There's a few thousand dollars missing and even after having looked for several years I haven't been able to find it. I'm pretty sure I stashed it away somewhere, but for the life of me I can't remember where I hid it. Money had flowed more profusely back then and it really wasn't missed that much at the time. Now I could really use it.
Now and then I awaken from dreams in which I have found the money or I have lost the money. Depending on which dream I have dreamed, I rise with optimism looking in places where my secrets dwell unseen or I crawl out of bed with uncertain dread and dark forebodings. At times that money taunts me in its game of hide and seek, but it mostly lies silently in wait until the day it jumps out to surprise me.
Years ago my pockets bulged and cash was stashed in common corners and imaginative nooks. Money came and went. Now I sometimes scrounge for pennies on the floorboard of my car or prospect for coins under couch cushions. Yet I know that somewhere in this house is a cache of cash that was tucked away in more plentiful times.
Perhaps in a cupboard, or in a drawer, or in the pocket of an old coat in the back of a dark closet, that lost money will one day smile upon me and say, "I was lost, but now at last you've found me." Then it will rest securely in my wallet until I lose it again. But first I need to find my missing money.
Have you lost track of something valuable but are convinced that it is somewhere nearby? Do you keep careful track of your finances or do you spend your money frivolously? Have you ever come upon money that you had hidden away but forgotten about?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
There's a large box of old comics I moved somehwere a few years ago that I can't find for the life of me, they might be worth something.
ReplyDeleteHave you checked under the mattress?
mood
Moody Writing
Keep searching for the money, Lee, it's there somewhere!
ReplyDeleteThe other week, there was a valuation session locally which included World War I memorabilia. Now somewhere I have smallish leather-bound 18th century 'Histoire de France'. Inside the front cover is an inscription by a 'Captain Roberts' saying it was 'picked up at a ruined house on the Somme on 1st July 1916'. I'm sure it would be of interest to a WW1 collector - but can I find it? It has to be in the house somewhere! I'll continue to search and maybe I'll find it in time for the next valuation session!
I used to have a paper round, delivering 200 newspapers to houses around my area. I got my pay in a little brown packet and some time after I had finished my paperboy services, I decided to look back through my mound of small brown pay packets, just for fun. What was my surprise when I discovered a ten pound note lying folded inside one such envelope!
ReplyDeleteDuncan In Kuantan
Don't I wish! I've never been paid in cash and only withdraw what I need. It'd be very welcome though, I promise I'd look after is with lots of TLC. But valuable books, yes probably, but they're staying where I can adore them. Sue@JumpingAground (Alliteration & drabbles)
ReplyDeleteSue@traverselife(Workplace bullying)
I've just cash in some old insurance policies I had since I was 17 though it wasn't a huge sum of money it was worth more than the paper it was written on.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your money.
ReplyDeleteMy friend lost a thousand Euro in a bus this year, that must have been the worst, especially when you really need it. Lucky you lost yours at a time, when it was bearable. I wish I could have all the money back I spend on useless stuff or lost because I was stupid.
Great challenge by the way, I'm enjoying it, even though I have so much stuff to do that I can't read as many blogs as I'd like to. I'll try to change that though.
Nahno ∗ McLein ™
Arlee ~
ReplyDeleteI somehow don't take your loss of money literal -- more like wishful thinking :~) It's the amount that gives you away...a few thousand? What does that mean? $2000? $4000. Guaranteed, if I had that much missing, it would've been found or I would know exactly what happened to it. Although, I've been told by 2 large banks, that over 90% of Americans with checking accounts, NEVER reconcile or look at their statements.
More important here, is whether anyone has ever told you that your writing style (at least in this post) is strongly reminiscent of Andy Rooney? Aahhh...to have HIS money!
Oddly enough, my dreams of late have not been of missing money but of careers. Really vivid, thinking they're actually real ones, too. I don't spend money like I used to, and I wish I could uncover money I'd forgotten about, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm very careful with money. Can't afford my tech toys if I waste it!
ReplyDeleteI have always tried to keep tabs on my money and kept it in the bank, ideally in a savings account where it would acrue interest, albeit a pittance.
ReplyDeleteMy ex had no concept of budgeting and money control, and after 15 years of being together, I had nothing left, even the money that my Mom had left me when she passed away disappeared.
Now I am earning less than I was 20 years ago, half of which goes in child support, and I have to maintain a tight control over the purse strings to ensure there is enough left to last the month.
Interestingly enough, Money was the topic of my blog post today as well.
Interesting story....I'm afraid I know where every penny is and where it has to go...the chances of finding any lying around the house are slim to none.
ReplyDeletei lost track of my mind years ago and still haven't found it
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's a shock to wake up from vivid dreams - sometimes it's a relief!
ReplyDeleteDoes someone else do your laundry? ;) perhaps you left it in your pocket one day.....
ReplyDeleteYears and years ago I found an old savings acct wih $400. That was much more money than it seems now. Took the 4 of us on a Disney Cruise. Fun times!
ReplyDeleteI'll be happy to help you look! I love treaure hunts! (And I lose and find money at my house all the time!)
ReplyDeleteIt's so annoying when something goes missing. Many years ago I took my wedding ring off in the kitchen then when I went to put it back on again couldn't find it,
ReplyDeleteI searched everywhere a year passed and I fell asleep in the easy chair and dreamed where my wedding ring was,.......it was a place already looked. I awoke and went to the cocktail cabinet to discover my beloved wedding ring in a glass, which had been used over the past year. I am still mystified.
Hope your money turns up.
Yvonne.
Great story!
ReplyDeleteI keep very my eye on my money. I never let that penny out of my sight.
I'm really sorry I missed this bloggers challenge.
Can I start late? I'm never on time for anything anyway.
My mother always says that if you as St. Anthony, he'll find it for you. It does work - I've tried it.
ReplyDeleteI am not aware of losing money but it sure is fun when I find it in a place I didn't expect.
ReplyDeletethis would be horrible... and if I dreamed about it to.. to add insult to injury.
ReplyDeleteCan't say I've ever misplaced such a large amount of money. Wow! I hope you do find it soon.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you what--I'll come over and help you search for that money and then we'll split it. ;-) That way, I don't have to go searching through my own coat pockets and attic boxes to find something worth while.
ReplyDelete~JD
I loose track of one of the most valuable things I have, time. It is so valuable and yet I loose track of it, loose sight of it, misplace it, and even misuse it.
ReplyDeleteWhile was in the USMCR I would cash my weekend drill check and put the cash in my uniform. Then I would come home hang it up for a month. Sometimes, when we really didn't need the money, and I forgot about it, I would get my jacket ready to wear for the weekend and would find 20.00 to 75.00 dollars in my pocket I had forgotten about.
Let me tell you, these days I don't forget where there is a cent and have found any money in awhile!
Gregg Metcalf
Colossians 1:28-29
Gospel-driven Disciples
Oh dear, hope you find it!
ReplyDeleteI love when I "discover" a $20 bill in a coat. Makes my day.
again you and your brilliant, relaxed, and experienced storytelling, Lee. You don't even try to have a great storytelling style, it just flows from you naturally.
ReplyDeleteI've never lost money. I'm like a little ant, I collect and hoard money and I'm not a wild spender which means I can indulge myself when an ant in me turns into a buzzing bumblebee :)
If I find a quarter in the washing machine, I celebrate! My fantasy is going to an estate sale, picking up a vintage knitting book, and finding $100 between the pages.
ReplyDeleteOh - the delight of finding the £10 note that was folded up in the back of my purse has 'morphed' into a £20! :-)
ReplyDeleteTalking of places that money gets stashed - a few years ago I was at work one day (in the library) and a little old lady was returning her books. I dutifully checked them all in but as I opened the last book there was a stack of notes ( over £300!!) being used as a bookmark! Trying not to attract anyone else's attention (there were some dubious looking chracters in the queue) I leant over the counter to give back her money - "I think you might need to tuck this away safely!" I said.
"Well, now," she replied, matter-of-factly. "I wondered where I'd put that!"
Um, £300+ seems like a very expensive bookmark! :-o
SueH
Keep looking! I'm a relapsed Catholic so I still talk to St. Anthony when I can't find stuff. It leads me to look in the most unlikely places where I usually find what I've lost.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a lot of money so what comes in goes right back out. LOL
I sometimes find money in laundry. That's a nice surprise. Putting on a pair of pants and finding a few twenties. But that's about it. Hope you find your stash soon!
ReplyDeleteWell, I've never lost any significant amount but I will admit to having enjoyed, on more than one occasion, the pleasure of slipping on a jacket (or whatever) that I haven't worn in a while and finding a forgotten ten or twenty tucked in the pocket. Always makes my day. Good luck in your search.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful. Maybe you should get yourself hypnotised to remember... but make sure you trust the hypnotist. I hid some cash away when my husband was ill in hospital last year and completely forgot about it. It made quite a pleasant surprise last month when we came across it.
ReplyDeleteDid someone say missing money? I'll help look. Hehehe.
ReplyDeleteI threw away the first three chapters of a terrible sci-fi novel I started writing 14 years ago, but to this day I'm still convinced I'll find it somewhere!
Ellie Garratt
Yes, where do all the losts things go?
ReplyDeleteGreat post Arlee.
I misplaced a photo album with precious memories in and also our main family address book with everyones contacts/addresses phone numbers. I had them both at Christmas but can't for the life of me find them anywhere.
I suspect there's an unhappy mouse somewhere in your home:
ReplyDelete'Bloody pieces of paper ... couldn't he leave a nice bit of cheese?'
I hate missing money...but I love finding that unexpected money! I'm a carefree spendavor....I spend when I feel like it but I pinch my pennies and know where it goes.
ReplyDeleteThese is a lovely post.
ReplyDeleteSadly, in my youth, I was prone to misplacing people. I let friends slip away, until they were lost to me.
I've done my best to fix that. Some who were friends then have become friends again.
But some are lost to me still.
Thanks for the lovely post on things lost and found, or simply lost.
Best,
Joe
m: Maine Event
Wow! Finding all of these comments this morning was as good as finding missing money! I will give a blanket response as I have been prone to do on similar occasions. Sorry if it seems impersonal, but believe me I read each and every comment and appreciate them all and will be by to visit all of your blogs as soon as I can.
ReplyDeleteThis post was primarily allegorical with undertones of wishful thinking, past fears, and dreams that I've had that were like this. I'm sure I do have money and other valuables stashed away in the house somewhere, but there is also a great deal of stuff I don't need that I could probably sell at a yard sale or by some other means or donate and receive a tax deduction.
I've also blown a lot of money in my lifetime and that money could have been better invested or used for more practical purposes.
I'm sure we all have similar stories to tell.
Lee
Oh, and one other thing. The many offers to come over and help me find this lost money made me think of Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence. What a great way to get people to come over and help me clean and organize my house and garage! I recall I used to ask my mother if I could clean out the car, drawers, or something else so long as I could keep any money that I found. It was always a great treasure hunt for me when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteLee
Hope you find it on a day that you really need it! I once found ten dollars in an old purse. And I'm always finding change under the couch cushions!
ReplyDeleteI hope you find that cash. I have hidden money in my walls and never found it, so I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteOnly one such thing happened to me. A gold and diamond ring I had given to a friend twenty years ago mysteriously resurfaced when I looked in a box I hadn't opened in about the same amount of time.
ReplyDeleteI was SHOCKED to see it and never knew how it got there. Obviously the friend didn't wish to keep and stored there.
We've lost track of each other, but that was maybe fifteen years back. Strange.
Yeah. I splurged on some gorgeous glass beads to make a necklace with and cannot find them anywhere! Good luck finding the cash.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've lost track of something valuable and was convinced that it was nearby but still haven't found it. It is a video tape of some important interviews that I recorded for a documentary that I worked on in high school. It frustrates me to not know where it is located.
ReplyDeleteI used to keep track of my finances a few years ago and then I stopped keeping track of it and things went downhill from there. So last year, I planned to change all of that and make better decisions regarding my finances and so far, I've made some progress but still have a lot of work to do.
I try not to spend money frivolously because every time I take a moment to reflect on what I've spent over the years...wasting money, it makes me sick!
Yes, I've come up on money that I had but forgot about on several occasions. However, none of this money was "hidden away". It was just out of sight and out of mind, as they say.
I sure do hope that you find your money eventually.
It's also worth taking a moment to try to imagine how people in Japan who were affected by the tsunami are feeling right now. I'm specifically talking about those people who had safes and cash stacked away and have lost it.
There was a news story within the last week about how a lot of safe boxes and envelopes with cash have been washing up on shore recently in Japan and the Japanese police department is gathering the ones that they can find but it's turning out to be a real mess because they don't seem to know what to do or how to make it so that the residents that this money belongs to can retrieve it....especially the packages that contain cash.
Talk about a headache.
The Madlab Post
I used to spend money on crazy things that I really didn't need; however, I've stopped doing that. Yes, I've found money that I put in a particular place and forgot about it ... love those moments.
ReplyDeleteI've put my post up for letter M ... about magazines.
http://mom2nick.typepad.com/heres_whats_new/2011/04/m-is-for-magazines-.html
Thanks for stopping by.
Laura T.
missing money,
ReplyDeletegot bunny?
Awards for you, thanks for the support!
Bless your talent.
Happy Friday!
Check out bluebell books, our new blogging community that promotes books..
xox
chuckles, lovely humor...
Several years ago, I did lose something. I lost about 25 pounds.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunatley, they found me and brought a few of their friends. I would never have looked for them.
I am on a mission to lose them again. Making progress. I hope to lose them, never miss them and never see them again.
sig
I'm guilty of hiding things so well that even I can't find them. Probably means a thief would come in and go straight to it. I feel your pain. :(
ReplyDeleteI have confidence that one day you will find it. We both did our posts on money.
ReplyDeleteSo I am not alone in hiding/misplacing/ losing things so they go left unfound for years or even decades. There is probably some psychological meaning to all of this. Financially speaking I could certainly use that money now, but then again I might need it even more later.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of your comments.
Lee
Tossing It Out
You aren't alone; I think most of us have treasure missing. Somewhere in our homes, lies a private stash. When I was working, I took $10 and hid them in various items around the house. I let some family members think they found $10 ;-D I had been busy and forgot and put my hand in a coat, I hadn't worn in awhile and found a ten dollar bill. It makes your day~
ReplyDeleteIf I have ever tried to hide money I probably spent it on my way to hide it....yea its that bad...but I buy useful things. I imagine that is why God put me with a saver.
ReplyDeleteOh,man, I sure hope you find your stash soon. I'd lose my head if it wasnt' attached to my neck, so I won't recount all the things that are missing right now in my house and bore you. haha!
ReplyDeleteAs to the next question: These days I'm spending money like crazy--it's an emotional response to the fear and stress of my little son's deteriorating health. I know I need to start reeling in my spending, but I feel like it's the only happiness I can give my little guy--a new light up toy, a new music box, or a super cute outfit.
They say most things are never lost - just misplaced.
ReplyDeleteI used to come across stuff that I thought I've lost, which was kinda nice.
I take the trouble to keep my finances in proper records. It's worth it.
Grandpa
Life on The Farm
I'm sorry I don't know where your money is.
ReplyDeleteBut I do have a story for you. My grandmother hid money all over her house. When she died, my uncle cleaned the house out. He had to look through EVERYTHING to make sure there wasn't money in it (books, mattresses, piano, etc.).
So, keep looking, maybe you stashed you money all over too!
Sometimes I leave a bit of cash in the pockets of my winter coats when I put them away for the season. Over the summer I forget I've done it. It's always such a nice surprise to reach in the pocket the following winter and find it again!
ReplyDeleteNo, I can't say I relate to this experience. I've occasionally found money in the pocket of a coat I haven't worn for a couple seasons, but I've never known I lost something of value and not remembered where I put it. You will probably find it when you are financially comfortable again.
ReplyDeleteI probably just dreamed this or dug it out of the back of my mind as a result of wishful thinking. Maybe the thousands will show up one day or maybe just a ten in an old coat. What I do know is that I have much to be thankful for and I continually find riches everywhere and often when I least expect it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of your wonderful and caring comments.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Great post Lee! Yes so many things misplaced, dreamed of or wished for, and so many more found along the path of life. Great story.
ReplyDeleteGreat post :)
ReplyDeleteMy aunt was just such a person who used to squirrel money away and then forget. Lose it, in a way.
After she passed on, we had to sort out her stuff for charities and so on, and found about 17000 dollars.
Hi Lee .. yes often - usually in pockets or bags .. not a huge amount (unfortunately!). More importantly .. we can save so much money .. but not wasting and being very frugal .. it's the way we used to be.
ReplyDeleteMissing money - where is it? Please tell me!! Cheers .. Hilary
I tape money to the back of pictures that I hang on the walls - to keep from spending it - and I totally forget it's there and then for one reason or another, when I'm taking the pics down I'm totally jacked when I find the cash and then I spend it of course which sort of defeats the purpose but it's still exciting none-the-less. :)
ReplyDeleteJust as money often goes to the places we don't think about, keep track of, or just let go; it can likewise show up in surprising ways that can brighten a day or even save it.
ReplyDeleteLee
I guess you can't move house until you have found it? :-)
ReplyDeleteWould be terrible to remember it was under a floorboard after you'd moved out.
Marcus
http://writing.wordit.com
hi;
ReplyDeleteI tell you about my some old money story.I collect my pocket money in the hole which is in the corner of my home.after few days i was injured in an accident and i lost my memory. After five years when i search my money which its need that time.i was not remembering that where i was hide money.Suddenly i see a mouse was going hole in my room.i shocked and i remember.ooh yes there it will my money.when i out my hand in the hole.the money was there.hahah thanks God....