The Happy Recessionist is not happy this morning, I'm afraid. The Grinch---in the form of a thief thousands of miles away---has stolen her Christmas.
Sunday was supposed to be our festive day to be spent making decorations and decking our halls. After six days in front of the computer, I was looking forward to a little creative time with paper, scissors, thread, ribbon, Elmer's---a good old-fashioned arts & crafts sesh.
The husband realized we could use an extra string of twinkle lights, so I decided to pop out for a quick walk, some fresh air, and a trip to the local bazar. Along the way, I realized I should probably stop at the ATM for some extra cash.
As I waited for the transaction to finish, I looked up the graying sky and decided I'd better bring the laundry in when I got home. But there was no familiar sound of the bills being counted---"Operation Denied." "Huh? But I just was paid Friday," I thought. Then I told myself perhaps you entered the PIN incorrectly, and so made a second attempt, paying much closer attention to every button I pressed. "Operation Denied."
I check my wallet and found I had enough money to buy the lights, so I darted in and out of the five and dime and then went straight home to call the bank. Despite my husband's reassurances that it was probably just a computer glitch, my gut told me something more serious was wrong.
But of course, the bank has limited customer service hours on Sundays, so I had to wait three hours before I could speak to a human. Three long hours during which I fretted, brushed the dog to keep busy, fretted some more, went to the store room to look for more decorations, fretted again, argued with the husband (who was tiring of my fretting), calmed myself with a cup of tea, and then finally called the bank, a minute after the CS department opened.
There was not good news on the other line. Sharon told me the account had been blocked because of suspicious activity, and then asked if I had made seven purchases at a Kroger's in Houston the day before.
I've never been to Houston. I live thousands of miles from Texas, on another continent, on the other side of a rather large ocean. I most certainly had not been shopping at Kroger's in Houston the day before. That would have been the Grinch who wiped out our bank account.
Sharon immediately closed the account. I will most likely not receive a new bank card until after Christmas. I then had to speak to the fraud department, to verify with them that I would be filing a claim. Sharon then directed me to a web site with forms to fill out and fax. I burst into tears because my emotional reserves were already running on fumes. More than a year of having your husband unemployed can do that to a person. Sharon, bless her, started to cry, too. Goodness knows the struggles she's faced the past year. Before we hung up, she said she'd call tomorrow to check in on me.
After having a fairly sizable meltdown, I managed to conjure up a bit of sense and fight and went online to find the phone number of the Houston police department. I spoke to some very nice people there and was given the phone number of a sergeant in the forgery department to speak with today. At the very least, we can try to find the Grinch.
So I know it's not the end of the world, that we'll probably get all the money back eventually, that we're lucky to have a lot of love and support from others in the world, that there's plenty of food in the pantry, that there's enough money in the emergency piggy bank to pay the electric bill due tomorrow, that we'll be ok.
As I was relating the tale to my mother last evening, we talked about all the people who are having tough times this holiday. Yesterday our neighbor told me she's looking after her granddaughters while her son has had to take a job a hundred miles away. So many people relying on food banks and assistance and charities....
Which brings me to my request: to help me get this Grinch off my back, for all those people who have already emptied their emergency funds and are having a really hard time buying their kids winter coats and food for their Christmas dinners---please consider giving whatever you can to a local charity that is helping people in your community this holiday season. It would mean the world to me if a little good could come out of my family's thus far not-so-jolly Christmas.
I promise we will eventually get to decorating our house, once all the forms have been completed, signed, and submitted. But in the meantime, let's all stick it to the Grinch, ok?
