Due to my upcoming move, I’m going thru ALL my paperwork to see if I can move with on…without the past.

I came across this shoe box full of financial paperwork (receipts, statements, paystubs, etc.) from 1994 to 1998 or so. I kept all my paperwork together becuz it’s important to go thru your credit card statements to ensure that you don’t get an erroneous charge…altho the credit card company will only accept any claims within an X number of days – usually 30 days from statement date…not 10 years.

Hey at least all my statements were together!

As I was passing them thru the paper shredder (I’m super paranoid about throwing out paper with any personal info on it), I noticed that the Doubleday Book Club charged me for a book which they later wrote and explained that it’s no longer available! O well, $ 10 over a period of 10 years works out to be $ 1 / year I’ve lost. Hopefully I didn’t lose much over the last 10 years for not keeping in tact with my financial records.

It may sound strange but going thru my financial paperwork brought back emotions. I remember the times when I was soo poor that I was thankful to be able to charge for gasoline to fill up my hand-me-down vehicle from a cousin (longer story) cuz I just didn’t have that $20 to pay at the time. (Yes, a full tank of gas used to be about $ 20 for my old beater back then!!)

I remember I was hungry at college but didn’t have money to buy lunch…tho I’m not sure why I didn’t bring a pack lunch from home cuz I was living at home for my very first month of college.

I remember digging up a handful of change for the bus and getting a dirty look (& a few comments) from the bus drivers who knew that that handful of pennies and nickels didn’t add up to the actual bus fare. I can still feel the shame.

It was hard times…perhaps this is why I am somewhat petty now.

This box carried the burden of my poorness and my embarrassment for 10 years. Now it’s all empty, all the receipts and statements are shredded and disposed.

I should lay this box to rest.

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