At the tender age of 16, I left school and started work at a Bank… something I knew nothing about.
Even as the lowest of the low… I thoroughly enjoyed myself… discovering the “mysteries of the banking system”.
In the course of my training, 2 things which were impressed upon me were…
1 x NEVER to write a cheque unless sufficient cleared funds are sitting in the account…
2 x Keep a careful note of my “running balance”…
Although I was only there a few years, the habit has definitely stuck in my brain… which is why I check my Account each morning, to make sure there is more of a balance than I need… just in case…
OH thinks I’m potty, but never mind
Incidentally, in those days other Banks might seek the Credit Rating of our Customers …
Generally, our reply went along the lines of…
“We are confident Mr xyz would not undertake any financial commitments he could not see his way clear to fulfil…”
and only once did I see a simple one-word reply: “Undoubted!”
I too keep a rigorous eye on my money and if a cheque is written, I deduct it straightaway from the balance and keep it aside until that cheque clears. Unless you have plenty of money/lots coming in each month, I find keeping a eagle eye every day stops me from spending on stuff I really don’t need and then I have a little for when it does become necessary. I was receiving a part of the RSA monthly due to “accident de vie” and when my pension started this year, I wrote to them via LRAR plus ammended my details online as you have to with any changes and asked them to stop paying me. Do you think they did? No, they have continued to pay me monthly despite knowing this and acknowledging the change so I have had to make sure that payment is also put aside as no doubt I must pay it all back when they eventually deem to stop paying me - its a ridiculous situation.
I thought I was a bit odd checking my account first thing every single morning, partly for cash flow monitoring, (perhaps a legacy of lifetime working in a firm of accountants?), partly to try and spot fraudulent withdrawals etc. I also use on line banking (app) to help me compare monthly spending against budget, annual spending vs budget, and produce a simple, annual income and expenses summary. All this as I live entirely off savings, and watch the balances slowly diminish…
Depends what you mean by ‘home area’. If you mean France, no charges within the eurozone but if you mean UK I always use my English credit card there so’s not to get complications with different monetary units.
But what I really meant was that paying in money to CA in another regional area could sometimes take many days to be credited to my account but with La Poste it goes straight in.
No within france ,I was caught out when I worked away for sixmonths I used my card for amost everything and ended with charges for over using outside my own region.
Many of us were in this position, before Pensions clicked-in after a number of years…
If your balances are only slowly diminishing… you are rather lucky…
This has never happened to me and I am one who, until a couple of years ago travelled extensively for over 20 years throughout France and was often away from home several days a week with multiple use of the debit card for fuel and food. Are you sure you are with La Banque Postale?
I’m quite reassured to read that, Stella… Whenever I’ve tried to explain to friends, family and former colleagues that I’m living entirely off savings for the 8 years between handing in my notice at work, and (eventually) receiving my pension, they look at me as if I’m totally mad…ie have I taken complete leave of my senses etc…(PS I’ve saved for years for this eventuality).
I was away for six months drawing cash 2 times a week paying fuel etc, yes I’m with la poste.Have you had your card cancelled because you’ve made three cock ups with the number in the same week?
La Poste aren’t the worst but they certainly aren’t the best.
All of us children were brought up with certain financial principals drilled into us. Don’t spend more than you have. Don’t waste your money. Don’t borrow money. Save as much as you can, you may need it some day.
I’ve stuck to those principals all my life, with the exception of borrowing money for a mortgage. I now am financially secure in my retirement, and although not rich by any means I have enough to not have to worry. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that I also keep a track of my money very closely.
A couple of times I have miscued twice, and then because I know the consequences, made no further attempt and paid cash or gone away and had a think to make sure I have the correct number. Then, when I am sure, I very carefully put the number in. Never lost the card.
I have only had CA and La Poste in the 30 years since we bought the house and I do know which is best and which is the pits out of those two. If I did have a problem I always have an English credit card as backup but these days it is only used to buy e-books from Amazon UK and is cleared in full each month before the statement arrives.
Just a slight bit off topic but might be of use to anyone travelling. My daughter applied and received a debit card from Wise (Transferwise as was) to use on her coming visit to Europe. It automatically adjusts to local currency via her phone and she can transfer funds 24/7 from her american accounts to top it up. Can’t remember what the cost is, if any at all but probably pays for transfers to be made between accounts. She did not want to order euro/sterling as is a pain to do over there so I can get her some here if she transfers money to me first but the card maybe of use to others going abroad.
