where did all that money go?

[never_again]

alright its not that much money but heres the story that Ive already told a couple of people over aim but w/e

So i start working a summer job(age 16) monday. the last time i worked was summer of 2007, 2 years ago.

I made either 1000 or 1100 dollars over a 7 week program, and I got paid with a debit card. I took the cash out of the debit card every pay day and put it in a safe location in my room(seriously really safe, no one sane would look there unless they knew money was there, and i didnt tell anyone except someone who lived like half a country away)

So because I start working again this summer, today I strolled down memory lane thinking how I spent 1000 or 1100(honestly not that much, right?) over the course of 2 years. I listed the stuff i bought, mostly stupid stuff related to electronics, but w/e

Then when i neared the bottom of the list, I had 220 or 320 dollars unaccounted for, depending on whether i made 1000 or 1100.

Here are the possiblities to where the money went.

1. I couldve spent 20 dollars a week on lunch over 7 weeks when I worked. Then I broke the other 20 dollar bills on random occasions over 2 years, like movies, hanging out with people, blah blah blah, blah blah blah, groceries, buying stuff that I dont remember/dont have anymore, etc.

2. my wretched brother stole it from me, despite, again my well chosen location. the problem is, if my brother did steal it from me, he could just deny it and theres nothing i could do about it since it was probably a long time ago(anytime from fall 2007 to now). I COULD beat the shit out of him, but then he'll complain to my parents or file for assault/battery to the police which is one option that he was exposed to some time ago.

so which one of these 2 scenarios is more likely, taking into consideration that im normally not such a forgetful person(doesnt sound right grammatically), and i change the location of my money often so it doesnt get stolen

AND

if you were me, would you:

1. keep the money on a debit card
2. take out the money

im thinking that if i kept it on a debit card, and i lose the debit card, Im fucked as i lose everything

If i take it out, I rarely carry large amounts of money with me, but then again it becomes more prone to being stolen by the likes of my brother

 

[cyberzero]

I am personally a fan of the debit card, so I think you should keep it there. Easily accessible, it's on you all the time, but as you say, if you lose it, you're fucked. Maybe a combination of the two? Keep half on the debit, half in cash in your safe location. That way not all your work goes to waste no matter which scenario.

 

[Cathy]

im thinking that if i kept it on a debit card, and i lose the debit card, Im fucked as i lose everything

Or you could just get a new debit card. Your bank should give you any number of additional debit cards. You could also just withdraw the money in person.

 

[darkie]

you know that the money isn't actually kept on the card itself, right? the card is just a mechanism to access the money, which is stored in the bank. if you lose the card, you can get another one and it will still work.

 

[ferron]

flying, when you say debit card, you do mean debit card and not giftcard in the form of a credit card, right? i'm asking since your word choice makes it seem like the latter.

 

[Firestorm]

You don't seem to realize how quickly food money adds up. I spent over $20 a week on food when I worked easily. You also don't seem to understand how debit cards work... They're just a way to access money kept at the bank. They money isn't in the card. That's a gift card.

 

[Caelum]

You spent it on random crap, it's pretty obvious. I don't even know how firestorm lived on $20 of food a week, that's insane. I can spend $20 a day, let alone a week.

Two side notes. One, about losing a debit card. You're really only screwed if you lose it, someone steals it, and you wait longer than 60 days after the unauthorized transaction statement is received to report it. Federal law shows you no sympathy then. Even if you wait longer than 2 days after its occured you are liable for something like $50.

Second side note, I was most concerned about the fact your brother would seriously consider filing assault / battery charges. I mean, I've "beaten up" (if you could really call it that lol) on my little brother when I was like 13 , and been on the receiving end by my older before =(, but seriously assault charges ... what the hell do you do to him?

I really did just want to find an on-topic post to make a comment about his brother, otherwise I wouldn't have posted lol.

 

[TAY]

This can't be serious.

Even if it is serious, this is not a discussion at all. There is no reason for people on the internet to guess where your money is. Debit cards retrieve money stored in your bank account and are thus replaceable.