$1 Million Dollars in Life Savings Thrown Away

$1 Million Dollars in life savings thrown away in the trash. How could anyone throw away $1 Million dollars? How and why?

An Israeli mother had $1 million dollars tucked in her mattress. It was the woman's life savings. The mattress was discarded when the daughter purchased her mother a new one. The family is searching for the mattress at different dumps in the area.

JLHanna, a 22 year old college student and I, a 48 year old out of work due to a severe back injury, had a discussion about whether or not the woman should have kept that kind of money in her mattress.

Introduction

Me - I think it is unconceivable to even begin to imagine what $1 millions would look like, never mind tucking it into my mattress. That must have been some comfortable mattress.

JLHanna - Very funny, but you know some people always hide valuable things in their mattress. It seems like a pretty good place to put something. The money she had stashed must have been emergency money or inheritance for the kids, something she didn't want everybody knowing about because then it would just get spent. She probabuly didn't think anybody was going to throw out her mattress on her anytime soon.

1. Do you think the woman should have kept $1 million dollars in her mattress?

Me - I do not think that anyone should keep that kind of money in their mattress. It should be put in the bank for precisely this reason.

JLHanna - I think, usually, its a pretty safe place to put it. Sometimes putting money in the bank doesn't really help you save it any. I had a thousand dollars in my dresser before moving for school because I didn't want it in the bank. It was always easier to see how much I had saved when it was in my drawer.

2. Do you think the mother should have told her family she had $1 million dollars in her mattress?

Me - I do believe that the mother should have told someone in her family that there was that kind of money in her mattress. She should not have kept this a secret to her family.

JLHanna - I beleive she should have told someone, maybe she couldn't trust the family though. Who would you tell then?

3. Do you think the woman should have put this money in a bank?

Me - Yes, absolutely. This money should definitely have been put in a bank. The woman would have earned interest on it to say the least. Also, how could the woman sleep at night knowing what she was sleeping on. How could she have felt safe in her own home?

JLHanna - She probably felt safer with it under her than anywhere else. If she never told anyone, why would she have to feel unsafe? Nobody would know so nobody would harm her or bother her in any way for the money.

4. Why do you think someone would keep that kind of money in their mattress?

Me - I think someone would keep that kind of money in their mattress if they have had a bad experience with a bank or maybe the woman owed tax money and didn't want to pay it. By not keeping the money in a bank, the government really would not know about it.

JLHanna - I beleive it was security money, you know if the world caves in on her and she's lost her job, or whatever she's got the money right there. Maybe she wasn't well off in her life but managed to save that much and just didn't want the bank/government asking questions. It also could have been that it was for her family and she was keeping it in safe keeping. I have no idea what she was doing with the money but some people just don't trust banks.

5. What have you learned from this story?

Me - I have learned that I will never keep money in my mattress. I know I will never see $1 million dollars in my lifetime but I will not make that mistake even if it was just $20. There are just so many things that can happen to the money if it is not properly cared for.

JLHanna - I learned if your going to put anything valuable in your mattress you better keep tabs on your family and make sure they are not trying to toss out your mattress. Not everything needs to go into the bank. Why have someone else take care of your life savings if you feel more comfortable with no-one knowing about it?

Conclusion

Me - I will never keep money, not even $20 in my mattress. I think this story may cause an interest in what people do have in their mattresses. It might cause a rash of children to open up their parents mattress just to see what is there. Maybe our mattresses are no longer sacred. Maybe we will have to hire security just to keep our mattress safe. With $1 million dollars tucked in her mattress, why didn't the mother tell the daughter the money was there. Why wouldn't anyone have know about it? The money should have been put in a bank or at least a vault and not in a mattress.

I don't know how many times I have heard people say jokingly, "oh, my life savings are in my mattress" or "I don't trust banks so I'm putting my money in my mattress".

Maybe this story will be a lesson to everyone who has this amount of money in their mattress to take it and put it in the bank. No-one should have this amount of money lying around. At least if the money is in the bank, the mother could have earned some interest on it. This story could also cause a rash of children, tearing their parents mattresses apart to see if they have tucked some money away.

JLHanna - I would and already have kept money in my home. I hate using the banks and will only use them when I absolutely have to. My monthly allowance still doesn't touch my bank account. Those plastic cards you carry around that contain your thousands of dollars aren't really much safer.