I'm always excited when I buy something at the thrift store and I get a bonus relic from the past along with it. The other day I bought something and was given a used plastic bag to put it in. When I got home, I noticed the bag was from a grocery store that no longer exists and inside there was a receipt from 1990. My first thought was...who the hell keeps plastic grocery bags tucked away for 21 years!? Then, when I looked at the receipt it all became clear...a little old man did (or maybe he was a 7 foot tall old man, but how often do you see a really tall old man?)
First of all, no woman would buy that stuff. Okay, maybe the juice and Crisco but pork hocks and smoked cod? That has little old man written all over it. You know what else? He paid with a $100 bill. How many times have you seen an old lady whip out a $100 bill? Never. Old men though, they seem to have wads of them in their wallets. The best part is, he gave 2 cents with it so he could get a nickel back instead of 3 pennies. Now that is some organized money management, my friends! Speaking of money and managing it...
I also recently found this old pay packet in a vintage purse that I bought. Now, I'm not THAT old but I do remember getting paid this way when I was in high school. There were no bank cards and there was no such thing as direct banking or any of that shit back then. You'd just get your little envelope with all the details written on it and it would be filled with money, right down to the small change. This wasn't that long ago really, maybe 1989 and into the early to mid 90s. Now look at the shit show the world is in with electronic $$$ flowing out from every orifice.
The little ad on the back of this envelope creeps me out. It's disturbing because it feels like it was just the beginning of the big push for everyone to go up to their eyeballs in debt. It seemed so innocent then, "use credit (if you're lucky enough to get it) to buy a record player or maybe for some hobby equipment." Now it's more like, "why not get a second line of credit so you can afford organic milk instead of regular? Or perhaps you'd prefer granite counter tops instead of socially unacceptable laminate?"
I'm really trying to be a cash only sort of gal these days. I want to be the old man with the $100 bill at the grocery store (even though no one will cash it because they'll assume it's counterfeit). I'm sick of credit, I'm sick of debt and I'm especially tired of being upsold on every purchase I make. I'm going granny, people! Who knew the blue hairs could be such trendsetters?
