AIBU to regret handing in cash found in a wallet?

If you hand into the police and it’s unclaimed they let you have it after a certain period of time. I acquired a gold ring that way when I was a kid. It was one of those coffee bean ones from Argos. I was very happy. I’ve also got wallets back that people have handed into the police. They encourage you to leave 10% of the cash contents as a reward.

You’ve always fantasised about finding a large sum of money? Not earning it, not winning it, not inheriting it but finding it. 🤦‍♀️ Oh boy OP, I think a little self-reflection is in order. It’s never a bad thing to know what one’s flaws are and try to improve on them.

Why don't you do some extra hours at work or get another part-time job instead of fantasising about easy money?

Most people are honest - like your husband - and want to do the right thing.

Years ago, I left my purse, containing a large sum of holiday money on a wall I had been sitting on.

I was was worried someone like you might have found it, but fortunately, an honest person had picked it up and handed it in to the shop nearby. Fortunately, the shopkeeper wasn't like you either and I got my purse, money and cards back.

Really? Who pays you the money?

I get that you were tempted and I get that now you’re thinking how the money could’ve been useful. But you did the right thing. I honestly think if you hadn’t, a line would’ve been crossed and you would lose a little bit of who you are and who you want to be. That might sound a little OTT but I think it’s these micro decisions we make that make us who we are.

Contact the station where you handed it in and ask about their Lost Property policy. What do they do with unclaimed items? It used to be the Police would keep things for 6 months and then the finder could claim it if the owner hadn't turned up - I know this because I once found a ten shilling note!

Hopefully karma will come good for you. Surely you couldn't have spent someone else's money with a clear conscience?

Yes, but OP said her DH "made me" hand it in and she was therefore regretting telling him. If she hadn’t told him or anyone else about her find, I therefore assume she would have kept it.

Many years ago I had a primary school headteacher who made a big impression on me. She told us that we shouldn’t be "round the corner" sort of people, that we should always behave well even if we knew no-one could see us or would ever know about it, because we ourselves would know. Thank you for instilling good principles, Mrs Eldridge!

Wise up. Seriously. You have no idea of how important that money might have been to the person who lost it, no matter how financially strapped you are. As someone who has had her purse stolen three times, I can tell you I genuinely could not afford to lose the money.

Only thing is husbands should be “making” you do anything, but your own conscience should have made you.

So if you’d found a handbag would you have counted any cash? What about a backpack? A suitcase? You really didn’t find a sum of money, you found someone’s possession.

If you’ve handed it in, it probably will make it back to its owner.

YABU

It wasn’t your money to take, and taking it would be theft.

You can’t just decide “I need it more “ and keep it - you don’t know what the owner’s needs are, over and above it just not being you’re to take.

Over the years I have found several wallets ,handbags, cash and phones(also dogs!). I usually look inside and see if there is a name address phone number. With a bit of detective work I have mostly been able to return said item directly. Once a tourist in our area who had moved on but the bag contained vital medication and they came to collect.
Cash I usually hand to the person I think it belongs to eg standing behind a man in pub and saw he dropped it. Once £200 dropped at an atm and only other person around a man with 3 young kids in tow.
I do believe that most ppl are good ppl, look at the result on this post!

If it has been handed in inside a wallet with cards etc inside there is a very high chance it will get back to the owner. Be the better person. Think about how you would feel if you lost £200 and someone pinched the money. £200 is a lot of money and you have no idea of how much this money means to the person who has lost it.

You did the right thing op! Your husband was right to make you do this. Many wouldn’t, but it doesn’t make it right.

i only found out this week that in Spain, if you return money, you get 5% if you return up to €2000 and 10% if more.

I know of two people who lost items on the train and both got them back. It is very upsetting to lose things and a good thing that most people are honest. Would you be happy if you lost your purse with two hundred pounds and the person who found it kept it. Of couse not.

I dropped £20 out of my pocket once and 2 older teen girls behind me must have picked it straight up (was in a shop) that £20 was my electric money and me and my 2 year old had no electric for 6 days. This was about 14 years ago.

How much I spent that week just wishing they had tapped me on the shoulder, or I'd noticed sooner. I still think about how hard that week was for me. I was even using silver coins to pay for a loaf of bread and a milky way that day.

And no I didn't know back then you could ring electric companies or anything.

You're not making yourself sound any better from your last 2 sentences

I think most people who lose things on the train would contact lost property though. How would you even know which police force to contact? Trains travel for hundreds of miles and you've no idea at which particular location your item would be found.

That could that person’s last £200! You did absolutely the right thing because money does get back to people. DH left a larger amount than that on the bus once and someone handed it in. He chased the bus down the street and caught up with it at the next stop. The person had given it to the driver..all £3k of it!!

He doesn’t normally carry £3k but he’d just sold something very expensive.

This is very timely
A few weeks ago my ds and I were in Costa .
DS found a wallet with over £400 in it and wanted to hand it in to the staff
I decided against this because I was concerned that the owner of the wallet would not get it back if a staff member decided to steal the money . So, I decided that we would remain in Costa until the person turned up. I trust myself , but I can’t trust others
An hour or so later an elderly man turned up looking for his wallet. He was relieved and extremely grateful that we had returned his wallet and said that he had actually prayed that an honest person would find his wallet .
I also believe in ‘karma ‘ or whatever one would like to call it . You get back what you put out

A useful heads up to anyone who sometimes loses property on trains. There’s an online platform called Missing X which many rail operators use to list all lost property collected on their services or handed in by the public every day. You can view the list and then contact to arrange collection from an office.

ETA: I’ve successfully been reunited with my wandering item this way on all three occasions, so it does work!

I wouldn't hand it in at a station; sadly I don't think some employees can be trusted. The police would be the safest bet. Didn't the wallet have anything identifying in it?