AIBU to regret handing in cash found in a wallet?

[Finderskeeepers]

Found a wallet with £200 cash in it on a train. DH made me hand the wallet and cash in at the train station. I’m so annoyed - yes it was the right thing to do but we’re struggling financially and there’s no way that cash is making its way back to the owner. I shouldn’t have told him and should have just kept it.

You have your integrity. That’s worth more than becoming a thief. Don’t regret that.

It's tough when money is tight, but you know that would be stealing. Why don't you spend a bit of time thinking about how you could make £200? Got some stuff to sell on vinted? Could you put a message on a local Facebook group to see if anyone wants some help with a job or project around their house? That way you can make the money and not morally compromise yourself. I know this is easily said and much harder to do when life is so stressful and time is often really short x

Well done handing it in, karma would have got you somehow if you’d kept it!

What makes you think the cash won't get back to its owner?

That would be theft. Anyway, you don't know that the wallet wouldn't be returned to its owner. I'm sorry about the financial struggle. Maybe people can help suggest how to help with that?

How do you know it's not making its way back to the owner? At least your husband is decent and honest.

Don’t judge everyone by your own piss poor standards. There’s far more people in the world with the moral standards of your husband, than there are common thieves. The money will most likely get back to its owner.

You can't assume it wouldn't be handed back. What evidence do you have? You did the right thing. I once lost my purse and it was handed in. I can't tell you how grateful & relieved I was

When my child left something on the train I contacted the lost property office... Unfortunately no success in my case. But I'm just saying that this person might do the same

I had a similar experience once, went straight to the police station with it and although it was tempting, I didn’t touch the money.

I was only 19 and pretty broke too. The owner sent me some money as a thank you.

Please look at it another way, it may go back to them and that could have been their last £200. How would you feel taking someone’s much needed money?

Are you kidding me @Finderskeeepers ?!

Of course you can't just keep someone's wallet and money!

Lots of people are struggling, we can't just keep peoples stuff that we find. How do you know that £200 wasn't someone's rent money, or council tax money, or child allowance that they had got off their child's father?!

Your husband did the right thing and you should hang your head in shame for even thinking of keeping it!

What goes around comes around. It’s never worth stealing

If you had kept it... where would you draw the line in theft? If you think up an excuse why you are more deserving than others of things. Would you next be in the grocery store thinking "Oh Asda already make a profit, I'll just not scan this and slip it in my bag".

Would you not feel guilty having spent the £200?

It probably will get back to the owner. It’d be logged when you handed it in what was inside. They’ll ask in lost property if lost their wallet won’t they. You did the right thing. I once stole £15 from someone and it haunts me to this day. It was so unnecessary and stupid and I see it when I’m in an unwell fever state or can’t get to sleep at night. £15 or £200 not worth the guilt.

Your dh is right. My dh found a wallet in a car park with a lot more than £200 and advised a shop that it was found and where to collect it. Small town. The woman called being very relieved that it had been found by someone honest.

She insisted that dh take £20 and he tried very hard to refuse. She was from a very wealthy family.

Holy crap. So you would rather be a thief?

I like that you counted the money 😂not just noticed there was some cash.

100% this.

Yes, this. Not money, but twice I've lost high-value items (a camera and and iPod) in public places, and nice people handed them into lost property so I got them back. I agree with the point about behaving with integrity; you and your husband are decent people.

You did the right thing op, I think you’d have felt dreadful and guilty if you’d have kept it.

I too find it bizarre that you rummaged through their wallet and then counted THEIR money. I've found wallets before and looked for ID to try to contact them- counting their money would be the last thing I'd think of doing!

So you are assuming that the train staff are as corrupt as you wanted to be?

@FinderskeeepersIn the past yes I would’ve been all like “I’ve been raised right and it needs to go back to the owner” hoiking bosom etc but it happened to me that I was literally scraping together coins and I found £30 cash and handed it in to the office of leisure area where I found it- I thought that they would give it back to me if it didn’t go back to the owner but how could it go back to the owner because you can’t trace notes unless you’ve got the serial number? 🤔 and then I enquired after it and they said not claimed-of course- they’re just given it to charity well you know I’m a charity when I’m so poor myself! so the next times after that that I found cash, I just kept it. (also what’s to say that was even true about charity? the lady who handled it could’ve kept it anyway?) I don’t think people really understand “struggling financially” unless you are 🤷🏽‍♀️

Anything handed in will be logged and stored for a certain amount of time and afterwards dealt with in line with the company procedure. It will not be taken by staff members, it would be classed as theft to do so.

A few years ago I found a $50 note (Australian) on the footpath when I was walking to the train station after work. I picked it up and looked around but there was no one in sight at all, so I had no idea who it might belong to. I asked a couple of friends what they thought, should I hand it in at a police station
etc. They all told me not to bother and I was mad if I did. I didn’t end up handing it in, but I also didn’t want to just spend it all on myself so I put half in the Salvation Army bucket when I next passed it and I bought a lotto ticket (I didn’t win).

Yes I noticed that! It’s a wallet OP - someone’s possession. Doesn’t matter if it had 10p or £1000 in it. You instinctively hand it in without even opening it! What is your cut off incidentally? If I was your DH I’d be feeling really uneasy about you right now.