Money Laundering

[Cathar Tours]

Literally.

Just got in to discover I have washed six 50 Euro notes. Even worse my machine is a washer drier.

Must have had them in my jeans and forgot about them and they worked themselves out into the wash. Amazingly they are intact and just required a quick iron, that's the notes not the jeans.

Last time I laundered money in the UK it came out as pulp so it seems the Euro is far more resilient than the pound.

[Kong]

The new plastic £5 notes in the UK must be washable, but sadly they ain't worth much now...

[woolybanana]

CT, how the heck did you ever get 6 X 50 euro notes? More than I have seen in ten years!

[andyh4]

Germany wooly.

Although things changed a lot between me arriving in the 1990s and now, Germany is still a very cash oriented society.

At least today you can use your debit card in supermarkets, restaurants etc. When I arrived a debit card was used for paying hotel bills, buying plane or train tickets and little else, except getting cash out of an ATM to do all of the other things that your hard earned would allow.

In the 80s in the UK if I had £10 cash in my wallet I was rich and could do whatever I wanted in the UK. A couple of years later and in Germany if I had less than 500Dm (near as damn it 250€) I would get very twitchy and be seeking out an ATM.

Even in the late noughties paying with a 100€ or even 200€ note was not uncommon - although some outlets would baulk at the 200€ note. And when I opened my French bank account, I drew cash out of the German one. They happily gave me 500€ notes. I have never seen another one since and the councillor at the French bank admitted that he had not seen a 500€ note.

[Chancer]

I never ever spend coins and very rarely notes either, maybe €40 every 3 months, everything I buy now is by card, I dont buy bread so no change needed for the boulangerie, dont drink in cafés or bars, do my shopping by card, its only if I have forgotten one single item I would consider taking cash but there is always something else I need to buy to restock the hôtel.

 

But irony of ironys until this week when I got my Payleven card terminal (thanks to Quillan and Cathar Tours) most of my guests paid cash and I was having to take it to the bank several times per month.

[Cathar Tours]

Boy's night out mate. I was a bit surprised I had that much left to be honest. Rule 24. never do your washing when you have a hangover and check the pockets first.

[Judith]

Check pockets and clothes themselves before you wash, regardless of whether you have a hangover or not!  Amazing what gets washed by mistake, with me it is leaving badges on clothes - which somehow stay on and come out alright!!!

[Cathar Tours]

It's the transition from being a student to having a job and fending for yourself I guess. Mum always did my washing and dad was my bank. She used to hand over a little bag with all sorts of things in saying "I found this in your pockets when I was doing your washing".