Memo: what was I thinking?
I’m no good with checks. I’ve had the same bank-issued checkbooks for four years at least, using them mostly for church tithing and rent, and not even rent these days thanks to roommate’s paypal acceptance. I’m also no good with depositing checks, much to the annoyance of my grandma, whose birthday thoughtfulness sits in a paper shortstack on my dresser for months every year.
I think what I’m worst at is the check memo. I converted stacks of bank statements (aka “list of subway sandwich purchases”) into shredded paper today, and noted with amusement and horror the things I write when I write checks to people. Among them:
- gymnastic lessons and paper
- bruised apples
- boyfriend allowance
- glasgow miracle #7
- twelve thousand pennies
- keeping quiet about “that thing”
Maybe if I treated a checkbook as a financial tool, and not a 5 year old’s scribble pad, I would be in better shape. Then again, maybe if my church accepted paypal, I could forget about the whole thing.
Update Turns out I also saved physical checks that were returned to me (my bank must have stopped doing that in 2004), but here are a few more from that pile:
- Bands beginning with “R”
- wounded bird session #7
- Ethan’s Mullet Fund
- being completely awesome
- defeating Trogdor
June 25th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
or maybe you’re just keeping finances approachable instead of dreaded and therefore avoided. and i have wondered recently if we’ll ever be able to pay our tithing electronically. maybe direct deposit would take the action out of the commandment, but at least an electronic transfer would be nice.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
agreed. i definitely feel like i should have a stronger connection with “sacrifices and offerings”- building an alter and writing a quick check are very different things. but i don’t see how checks are more holy than online payments.