The Rest Of The Story

I received a ton of comments at work regarding my last post. So, I thought I'd give the rest of the story. In my post for Father's Day, I mentioned that my Father sent me a note wrapped around a twenty dollar bill after I had told him I was running low on cash. My friends at work thought it was funny and some admit using it as a perfect example of what parents should do to give a "hint" to their children. I really can't disagree with that. The next day I got up early and found a job. So, whatever my Father's intentions were...they worked. I've been working and saving money ever since. Some at work are curios to know what I did with the twenty dollars. I ordered pizza with it. I had opened the letter in front of my "roomies" expecting this big some of money-It was clear I was getting nothing. I was embarrassed and acted like it didn't matter to me, even though it did. Buying pizza for us was just a way for me to eat away the shame of quietly being told to "grow up!" When Richard and I were married I had 21 credit cards. They ranged from Victoria's Secret to The Emporium card I received when I was living in Oregon after my mission. I really hadn't racked up that much debt-I was just carrying around the opportunity to do so and conveniently forgetting about the credit card statement that was still being mailed every month to my Dad's house. Yes~ I intentionally allowed a credit card bill to be mailed to my Father knowing that he would pay the bill faithfully for me each month. I was spoiled-and unkind, really. Imagine my embarrassment when my Father turned the monthly statement over to me. I had a credit card with 12 thousands dollars worth of debt that my husband didn't even know about. Heck, even I wasn't aware of how much I had racked up over the YEARS I had been using it and quietly sending the bill to an address I hadn't lived at for who knows for how long. I admit I was foolish. My memory serves me well at times. Too well. I, the one who constantly cautions others about debt, purchased a used vehicle with a cash advance on that very card that was now my responsibility. A car I didn't even own anymore. How much did that purchase cost me? 21% interest each month---ON ONE PURCHASE! I could hear the clanging of the slot machines in my mind. That credit card company made a ton of money off of my stupidity. And my Father? He was never one to yell much. He certainly didn't believe that constantly repeating yourself to make a point really did much in the way of teaching. Instead, he'd sit quietly by just waiting for the opportunity to drop the bomb. It worked for me every time!