Caller: “How come my monthly payments have gone up?!”

Me: “The interest rate hasn’t gone up for over a year, sir. What payment are you referring to?”

Caller: “When I first got my card, I was paying $50 a month, and now I’m paying almost $300!”

Me: “My records show that your card is currently close to its credit limit, sir. That’s why the interest payment is higher, but the percentage rate hasn’t changed since you signed up for the card.”

Caller: “Hmm, okay, fine.”

Me: “Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”

Caller: “Yeah, what’s an interest rate?”

It’s a bright, sunny day, and I have turned our dishwasher on to wash the previous day’s dishes before making myself some breakfast and sitting down to peruse social media.  

About half an hour later, I hear my husband come out of our room. He often sleeps late on the weekend, so I don’t open the blinds in our room until after he gets up. A few minutes later, he storms into the room.

Husband: “Why do you have the dishwasher on? You know I changed our power supplier and we now get cheaper electricity between midnight and 5:00 am. You have to run the dishwasher then.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head before giving him a side-eye as I slowly turn toward him.  

Husband: “Well, what have you got to say? I’m the one paying the bills here; you’re just wasting money.”

Yeah, we both work, and our finances are combined; he just does the physical payment. 

I don’t say anything as I nudge my head toward the window. Noticing the nudge, he looks outside and comes to a realization.

Husband: “Oh… It’s daytime… We’re not paying anything for electricity.”

We have solar power and don’t pay for electricity from when the sun hits the panels to about midnight when the battery runs out. Until [Husband] started charging an electric vehicle overnight, our power bills were always in credit.

I work on a cruise ship. Our pay is put onto prepaid debit cards specifically designed for seafaring crews. Right after the global health crisis, I tried ordering a laptop from eBay using my work card, but the card was declined. I tried making the same order on the computer company’s website, but I got the same result.

When I contacted the company that runs the card, they claimed that sites like eBay, [Computer Company], etc., are “shady” and “fraudulent” sites. They also claimed that for [Major Lingerie/Underwear Brand], so my colleague couldn’t order anything from them, either.

If there was any other way for me to get my pay, I’d drop them in a heartbeat.

Our elementary campus had, for the most part, a majority of middle- to upper-middle-class homeowners, with some children from lower socioeconomic groups. (Schools are zoned this way on purpose.)

I had a student whose father identified as White Rapper with his failing musician business (mom’s educational job, ironically, paid the bills). They were homeowners in the subdivision but limped along. Their child was absent for a week before a long break. Her parents had emailed me asking for extra materials for [Child] to bring up her grade in one subject. I sent home a packet of materials, etc. 

[Child] returned to school wearing a Disney jacket and boldly displaying her Disney swag art materials on her desk. Other students told me that she had bragged about going to Disney before she left. 

Guess who ended up in truancy court? And then tried to throw me under the bus saying I knew they were going and so had condoned the absences? I won because I am meticulous about documentation. 

I know some people feel strongly about “making memories”, etc., and saving money. Just don’t expect me to make up a week of in-person instruction or get your child to finish all of their graded assignments on time when they return. Some children can handle it, but very few. 

Another family also chose to take a week at a resort, but the child made up the work easily and without their parents throwing me under the bus. Apparently, they and [Child] said to each other, “Hey, saw you in truancy court.” 

The family paid in truancy fines whatever they saved on the trip.

Customer: “Hi. I’d like £100.”

Me: “You’d like to make a withdrawal from your account?”

Customer: “No. Your poster outside said you’re giving people £100.”

Me: “Oh! That’s a credit we give to existing customers if they get a friend to sign up with a current account and credit their account with £1,000.”

Customer: “Oh.”

Me: “Did that answer your question?”

Customer: “I still want my £100.”

Me: “Like I said, sir, if you’re an existing customer and you get a friend to sign up, then—”

Customer: “I don’t care about all that. I don’t have an account with you guys. I just want my £100.”

Me: “I can’t do that, sir.”

Customer: “Ugh! Your poster is very misleading. £100 for £1000? That’s robbery!”

Me: “Sir, you’re coming into a bank and demanding that we hand over money. That sounds more like robbery to me!”

He sneered and stormed out.