A Pleasant Surprise

When we were kids my dad and mom took me and my siblings down to the bank to open Johnny Appleseed accounts. However, I refused to give any of my money to the banker and while my siblings all left the bank with account ledgers I left with my roll of cash and jar of coins. I greatly mistrusted the bank and felt that if I turned over my money I'd never see it again...those bankers would surely take it and spend it. Instead I hid money in my sock drawer, under my mattress, in different containers throughout my room. When I went away to college, my parents MADE me open a checking and savings account and needless to say my relationship with my bank is a bit more trusting these days (although in light of recent events I may go back to my money stashing ways).

Despite being all grown up and having various checking and savings accounts I haven't quite let go of my money stashing habits. I won't give away my current hiding spots, but needless to say there are various spots around my house where I'll stash money for use at a later time, forget about it, and then find myself deliriously excited when months or years later I unearth the cash. A few months ago I hit the jackpot when I discovered over $200 I had set aside and then promptly forgot about.

So, what is the point of this you ask? Well, today I logged into my Paypal account and discovered I had a considerable balance. Whether or not I knew about this balance is something I can't remember. Obviously, at one point I knew the money was coming, but for whatever reason forgot to check the account and transfer the money. Months ago I had sold a few sets of a grammar program I had developed to two homeschooling mothers and one English tutor. I remember getting emails saying payments had been deposited, obviously before sending out the curriculum. Beyond that, no recollection whatsoever.

Anyway, the discovery took me back to my days of yore when I would frequently discover cash around my apartment and later my house. I don't find as much money laying around anymore. We seem to spend most of it these days, but it's always nice to be surprised. And yes, I promptly transferred the Paypal money to my checking account.