Savings and Loan

When I was in 9^th grade we all had to take a personal finance class. It was taught by this ANCIENT woman and she was MEAN. We had to learn how to write a check and how to write a deposit slip for a savings account and a checking account and how to balance our checkbook. This awesome bit of instruction happened in 1972/1973 (oh yes it did). There was no such thing as direct deposit then; no ATM machines, if you needed cash you either had to withdraw money from your savings account with a withdrawal slip or you had to write a check for "cash"; no auto-bill pay; honest, none of these things existed back then. You had to engage in the full banking experience back then. Walk in, get your paperwork in order, wait in line, all that happy hoohaa.

Today I realized I no longer know how to bank.

Since 9^th grade I've certainly forgotten far more things than I'll ever remember but I never thought those pearls of wisdom from 9^th grade would beat it out of my brain and yet…gone. They are, mostly, GONE!

I still bank at the same building I've banked at for 30+ years. I say building not bank because the bank itself has changed hands and names a few times but I still go there. The main building is Mad Men kinda retro and doesn't look like anything has changed since probably 1963; it's also a tad depressing on the rare occasion when I am forced to wander inside. I used to know all the tellers and the bank manager (she was promoted to VP just before being let go several years ago under a management change, now she does wildlife rescue) now I have NO CLUE who those people are…and there's so FEW of them. On a Friday every teller window used to be manned and a line snaked around the lobby, now it's rare to see anyone ever in there, there's only one teller on duty most days and the person who mans the desk and deals with the "BIG BANK ISSUES" travels to several branches and is only there 1 or 2 days a week.

I had to deposit a fairly large check (a settlement from my mom's estate). My first issue was to actually FIND my checkbook so I could get a pre-printed deposit slip from the back of the checks. No easy task but with minimal cursing I found it and tore out a deposit slip. I stared blankly at said deposit slip for a full minute or more. What the hell was I supposed to write on this thing? I did my best to fill in the blanks then looked at the check to be deposited and realized I wasn't exactly sure what went on the back of the check. I started by congratulating myself for knowing that SOMETHING had to go on the back. I signed my name, then wrote "For Deposit Only" because I kinda remember that had some meaning to someone…and I wrote my account number there just for grins and giggles.

A quick trip to the drive-up window and I was DONE. I proudly drove away congratulating myself for not doing anything embarrassing relative to that transaction and then I realized I was actually relieved to be done with that STRESSFUL event in my life.

I can say that I do NOT miss that banking experience, I love my direct deposit and stopping at an ATM for cash, I love auto-bill pay and all those other things that mean not going to a bank. Oh so happy for progress.