In Praise of the Stash

The other day I had a date with my daughter. We were going to ride our bikes down to the cafe to have some tea together, and as we got ready to go, I realized that I had no cash. Not only no cash, but no money in the checking account until the next day.

I searched through my pockets and wallet and bag, only coming up with change. I really don’t like to use a card, so now I’m wondering what to do…

And then I remember – the stash!

In the header of my truck is a console with a compartment, containing pen and pencils, insurance and registration papers, and a wad of one dollar bills. We’re covered. Let’s go to tea!

I love the stash.

• I have stashes for things like coffee, Emergen-C, cash, stamps and change. The stash has saved my butt many times; that one morning without the expected coffee just throws me off.
• When I put away the groceries, and I have a new bag of java, I stash the old one. If I have the end of the last bag up high in the cupboard, I’ve got no worries.
• When we still needed to go to the laundromat, I would put quarters in one, and the rest of my change in the other. I don’t like carrying change. After a while, the change jars add up. That’s one stash.
• If I end up with a bunch of single dollar bills or fives at the end of the day, I stash about twenty bucks worth behind some stuff in the cupboard. That’s another stash.
• The console of my truck, as above, is another.
• My daily work bag has a bunch of inside pockets. If I feel like I won’t miss it, I stick a 20 or a 50 dollar bill in one zippered pocket.
• I have a credit card that has nothing charged to it yet that goes with us when traveling, just in case. It goes back into its stash when we get home again.
• If I’m feeling especially rich, I pull out a fifty from the bank and fold it very thin and put it in the back of my wallet. One more stash.
• Chocolate is a great stash item. Just remember to replace it if you eat it.
• A toilet paper roll stash under the seat of the truck and one stashed somewhere in the house will definitely come in handy.
• Bandaids get stashed in my bag and the truck.

I like to be prepared.

Got a stash?