2001 Check Register

My mom was a word smith. She was not a numbers gal, and wasn’t afraid to admit it. I heard her cheerfully say, more than once, “I can’t keep a check register. I add one column and subtract the next!”

I’ve been doing a forensic dive into my parent’s finances. I’m not being crazy about it, but when I’m done I’ll be able to see how money moved between accounts and, hopefully, where pieces of it came from.

I just completed 2001. I think I may be seeing the beginning of mom’s struggle with part of her executive function. The 2001 check register simply didn’t have most deposits listed in it as compared to the bank statement. In the prior years most ins and outs were recorded in real time, or at least caught up when a bank statement came in. Not in 2001. By the end of the year the register was off by over $1000. At least it was in her favor!

This probably lines up medically. We started noticing things were awry in 2004.

It’s interesting… the more time that elapses since her death, the easier it is to remember her as well, as her old self. The check register feels like a prequel to this story.