I’m trying to keep my blogging momentum going. Or get it started. Something like that anyway. I was working on something far more profound but it’s led me in so many circles I decided to stick to Denyse Whelan’s link-up theme today and I’m sharing some snaps. Not just any snaps… some that offer some insight into moi. Kinda.
The first two things I found when tidying my study a while ago. They were part of a heap of stuff my mother had handed me to me (report cards and the like, which I ditched).
I’m bloody old
This ‘bank book’ opens on 7 November 1979 with $155.53 in it. That would have been a fortune back then. When I started school we had Commonwealth Bank money boxes and I’m fairly sure, our parents were encouraged (or perhaps required?) to open accounts for us. I started school in 1972 and—as I was born at the end of 1967—I would have been four. It’s likely then this will have been my bank-book from my high school years.
I worked on Saturday mornings from 1983 at Chandlers (ostensibly on the video counter) and used to earn about $12 each week, so it looks like I diligently banked $10 of that. I can’t actually remember going into the bank to deposit money so wonder if mum or dad did that for me.
For those needing closure, this bank-book finishes in late August 1987 (when I was at Uni) with a balance of $4.38.
I’ve always played the victim
I would certainly have been in primary school when I wrote this (from the look of my writing), so twelve at the most.
My fave line is… that my parents buy me clothes and things I don’t really need. But they don’t buy me what I want.
It reeks of attention-seeking behaviour as I’ve obviously no idea who I’d intended to send it to. I can only assume my plan was to subtly leave it somewhere for my parents to discover. Of course I must have imagined they’d be overcome with guilt and grief and beg my forgiveness and immediately bestow upon me the attention I deserved.
Or buy me what I wanted. Who knows….
I’m hoping the fact that my mother kept it for years after meant she thought it was funny. (And perhaps that I’d read it one day decades later and realise what a little shit I was!)
Decluttering and non-functioning printers
I needed to print some documents on the weekend so dug out the printer I’ve not used in over 3.5yrs. And no matter what I tried (drivers I downloaded etc) I could not get it to work. I mean, does anyone even use printers these days?
Upending my cupboard looking for my printer required moving things around which means…. my study needs another clean up and clear out. Surely I only just rubbed the last one off the to-do list on my whiteboard?!
Do you use a printer? Have any tips? Or perhaps you have horrible letters you wrote as an ungrateful child?
May 18, 2020
Nice to have a little look into your world Deb and the letter made me laugh. I had a bank book like that for many years too and probably had a similar amount in savings! Loved your sad little letter – you poor mistreated and abused child! I’m sure my daughter has something similar written in her diary – fortunately millenials throw all that stuff away so I should be fairly safe!
May 19, 2020
My mother had to do a massive clean of her spare room when she had termites and was forced to go through old albums and boxes of things. She realised then really didn’t need to keep so much as she knew neither my brother nor I would probably keep them. My bro’s daughter may be interested in some of his stuff, but I’m the end of the line in my little world.
May 18, 2020
Well that was interesting! Thanks for the look into your past. It’s funny how we think when we are kids isn’t it! And yes I still have a printer but I hate it with every fibre of my being lol
Di from Max The Unicorn
May 19, 2020
You can save so much on your phone now (as in tickets to events etc) so there’s often no need to print things out. I ended up importing an image of my signature though so got around it that way THIS time. I should do something about it though.
May 18, 2020
Omg the letter!!! I had to laugh because I used to write passive aggressive letters to my parents after fights sort of along those lines and how unfair they were and how they preferred my sister over me etc etc.
My printer no longer works or at least not with my current computers for some reason. Probably should get rid of it. I do remember bank books because my parents still have those in India
May 19, 2020
I don’t remember this letter Sanch but mum kept another in which I wrote to my grandmother saying I was worried my parents would get a divorce because my father bought an above-ground pool without talking to my mother about it and they were fighting!
May 18, 2020
That letter was the best! I used to write letters like that to my mum ALL the time – thank goodness she didn’t keep them because I would be mortified! Love that bank book and I remember when I was growing up in the 70’s, bank money boxes were all the rage. I thought there was something really magical about having a paper bank book and a bank money box. Having an online account isn’t nearly as much fun!
May 19, 2020
I agree Sam – for kids especially… though perhaps the wonder of hard copy things won’t even be on their radar. I certainly liked being able to see the amount… and I realise you can do that online as well. I know they were the ‘national’ banker and got loads of customers out of it, but it was a good initiative – that savings program.
May 19, 2020
Oh you made me laugh! As an aside, I had to rush out and buy a new printer the other day – I have to print and authorise a heap of stuff and then scan it back in – it’s such a pain in the arse to do too.
May 19, 2020
I tried to use one of those online scan PDF programs but guess you’d need to use an ipad or something to write on it…. I ended up copying and importing my signature and then downloading the PDF – as I figured it’d be a ecopy anyway….
May 20, 2020
I remember the clunk of the teller’s stamp as they added the money at school banking..back then (when i was teaching) the banks came to the school!
Did you know the Commonwealth Bank Money boxes were a model of the Sydney Bank? Also I don’t know how they did it (and yes there is still school banking) but they did a good deal getting into schools so there must have been some donations back to the systems or the schools.
I have a few mementoes I would preferred no-one see so way back, I think pre-cancer surgeries, I did a LOT of culling and shredding. I do like to look back to see how I have come on but no-one else can!! Printers? yes I use one most days. It’s the ink I hate spending money on. I print out invoices mostly from Paypal for my husband who is our finance person and I print photos – not many because of the expense. My husband adjusts the size of the on-line sydney morning herald so he can do the crosswords. Yep, printers are needed here.
Thank you for linking up for Life This Week. Next week the optional prompt is 21/51 Self-Care Stories. #3. 25.5.2020 But I will take the chance to add another chapter in Telling My Story. Hope to see you there too. Denyse.
May 20, 2020
I wonder if those money boxes are a collector’s item now Denyse!