what is 'snowflake money'?

[beergut]

Seen it referenced a few times, just wondering what people are referring to. 

[Deleted]

Good question.


Ie. It's money from 'somewhere' not earned, and not clearly explained. But sometimes we use it just to mean like "found money"...

[Deleted]

It was originally meant to describe money that apparently just falls out of the sky with no explanation (one particular poster had a lot of snowflake money).  I think it's evolved to just unexpected cash. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Don't we have a glossary-type list somewhere?

[Wisconsin Beth]

Yes, the Cheesopeida on EE. 

[shanendoah]

I tend to refer to the adoption support we get for our daughter and any additional foster care support we may be getting as snowflake money. While the adoption support for our daughter is permanent and set with the state in a legal agreement, it is not taxable and really, we don't do anything to earn it. Foster care support depends on whether or not we have a foster placement at the moment. I never assume it in my budget.

[MarleyKeezy78]

I consider the money my grandma gives me sometimes when I mow her lawn and clean her house to be snowflake money. Also birthday and Christmas money. Stuff like that. Oh, also, once when I had to take DS to the ER for stitches, I had to pay $50 and because we had already met our deductible they sent me a check back  for $50! Whoo hoo  

[Abby Normal]

It's unplanned, unexpected, or unexplainable money that just shows up.  True snowflake money only is receive by people who are truly "special snowflakes" themselves.

We had a posted here once who had a lot of snowflake money and the termed was coined as she was a special snowflake. 

[Value Buy]

Jul 22, 2015 13:12:17 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

It's unplanned, unexpected, unexplainable money that just shows up.  True snowflake money only is receive by people who are truly "special snowflakes" themselves.

We had a posted here once who had a lot of snowflake money and the termed was coined as she was a special snowflake. 

So the Federal earned income tax credit is not considered snowflake money since it is expected?

[Abby Normal]

Jul 22, 2015 13:14:03 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Jul 22, 2015 13:12:17 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

It's unplanned, unexpected, unexplainable money that just shows up.  True snowflake money only is receive by people who are truly "special snowflakes" themselves.

We had a posted here once who had a lot of snowflake money and the termed was coined as she was a special snowflake. 

So the Federal earned income tax credit is not considered snowflake money since it is expected?

Not if you were that poster. 

[haapai]

Jul 22, 2015 13:14:03 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Jul 22, 2015 13:12:17 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

It's unplanned, unexpected, unexplainable money that just shows up.  True snowflake money only is receive by people who are truly "special snowflakes" themselves.

We had a posted here once who had a lot of snowflake money and the termed was coined as she was a special snowflake. 

So the Federal earned income tax credit is not considered snowflake money since it is expected?

When expected, it is snowflake money.  When not expected, it is manna that doesn't go bad by the next day. 

I got my ass hauled out of the fire once by an unexpectedly large tax refund, half of which was the EITC.  No dependents, just a really bad earnings year.  It went to debt elimination.  Also restored my faith in the universe. 
 

[Tiny]

Just to give the history of the word 'snowflake money' because I think it has a different meaning in a debt repayment/savings plan if you were out and about on the Intertubes...  Remember that a way to pay down debts was to do a Snowball payment.... basically you paid minimums on all your debts and then threw everything extra at ONE of the debts until it was paid off - you then "rolled" that large payment to the next debt (along with the minimum you were all ready paying).  The payment was like a 'snow ball' that as you rolled thru your debts became bigger each time a debt was paid off.   

Somewhere along the line small amounts that you would put towards debts (in addition to your 'snowball payment') OR towards savings were called "snowflakes" - because they might small amounts  (maybe $10 here and $20 there).  The 'snowflakes' were typically 'found' money - so the  $20 extra in your checking account at the end of the month or maybe the $5 you didn't spend on coffee during the week or a $3.00 rebate.   When you are trying to get out of debt and money is tight ANY thing above and beyond the minimum amount you've alocated within your budget helps.  (meaning maybe the minimum payment is $35, but you can only commit to sending $50.00 a month because your budget is so tight... sending additional 'snowflake money' even if it's an additional $5.00 or $10 a month does make a difference over the course of a year      You could use the same idea if you were trying to build savings - but only had a small amount that you could consistently commit every month.  the little bits here and there start to add up over time.    Snowflake money has a good connotation in this scenario.


 
At somepoint "snowflake money" seems to have come to mean any sort of "found" money or "windfall money" in large amounts - especially if it 'magically' come on a routine predictable schedule - even though it's not technically income.  So, the connotation becomes a bit less "good" and maybe a bit more 'shady'.  

[Wisconsin Beth]

Jul 22, 2015 14:57:26 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Just to give the history of the word 'snowflake money' because I think it has a different meaning in a debt repayment/savings plan if you were out and about on the Intertubes...  Remember that a way to pay down debts was to do a Snowball payment.... basically you paid minimums on all your debts and then threw everything extra at ONE of the debts until it was paid off - you then "rolled" that large payment to the next debt (along with the minimum you were all ready paying).  The payment was like a 'snow ball' that as you rolled thru your debts became bigger each time a debt was paid off.   

Somewhere along the line small amounts that you would put towards debts (in addition to your 'snowball payment') OR towards savings were called "snowflakes" - because they might small amounts  (maybe $10 here and $20 there).  The 'snowflakes' were typically 'found' money - so the  $20 extra in your checking account at the end of the month or maybe the $5 you didn't spend on coffee during the week or a $3.00 rebate.   When you are trying to get out of debt and money is tight ANY thing above and beyond the minimum amount you've alocated within your budget helps.  (meaning maybe the minimum payment is $35, but you can only commit to sending $50.00 a month because your budget is so tight... sending additional 'snowflake money' even if it's an additional $5.00 or $10 a month does make a difference over the course of a year      You could use the same idea if you were trying to build savings - but only had a small amount that you could consistently commit every month.  the little bits here and there start to add up over time.    Snowflake money has a good connotation in this scenario.


 
At somepoint "snowflake money" seems to have come to mean any sort of "found" money or "windfall money" in large amounts - especially if it 'magically' come on a routine predictable schedule - even though it's not technically income.  So, the connotation becomes a bit less "good" and maybe a bit more 'shady'.  

We used to have a poster who talked about her "bonus" money rec'd in spring.  AFter many posters questioned it, we were told it wasn't an actual work bonus.  Further questioning determined that it also wasn't a tax return, it wasn't a settlement payout, trust payout, or parental/family payout and I don't remember what else it could have been.  Someone called it "snowflake money" because it apparently it was just money that fell from the sky into the poster's bank account.  And the term stuck.  And yeah, it did become derisive. 

[kittensaver]

Jul 22, 2015 15:10:41 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Jul 22, 2015 14:57:26 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Just to give the history of the word 'snowflake money' because I think it has a different meaning in a debt repayment/savings plan if you were out and about on the Intertubes...  Remember that a way to pay down debts was to do a Snowball payment.... basically you paid minimums on all your debts and then threw everything extra at ONE of the debts until it was paid off - you then "rolled" that large payment to the next debt (along with the minimum you were all ready paying).  The payment was like a 'snow ball' that as you rolled thru your debts became bigger each time a debt was paid off.   

Somewhere along the line small amounts that you would put towards debts (in addition to your 'snowball payment') OR towards savings were called "snowflakes" - because they might small amounts  (maybe $10 here and $20 there).  The 'snowflakes' were typically 'found' money - so the  $20 extra in your checking account at the end of the month or maybe the $5 you didn't spend on coffee during the week or a $3.00 rebate.   When you are trying to get out of debt and money is tight ANY thing above and beyond the minimum amount you've alocated within your budget helps.  (meaning maybe the minimum payment is $35, but you can only commit to sending $50.00 a month because your budget is so tight... sending additional 'snowflake money' even if it's an additional $5.00 or $10 a month does make a difference over the course of a year      You could use the same idea if you were trying to build savings - but only had a small amount that you could consistently commit every month.  the little bits here and there start to add up over time.    Snowflake money has a good connotation in this scenario.


 
At somepoint "snowflake money" seems to have come to mean any sort of "found" money or "windfall money" in large amounts - especially if it 'magically' come on a routine predictable schedule - even though it's not technically income.  So, the connotation becomes a bit less "good" and maybe a bit more 'shady'.  

We used to have a poster who talked about her "bonus" money rec'd in spring.  AFter many posters questioned it, we were told it wasn't an actual work bonus.  Further questioning determined that it also wasn't a tax return, it wasn't a settlement payout, trust payout, or parental/family payout and I don't remember what else it could have been.  Someone called it "snowflake money" because it apparently it was just money that fell from the sky into the poster's bank account.  And the term stuck.  And yeah, it did become derisive. 

[zibazinski]

USED to have a poster? No USED to it.

[joemilitary]

We have a poster that works on the ski slopes with a machine that makes snow when there isn't enough snow to ski.

The poster charges so much per snowflake that the snow making machine generates (I think it is 1 cent per snowflake?)

So that poster always refers to the money they make from this as snowflake money

'nuff said

[Happy prose]

Jul 22, 2015 13:12:17 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

It's unplanned, unexpected, or unexplainable money that just shows up.  True snowflake money only is receive by people who are truly "special snowflakes" themselves.

We had a posted here once who had a lot of snowflake money and the termed was coined as she was a special snowflake. 

What ever happened to that poster? She hasn't been around in a long time. I had forgotten all about her!

[zibazinski]

Hope and pray for her "return."

[HoneyBBQ]

Maybe she'll float in someday....

[Peace Of Mind]

Jul 21, 2015 18:05:25 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

It was originally meant to describe money that apparently just falls out of the sky with no explanation (one particular poster had a lot of snowflake money).  I think it's evolved to just unexpected cash. 

I thought it fell out of the sky in the form of government benefits like food stamps, etc. or was that another poster/situation? 

[Cookies Galore]

Jul 22, 2015 12:55:36 GMT -5 MarleyKeezy78 said:

I consider the money my grandma gives me sometimes when I mow her lawn and clean her house to be snowflake money. Also birthday and Christmas money. Stuff like that. Oh, also, once when I had to take DS to the ER for stitches, I had to pay $50 and because we had already met our deductible they sent me a check back  for $50! Whoo hoo  

Uh, no. I earn that money by gracing the world with my presence each year!

[Abby Normal]

Jul 22, 2015 20:45:49 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Jul 22, 2015 19:45:44 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

Maybe she'll float in someday....

We can only hope . . .

You guys crack me up.

[MarleyKeezy78]

Jul 22, 2015 20:56:12 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

Jul 22, 2015 12:55:36 GMT -5 MarleyKeezy78 said:

I consider the money my grandma gives me sometimes when I mow her lawn and clean her house to be snowflake money. Also birthday and Christmas money. Stuff like that. Oh, also, once when I had to take DS to the ER for stitches, I had to pay $50 and because we had already met our deductible they sent me a check back  for $50! Whoo hoo  

Uh, no. I earn that money by gracing the world with my presence each year!