6 cents shy....

by

Patti Dickinson

Debit cards. Have to admit I am a dinosaur on this one. I still balance our checkbook! Not so with this generation of teenagers (and 2/3 of the adults I know!!!).

My daughter, Kathleen, newly transplanted to Chicago, after graduating from Knox College this June, has a real handle on this debit card thing. In fact, she now holds the dubious honor of being the Dickinson-kid who has let her balance drop to the lowest Dickinson-record without overdrawing the account. Ready for this? A NICKEL. That was her balance. She seriously thinks that that is "handling her finances".

She has an internship at The Vitalist Theatre, and is wearing out the sidewalks looking for paying work. As in a living wage, as opposed to a stipend. Thus far, she has been turned away by a flower shop, an ice cream store, a dog-walking service and Target. (And you know that I am muttering...."Four years of college tuition only to be shown the door because of some serious over-qualification!")

Yup, 6 cents shy of a $30 overdraft fee. Living on the edge.....