Tom's family spends entirely too much money. To enforce discipline, he puts Fran and the girls, and his mother-in-law on a ""strict cash basis"". It backfires, though, when Tom takes a client to lunch and can't pay the check because he doesn't have the cash, and he has cut off the charge cards and checking account. Trying to withdraw cash from the bank, Tom is mistakenly thought to be committing a robbery.