Logged into my savings account this morning and saw a number I didn't expect

I've been putting $50 from every paycheck into a separate account for car repairs. I just looked at it today and the total is $1,200. I started this about two years ago and honestly forgot about it most of the time. It feels like free money I found, but I know I put it there. Now I'm not dreading the next time my car makes a funny noise. Has anyone else been surprised by a fund they forgot they were building?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_thomas1mo ago

Read an article once about people finding old savings bonds or forgotten bank accounts. It called it "dormant account joy" or something like that. My version was a coffee can in the garage where I'd toss spare change. Found it last spring when we moved, had over $80 in it. Felt like a total win, bought a really nice steak dinner. That surprise cash is the best feeling.

haydenbutler1mo ago

Nice find with that coffee can, @mark_thomas. I always check old coat pockets and junk drawers before a move now. Last time I found a twenty in a winter jacket, which basically paid for the pizza on moving day. That forgotten money really does make the whole process feel less awful.

riley_west1mo ago

Remember that old trick of hiding cash from yourself? I used to tape an envelope with a hundred bucks behind a dresser drawer. Found it years later when the drawer broke. That weird delayed surprise is better than finding money in the street, because past you was looking out for current you. It's like a time capsule that pays for pizza.