“No, No, and No”

When I picked up the ATM receipt littered on the ground next to my car, I thought it might be mine.

When I saw the balance I knew it wasn’t.

Who the hell deposits $42,000 at an ATM to add to their already obscene balance of $138,145 dollars and 87 cents?

My first reaction was jealously and then I felt a twinge of hatred and all this maelstrom of emotion in 20 seconds flat from a girl who professes to care not one whit about money.

But money has an insidious way of working its way into your life whether you like it or not.

“Can we go to the beach this year?”

“NO.”

“Can we afford new curtains to hang instead of the old ones?” (Read twin size bed sheets)

“NO.”

“Can we afford any beverage besides milk and beer?”

Ok I know some think beer is a luxury but let’s face it, people, let’s face it, it’s not.

“NO.” I say without missing a beat.

“Can I?”

“NO.”

“What about?”

“NO.”

“NO NO NO”

In all fairness I can’t complain.

Ok I can but I shouldn’t.

We live in a nice house, we are helping to pay for my son’s college, we have beer and can sometimes afford gas, but it’s frustrating.  Between the two of us my husband and I turned in 6 W2s.  With 6 W2s you would think that we were rich and all we do is work.  Half of that statement is true; we do work a lot.

Why 6 W2s you ask?

Well I got this idea in my head that one or the other of us should be home with the kids and we are.  We just aren’t hardly their together which might be a good thing because then we might be staring at this ridiculous ATM receipt together conspiring how to morally rob this person of one tenth of their deposit,

But instead we spend our free time trying to figure out how to cut the budget again.  This winter it consists of wearing wool caps, switching to Miller Lite from Heineken, buying no grocery products that come prepared or with a name you might recognize, borrowing books from the library instead of buying at Barnes and Noble, dropping the insurance on our cell phones, lowering the premium on our house insurance and never ever leaving a light on anywhere, even in the room you’re in.

I’m just kidding…… but can you pass me the flashlight.

But as all things in life, we make decisions, we make compromises and somewhere in a place I know nothing about some people might have both money and all the time with their family they need but I don’t think so and if they do I hate them and I want to be them.

But hell, its Friday night and I’ve got a beer a book and a flashlight.

So cheers to you anonymous ATM receipt holder.

I hope some day we can meet, but I tell you what, when we do, you’re buying.