The emergency twenty
Keep a twenty handy so you don’t end up stuck running to an ATM machine!
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I’m driving back to set one day with a bunch of my crew in the car. We’ve just had lunch and we’re heading through Timmies to get tea and coffee for the afternoon shoot. My producer volunteers to pay but it turns out she only has a five-dollar bill in her wallet. (Yes, this was before Timmies took debit.) I was aghast.
“Didn’t your momma ever teach you to tuck a twenty somewhere safe?” I asked as I watch her rummaging through her coins.
My mother told me about the Emergency Twenty when I first started dating. “Stick a twenty in your bra,” she said. “That way, if your date gets fresh you can take a cab home.”
“No,” laughed my producer as I shoved a twenty into her purse. It turns out she seldom has any cash in her handbag which is chock-full of lip glosses, sunglasses, and myriad other essentials.
Ever found yourself at a check-out only to be told the credit card and debit card system is down? Sorry. Cash only. Or worse, at a gas station when you’re running on air? Having an Emergency Twenty stuck somewhere safe just in case is the only way to be sure you can make it home.
An Emergency Twenty can also save you from tapping an ATM that’s not your own because you’re desperate for some cash. And it can mean you don’t become the mooch who is always borrowing a few bucks ‘cos you’ve got no money to split the lunch bill or pay for coffee.
Hey, people, cash is an essential. Everyone should have an Emergency Twenty tucked somewhere safe; not in the part of your wallet that you normally go to for spending, but hidden away, just in case. If you drive, you can stick it somewhere in your car. If you don’t plan to carry a purse, stick it in your shoe.
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