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1958. "Dos land" (The country) was in a recession, with 7.7% of the work force jobless. First class postage increased from 3 cents to 4 cents an ounce, and Eleanor Roosevelt was the most admired woman in America. I got married that year. My "tate" (father), who identified with the "karger" parsimonious comedian, Jack Benny, and the "Oy Oy Principle," would have agreed with these three definitions:
| Denial |
When your fiance asks you for a loan so he can buy you an engagement ring, and you give it to him.
(Judge Judy Sheindlin) |
| Money/gelt |
Something that married couples rarely have, but seem to be able to argue about anyway.
(Tom Carey) |
| Zip |
What will be left of your nest egg after your husband invests it with a friend of a friend who knows a guy who has a cousin with a "can't-miss" stock tip.
(Think Bernie Madoff!) |
Prior to "di khasene" (the wedding), "tate" gave me several good eytses (advice): "Don't place your marriage announcement in the newspaper's financial section under 'mergers and acquisitions...'" Then he quotes Shakespeare: "Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry." Next, he introduced the Yiddish expression, "Tsu hobn gelt iz a gute zach; tsu hobn gelt iz a gute zach; tsu hobn a deye ibern gelt, iz noch beser." (To have money is a good thing; to have a say over money is even better.) And, finally, I was a little flummoxed when he lectured that "the Talmud says, when prices drop, buy."
"Mame" (mother) was quite ambivilent about the use of a "kredit-kartl" (credit card). (In 1958, the Bank of America and Chase Manhattan Bank issued credit cards for the first time. She disagreed with "di filosofye" (the philosophy) that credit cards were what you use after you learn money can't buy everything. Her final words of wisdom during the signing of the Ketubah (marraige contract) were, "Always have a "knipl"! (Yiddish for money tied in the corner of a handkerchief.)
The "knipl", made of cotton or linen, became a substitute for a non-interest bearing money-of-my-own (MOMO) account. It has contained amounts ranging from $25 to $1,350.
In my 50 years of marriage, the money in my "knipl" has been sued to purchase a Casual Friday wardrobe, an expensive Hermes scarf in celebration of my PLENTIETH birthday, and an in/out metal box labeled "Rob Peter"/"Pay Paul." It has paid $849 for the purchase of a 1972 "bukh" titled, "How to go to work when your husband is against it, Your children aren't old enough, And there's nothing you can do anyhow" by Schwartz, Schifter and Gillotti. More recently, this secret fund has also purchased Alan Lavine's book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Money with Mutual Funds."
In the '90s, my "knipl" has pad for the travel costs to attend a "lektsye" (lecture) titled, "Money Management for Seniors". The instructor, known as "Greedy Geezer," discussed how to buy stock 'our way' and defer taxes on dividends and trading profits. In addition to receiving a FREE Personalized Financial Plan, this "shneyfeygele" (snowbird) learned that "the leading cause of death in South Florida is exhaustion, caused by house guests from the north." Another workshop leader/maven said, "Saving for retirement is like suffocating your mother-in-law. You'd better know what you are doing."
More recently, my "knipl" has paid the tuition costs ($436) to attend an Elderhostel course titled, "From Shmates To Stocks and Bonds - American Jews in Business."
______________________________
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe says that when her "eynikl", Amanda, gets married, her "knipl" will contain a VISA credit card.
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