another clue -- it was so much money, the worker should have been dashing all over the store with her eyes popping out like Wile E. Coyote. I don't know about you, but I'm seeing two takeaways from this story.

One, always check the pockets of any clothes you buy at Goodwill. Heck, check all the pockets of all the clothes in the store. Maybe they missed something! Maybe this is a great way to spend a slow summer afternoon when the kids are on break -- similar to that other fun and sometimes profitable game, "Let's look for cash in the sofa cushions." (Ooh, check under the sofa cushions at Goodwill while you're at it.)

Two, always check the pockets of YOUR clothes if you donate them to Goodwill. Maybe you left all your winnings in those old, holey jeans you tore on that last bender through Vegas. Maybe you don't even remember winning in Vegas. Maybe you should go through all your jeans now just in case you went on a bender in Vegas, won a lot of money, got back on a plane, and then blacked out with absolutely no memory whatsoever. In which case, can I be your friend? And can I borrow your jeans?

Anyway, kudos to the Goodwill employee. Way to live up to that organization's name! And if you've donated clothes to Goodwill recently and are missing your life savings, you have 90 days to contact them.

Have you ever found money in an unusual place?

 

Image via Phillip Pessar/Flickr