money flopsEvery year, Ben de Witt, 42, and his girlfriend take a trip to Paris. But that turned out to be a little more expensive than usual last time. His mother was supposed to take care of the cat, but Ben forgot to give him the key to the house. The result: a locksmith had to come in, and it ultimately cost him about 300 euros.
“Last year. My girlfriend and I go to Paris every spring. We both run a business, are always busy and have little time for each other. Paris is our thing. Visiting museums and shops, enjoying good food and drinks on terraces and restaurants… But this time we were less active.”
“Even before we left, 300 euros had already been deducted from our budget.”
“We’ve had Henrik, a seven-year-old male, since he was a kitten. He’s attached to people and can’t stay home alone. In previous years my niece always came to babysit. She thought it was cool to be away from her parents for a while We’d always bring her something. But now she’s graduated and lives abroad herself. I had already booked the hotel and tickets for the Thalys when she realized she couldn’t take care of Henrik anymore. We’d rather not just take someone. So I asked my mother.”
We were sleepy standing on the platform when I realized we had forgotten to leave our house keys behind.
“The day before we left it was a mad house, with a task to complete, bags to pack and the house we wanted to leave tidy. The next morning we went to the station to catch Thalys. Mama didn’t come to our house until that afternoon, because we had left.” We were asleep on the platform when I realized we had forgotten to leave our house keys at the bakery.”
“The bakery around the corner has known us for years. We agreed that my mother would collect the keys from him. But I forgot to hand her over there.”
“The moment I realized that, Thalys arrived. We tried frantically to think of who had the keys to our house, but we wouldn’t give them to anyone. My girlfriend almost started crying. I said, ‘Let’s just go, we’ll go in, I’ll think of something!'”
How did your mother finally get in?
“I called a locksmith. After a telephone consultation, it seemed to us that this was the only option. Henrik was inside, so waiting for us to return was not an option.”
It was a Saturday, so we paid the higher price.
“It was Saturday, so we paid first prize. Plus a new cylinder lock and set of keys. My mother paid 300 euros. She was nervous about all the arrangements. How stupid I felt.”
Was it still fun in Paris?
“This town is already a party when you get to the Gare du Nord. My mom was fine, Henrik was fine. We decided to let her go. We took it slower than usual. But a sandwich by the pool at Jardin Luxembourg tastes great, too.”
“Several people you trust should have a set of keys to your house—just in case. And my mother is an incredible destroyer.”
Everyone sometimes makes a mistake that has small or sometimes big financial consequences. In this series, people talk about their financial mistake. Did you also make a financial mistake and do you want to protect others from that with your story? Send an email to [email protected].
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