Dale and I went to Maz today to get some groceries for social events this week. I went to the bank to withdraw some money and the bank said it couldn’t help me and spit the card back out at me.
I then went to the Banamex ATM at the Ley and was able to withdraw only 1,000 pesos, which was strange, but I thought maybe the machine was out of bills.
When I got home and checked my bank account, I blanched. The first bank charged me for my 2,000 peso withdrawal but did not give it to me!
I unsuccessfully tried to call my bank with my phone and then had the bright idea to try Skype since I have good internet. That worked and it didn’t cost me anything! The lady at the other end of the line was very upbeat and said that she would start an investigation for me and that it was 99% certain this would be resolved in my favour, but it could take up to a month to resolve the issue.
2,000 was my spending money for January, so all I have for groceries and outings until this is fixed is about 1,100 pesos. I know that will go far, but it’s going to put a crimp on my activities with my guest next week. Moreover, I wound up taking out 3,000, not 2,000, pesos today, meaning that I am going to have to go into overdraft because of this for a payment this week. So that’s another $30 that’s getting added to my budget.
I feel so disheartened. I’m so frugal and good at sticking to my budget, but it seems that there’s always something like this that completely trips me up. 🙁
Keep checking your account, you may get a surprise. I had this happen once and the debit mysteriously dissapeared within hours of my reporting it. You may be one of the lucky ones.
CIBC is closing at 3PM Eastern for the holidays, so I’m not feeling that optimistic. 🙁 And I am never one of the lucky ones in this sort of situation. The only thing that I’m fortunate about is that CIBC is so good. Once the overdraft fee shows up on my account, I’ll call and ask to have it removed. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.
Do you have an emergency fund to draw on? The personal finance people are always telling us we should have one…even if it’s only a few hundred dollars. This certainly dampens the holiday spirit, but I wish you a Merry Christmas anyway, and a New Year that sends better luck your way.
Or you can buy one or two of her eBooks and get even more information. ‘)
🙂
My emergency fund was depleted with unexpected extra expenses in October and lack of work in November. I have an overdraft if something major comes up, but, of course, that’s only a last resort.
What bank did you go to first – thinking I may want to stay away from that one.
Bancomex. I didn’t have any trouble with them last time. 🙁 I’m definitely sticking to Banamex from now on!!!
I’m sorry to hear of your misfortune. I only read a few blogs but I have noticed that some of them have a donation feature for people who enjoy or benefit from reading the blog to donate to the blogger. I spent a few hours the other night reading your old blog and if you had a donation feature I would happily donate. I don’t know if this is something you want to do or not. Hopefully this is resolved for you sooner then later. Merry Christmas and try to remember you are richer then a lot of us as you are living the life you designed for yourself and not just living a life.
Leanne, first off, thank you for your kind thoughts. I know that I am very rich. I made certain decisions in life that mean that I prioritize experiences over material wealth and that there are consequences to that. Right now, I’m in a period where I’m trying to focus a little more on the income side of life, but I’m just constantly taking half a step back for every step I take!
I don’t like the ‘donate’ button idea as I feel that that is asking for something. However, I do welcome ‘sponsorship’ if you think that my blog has enriched your life in any way. My email (PayPal) address is under the contacts tab.
Leanne, see my reply above re: Rae’s eBooks. I put the reply in the wrong place but buying her eBooks helps her out as well as adds to the information you are gaining. Win-win!
One way I add to Rae’s financial health is everything I buy from Amazon is bought through the link in Rae’s page. look on the right hand side where it says “support this site…shop on amazon”