godricgal

Banks are soul-crushing, money guzzling, self-invested, mean, hateful and single-minded institutions.

I have had no reason to visit my bank in over two years. During that time I have kept my finances in excellent order and taken pride in that. Today I went to them for a little help and they shoved it back in my face.

I check my balance on a regular basis and today I was shocked to discover that I was fast encroaching on my my meager overdraft limit of £100, which I keep just as a buffer. I immediately trotted off to the bank to arrange for a temporary overdraft to see me through the next week. I asked for just an extra hundred and it was denied.

Last month was the first time in 3 years that I have gone over drawn and in recognition of that the bank wrote to tell me that they had refunded the £20 fee and told me to go and see an adviser to arrange an extended overdraft should I need to. I didn't even consider that they wouldn't give it to me.

I don't understand why I couldn't get just £100 pounds for a week. It's not even a drop in the ocean to them and all I want it to be able to buy a little food and my train ticket to work next week. Money, or more specifically lack thereof is one of the few things that can reduce me to tears in a matter of seconds and I'm relieved to say that I made it home before I lost it.

A timely phone call from my brother's ex when a long way to calming me down but we quickly came to the conclusion that the only way to turn was my Mum. I knew that she would never say no and that if I told her I was in trouble that she would offer before I even had the chance to ask. But I didn't want her to have to offer or to ask because she has helped me out so many times in the past when I had a low paying job and even more financial responsibilities than I do now.

Still the inevitable came and I gave her a ring and promptly bust into tears again! She truly is the best, I asked her for £100 and she immediately said she'd give me £200 and that I could save £20 a month and pay her back in due course. I happen to be heading down there tomorrow for work and she has already started planning my new finance regime for me, a budget for everything and a new system for making sure that this doesn't happen again...she's an angel.

I think I'm going to write to the bank because I think that it is completely unfair that they wouldn't let me have the overdraft. What is the point of offering an overdraft facility if they are just going to turn it down to honest, working people truly in need of just a little help for a week?