When your money goes out the....electronic window...

My oldest had to take his lunch today!

That's really wouldn't be a big deal...but he's use to taking $2 or $3 bucks with him to school!

I had to tell him...

not today...

I'm using your lunch money for your brother.

You see Nathan's lunch at school is $1.75 each day...that doesn't include milk (which is 25¢)...

Wondering how we got in this lack of money situation...

well it's a long story...

but I've got time to tell...

We Milton's operate our finances on three accounts.

I have a checking account from 1983...yep..that far back!

That's my fun money. That's also tied to my debit card.

My husband or I will usually deposit $500 hundred at the beginning of the month in my grocery/extra fund for me to spend...and when that's gone...

it's gone!

Well last Tuesday I went to the dentist.

Instead of charging me $156 for my procedure...

she charged me $756!

Well I knew that was wrong...told her it was...

and instead of VOIDING...

she issued me a refund!

Problem #1...

my spending account would be frozen a few days. We'll just use the main account. So I told her...don't worry about it and if it was resolved I wouldn't be to upset.

So I switched to using the main account.

Wednesday...our mortgages goes through...

like it normally does...

except...it didn't go through once...

but twice!

(Now for non Southern Cali people...you can't understand how this wreck...

HAVOC on your finances...)

Needless to say...

my husband tried to straighten out this thousands of dollar error and the

State (who holds our mortgage...)

says they have to issue him a check...

all the while things are over drafting left and right!

So of course we can't use our savings...it's covering the overdrafts until they're fixed.

So I got an idea Friday...

I'm going down to the credit union.

Let me take money out of our savings we never touch...

and this was the kicker...

When I gave the teller my bank card...

some OTHER woman comes up and says...

"Are you with Oxnard Elementary?"

"Umm....yes?" I'm saying that really slow...

"Well sorry to tell you...but we're having a problem with all Oxnard Elementary accounts and you can't take anything out of the bank. Were you trying to make a withdrawal?.."

I just shook my head and thought...this is crazy.

And then I texted Bill with the problem.

We laughed and realized...

maybe we shouldn't be spending any money right now...

'cause someone is locking it all up!

So here we are...day 4 running off of borrowed allowance money and grade cash.

I'm using every gift card in sight...and am grateful...

but it's just still so odd..

Friday we had ALL THREE ACCOUNTS...unavailable at the same time.

Well it's now Tuesday and my account is fixed.

We're living on my grocery/kids money...

and we're waiting for our check from the state of California.

Maybe we shouldn't hold our breath!

And NO we didn't ask any family members for a loan...we're just too prideful for that!

The good thing is...last night we had a great time making whatever we found from the kitchen and I got a respite from my dear hubby trying to eat out with pizza. He can't afford pizza...that's a blessing right there!

Oh and the bigger lesson...folks we all really should have $500 in cash stashed around our houses like the old folks do. You never know!