Do I really want to do this: The Co-op Board, Part Two

Throughout this home-buying process, the only thing I've been worried about has been the co-op board review of my financial documents. What are they looking for? The ability to pay my bills on time? They know how much I earn in a year and what my credit score is; they know I can pay my bills. My banks have written letters telling them how much money is in my accounts; they know that I have the money for the downpayment. So why should they need to scrutinize my bank statements? Even the bank that's going to lend me close to a quarter mil isn't going to look at the details.

Here's what I think. The details are where the person starts to emerge, the person they are going to be living with. They're looking at how many ATM withdrawals I've made in a month; too many and I'm a poor planner. They're looking at what I've debited; what you buy says a lot about you. If I'd known this co-op purchase was happening so soon, I'd have stopped debiting altogether, but especially stopped the frequent burrito bowls at Chipotle and any purchases at Nancy's Wine for Foods. Will they wonder what I bought at Ricky's, and judge me on the basis of where I get my hair cut? (Devachan; they specialize in curly hair. What if they don't like curly-haired people?)

They're looking at the fact that in January, I went deep into overdraft, due to a pretty stupid clerical error I couldn't correct; they could easily reject me for that alone.

Money money money. I have more money than 5.9 of the 6 billion people alive on the earth today but to the co-op board, I'm nothing.