Bookkeeping And Balancing Accounts-- Not So Much...

     I have a bad habit of not opening my mail right away. As a matter of fact I quite often leave it in the mailbox in the lobby-- it's like if I don't bring it up to my apartment I haven't really taken ownership of it yet. Some of my mail (Bank of Nova Scotia stuff, Visa)  goes to my place in Port Moody because when I originally bought it, it had to look like I lived there (I rent it to my folks) to qualify for the first time home buyer deal-io.  

      Anyway, today procrastination had finally caught up with me as my GST report is due/overdue and I began my quarterly mail-open marathon (there's a lot of paint store invoices as well). I usually file GST right at the wire but I just haven't felt motivated to do it lately. Some of the window mail I opened were slightly overdue so I went down to the bank (HSBC) to pay them and after I did headed to the Bank of NS to check my Visa balance. I hardly ever use the credit card (I did a bit this Christmas, however due to some online shopping) but there are a couple of monthly payments that are pre-authorized, primarily to keep the card active.

     Bracing myself I handed the teller my Visa and requested the balance-- she asked me to swipe my bank card as well to access my account information. I was cheerfully informed that I had a credit of $1006 and something cents. I had made a $1600 payment recently, forgetting about the $1200 payment I had made last month. Jackpot! An extra grand to spend! I'm the exact opposite of my Dad, by the way, who has made it his life mission to balance his chequing account to the penny every month--I get a balance at the ATM. I'll probably just leave it on the credit card for future payments but that was a pleasant surprise for a Monday...