$4.46, and one 1/4 inch nut driver

That's my latest "haul" from the laundry, the largest single win since I instituted the "finders-keepers" system fifteen years ago.

When I was alone with my teenage Daughter, I saw no reason why I should ruin my clothes because she couldn't be bothered to empty her pockets before putting her stuff in to be washed. She'd left a five-dollar bill in the pocket of one pair of jeans, and I waved it in front of her, snapped it into my purse, and never had to go through a pocket again. From then on, my "hauls" were limited to the very occasional kleenex.

That is, till Hubby arrived on the scene.

Try as I might, I could not convince Hubby of the necessity of emptying his pockets before putting his clothes in the wash.

Now, Hubby keeps quite a variety of things in his pockets. Screws. Bolts. Nuts. (That don't match the bolts.)

Elastic bands, string, washers, medication, pieces of paper with incomprehensible diagrams on them, electrical tape, scotch tape, masking tape, straws, packs of gum, tiny circuit boards, short pencils, erasers, dental floss, socks, car parts, wire, crazy glue, flashlights the size of quarters, fuses, orphaned keys, crumpled business cards, connectors...

He doesn't keep his wallet in his pants though - he says it makes his pants so heavy they fall down...

!?

I did buy him some suspenders around eight years ago. He said he didn't like the feeling of things on his shoulders, weighing him down. So the suspenders hang in the closet, and he treats the world to cameos of his butt as the day goes on.

But in the past ten years, he's never left money in his pockets. Not since the day I found, and pocketed, in front of his goggling eyes, a twenty dollar bill.

Let me tell you, THAT incident was noisy! And painful - for BOTH of us! But until today, quite effective.

Search how I might, in ten years his pockets have been bare once he's put them in to be washed. But he slipped. Today, as I began to load the washer, not one, but TWO pairs of pants still had their belts in them.

Now, leaving me something to do in the laundry, BESIDES the laundry, is a dangerous thing to do around here. The anger-meter goes immediately off the scale as I wrench the belts from their loops. But one pair felt just a little too heavy, I put my hand in, and lo! Riches beyond my wildest dreams were mine for the taking! Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!

Well, $4.46 was now mine, anyway. Anyone want a 1/4 inch nut driver?