Mum ‘doesn’t know what to do’ after finding thousands of pounds hidden in charity shop purchase

A mum has been left with a moral dilemma after coming across more than £1,000 of cash hidden inside a blanket bought from a charity shop.

The woman had bought a ‘lovely’ patchwork blanket that ‘looked like it was handmade’ during a visit to a local charity shop last week, but was shocked to come across wads of cash stitched inside it.

Writing about the incident on blogging forum Mumsnet, user ‘Brighton5555’ explained that she had been checking the blanket for washing instructions when she came across the cash.

She wrote: “I was checking for any washing instructions on the labels and that’s when I noticed that in one quarter of the blanket it felt different.

“The more I pressed on that area the more I could almost feel something move so curiously I made a cut and I’ve found money inside.”

Colin Watts / Unsplash

She explained that the money wasn’t ‘old money’ and mostly comprised of £50 notes, amounting to a sum of more than £1,000, adding: “I don’t want to say how many thousands”. 

The mum asked for people’s opinions on what she should do with the money, saying it would help her out with expenses for an upcoming holiday, but a ‘nagging voice’ in her head had been telling her that ‘some old lady kept her savings in here and somehow it’s got to the charity shop’. 

Her post, which was titled ‘Found money… what should I do!’, was met with hundreds of responses from fellow Mumsnet users.

Many were all for the woman keeping the cash, with one user pointing out that the original owner ‘won’t miss it if they didn’t know it was there’.

They wrote: “I’d keep it. You won’t find the owner. Could be someone’s donated belongings after a clear out or someone passing and is unaware of what’s in the blanket, they won’t miss it if they didn’t know it was there. Perhaps make a donation to the charity and enjoy the rest?”

Annie Spratt / Unsplash

However, others were outraged at the idea of keeping the cash, with some instructing the woman to either return it to the charity shop or hand it in to the police. 

One user wrote: “Take it back to the shop/tell the police! Can’t believe you’d possibly think of keeping it.”

A third, on the other hand, suggested: “You could split it half to the charity and keep half.”

Regardless of people’s suggestions, the woman later shared an update saying she had banked the cash. She wrote: “It’s been banked no questions asked. I’ve just made an online donation to two charities linked to this shop and I’ve spent some upgrading airplane seats for my holiday that’s coming up soon.

“The rest I’m not sure, for now it will sit in my account.”