Forty-four years on this planet and I’ve learned a few things that I feel are my moral responsibility to pass along to make your life a little easier. While it’s true that I just learned these 3 things recently myself, the fact that I’m a slow learner shouldn’t disqualify me from sharing these nuggets with you.
- Always carry some cash. Cash is not king anymore. Our paychecks are directly deposited and we pay bills online. When do we have the chance to pocket some cash? And why do we need it?
I learned why the hard way a few days ago. We took my daughter, Keely, out for her 14th birthday. We paid for the meal with my debit card; enjoyed the food and received terrific service. Near the end of our meal I realized that I was cash poor and couldn’t leave a tip. I asked the cashier if I could leave one on my card. No. That is just plain stupid. I’m not going to reveal the name of the restaurant because I really like the place, but to accept plastic for the meal and have wait staff that depends on tips which can’t be left on the card is stupid. Did I already say that?
Our delightful and hardworking waitress shouldn’t be penalized for her employer’s ineptitude or my shortsightedness, so I left my family in the restaurant, drove a mile down the road to an ATM, got stuck behind a man who needed more than 5 minutes to do his personal banking, got my cash, paid a fee for not using my bank and then went back to the restaurant. A lot of trouble for not having cash. I have found that the easiest and cheapest way to get cash is to say “yes” when the polite cashier at the grocery store asks me if I would like to receive cash back. No bank charge, no prolonged trip to the ATM, no hunting around in my car for loose change.
Well, I do have 2 more great tips for you, but I’m going to save them for tomorrow. Reliving this experience has re-annoyed me and I’m hungry from thinking about food. Time to scavenge the frig for my favorite food group…leftovers. I will finish this up tomorrow…
Onword and Upwords by Dennis Brady 