The Life Not My Own

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Making ‘Cents’ of It: Nickels and Dimes

You buy a few items at the store.  With tax, the total comes to $9.99.  You only have a ten dollar bill, so you get one penny back.  As you stare at the pitiful little penny in your hand you wonder, Why even give me this measly little thing?

When managing our money and trying to save it, it’s easy to loose sight of the ultimate goal in favor of “big” changes.  What, after all, are a few nickels and dimes and pennies but pocket change?  Yet it is these little pieces that add up to complete the big picture.  A few nickels and dimes, and even a measly penny, do count…if you add them together!

My husband comes home every evening and empties his pockets out onto the dresser.  Usually, there are a few quarters or nickels lying around.  I used to complain about them, but now I relish them.  You see, when my husband leaves change lying around nowadays, I scoop it up and put it into our “change box”.  There, all the misplaced little coins unite.  Sometimes the box gets looted for quarters to pay for car washes, but usually it sits there undisturbed, gradually growing heavier. 

Then comes the end of the month, when I carry every last cent down to the bank, where they cash it in for me.  Then, we use the money for something fun and special…an end of the month treat.  And that treat is usually more than two dollar ice cream cones.  Currently, our box is holding right around $25!  With $25 a month you could have a date night.  Or how about saving it for your next vacation?  Twelve months of $25 makes $300, after all.

Last week I carried a bag of change that my dear husband had been lugging around forever to the bank.  It all fit into a sandwich-sized ziploc bag, but it amounted to over $50! 

So, before you write off all that change you have lying around, consider keeping it in one place and saving it.  After all, it only takes ten little dimes to make a dollar.  And a dollar goes a long way.

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2 Comments:

  • At September 9, 2011 at 3:01 PM , Blogger LeAnna said...

    I love this! My Hubby had a "honey hole" before he married me, it was basically a big 5 gallon water jug. He was saving up to buy a fancy rifle with it, but then I came along and wouldn't ya know...he had enough money (from pocket change!) to buy my engagement ring in that jug. It's definitely worth saving those pennies. We've been filling it up for the past few years, and it's about 1/3rd full. It will be fun to see how much it holds! I'm one of those people that picks up pennies when I see them on the ground, too. ;) Thanks for stopping by my blog, your profile/wedding picture is just gorgeous!

     
  • At September 14, 2011 at 4:37 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

    Thanks for stopping by, LeAnna! That's a pretty good thing to buy with pocket change. :)

     

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