Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1181IR // #c1181Synthesis

"'I make a point,' said he to Mr. Gleig, 'of paying my own bills, and I advise every one to do the same; formerly I used to trust a confidential servant to pay them, but I was cured of that folly by receiving one morning, to my great surprise, duns of a year or two's standing."

— In our words · Source: Self-Help (Samuel Smiles)

[Use when]

Someone else handles your money and you haven't looked at the accounts in months.

[Why it matters]

Wellington's servant had speculated with the money and left the bills unpaid. Keeping "an accurate detailed account of all the moneys received and expended" was the fix.

Filed under situations:When it’s day one and nothing exists yet

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