Funny Finances
I am good at math. When I went to school, we had to memorize addition, subtraction, and times tables until we could recite them frontwards and backwards in our sleep, so I learned them all very well. Now in my adulthood, when it's time to balance my checkbook, I usually have no trouble. If I do have a month when the balance is off, I generally find it in a hurry. Most of the time, the problem is that one digit is off somewhere.
I used to think it might be the bank's fault once in a while when I couldn't get a balance, but it never worked out that way. (It's just not fair, that they are always right and I never am!) I even went down to the bank one time and had a teller check out my account, certain that this time they certainly must have made a mistake. I had gone over my figures several times and couldn't make them work. Even then they proved me wrong. I think they have it in for me at the bank. Once--aha!--a number of years ago, our bank did mistakenly deduct someone else's check from our account, so it can happen. I hate to tell you how long ago that was, however. Hint: it was B.C.--before computers.
Lately I've had a new problem. Last month my monthly account didn't balance, but it was off by only an odd number of cents. Not a dollar or more, mind you, but cents. Who wants to spend hours pouring over those figures for only a matter of cents? Don't they know down at the bank that there is a minimum wage? After one recheck, I decided I wouldn't even try any longer to find the error. It wasn't worth the time. I just took the overage off my balance to make my figures match the bank's. "Aha!" I thought, "Now I am getting smart." As you can tell, I have a real thing for efficiency.
It didn't work. I just got this month's balance sheet and again the figures don't match, but they are off--again--by only a matter of cents. The most frustrating thing this time is, this month's mismatch is a totally different number from last month's! I can't even get the mismatches to match. Like I said, I think the bank has it in for me. I decided once again that I am not going to spend hours looking for a few cents. What is my time worth anyway? I'll just write it off again. I like to live dangerously! (As long as it is not too dangerously.) Stay tuned for next month...
Needing some new math,
Margaret
P.S. Some of you have to have some good banking stories like this to share. Please--email or Facebook me and we'll share our math horror stories.
I used to think it might be the bank's fault once in a while when I couldn't get a balance, but it never worked out that way. (It's just not fair, that they are always right and I never am!) I even went down to the bank one time and had a teller check out my account, certain that this time they certainly must have made a mistake. I had gone over my figures several times and couldn't make them work. Even then they proved me wrong. I think they have it in for me at the bank. Once--aha!--a number of years ago, our bank did mistakenly deduct someone else's check from our account, so it can happen. I hate to tell you how long ago that was, however. Hint: it was B.C.--before computers.
Lately I've had a new problem. Last month my monthly account didn't balance, but it was off by only an odd number of cents. Not a dollar or more, mind you, but cents. Who wants to spend hours pouring over those figures for only a matter of cents? Don't they know down at the bank that there is a minimum wage? After one recheck, I decided I wouldn't even try any longer to find the error. It wasn't worth the time. I just took the overage off my balance to make my figures match the bank's. "Aha!" I thought, "Now I am getting smart." As you can tell, I have a real thing for efficiency.
It didn't work. I just got this month's balance sheet and again the figures don't match, but they are off--again--by only a matter of cents. The most frustrating thing this time is, this month's mismatch is a totally different number from last month's! I can't even get the mismatches to match. Like I said, I think the bank has it in for me. I decided once again that I am not going to spend hours looking for a few cents. What is my time worth anyway? I'll just write it off again. I like to live dangerously! (As long as it is not too dangerously.) Stay tuned for next month...
Needing some new math,
Margaret
P.S. Some of you have to have some good banking stories like this to share. Please--email or Facebook me and we'll share our math horror stories.
