Collecting change

[Kacey]

Does anyone here collect change? I don't mean keeping coins that might be valuable - I mean a change jar, or something similar. When I was a kid, I copied my parents, and left my change in a bowl; by college, I had a small jar; for the last 15 or so years I've been using a 1-gallon wine bottle. One the one hand, eventually, when the jar is full, it's a somewhat significant amount of money (when I counted it out last week, I had about $260) - on the other hand, it took me 4 years to get that far, especially as I use my debit card more and more. But if I don't take my change out of my wallet, it rapidly reaches the point that it's in the way... but after saving change most of my life, I don't remember to spend it.

So what do people think? Save change? Spend it? Put it in charity change drops? Other ideas?

 

[Shuto]

I have collected it for quite a while now. We have a bank near where I work that allowed me to use their change counting machine free as long as I had an account with them. Last time I went, however, they had changed the policy and had begun charging a percentage of the money counted. Now, I'm starting to spend my change.

 

[terryl965]

Right now we have 5 ozarka 5 gallon water bottles filled with change the problem is you can't move them now so when the boys get enough muscle it is there and they can spilt them up equalilly.

 

[theletch1]

My wife and I save all our change in a coffee tin. Over the past 3 years we've saved close to 900.00 and used it for fun stuff. That's the rule. Never use it to pay a bill, always as a reward for ourselves.

 

[michaeledward]

End of the day pocket change gets put into a little metal bucket. Our credit union just installed a self-serve change machine. It gets deposited or spent, just as any other types of money we have.

It is all legal tender for all debts, public and private. I use it as such.


I saw an intersting sign at a McDonalds drive through, in New York or New Jersey a while back "We can make change faster than you can count change - Please pay will dollar bills." Personally, I found that offensive. They are in the business of doing commerce. If it is legal money, it is legal money. (Of course, I can appreciate the request for speed in a drive through).

 

[Yeti]

My wife and I save all our change in a coffee tin. Over the past 3 years we've saved close to 900.00 and used it for fun stuff. That's the rule. Never use it to pay a bill, always as a reward for ourselves.

We do the same thing. We've got a plastic coffee bucket that it all goes into. We do give some to my son now and then - mostly to watch his face light up when he realizes he gets to put money in his piggy bank. It's cute...

 

[fnorfurfoot]

I have a paint can that my mother turned into a piggy bank for the family that we collect our change into. Every so often I roll what is in there and I deposit what I make into my children's accounts.

 

[stickarts]

I collect loose change as well as change that I find when i am out biking or walking.
It doesn't amount to much though becuase either my daughters steal it or I grab it and spend it!

 

[Ping898]

I save my change in a big red plastic bank shaped like a crayon. It is my money I use for when I go to stamp shows, basically the something special money.

 

[jks9199]

My wife does -- and it makes me nuts. She's got a big pretzel jar full of change, and another bucket starting. Except she'll slip bills that are in her pocket at the end of the day in, too... It's there "for emergencies."

So, we've got a big tub of money that's sitting there, being dusted occasionally, stubbing my toe frequently... and not earning interest. Or being spent...

 

[kuntawguro]

I use a large planters peanut plastic jar- so far this year I have 4 of them filled. I use this money for vacation expenses. It is my mad money. Not to be used for things as trivial as bills. He he
It is an easy way to save, except ya have to pick the pocket lint out of it.

 

[Drac]

Yep...We have this large plastic bank that looks like a Crayon and the wife and I drop change in it that we find...It's opened prior to leaving for Las Vegas...You'd be surprized how much you can collect in a year without really trying..

 

[MA-Caver]

I collect change and use it as reward money. Right now I've a little piggy that m'dad gave to me and have it filled partially. Written with a sharpie pen on either side of the slot is a reminder as to what the money/change is for... "cave-stuff". naturally
I only put silver in this... dimes, quarters and nickels... any pennies I get at the end of the day goes into a pringles potato chip can... I once did this with two of those... one silver only and the other only pennies. Filled them til money was falling out every time I tried to put more in.
From the "silver can" I amassed over 250+ dollars... from the penny can it was around 17.00...
I've now got to thinking that perhaps I should leave nickels out as well, maybe mixing it in with the pennies. It takes 20 nickels to make a dollar where as only 4 quarters and 10 (thin) dimes to have the same amount. hmmm.
Eventually I'll get another 5 gallon water jug and start using that to save up. May take a while but a buddy of mine did his til it was about 1/3 of the way full. Counted it out (all denominations of change) and he had almost a grand.
His secret... every paycheck he get 17.00 in change, 1 roll of each denomination of coin (except pennies). That helps. I mean you'll probably blow $17 bucks during the week anyway on odd stuff.

Oh a home defense idea here... take your change and rig it where it'll swing down if someone breaks into a window or whatever... at least they got what they came for... :lol: