Eating dinner at Panera bread, the woman behind me just reached her hand in my purse and helped herself to my wallet. Of course, I didn't know it at the time--but she was caught on tape. The next morning, my credit card company called to alert me to suspicious activity on my card--which they'd already cancelled. Thank GOODNESS I never use my card for everyday-type purchases--it wouldn't have been suspicious at all, then. The thieves (she had an accomplice that was keeping everyone's attention focused across the room) were never caught. Nor was anything in my wallet returned to me. And darn--that was one of the old Tote's wallets--it was 20 years old if it ws a day, and still looked brand new. Loved that wallet, and they don't make them any more--they don't make anything that lasts like that, do they?

We deal mostly in cash. I hadn't purchased anything for a while (meaning my spending money had built up a bit), I had some 'petty cash' $$$ for my aunt's needs, and unbeknownst to me, DH had put a wad of cash in my check book for a deposit. All in all, I lost over $1300. But the money's nothing--there's always more of that. The thing that was the most upsetting, of course, was the fact that the crooks had my license, credit card, checkbook, medical, dental and prescription cards, as well as more than enough info to steal my identity had they decided to. The hassle of cancelling/replacing everything, having to put the fraud alerts on all the credit reporting bureaus, and then waiting and wondering if you're going to have to deal with someone stealing your identity.

These days? I carry 2 wallets. One larger, very handy to get to, with only 5's and 1's in it. The other wallet has my real cash, my license and my medical cards, NOTHING else (I won't even carry grocery store cards), and is slipped away so it's a lot harder to access by anyone with slipshod morals. More than ever, we're convinced that cash is the way to go--just not worth risking letting your personal info land in the wrong hands.

I don't recall ever losing any money.

Sue

When my oldest child was a just a few months old, we were as poor as a couple could be - both college students. I only had $10 to my name, went to the store to buy a gallon of milk and didn't have it when I got to the checkout. Long story short, some good soul bought the milk for me - what a blessing THAT WAS! Other than that $10, I don't remember ever losing any money - probably have, just don't remember it.

I also don't recall every losing any money. My mom got her purse or wallet stolen twice and always told me to be extra careful.
Here in Iowa, I see women leaving their purses wide open and in their shopping carts while they have their backs turned. If they were in CA, those wallets would disappear.

OK Donna Loomis, you didn't hijack my thread but I did give you the idea for your thread. Because of this how about posting your found money story on mine? For the life of me I can't remember losing any money. I'm sure I must have at some point but I think a person is more likely to remember the 'good' as opposed to the 'bad'.

Lunched at TGFriday with friends.
Service staff was so unattentative, and obviously fueding in the kitchen.

We each left the waiter a penny on the edge of each of our plates.

Before I left, I went to the restroom.

Realized when I got home, that I had dropped $75 on the restroom floor, as it was loose in my purse and I had reached in my purse for something.

I called to report the loss, and, of course, was told that none had been turned in.

When I was 12, my mom gave me a $20 bill to walk to the drug store and pick up something (don't remember what) for her. I stuck it in my back pocket. She saw what I had done and warned me that this was not a good idea, as it could work it's way up and out of my pocket. Of course, I paid no attention to her warning and upon arriving at the checkout I found that it was no longer in my pocket. That was a looooong walk home.

I was at a restaurant with girlfriends & we all left our purses on the booth seat with our coats over them. We stepped away for no more than a couple of minutes and when we returned to the table, my purse was the only one gone. Of course I told the manager and he had everyone in the place looking for my purse. The next morning he called me & said that one of his employees had found it early when she went to work. It was beside the dumpster at the back door. My $80 in cash was gone, but my wallet, cards, checkbook and house keys were all there. I was sooooooo lucky!!

I had my last 5.00 taken from my wallet in my own house one time by a neighbor,and i know that to be a fact even though she denied it.Yes i did call her on it.

It was summer of 1965 i remember that because dh was in Viet nam,and i lived in an apt in town.Earlier that evening the ice cream truck came by and i got 2 double popsicles that i divided between my 4 kids,and all that was left in my wallet was 5.00.After the kids went to bed i turned my iron back on to finish up what i had started.
A knock came on the door,and it was a neighbor from a couple doors down.She came in,said her kids were already asleep,and her dh hadn't shipped out yet,so she came up "to keep me company"yeah right.I kept ironing while i chatted with her and in my mind i was wishing she would go home as i had to go to the bathroom,and was leary of having someone i didn't know that well alone in the room.

Finally i couldn't hold it any longer so excused myself and went in the bathroom.As soon as i sat down i remembered my wallet was on the ironing board.So once i finished,and went back to the living room i glanced over at the ironing board and noticed it wasn't quite like i remembered it.Then all of a sudden,she gets up and says i better get home.I walked her out and when i went back in i grabbed my wallet and checked it,sure enough the money was gone.I looked all over,even checked the chair she had been setting in,thinking she saw me look at the ironing board when i came out.Searched everywhere,no money!1 I was livid to put it mildly.

The next morning i sent my oldest son down to her apt and asked her to come up.She did and i asked her if she had seen my money the night before,she denied it,and i told her what i thought had happened,and she denied that too.So i just told her i thought it would be a good idea if she didn't come to my house anymore,and i meant it.

I know as well as i know my own name that she took it,i don't care how many times she denied it.

Wow didn't mean to write a book.LOL,LOL
Kathi

I have probably lost a million dollars and don't even know it. I say this because a couple of weeks ago as soon as I got home from work I took off my pants (they are getting tight-I eat to much-there I said it) in the basement and put on a pair of shorts that I hadn't worn maybe twice all summer and in the back pocket was $15 dollars. WOOHOO!! So I guess to answer your question $15, but I found it back.

Are you talking about cash in my wallet or the money I lost in my retirement stock portfolio?

Funny haw we all have found money but few of us have lost money. I don't always know how much money I have in my bag. If I lost a small amount, I would not know it. For instance if I pulled something out of my bag and $5 went fluttering unseen to the ground, I probably wouldn't miss it. Sometimes I think that I don't have as much cash as I thought, so who knows, maybe I lost some or maybe I spent it!

I'm sure I've dropped plenty of change. All my credit cards were stolen from my wallet at work. They did not take the cash, which was smart because I would have missed that right away. I didn't miss the cards until the cc company called to confirm a suspicious purchase, and by that time the crooks had bought a new computer.

I've never lost any, but one day we went w/ my Dd and her 3 children to a restaurant in Waxahachie, TX. Unbeknownst to us, they added a tip to the tab, and my DH paid that, then my DD said "I'll leave the tip" and she is a VERY generous tipper. So, we basically lost the tip on the tab. It always pays to check for that when you have a large group. I think they added about 20% tip, and my DD probably tipped 25%, so the waitress had a real good day.

We were buying materials for a house we were remodeling and I had put $1200 cash in the glove compartment. That day our truck was stolen...and totaled out, and the money was stolen too.

One time in Florida, while on vacation, I looked in the glove compartment and found $700 that I had forgotten I had put there. This back in the day when my husband made a lot of money and we had never missed it.

Just recently I lost a 1 1/2 carat diamond (family heirloom) from a ring, worth well over $18,000. I was diligent about having it checked yearly. It was insured, but the fact that it was a family heirloom is what makes me sick, as it was entrusted to me. I hope whoever found it treasures it as much as I did.

Fifty cents. Might not sound like much but to a seven year old it was devastating. It was my allowance, and I was bouncing between two five and dime stores trying to spend wisely and left it behind at one. I was devastated.

Aw, Lily that's so sad! I remember those days when a quarter would actually buy something. But 50 cents? I'd remember it, too!

I lost a $20 bill on a cruise ship. Shoot, it was my gambling "allowance" so no casino for me on that trip. A few months later at home I pulled a jacket out of the closet--guess you know the rest--the $20 in the pocket was a nice surprise.

Many years ago, early in our marriage, my DH and saved diligently to go on vacation with our daughter. All we could afford was camping.
When we got to the campsite, we went to the office and paid for out tent site and and went to set up.
From there we went to the grocery store.
When we went to pay, he was missing $300. It was almost all the money we had. We looked everywhere...went back to office, tore the car apart, the tent, everything. We never found it.
We ended up charging the whole vacation because we didn't want to ruin it.
We could barely get by week to week. It took a long time to recover from that.

I rarely carry more than a dollar bill with me, just credit cards. So I've never lost any cash, never had my purse stolen.

I don't ever remember losing any money.

We own our own business. Dh sent me to the bank with a 1700. Deposit. It didn't get credited to the account. I lost the receipt. Even took my car to the dealer to have the console removed convinced the receipt had slipped between into the crevice. No receipt. No proof.

We were out 1700. Dollars. Never made that mistake again.

Losing the diamond reminded me of what happened to me. I lost the large diamond out of my engagement ring. I was sick about it. My husband picked out the rings when we got married and it was much more expensive than we could afford...although fairly modest by how much people spend on them today. I knew I'd probably never replace it because I can think of so many things I need worse than a diamond. About two months later, one of my junk friends came by and asked me if I wanted to go to town to check out some thrift shops. I looked in my wallet...a clutch type wallet that I carry every where I go, and in where the bills go...was my diamond. It had fallen out in there and stayed put all that time. Boy, was I happy. I had my rings restored and the diamond put back.

A few years later, my husband hired someone to help me around the place while he was away, working. Turned out to be a crack head, and during that time, I broke my wrist and had to take my rings off. I put them in my china cabinet in a candy dish. I had to spend the night at my friend's house because she was out of town. I was thinking...I need to get those rings and bring them here and put them in her safe. Went home and all the doors were open in my house. All the drawers pulled open. The candy jar with my rings, which also had about $5 in change and a couple of ones was empty...rings gone.

So sick...you can't imagine. I went to every pawn shop around. I put out word to crackheads to tell their dealers I'd buy the rings back, no questions asked. No results.

A year and a half later, I was looking at the china cabinet and saw a covered dish in there. I always put stuff in dishes like that, so decided to look and see what was in there. When I picked up the dish, I saw a baggie behind it. It was the baggie I had my rings in...and the rings were in it. When he came in my house to steal...he couldn't find the light switch. He had opened the fridge for light...left it open too...including the freezer and ruined everything in there. He didn't realize the rings were in the baggie and he just stuffed it in a corner of the cabinet. I had been so upset, I hadn't looked in there for about 18 mo. So once again....I have my rings.