Quick PSA in case you haven’t done this in a while – but you can check MissingMoney.com to see if your money (in an old bank account or a security deposit or whatever) has been sent to your state’s unclaimed funds department. This happens a LOT – if you’re due money but the sender can’t find you, they’ll turn it over to the authorities and you’ll have to get it that way.
The downside is that you often won’t know how much it is (you’ll get vague information like <$100 or >$100) and getting it will require a little extra work. But it’s your money!
Onto the gems for today:
It’s OK to Spend Your Savings [She Picks Up Pennies] – “Rather than allowing myself to wallow in scarcity, what if I decide savor the fact that I’m in a position where I can bail myself out? If learning that you can count on yourself isn’t a reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is. We spend so much time celebrating the act of savings, that we forget to acknowledge what that savings affords us.” (Thanks Stefanie O’Connell!)
Speaking of pennies…
Is It Time To Kill The Penny? [NPR] – “Banks and laundromats are scrambling. Arcades and gumball machine operators are bracing for the worst. Grocery stores are rounding their prices to even dollars or rejecting cash altogether. The specter of the coin shortage lurks everywhere.”
Probably not but it’s always fun to see this topic come up again.
And a gem before you go, did you know there is a school for auctioneers?
Of course there is!
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Master Auctioneer? [Texas Monthly] – “[Mike “McGavel”] Jones was a National Auctioneers Association Hall of Famer who started out dirt poor and decided to get rich, specializing in the sale of large ranches and the liquidation of industrial properties. We wanted to get rich too, he assumed, unless we were idiots. With that, he launched into the characteristics of the auctioneer chant we would be learning. Live bid-calling is like a series of contracts, and when an auctioneer says “Sold,” accepting the bid, the highest bidder is on the hook. Therefore, each part of the chant is crucial. “A chant is made of three components: a statement, a question, and a suggestion,” Jones began.” If you like deep dives into off the beaten path areas (I love that stuff!), this one is for you. For example, the chant you use (that melodic filler in between taking and announcing bids) will vary for the type of auction – a cattle auction vs. a real estate vs. antiques, etc. It gets even more detailed and juicy, especially when you get to the part about ringmen and the action.