What's the point of this rambling you ask? Well, last month I finally resolved the problem with the VA and my school. My school said that they sent in the paperwork, the VA said they don't have my record on file. That was all cleared up last month, good. I've been missing my GI Bill money since June, been living on a tight budget of my savings. Then a few weeks ago, something crazy happened.
Have you ever put on a jacket that you haven't worn in years? Reached into the pocket and pull out a $20 bill? You automatically think, "Oh! Free money!" Even though it was yours all along, but somehow you've managed to live without it all this time so it basically is free money? I'm not going to get into the exact figures, but let's just say that for the last year the VA has been paying me the wrong amount every month. It was only last month that they caught the error and made the correction. OK, fine, it was like a $500 a month difference.
So, I go to check my bank account online, thinking that I'd have just a few bucks when, BLAM! Like a shotgun, I get hit with this large figure of money in my account. Some people might thank their lucky stars, cash it, close the account; but I'm different I guess and I thought "Ah, crap. Someone made a mistake." This happened on a Saturday morning, so I had to look at it all day and then Sunday too. Calling up the VA first thing Monday morning was my priority. Now I know I sound stupid, but I was sorta mad at them and demanded to know why I had so much money in my account. Well, after about 30 minutes I got an explanation that satisfied my curiosity. It was a $20 bill in my jacket pocket.
The moral of the story is, what am I going to do with this free money? Yes, I'm saving some, but there are a few things that I do need to get. I've lived without them for so long that it has been my justification for not getting them. So far I've gotten some new power tools (for my crazy building ideas) and a new laptop & printer. Went to the Apple Store, got this Macbook. Using it now, in case you were wondering.
I figured that you might ask yourself why I'm typing on a Mac all of a sudden and how I got the money to buy it. Yup, $20 bill in my jacket. Lots of bills in my jacket. Lots of jackets with lots of bills in the pockets.
And if there are any cool/stupid ideas you have that I can do with some of this money, let me know. So far I'm planning an Appalachian Trail hike with some friends. I'm getting a lot of camping supplies.
4 comments:
free money good. saving good. appalachian trail hike good. read bill bryson's book "a walk in the woods." bill bryson good.
yup. ordered the book on amazon. i actually used some of my money to buy books. *gasp* and they're not filled with pictures! yup, books with words. three were written by a physicist, two from george carlin, and three about hiking the appalachian trail.
i just wonder if there's a way to do really small portions of the trail, because most of my friends can't take a week off to do the "regular" section. the virginia section looks awesome, elevations that increase 2-3 thousand feet!
i'm so excited for you!! that you're reading my favorite book!! (ha, you thought i was all excited that you're doing the AT, huh.) but really, the book is so awesome - bill bryson is the most hysterically funny travel writer ever.
i think i read (from bill) that there are little legs that you can do, the more popular ones, w/o having to do the week(s)-long "regular". BRING LOTS OF EXTRA BATTERIES FOR YOUR CAM! YOU'RE TAKING TONS OF PICTURES, RIGHT?
no. i actually thought you got excited about the fact that i'm reading a book, but close enough.
don't worry, if and when i go, there'll be plenty of pictures. can't say how good they'll be or if i'll be in them but it'll be there.
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