The True Value of a Dollar | Eastern North Carolina Now

    I just got through reading an email from my 75-year-old brother. He was complaining about his cell phone bill. Here is the extract:

    Since my wife and son upgraded to I-Phones and I-Pads my monthly AT&T Mobility bill is now $ 300 when it used to be $ 100. They financed each phone ($ 800+ each) for 30 months at no interest so the $ 300 monthly bill includes their phones which is $ 29 monthly for each phone so that should drop off $ 58 after 30 months. They got free I-Pads and unlimited I-Phone, I-Pad, text, etc. usage. They said it was a good deal especially for her Apple I-6 and his Samsung Galaxy S-5 with the free I-Pads; but every month when I pay the invoice, I am beginning to wonder if it was a good deal not.

    It reminded me of my dearly departed mom and dad. My mom always paid the bills. I can remember her sitting at the ironing board with several envelopes laid out. When dad was paid, he would cash the check and bring it home. It was a regular ritual for her. I do not remember how often my dad was paid but I suspect it was once a month for a City of Atlanta fireman. She would count out the money for various bills and put them in labeled envelopes. Our house in Atlanta was 10 miles from Little Five Points. Well, if you measure it on Google Maps they would say it was less than 1/2 mile but their maps are notoriously incorrect.

    After she got everything organized, we would walk to L5P to pay the bills. Bell south, Georgia Power, Atlanta Gas light and C&S bank all had offices located in L5P. There were two grocery stores. After paying the bills, we would walk to one of the grocery stores. I do not remember the name of the stores but if you ever saw "Driving Miss Daisy", the Piggly Wiggly was one of the stores in the movie. It was filmed close to my old neighborhood and the store where Hoke took Miss Daisy was in L5P. By the way, the house Miss Daisy lived in was on Lullwater Raod near that fine institution of higher learning and liberal bastion EMORY UNIVERSITY.

    Many years later when my parents had reached their eighties, I paid their bills and gave them an update on the status. My trusting mother never looked at another bill or bank statement but would sometime ask, "Tony do we have enough money to get this or that"? My dad was not so trusting. He would get the mail, open all the bills, and stack them in the bill box for me to review. I don't think he ever looked at them. However, when it came to the bank statement, He would open the envelope and look at the balance. He never looked at the details. He would remember the balance from the month before and if that month's balance was lower, he would say, "Honey we need to cut back on the spending, we are getting low".

    Neither one of them knew that I paid the bills from an account that my brother and I had set up separately from their account. We paid the electric, phone, and cable bill from that account which we each funded. Dad never had a car note and had his house paid off before he was 45.

    He asked me one time, "how much was that phone bill". I think I told him "about $25 bucks". "Those damn robbers ought to be shot. Hell, we never use the phone."

    I bought them one of the first cell phones, which was one of those old Motorola phones in a bag. It had a separate headset. I showed them how to use it and programed my number in the speed dial. They were supposed to take it with them when they went camping in the trailer dad built. He put it in the camper and it never left. I know he never made a call on it.

    In addition to the checking account, he and mom had a savings account. Dad looked at that more closely. Once in the mid 1990's when my brother and I were at the house, he called us to the garage and told us privately. If you boys ever get in any financial trouble just let me know. I have $10,000 in the savings account for a rainy day.

    My mom passed away at 86 in 1999 and dad never looked at another bank statement or bill. He would just stack the mail in the box. When I came over to check on him he would point to the box and say, "take care of that."

    Now my brother and I both have monthly cell phone bills around $300 each but neither one of us are as rich as my mom and dad were with that $10,000 in the bank.

    As any good Irishman would do, dad always had a few bucks stuck back in his wallet. He called it his "hooky hole" money. They are both gone now. Mom for 16 years, and dad for 10, but I would give a bunch more just to have them say, "take care of that" again.


    Mother's Day just passed and Father's day is coming up. If you are fortunate enough to still have them why don't you "Just take care of that". They earned it.
Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




Vietnam War: The Jungle Small History, In the Past, Body & Soul, It's All Good, It's Personal, Home and Garden Teachers who made a difference


HbAD0

Latest Home and Garden

The United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday it approved the sale of “lab-grown” meat for commercial sale.
Coffee liqueur is a most delicious drink - especially if you love the smell and taste of good coffee.
Many small rural churches raise money by printing and selling cookbooks. My cousins published Cousins Cookbook for such a purpose and sold 2000 copies.
My mom and dad always had a garden. Growing up in Little Five Points of Atlanta, extra property was at a premium but we had a half lot next to our house that we planted every spring and summer.
If you have to spend time in the doghouse, you might at least make it a more bearable experience.

HbAD1

Salmon is best appreciated when sauteed in a buttery sauce of common herbs and served on a clean plate. If prepared properly everything else is secondary.
Eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein, with the healthiest part being the yolk. Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in the yolk.
Those who know me know that I am inclined towards spicy food. When at the sub shop, I order the spiciest deli meats and plenty of jalapenos.

HbAD2

 
Back to Top