Gettin' my money right

Saving money, or being stingy, is sort of my specialty. I've learned from the best. (Love you, Mom!) I have been really great about being frugal during my service, careful to never spend too frivolously on something silly. To the point that I would occasionally refrain from eating or splurging on something I may have "deserved." So when I withdrew money about a week or so ago, I thought the new windfall was a blessing from above.

I found that I had over $1500 that I was completely unaware of. A shocking discovery. I knew immediately that there had to be some sort of mix-up. Sadly, I thought the worst of my organization first. So I called the office and tried to sort things out. They were unable to determine the source of the problem, and were unable to correct it. So I went to the bank to deal with the situation. It turned out to be much worse than I expected.

Turns out that the bank switched my debit card with another volunteer's card from the beginning. That is to say, way back in March 2012, when we received our bank account information and cards, the bank had inadvertently placed a debit card affiliated with my account in his sealed envelope, and I had received his. Perhaps it was because our last names both start with B. Who knows? Since I rarely, if not never, interact with the online banking option, I never suspected anything was out of the ordinary. So this guy has been spending my money from the beginning, and I his. Can you believe this?

The bank was being a bit ridiculous. Their first suggestion was to simply switch our cards and allow us to continue with the correct cards. And I replied, "Are you kidding me? How much does my friend have in his account?" "$89." "So you're telling me I should switch to my rightful card, but then lose all the money I believed from the beginning was my own, the account I carefully managed in order to avoid this exact scenario: running super low?" Umm, nuh-uh, Bank. That ain't happening. They threw out that option.

So now, they are going to cross-reference all my transactions with all my deposits to determine the amount I rightly should have. This is good news. Why? My friend has a smaller site, and therefore receives a lower pay rate than I earn. So from the beginning, I have been managing a smaller salary and still making it work, saving a good amount from day one. Now, after this, I might have more money than I started with a week ago. SO COOL.

Bad new is that, in the meantime, they've frozen both our accounts. No big deal for me, but my poor buddy needs that money for a project he's trying to do in his site. And I don't know how much cash he has on hand. I feel bad, but it's the best solution.

In a week, I might just be spending some of that hard-earned cash on something stupid. Maybe even a washing machine. Heaven knows I'd use it.

Seriously, Panama. Playin' with my money, that's like playin' with my emotions.