Writer's Block: Finders keepers?

[badseed1980]

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I'd turn it in but leave instructions that if it's not claimed, they should give it to charity. (At a diner or pub. The library can keep the cash. They're strapped as it is.)

With $5, I'd probably just say out loud, "Hey, did anyone just drop $5?" and if no one answered, I'd keep it. At least, that's what I've done at the subway station or on a sidewalk.

Oddly enough, on Tuesday when I went grocery shopping, I dropped the $5 bill in my change. I noticed outside the store when I went to put the change in my wallet. When I went back in, the cashier beckoned me over and told me an employee was outside looking for me to give it to me and would be back there if he didn't see me. The guy came in and gave me the $5. Nice. They were paying attention.

Comments

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

Wow. I love to hear about folks out there doing the decent thing. It's contagious :-)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I just can't help but think, "How would I feel if I were the one who lost it?" That much money? I'd freak! And I'm not even that hard up for money right now.

[disownedheidi.livejournal.com]

I'd leave my name and number at the library and say I had found a large chunk of money, and if someone comes in looking for it to call me. If no one did after a couple weeks, I'd keep it or donate it or something.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

pretty much that. i think the "finder keepers law" says something basically like that, make the report, watch out for scammers, and after 30? days, it's yours. give or take. don't forget to file taxes ;)

i seem to remember a few Xmaseses ago, that one of a number of "little old ladies" had cash issues. seems at least one person had multiple *thousands* in cash in her purse/bag, and somehow when her bag spilled in the parking lot, and the money was going everywhere, people were grabbing fistfulls and RUNNING with it. nice. some few people were reported as returning it. iirc, one of them involved someone returning ALL of it (another old lady). there was a third old lady that had her purse snatched in a parking lot, same deal, $$$$, cash. old skool types that don't trust banks?

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[dolphindream.livejournal.com]

On Monday, I gave someone back a $20 bill I was mostly sure he had dropped on the greyhound bus. Guy ahead and diagonal of me had sat down and I thought I saw him drop something, I thought it was a wrapper. A little while later I noticed it was a folded up $20 bill. I actually hesitated a moment before asking him, just because I wasn't sure it was his, but he said he had been looking for it in his bag. He was very grateful that I had noticed it.

A couple years ago, I found a $50 bill on the ground at Lesley. I reported it to the security office with my contact info, but as no one ever tried to claim it and contact me I kept it and used it towards the photocopying costs for a presentation for one of my classes (I had a ton of handouts, and really didn't have the money to cover it.) It was an odd week because I had actually done this superstitious thing my mom talks about, which is saving keeping a penny from your change on Monday in your wallet. I'm not very superstitious, but I was really in a bad financial situation. So I took it as a sign that I could use the money towards what I needed it for, which wasn't even for me but for my classmates.