Monday, August 13, 2007

My First Savings Passbook


I was rummaging through the drawers for some documents when I found this - my very first savings accounts passbook from BANK SIMPANAN PEJABAT POS, issued in Pulau Pinang, all yellowed and dog-eared. I flipped it open and oh my, the first entry was dated Mar 13 1973 and....and that makes this book 34 years and 5 months old! Oh my God, I cannot believe it…hahahah…some of my friends here are very, very much younger than my passbook. I showed the book to my boys and they remarked, “Aiyerrrr….so ancient.” Hahahaha


A look through the entries in the book – active movements from Mar 13 1973 till the last withdrawal on July 24 1981 and of subsequent entries of only interest payments till Aug 27 1991. Thenceforth, no further entries and I believe the balance of a paltry sum has long been transferred to the Unclaimed Monies Account.


I did go to one of the Bank Simpanan Nasional branch to enquire and was told that I would have to surrender this book, fill some forms and then wait for don’t know how long and then I only will be re-issued a new book and summore don’t know what else, I cannot remember now. Hmmmm….Too much trouble and I decided to keep this book as a momento and I am glad for it.


As I went though the entry one by one, it brought back so many memories – of how I diligently saved my pocket money each day and when I have a princely sum of RM3 or more, I would cycle all the way to the tiny Post Office 3 miles away to deposit the money into my account. Entries for the first few years were small amounts…I was in school then and as the years passed, the figures grew slightly bigger both for deposits and withdrawals; the dates corresponding with times when I got paid for giving private tuition to a primary school kid and also when I worked part-time during year-end school holidays. It was sooooo long ago but each single entry brought back memories so vivid.


I always believe in savings and I try to inculcate this habit in my 2 boys. Ancient or whatever, savings never go out of style.


 
posted by nyonyapenang at 5:20 PM, |

61 Comments:

  At 9:50 PM Blogger  Lee said:
Hi Nyonya, hey, this is a nice new blog you have. Aha, change of personality, huh? Good for you. Otherwise like eating chi yoke yin everyday, ha ha. I like this new blog page, and that red rose. How romantic.
Can I buy you dinner at the E&O later?
Re your savings book, I have mine dated 1949. You think can I put on Ebay and sell, collector item? Ha ha. Re savings, It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.
You be cool, Nyonya. UL.
çok güzel bir site.
  At 1:10 AM Blogger jazzmint said:
wahh...i like that caption on the book LOL
My mum had that pattern mya savings passbook too long time ago... gua mya is the blue colour mya... sudah kasi tutup akaun ^.^

ps: Itu font ada sikit kecik, hor? Or izit gua mya mata ada poblem? o.O

Lu cepat2 kasi beli itu 20 inci mya iMac lar... then ah nel can helpchu angkut to Stabaks, then I can helpchu wt yr template heh heh...

pps: Maybe lu boleh try test Verdana font? Ini font ada sikit gemuk a bit hehe...
ppps: Gua can still see your 4 nombor ekor!!! Kakaka...
  At 6:56 AM Blogger Pi Bani said:
Waaa... you still have that book ah Nyonya?! Cant remember what happened to mine. Don't think I ever closed it officially - not much money in there anyway after I started using the services of other banks. My mom now uses BSN, but she still calls her savings passbook "buku pos ofis". Even to go to the bank she'd say pergi pos ofis...
  At 7:44 AM Blogger pearly said:
wow cool la so long still keep, you better try to find out how much interest you got haahah may be by now you have lot of 000000 in your account already la xxxx
have a lovely day
  At 9:48 AM Blogger ah nel said:
i noe saving is good so i got 1 empty account and u can save the marni in it ;)

angel...everytime angkut then can eat ah sang bkt kar?
huah.......
this is and ancient book lor...
no wonder banker wants to keep the book
  At 1:31 PM Blogger William said:
New layout! My first savings account is from BSN. The account is still active.
  At 1:36 PM Blogger eve said:
Memang ancient lar..have never seen it before..The first and last passbook I have of BSN is a blue one..i think..or was it yellow?..hmm...
  At 2:12 PM Blogger Jonzz said:
Wow, so ancient your passbook. The three things I have more ancient than your passbook is me, myself and I. HA HA HA HA.
  At 2:17 PM Blogger Unknown said:
Walao eh! The passbook really older than me leh... classic la!
  At 2:21 PM Blogger Ehon said:
wahhh!!!!!!! antic wei! lol!

i thought RM3 is very huge last time?
  At 3:19 PM Anonymous Anonymous said:
gua suda ada blog! babasingapura at blogspot
  At 10:25 PM Blogger Lau Niang said:
new layout very nice wor! Wah the passbook older than me can! ha h haa!
  At 10:37 PM Blogger doc said:
i remember the bank opened when i was in primary school. i didn't have an account at that time, but i recalled my class teacher would start each day asking if anyone wanted to save by buying stamps (5 & 10 sen). these would be pasted on pages of the passbook & when all the spaces are filled up, a new book was issued, so that the students can continue to save.

they certainly have come a long way since.
My first 'bank book' is made by mommy! 'private limited' hehehe every time i save, I record the amount in that book and every month mommy will take that money and put in the REAL bank for us. When we want to 'withdraw' money, we tell mommy, she will give us the money, record it in that book and we will see a 'deduction' in that book. I always feel sad to see the value goes down :P
  At 8:46 AM Anonymous Anonymous said:
This is a good value that everyone needs
Even now with the technology this habit is just not present
I must go back and dig dig to see where is my first bank book
Heh heh heh
  At 12:52 PM Blogger famil said:
me like the new look... :)

during my era, the book is already blue in color. and yeah up till 2000, you could transact at the post office.

now the blue book was no longer in service. you are required to change the account to GIRO (yellow book). and the old book, they will the corner out and give back to u :p

btw, this has been a 5th post that i similar with what i intended to post! the terompah, the game we played when wwe're smal, etc etc.. r u reading my mind? heh heh
I never keep things for too long... because they always either crumble, or become so difficult to maintain.

savings? I believed in that, until inflation came along.
Hi Uncle Lee,
Thank you for your kind compliments. Ah...that single stalk of dark red rose....I love it so much...it is so passionate...it is so romantic...and its fragrance...ahhh...how it lingers.

Dinner at the E & O? Sure, Uncle Lee....I'd love to...and a dance after that, perhaps.

Wow...your savings passbook is dated 1949! Ya, can try to auction it on e-Bay...you may be pleasantly surprised. hahahah....

Fully agree with you on this, "to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.
We spend so much time chasing things money can buy that we may forget that many times, the best things in life are free.

Have a great day, Uncle Lee.
Hi Mustafa Senalp,
Thank you for dropping by.

You have a nice day.
Hi Jazzmint,
A classic one! And you noticed the old-style spelling? hahhaha...
Hi Angel,
Dulu, Post Ofis very popular...I guess because it has a small branch nearby. So ramai orang buka akaun kat Pos Ofis lar.

Lu mia buka biru one....the newer version lar. Keep it and next time 40 years down the road, then it become collectors' item jugak. hahaha...

Ya, lar...the font memang kechik leh...Gua tarak tau how to adjust. But look at the flooble mia font...adoi....so busaarrr.. hahahah.... Need more adjustments...Anybody can tolong?
You think khek kia boleh tolong, besides angkut my 20 inci? hehehe..

apa itu 4 nombor ekor?
  At 7:48 PM Blogger savante said:
Hey I had the Simpanan Nasional bit too. Only thing is I usually save for a few months and then have a big blowout spending spree :P
  At 12:38 AM Anonymous Anonymous said:
ahhhh mine too was BSN!! Mine was blue in colour...and I still have it somewhere...in fact still had a few dollars in it but by now burned ledi lor...
  At 5:22 AM Blogger  Lee said:
Hello Nyonya, hey, I like this comment box of yours, so clear and distinct. And the colour? Hmmm, just like your rose. Nice. UL.
  At 9:28 AM Anonymous Anonymous said:
ooooo... new layout... nice...

that's a treasure, keep it...

You might be able to sell it for a few hundred USD on eBay :)
  At 9:48 AM Blogger Will said:
khai ma, you were saying the fonts a bit small ka? i find it ok ah...
  At 10:19 AM Anonymous Anonymous said:
Nice new interface!!! And your book is the same age as me! which is....as far as your kids are concerned.....ANCIENT!!!!!???

???? LOL
Hi Pi Bani,
I remember too, last time, if want to update the interest payments, then have to submit the book to the branch, then they post it to KL for updating and then wait for them to send back....Wah lau....punya lecheh!

Then they asked me to change the buku lar...change to the blue colour one...I said, "tak usah lar...", so that's how it is still with me all these years...shifting from place to place.

hahhah...Your momma...calls the bank as the pos ofis. Old habits die hard.

You have a great day.
Hi Pearly,
I think they have transferred the money, not much I believe, to the Unclaimed Monies Account. Probabaly they thought I died already. hahahah...

Have a great day, Pearly.
Hi Ah Nel,
U keep your money under your pillow ar? hahahaha
Hi Pisanggoreng,
Nooo....I am not givng it to them.....I keep and keep and then becaome antique liao. hahahah..
Hi William,
Hope you like my new layout. :)

Oh, you use BSN? Not very ngam for me leh.
Hi Eve,
This book probably older than you leh. hahhaha...
Hi Jonzz,
Of course, I am more ancient than my passbook lor. So you should be 'less ancient' than me. hahahah...
Hi Kenny,
You are very young man nia lar. :D
Hi Ehon,
hehehe...antik leh!

Oh yes, RM3 was very, very BIG, then. Took me probably 2 to 3 weeks to save that amount from my daily pocket money of 50 cents.
Hi Bibik Nyonya,
Of course lar....you are soooo young only. hahhaha...
Hi Bibik Nyonya,
And kamsiah for your kind compliments...gua pun suka this layout...gua suka the red rose. :)
Hi Doc,
Wah....you are are so young too!
I never had that buying stamps thingy...I think I left school liao. hehehe..

Ya, they have come a long way now...BUT still a lot of room for improvement.
Hi Winniethepooh,
wah...you started banking with 'Mommy Bank'. That's a great idea from your mommy to teach kids about (+) and (-) in accounting.
Hi Zeroimpact,
Nobody is against savings....only that we can't save fast enough. :)
hi famil,
thanks for the compliments.
cantik kan, bunga mawar tu?

oh, now the buku change color again ar? i see...i see...
gua tak pigi BSN unless i got something to do re: the BSN certificates.

hahahah.....5 posts already, that we share similar ideas? good lar...great minds think alike ya?
or has it anything to do with we coming from same kampung?

you have a great day.
Hi Las Montanas,
I throw away alot of things but still there are some that I somehow keep till today. Kinda or a hoarder, I guess.

Ya, INFLATION....that dreaded word!
Hi Savante,
Money saved is to be spent , anyway.
Hi Laundryamah,
Looks like quite alot of us had/has an account with BSN.
Then quite alot also contributed money to the Unclaimed Monies Account.
Hi Uncle Lee,
Thank you...thank you...

I am happy you like it....ah...the red rose.....each time I masuk my own blog....I look at the rose and I feel so good.

Have a great day, Uncle Lee.
Hi jl,
Thanks for the compliments.

Ah...keep and then auction at ebay? Wah...lidat, I got a few other things that can go for auction jugak. :)
hi will,
err...lidat , must be my eyes got 'old flower' liao lar. :D
Hi Marsha,
Kamsiah...kamsiah....

Oooh...you same age as my buku ar? So young only ar?
My anak said the buku and its contents are so 'ancient-looking' lar....all handwritten and with some huge stamping marks summore. Have you seen a bank book with handwritten entries?
  At 5:35 AM Blogger J.T. said:
Hi Nyonya

I love the new look on your blog. Soon, I might follow suit. I am getting so "jelak" with the look of my blog. As soon as I am back from my partial hiatus, I will do something about it. :)

Anyway, that passbook looks familiar. Way back in 1981 my dad turned in my old book, which was started when I was a baby, and I started handling my own account (no more adult's name in my book along with mine). That is when I had the new passbook - blue one. Giro (yellow) did not exist then. I hope I am getting my colours correctly.

Anyway, I carried on with my blue account until a few years ago. I withdrew everything except RM1. I am keeping mine as a momento too. I did come across my mom's old savings book, though. She never changed hers. :)
I come to congratulate you with your work and to desire a good Month to you of August in vacation. In Portugal already we walk for beaches and to live the heat of the Summer.
Hi j.t.,
Thank you for the kind compliments.

Saw the beautiful red rose and I just have to have it up there. I love roses.
When you're back from your partial hiatus, I can expect to see a lovely new house your side. I know you are good with 're-furbishments.'

Those days, many people favour the Post Office Savings Account which was considered 'user friendly' then and many people don't have a bank account, i.e. an account opened at a normal commercial bank. I remember, once, a new colleague got a cheque for his gaji. He bising lar...because he does not have a bank account to bank-in the cheque.
Anyway, he was left with no choice but to go and open his first bank acccount...he was 28 years old at that time. :)

Keep you blue book and it may soon become a collector's item too.

You have a great weekend.
Hi David Santos,
Thanks for dropping by.

You have a nice day.
  At 3:45 PM Blogger AuntieYan said:
Hello Nyonya!...

Wah!..cantiknya blog baru! I wish I could amend my blog to a new look...but alas! i'm so hopeless with the IT...
------------
I used to call it buku pejabat pos, yes, like you it was my first saving book! I would put in RM5/- every month ...till I was std.6
Like your son's said....its soooo...antic!!
  At 11:26 AM Blogger Trinity said:
Nyonya... a really interesting blog. I used pannasmontata's template design before and loved it very much! But using new blogger style is much easier... classic template is too complicated for me!

I love your blog, will come back again to dig it. Be my friend!
  At 11:28 AM Blogger Trinity said:
Just link you in my sidebar.. :-)
  At 3:15 PM Blogger Unknown said:
If it's any consolation, I'm older than your PASSBOOK :-)

Haha.