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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask if you have ever lost money?

100 replies

Tinkerbec · 30/08/2017 22:00

After a conversation on a flight yesterday I was just wondering if you have ever lost money that you wished tou had just blown or even thrown in the street.

Once when we were young and stupid we bought a cat D car without realising. Totally conned but lost about £4000.

Once I also got a Christmas present with £100 in. I didn't realise and threw it out with the Christmas rubbish as it was a white envelope against white wrapping.

My friend once lost 10k on Northern rock shares.

Another 2k on a holiday that wasn't all covered by insurance.

It is gutting when you think about it. I wish I had blown it on Champagne and takeaways.

Ahh these things happen I guess.

OP posts:
Modestandatinybitsexy · 31/08/2017 04:16

DM once decided to count the holiday money in an open topped jeep. On a motorway. Going through a tunnel. It rained Euros.

DM also sold a table and got paid in cash. Put the envelope on one of her many piles for filing and then filed the envelope in the bin! Didn't notice till bin day and tried to chase the rubbish truck down the street!

shinny · 31/08/2017 05:23

Lost over 15K on a tenant who didn't pay rent over several months. We finally got them out and then had to pay out about 30K to sort the house out.

Lots of impulse buys on clothes - thinking Im still a teen. Also odd shoes and clothes bought a few times when I have PMT - think silver Star Trek style shoes.....

Lost my travel card yesterday which had about 15quid on it. Annoying.

Not sure if its quite the same but won a holiday and didn't take it - kids were too small and I couldn't bear to leave them. Also won a day at a hotel beach but forgot to take it.

Once you start thinking about it the list goes on and on...

endofthelinefinally · 31/08/2017 05:46

Time40.
Fraud.
A vulnerable family member was persuaded to sign over the deeds.
I was abroad at the time and didn't find out until much later.
I know someone else to whom the same thing happened.
It is very long and expensive to fight this kind of thing in court.
Both times it was a "carer".
It was 30 or so years ago now.
I try not to dwell on it.
Since I lost my son I care a lot less about material things.
MIL's jewellery still makes me angry because FIL was blind and the person stole it out of his flat.

sandgrown · 31/08/2017 06:26

I lost £20 cash back that I left in the self scan checkout at the local Morrisons. I did it again (mind on other things) but the lovely assistant spotted the money, printed a copy of my receipt, and took it to customer services. I went to ask, without much hope, if it had been found and was delighted to have it returned when I produced my receipt.

Bubwiser · 31/08/2017 07:17

Oh my, I feel terrible for everyone!

I literally lost a USD100 note on holiday. My dad gave it to me for safekeeping, and I only had a very shallow pocket in my shorts. It must've fallen out.

My mum threw out a plastic bag of mixed currency without realising. Had several hundreds quid's worth in there.

I have also lost money though various late charges, hidden fees, etc. etc. which I don't even want to keep track of anymore.

sailorcherries · 31/08/2017 09:03

Between us OH and I wasted £800 last year on unused gym memberships.

A few years ago I went Christmas shopping and sat on a bench with all my bags to one side, lightweight buggy to the other. I didn't put the shopping on the handles as poor DS would topple over. I had turned to deal with DS, give him a drink etc and when I turned back all my shopping was gone. Every single fucking present.

DressedInBinBags · 31/08/2017 09:42

I left a purse full of Christmas shopping money on the bus when I was sixteen. Another time I left a purse on the bus the driver returned it minus the cash and I had already cancelled my card.

ToEarlyForDecorations · 31/08/2017 10:05

Issabellasaspirella do you think a postman could have stolen it, steamed it open in the evening, taken the money, resealed the card and put it back in the post the next day?

That is what I suspect happened. It's fairly obvious what a greeting card envelope looks like, and the address is usually hand written. Guess by feel that it's got cash in it ? Go home or to a mate's house or pass it to someone who can steam it open then reseal it but get it back in the postal system without to much delay.

How many likely looking envelopes per day ? Ten, fifty, one hundred ? Fairly lucrative when one thinks about it.

If that's what happened then the thieving postman/woman has got form, knows what they are about and can systematically process the theft almost professionally. Knowing it's untraceable is part of it. Trying not to wonder if it was a summer relief postal worker as that's an easy bird to shoot.

deste · 02/09/2017 09:31

Deste did you get any back on insurance? Its more the sentimental cost though.

Didn't get anything back because we were underinsured even though I told them I knew the money and watch weren't insured.

I will go to put something on and then realise I don't have it anymore. I now only have a few items because I don't want that to happen again.

NiceCuppaTeaAndASitDown · 02/09/2017 09:45

£900 'lent' to an ex in uni.
I was on student loans at the time, he was working, yet he still needed me to pay his rent for two months.

I consider it money well spent to be rid of him and for the lesson learned.

Last time we spoke was 2009 or 2010. He'd just been accused of rape and wanted me to be a witness. I was no where near him that evening so refused.
No idea what happened to him

underthebluemoon · 02/09/2017 10:08

Toearlyfordecorations - my friend's husband was a postie and he said they all knew which envelopes had cash in them.

Celestia26 · 02/09/2017 10:16

My husband withdrew £250 from the cashpoint then walked away without taking the money! Of course when he realised and went back it was gone 😲 😭

Peanutbuttercheese · 02/09/2017 10:17

I lost 40 quid running across campus to make my train , my room was 30 a week as I was a student so though it doesn't seem much it was a lot to me. Campus security laughed at me when I asked if it had been handed in.

We changed our minds after a bad survey on a house so that was a couple of thousand in solicitors fees. There were huge issues with drains and the roof.

I am not an impulse buyer at all.

Peanutbuttercheese · 02/09/2017 10:21

Let's add a positive, DH and I were in a city centre last year he withdrew fifty quid. We were talking and he left it in the cashpoint. A woman literally chased us up the road to give it back. He gave her a tenner from it and said have a drink on me. She was thrilled and said she was going to buy a top she had seen but couldn't afford.

SpringTown46 · 02/09/2017 10:30

I lost my purse with cards and £60 rent money on campus. Was a poor mature student with young children to support. Somebody actually handed it in untouched.

The80sweregreat · 02/09/2017 11:15

Quite a lot on our first home. never really recovered!
everyone else seems to have money sussed, apart from us !!

FineSally · 02/09/2017 11:38

I inherited some Halifax Bank shares from my dad which were worth about £10K in 2007. We went on a cruise, intending to sell some shares when we got back to pay for it. I can't remember precisely why I didn't do it immediately. But we then had the banking crash and Lloyds took them over & the govt had to bail them out etc etc... they might be worth about £500 now (I daren't check.... just hanging on in the hopes that they will recover a bit more before I need the money)

In terms of the most impact, in the mid 1970's I was a single mum struggling with 2 kids and a poorly paid job. One of the kids lost a shoe on a bus journey & I really, really couldn't afford to buy him a new pair. I only needed an extra £1.50 or so but it seemed like a fortune at the time. I couldn't scrounge any money from anyone towards them, so he had to wear pumps for weeks, in the winter. It was a choice of that, or not eating properly, or not having any heating or hot water.

mrsnec · 02/09/2017 11:56

Gave away more than half my inheritance when my ex stepmother sued me for it.

Paid evey other tenant's management fees off in order to sell my flat quickly. That wad 30 k wasted.

Sold my last house for 20 k less than I paid for it despite spending 50k on it.

Bought a car for 4k despite the same make, model and age being only 800 in the UK!

I'm good with money me.

purplecorkheart · 02/09/2017 12:00

Booked flights next month for my parents to go away. They now cannot make the trip (to be fair to them I booked it as a surprise so they did not know). Hoping to get the taxes and charges back though

The80sweregreat · 02/09/2017 12:12

It goes to show that life really can knock you back when it comes to money - causes so much heartache.

CopperHandle · 02/09/2017 12:14

My ex owes me almost £10k and I probably won't ever get it back. Round here that's a house deposit.

The80sweregreat · 02/09/2017 12:19

I'm not blowing my own trumpet, but if i saw someone walk away with money hanging out the cash machine, or a purse or bag that was abandoned i would try to return it or hand it in or even run after someone. Its the way i was brought up - just a shame that others are so evil to steal from people or not pay their way in life. I just couldnt do it.

Holidayhooray · 02/09/2017 12:25

Peanutbuttercheese

She took the tenner?! Shock

Jenala · 02/09/2017 12:26

Gave my mum money all the time from the moment I got my first job at 15. Over half my wages sometimes. Turned out the reason we were poor was because she had a secret heroin addiction.

Several years later I gave her over £1500 over 3 months and somehow genuinely believed she was just in financial trouble. Nope. Drugs again. My naivety/unwillingness to consider she was lying baffles me.

I also used a credit card to buy her something which I'm still paying off. Would never ever let either of my childre get into debt for me, or take their money. I've paid for breaks away for her because she "needs it for her mental health".

And I haven't even had the guts to raise it with her apart from after I gave the £1500 when I at least stopped giving money. I'm now still paying off debt I accumulated due to giving her so much money when I was younger.

Holidayhooray · 02/09/2017 12:27

The80sweregreat

I don't think many people would regard you as "blowing your own trumpet" for saying you would not stealing.