A Tale Of Forty-Two Dollars.

April 5, 2013

A couple of weeks ago, I found some money tucked into the back pocket of some jeans I had just bought at a thrift store. Forty-two dollars, to be exact.

Not a huge amount of money, I realize, but still a good addition to my weekly budgeted amount of cash. I sat and stared at the money for a while, thinking about all the things I could do with my windfall.

I really didn’t think it was worth returning the money to the store because people who run a thrift store don’t usually have a way of knowing exactly where particular clothes come from, unlike a consignment store where each item is kept track of.

However, after I had pondered things a few minutes longer, I reluctantly reached the conclusion that the right thing to do was return the cash to the store. When I told the proprietor that I had found the forty-two dollars in some Chico’s jeans, she took the money–with nary a thanks–and said she would see what could be done about finding where it had come from.

I was a wee bit miffed that my good deed hadn’t rated even a small word of appreciation but I still left the store feeling good about having done the right thing.

End of story, right?

Nope.

That was Tuesday. On Friday, Steve’s parents came to town to attend our Easter drama. Vernie knew I was swamped with too much to do and asked how she could help so I asked her to run to the grocery store for me. I didn’t count my cash but just briefly glanced at it before writing a short grocery list for her that I figured my waning cash supply would cover.

When I walked back into the kitchen a few hours later, I saw the groceries on the counter along with the money I had sent along. When I asked Vernie about it she told me, “Oh I just decided to pay for the food myself.”

I thanked her, stuffed the money back in my wallet and went on with my day. It wasn’t until the following morning that an interesting thought came to me. “I wonder exactly how much money Vernie returned to me yesterday?” 

I ran downstairs to my wallet, found the money, and was rather astonished to find that the sum was forty-two dollars. Exactly. 

Not forty-one dollars. Not forty-three dollars. Forty-two dollars. (Can you say unexpected payback?)

To make the story even better, the next time I went into the thrift store, the owner immediately thanked me for returning the money. She added that she had been unable to track down the person the money belonged to, so she had put the money toward the rent on her building. 

After we talked a few minutes, I did a little shopping and took my items to the counter to pay. She cheerily informed me that all my items were free!

Does honesty pay? Yes it does–although not always in measurable ways. 

In this case, however, honesty paid exactly forty-two dollars!

What about you?  Have you ever had a lost (valuable or important) item returned?  Have you ever found something and returned it? And it’s fine if in telling your story you have to brag a little bit.  Let’s celebrate honesty today!  

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48 comments so far.

48 responses to “A Tale Of Forty-Two Dollars.”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Maybe 15 years ago at Christmas I opened a small gift from my hubby that contained a diamond tennis bracelet. The diamonds were so big it looked absolutely gawdy. (I knew it wasn’t real; he is a minister and we do not make the kind of money it would take to buy THAT!) He said, “I have a story to tell you….he went on to tell me about a lady at our church who came to him with the bracelet a week before Christmas. It seems she had lost this particular bracelet; it was the first piece of jewelry her husband had ever given her of significant value; she was heartsick and worried to death over it. She prayed to find it. She finally changed her prayer to “if you let me find it, I will do with it whatever you want”….she found it! (I don’t know where; she didn’t tell my hubby)…she had the link fixed and had it cleaned…she knew she was going to give it away but did not know who was going to get it..at church the week before Christmas the choir was singing; she said she looked up, saw the minister’s wife (me) singing and looking so “beautiful and joyful” that she knew I should have the bracelet..(her words)….I wore that bracelet everyday (7 carats of diamonds) for years. One night we were out with 2 other couples eating dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Afterwards, we went back to one of the couples house; I realized my bracelet was gone. I panicked. I never took it off! We looked around the kitchen, the car and my friend called Texas Roadhouse. The manager said, “Yes, we have the bracelet; a lady from NORTH CAROLINA found it in our parking lot”. (We live in INDIANA and my home state is NC)…we jumped in the car and went back to get it. I had it fixed but the jeweler told me that he could not guarantee that it would not happen again since the links between the diamonds seemed to be “stretched”…yes I used to slip it over my hand since it was too hard to put on by myself. I have since lost it twice more. The last time I wore it my friend found it under her kitchen table. So it sits in my jewelry box.. 🙁

    Sorry for the long story but I love telling it!
    Buff

    • Becky says:

      Buff,

      Don’t apologize for the long story; I’m just glad you took the time to share it.

      And of course, I especially enjoyed it being a pastor’s wife myself. What a cool thing to happen to you, to be given such a gift!

      And to have lost the bracelet more than once and had it returned to you each time? Amazing! I loved the fact that NC lady found it the first time. NC people are pretty great, aren’t they? 🙂

      Thanks again for taking the time to tell your story.

  2. Lisa from Georgia says:

    I’m so glad that you asked! When my husband and I did our taxes several years ago, we were dismayed to discover that we owed a sizable amount to the IRS. I despise giving the government my money…they are bad with money. After several days of hand-wringing about how we were going to pay that money, I ran across an unopened letter from our church. To our surprise, we had forgotten to include our tithes in our taxes. We ALWAYS tithe 10%. We often give other offering (which we never include) in our taxes. When we re-figured our taxes we BROKE EVEN! We did not owe one cent! God reminds us daily about our faithfulness in stewardship, but that year it could not have been clearer. In years since, we have gone without some things to put 10% in the offering plate. I know this wasn’t exactly the same, but it is still a picture of the faithfulness of God when we do the right thing.

    • Becky says:

      Lisa,

      I love your different take on this post and for sharing from a different perspective. How wonderful you happened to find that unopened church letter at just the right time which ended up making all the difference in your taxes.

      LOVE it!

  3. Linda says:

    Way back when I was in high school, I worked for a department store (Gimbels for those of you old enough to remember it). Anyway it was payday and on my lunch hour I went to the bank (no direct deposit back then). I deposited most of my check and got some cash back for myself. When the teller gave me my cash back, she gave me $50 too much. Back in the 1960’s $50 was a lot of money to a high school girl (at least this high school girl). After momentarily thinking about all the wonderful things I could do or buy with an extra $50 in my pocket, I told the teller, you gave me $50 too much. She said, not to pleasantly, “I did not.” I told her that yes, indeed she had given me $50 too much and even counted out the money for her. We “argued” back and forth for about 5 minutes…she kept insisting that she had given me the correct money back, and I kept insisting that she gave me $50 too much. Finally, I said to her, “Ok, fine. You gave me the correct amount of money back. But, when you reconcile your drawer tonight and you are $50 short, you need to make it up
    out of your own money, don’t call me. Instead remember that I tried to give you the money back, but you were certain that you gave me the correct amount.” With that, she gave me a strange look, and said rather disgustedly, “Ok, I’ll count it again.” When she recounted the money, she never said a word to me, just put the $50 back in her drawer, handed me my money and said, “Next!” I knew I had done the right thing!

    There was another thing that happened to me while working at Gimbels. One pay day, they me a duplicate paycheck, giving me two identical pay checks for the same work. I took the second check back to our HR department and told the HR manager (who I am still in touch with today) that they had paid me double, and I wanted to give one of the checks back. She thanked me for my honesty then told me that I probably could have cashed both checks, because it was quite possible they wouldn’t have discovered the error for a long time if ever. I told her that it would be nice to have that extra money, but it was a lot easier to give her an uncashed paper check back right then, than it would be to cash the check, spend the money and then have them discover the error and ask for the money back. After all, if I gave her the uncashed check, it was just a piece of paper!

    Linda in Pittsburgh

    • Becky says:

      Linda,

      It’s hard to believe that teller spent so long arguing with you about the $50. If I were her, I would have been grateful that you spoke up!! I guest she was just a little hardheaded!

      And for the record, I have never heard of Gimbels! Maybe it’s more of a northern store? (Because I can’t imagine it would be an issue of me not being old enough to remember it since I seen ti be fairly old these days!) 🙂

  4. Jodi says:

    For those of you that have talked about losing purses or wallets, etc., may I suggest something I started doing as a teen? I keep a file w/ a copy of the front/back of everything in my wallet; including all insurance cards too! On the inside of the file folder I list important #’s; like the bank! I obtained a copy of my signature card as well! The final thing I obtained was a state ID the last time I renewed my DL! I keep that ID in there too! In the event you lose your stuff you have all your info @ your fingertips and all your calls can be made quickly w/out worrying about what you might be missing! The ID helps you replace things and get a new DL! Also, make sure you keep a copy of a bill or two w/ an addy to help replace things (proof) as well! Take it w/ when you travel too, things happen! Hope this helps someone! I keep mine in my water/fire proof safe!

  5. Megan says:

    This made my heart smile.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Many yeas ago I worked at the mall. This was before all the cameras and computers so security was much different than today. It was Christmas Eve which is a really busy day in retail and after we closed I went to make the bank deposit at the drive through depository. I was stunned to find a bank bag in there and as a 19 year old poor college I thought about taking it and keeping it. I spent a few minutes mentally spending it but then I realized someone who did not push it in would probably loose their job and be accused of stealing the deposit they were entrusted to make. I pushed it in and felt great about it. I have had many times in my life where I have had good fortune and I really believe what goes around comes around.

    • Becky says:

      Anonymous,

      It’s amazing to me to think that that person who didn’t push the bag in will never know what might have happened if someone like you hadn’t come along who was committed to honesty. It makes me wonder how many times in our lives that someone did something for us that we weren’t aware of. That’s a good thought! Thanks for sharing your story.

  7. Rachel Richardson says:

    Becky, I have had 2 different experiences with people being honest involving me. Once in Macy’s I dropped a check I had written shopping at another store. The business gives you the check back for your records. An honest lady mailed it to me. I was so grateful. Then a few weeks ago, I left my ATM card in the machine at the bank. Another honest person took into the bank and I got it back.

    • Becky says:

      Rachel,

      I love reading these stories and these reminders that there really a whole lot of good folks out there. I can’t imagine how happy you were to get your ATM card back!

  8. ncbev says:

    Once I was leaving the vet after taking my sweet girl who was very sick. I don’t know why I put my purse on top of the car but I did. I NEVER to that. Well, I don’t any more! Of course I forgot it was there, pulled out of the vets lot and realized I didn’t have it. I went up to the light to turn around. Longest light I ever sat at! When I went back it was nowhere to be found. I headed home and started looking up phone numbers for credit cards, etc. I was sitting on the sofa talking to the bank when my doorbell rang. I opened the door and there stood an angel with my purse. She had seen it go flying and stopped to pick it up. She said she pulled over and waited for me to come back but didn’t see me – nor did I see her when I went back. That was a blessing for me and I just keep on counting them.

    • Becky says:

      ncbev,

      Wow. Not only did that lady pick up your purse, she went to the trouble of finding your address and personally returning the purse. Although I think that would be a really fun errand to run–getting to return something valuable that had been lost. I know she (and you) must have smiled the rest of the day.

  9. Christy S. says:

    My daughters and I were recently at Disney World. My youngest, age 6, brought along her new, pink Vtech camera to the Magic Kingdom one day to take pictures. She accidently left it in the bathroom before going on a ride. She realized it no more than 30 minutes later, and we made a beeline to the bathroom to retrieve it. It was already gone, and not turned in to the Lost and Found. Someone took my poor sweetie’s camera! She was so upset for the rest of the day, and still apologizes to me for losing it (I have told her it is okay many times over!)

    I cannot imagine why someone would take a child’s camera, knowing it wasn’t theirs and knowing that a child would be upset over losing it. My daughter couldn’t understand why someone would take something that wasn’t theirs! I wish the person that had found the camera would have been honest and turned it in to the Lost and Found. This act of kindness would have resulted in a very happy girl and an extremely grateful mom!

    • Becky says:

      Christy,

      I hate that happened to your daughter, especially since losing the camera was made even worse by losing the precious pictures she had already taken. I don’t know how people who live with themselves who don’t live honestly–think about how much joy it would have given them to return that camera to Lost and Found! Hugs to your daughter.

  10. Beth Kayser says:

    My husband and daughter went to Disneyland on a school trip. He carried a backpack that contained her wallet (and new license), his new Kindle, some medicines…you know….all the travel goods. They made it through the whole day and evening. Sitting on the tram back to the bus, they were exhausted but chatting about the fun they had that day. Finally back on the bus and getting settled, they realized NO BACKPACK! Oh the panic…my husband got off the bus and RAN back to the entrance (no tram in sight). Got to the front where Lost and Found is located, but it hadn’t been turned in. So he filled out a form and was told to call in the morning. Both were upset by the incident. I told them not to worry, they were safe and all contents are replaceable. Not to mention they lost something at the “happiest place on Earth.” Didn’t cheer them up much, but I told them God would handle it….and HE did!!! Backpack was found and put in their safe, because it contained money. Disneyland shipped it back and EVERYTHING was there….even the large sum of cash….$4!!!!!! Very thankful for honest people…..

    • Becky says:

      Beth,

      Kudos to Disneyland for their efficient, thoughtful service and kudos to whatever wonderful person found that backpack and returned it! Hooray!

  11. Gordon says:

    It’s not forty two, just two! There I was in the drive through of my local McDonalds (I did say grace there, by the way). I placed my order, which came to $2.12. I gave the young girl at the first window a 5, which should have made my change $2.88. As I pulled away, heading to the next window to get my food, I realized she had given me back $4.88! She must’ve hit the wrong key on the register and just handed over what the screen told her to. Good fortune our good opportunity? Reluctantly I decided for opportunity, since my dad always told me there ain’t no free lunch. At the second window, I handed the extra two dollars to the person there and explained what had happened. No free lunch, but what I did get was a look of shock and then the biggest smile and thank you I’ve seen in a long time.

    • Becky says:

      Gordon,

      It too me a minute to get your reference to “I did say grace there, by the way” but it finally hit me. (I’m a little slower these days.) Anyway, that made me smile.

      And the fact that you were honest about a two dollar overage? I can certainly see why that made the lady at the window smile. Good for you!!!

  12. Cindy in Walla Walla says:

    I’ve found several wallets and purses (no, I have no idea why this happens to me) and have returned all of them and received gratitude when there were face-to-face meetings. But once in college I found a purse in a parking lot — and mailed it to the owner. Imagine my surprise when I received a thank you card with an embroidered handkerchief inside. I still have it, over 30 years later. This was the only tangible thing I received (that I know of) but it makes me smile.

    • Becky says:

      Cindy,

      An embroidered handkerchief! How sweet is that? I think it’s cool that you still have it thirty years after the fact.

  13. Dale Tousley says:

    When we first moved to Kansas City, I was a little stressed and not thinking right and one day left my wallet in my shopping cart, returned home and realized what had happened…..having moved to Kansas from New Jersey (no offense to my home state, just sayin’) my first thought was well that’s it for my wallet, I am sure all the money and credit cards are gone so I went back to the store, not really hoping to get the wallet back, went to the customer service counter and said by any chance did anyone find a wallet and she said what is your name and I told her and she said yup it’s right here, money and credit cards intact!!!

    • Becky says:

      Dale,

      Hooray for an honest person who found your wallet and turned it in! I think we hear so many stories of dishonesty and people robbing and cheating that we forget stories like yours exist.

  14. Anna says:

    I have to brag on my parents. My mother told me they had gone to Goodwill to look for a new purse for her. Afterward, they went to Walmart to pick up her prescriptions. They saw a purse sitting in a shopping cart in the parking lot. They opened it and discovered a very large roll of money and credit cards. They also found a driver’s license. They live in a small town and decided to drive the purse back to its owner. She; however, was not home so they left a note with their phone number. The lady called and came to collect her belongings. She was in tears, thanking my parents. She had just cashed out a very large CD and the money was in the purse. She offered my parents a reward, but they declined. After the lady left, my dad in his dry sense of humor said, “Thel, you liked the lady’s purse, why didn’t you ask to keep it?”
    It really bothered me that my parents appeared to be so strapped for cash that they were going to Goodwill to get my mom a new purse. I quickly ran out, purchased one for my mom and mailed it to her as a surprise. She called after receiving it to thank me. Turns out the joke was on me…she really just told my dad that she wanted to look for a purse because he is not a patient shopper and was rushing her out of the store! The purse I picked out was too large for her so now I own a lovely new purse. 🙂

    • Becky says:

      Anna,

      Love that story–the returning of the large amount of cash and the whole Purse Scenario. It’s so inspiring to hear that you love your mom so much you wanted to get her a purse and then a wonderful twist on the story that you got to keep the purse yourself. 🙂 Beautiful.

  15. Mrs. Pam says:

    Hooray for doing the right thing.

    I can’t think of anything I lost or found…. but two shoppers at two St. Louis Goodwill Stores found BIG money… I’m thinking each one found $5,000. sorry I can’t remember the endings to the stories…if they found the rightful owners or not (Maybe Mary H. remembers.)

    not quite the same, but…..I have a friend who bought a ring at an estate sale for a few bucks, and it turned out to be valuable diamonds.

    • Becky says:

      Mrs. Pam,

      Well, all I can say is that I need to come shop at the Goodwills in St. Louis! 🙂 And I have heard of people buying stuff at yard sales and thrift stores and finding out later they were hugely valuable. Pays to keep our eyes open!

  16. Anonymous says:

    You continue to be a witness… Thank you! I love how God takes care of us! I firmly believe that he blesses abundantly those who bless others. That is why we have blessings…to share His love!

  17. Phyllis says:

    Several years ago, I got a check in the mail that was not for me. A woman had sent a check to a man who had lost his wife, they had two young daughters as I recall. Somehow, I tracked down the woman who had sent the check, can’t remember how at this point and either called her or sent it back to her. Imagine my surprise when several days later, I got a card in the mail from the woman along with a Starbucks giftcard!

    • Becky says:

      Phyllis,

      A Starbucks gift card is a good payback! And good for you for going to all the trouble of tracking down this woman and returning her check. I know she will never forget your honesty and thoughtfulness.

  18. Angela says:

    I’m proud of you, Becky!

  19. Anonymous says:

    I lost $100 bill in the produce section of the grocery one day! I realized it at check out, and someone had turned it in. I was so happy!

    • Becky says:

      Anonymous,

      A hundred dollar bill? Wow–that’s a lot of money. I imagine you were astonished when you found that someone had turned it in. Good for them and good for YOU!

  20. Robin says:

    What an awesome post….inspiring for sure.

    • Becky says:

      Robin,

      Yes, I was pretty inspired when I first saw how much money was in my wallet after the grocery trip. I was smiling all day. (And when I told Vernie about it, she LOVED it!)

  21. LeeAnne says:

    A few years ago, we went to a wedding out of town and stayed at a Holiday Inn. After we had checked out and were on the road back home, I discovered that I had misplaced a very special ring that my mom had given me. In a panic, I called the hotel. The person who answered the phone went on a search for it and found it. The housekeeper had found it while cleaning the room and had it in the housekeeping office. He held it at the front desk until my sister-in-law could go retrieve it. It’s not worth a lot of money, but to me it is the most valuable ring and I am so glad that they went above and beyond to help me get it back!!

    • Becky says:

      LeeAnne,

      I love to hear about people going the extra mile to be sure the right thing is done. So happy to know our special ring was returned!

  22. TiffanyH says:

    There was a day just a few weeks ago, that I ran downstairs to the foodcourt to get a drink… I had a 20, so should have ahd 18 and some change back. When I got upstairs, and was putting my money away, I had 23.00… the cashier had given me an extra 5, I guess it was stuck to the next one. I had a coworker who said, it is just 5.00, keep it. I took the money back downstairs and handed it to the girl and explained what happened. She just looked at me like I was crazy, and said she could not believe that I brought it back. I told her that I always try to do the right thing, and be a good example for others around me. The girl thanked me and said that she would remember that. Although there was no monetary reward, I had the best feeling the rest of the day…maybe that girl will think twice about things before she does them, maybe not, but I at least was a good example for her!!

    • Becky says:

      Tiffany,

      That is exactly right; your action will have a ripple effect that will go on and on. The girl who waited on you will use your example as a guideline when she gets into a similar situation and who knows where that ripple effect will end? It was “only” five dollars but it was a great lesson and example.

  23. Jodi says:

    About fifteen years ago I was in Nordstroms to pick up a
    winter coat my aunt had bought me as a gift! As I went to the pick-up counter there was money on the floor! I picked it up & was shocked to learn it was $400, four, one-hundred dollar bills! I looked around and hadn’t seen anyone, waited a while for help and then waited somemore while they went to find my item! I was there for almost an hour & not so much as a call or frazzled customer returning! So while I waited I thought of ten things I could do w/ an extra $400 & for about five minutes it was in my wallet; but it felt wrong (if a cashier gives me too much change I give it back)! Then I worried if I gave it to the two gals behind the counter they would split it and laugh at me all the way to Happy Hour! So, what’s an honest gal to do? I put it back in my wallet & decided that I would (& did) donate the money to the ACS (my Papa had just passed from Cancer)! I don’t know if it was the right thing to do but I really felt like the two behind the counter would’ve kept it @ least this way it went to a good cause! I didn’t claim it on my taxes, either! But now, after recalling the incident, I’m not feeling so honest after all!! :0(

    • Becky says:

      Jodi,

      I think you hit upon a creative and non-selfish solution. You didn’t keep it for yourself and you invested it in helping other people who greatly need the help. Most people would have pocketed that money and gone off on a shopping spree–good for YOU!

  24. Kristi says:

    Yes! Back in late 1992 or 1993, when I was living in my first apartment, I found someone’s wallet at the bus stop. I took the wallet with me to work. I found the owner’s name and phone number in the wallet and called her. I told her who I was and that I had found her wallet at the bus stop. She said she had been calling around to cancel things since she had lost her wallet. I took the wallet to her as soon as I got home from work that day. The woman gave me $50 for returning the wallet to her. So yes, honesty does pay!

    • Becky says:

      Kristi,

      I love to think of the look on people’s faces when they get a phone call like the one you made to that lady. And I’m sure it was a very fun call for you to make! 🙂 (The $50 was an extra nice bonus, too!)

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