I like to think that my wife and I live frugally with regard to clothing. We buy most of our clothes at thrift stores, yard sales, and consignment shops. Not only does this save us a lot of money on clothing, but in a small way it supports the sustainability of our environment. And periodically, both of us will go through our closet and remove garments that we rarely wear, and set aside a pile of clothes to be taken to a thrift store. We like to keep things in circulation.

The environmental movement’s oft repeated slogan is: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reclaim

But in spite of our best efforts to live lightly upon the earth, I just did a quick inventory of my own clothing and here is what I found:

• 27 long sleeve shirts
• 18 short sleeve shirts
• 11 sweaters, turtlenecks, and other pullovers
• 14 pairs of pants
• 6 pairs of jeans
• 14 pairs of shoes
• Dozens of other garments

Lord willing, the last week of October I will cross paths with the disadvantaged of Puerto Vallarta. I wonder how the quantity and quality of the clothing that I enjoy compares to the clothing worn by those I will soon meet.