Found money, food money.

by

All year long, I find money: on the sidewalk, on the floor in the checkout lane, in the Coinstar return bin. And every year I count it, round it up and donate it to the food bank.

This year’s take is $10.25: a dollar bill, 12 quarters, 45 dimes, seven nickels and 140 pennies. This adds up to $10.25.

Picking up found coins is one of the tactics I suggest in the “Challenge Yourself to Save” chapter* of my first book. The reason? It works. Despite my not walking nearly as much in Alaska as I did in Seattle, and despite my mostly staying out of the stores, I still managed to glean a little over 10 bucks.

 

In recent years I began waiting until January to count and donate, on the theory that food banks are somewhat well-supplied near Thanksgiving and Christmas but start coming up short after the holidays. Apparently we have this impression that people are hungry and struggling only two months each year.

 

 

More customers than ever?

 

This year the need to donate is even more urgent. Due to the ongoing government shutdown, some food banks are preparing to serve more families than usual. While some are well-stocked, others are fearing (or feeling) the pinch.

I rounded up the $10.25 to $30, which I donated to the Food Bank of Alaska. Think globally, act locally, right?

If at all possible, I hope readers will send some love to their local food banks or to FeedingAmerica.org, an organization that (among other things) helps food pantries get large amounts of staples for rock-bottom prices.

Every little bit makes a difference. Even if all you can spare is $10, Feeding America can get a lot of mileage out of that sawbuck.

*I have turned this chapter into a Google doc that’s accessible to anyone who needs it. If you or someone you know wants to step up the savings game – especially on a tight budget – click on the link above, and do feel free to share it.

Please follow and like us:

25 thoughts on “Found money, food money.”

  2. I always look forward to hearing about your totals that you find. I did find a $5 bill in a windy parking lot by chance and didnt hesitate to drop it in the red kettle to help out along with some change I had on that day. I rarely find coins but I am sure to pick them up, whether heads or tails are facing up. Usually I am with my granddaughter and point it out for her piggy bank but I always make a small donation to the lical charities although I am guilty of doing it more around the holidays. I am going to change that this year by adding a mid year contribution.

    Reply

    • That’s a very kind — and very needed! — thing to do. In summer, some people whose kids are fed one (or two) meals at school struggle to keep the books balanced.

      Thanks for being such a consistent reader and commenter.

      Reply

  3. Hi Donna,

    Thanks for the reminder about saving change. We do all year and then give it to a friend who is on a limited income.

    My local NPR station profiled and area food bank that has seen an uptick in needs with the government/contract workers. I made an online donation and it made me feel great!

    Reply

  4. I also pick up money throughout the year, and collect it in a jar – at the end of year it gets rounded up and put towards a specific debt – I totaled $24 this year, now that the mortgage is gone and I had to get a car – it went towards my car loan.
    I donate to my local food pantry throughout the year, as I use coupons and BOGO’s an get good deals at the grocery– Mine has a donation station at my local library 🙂 Drop off a book and a canned good or box of cereal! Every little bit helps!!

    Reply

  6. I also donate my found money to the local food bank.. This year, for a reason I can’t fathom, all I found was $3.37. A definite low point. So far in January I have 6 cents! Are people being more careful of their change? Or buying everything with plastic?

    Reply

  7. I started to change challenge a few years ago, thanks to Donna. Between my everyday change and what I find, I’ve collected between $80 and $130 a year. That’s a lot of small change that makes a big difference! Mine usually goes to my local animal shelter, since there’s a fundraiser right around the same time I turn in my coins every year.

    Reply

  8. Funny found money story: I drive a 20 year old car and needed to replace an interior trim piece. I went to the local pull-it-yourself car parts place and located the car with the part I needed. I was shocked to see coins all over the floor of the car. I gathered them up and took them and my part to the check out. I handed the clerk the coins and briefly explained. He laughed and said I should keep them. I immediately told him of my “Donna” jar and assured him the windfall would go to charity. That $11.70 will likely feed several folks.

    Reply

  9. Hi Donna,

    I just started recently picking up change and keeping it in a up-cycled former nuts container that I decorated w/ my son. I couldn’t have found your blog at a better time in my life. My husband is about to start a new attorney job and I’m about to have our second son any day now. I have been working full-time for the government since 2005 and I’m in my 3rd to last semester of law school. We are basically doing research on how to live under just one income. I was raised in an extremely frugal environment with just my dad’s meager police salary. Luckily, my mom ingrained in me all these frugal hacks and how to be debt-free but for our mortgage. Thanks for inspiring me and I am adding your blog to my usual read list. Do you have a YouTube channel or Instagram page (since I frequent those)?

    Reply

  10. My total for the past 2 years: $39.40. Rolled coins – $22 ($10 in quarters, $10 in dimes, $2 in nickels). One undetermined coin. $2 in green paper dollars. $3.50 in pennies. $2 John Adams dollars, $1 Susan B. 25 more quarters = $6.25. 30 cents in nickels and $2.10 in dimes.

    Reply

    • Or it’s too cold to go outside, thus fewer chances to lose money?

      The last time DF and I were at the supermarket, I found 27 cents (plus a Euro and a Canadian quarter) in the Coinstar machine. At the next supermarket, I found a nickel on the floor. It’s not like when I lived in Seattle, though, because there I took a walk almost every day (sometimes twice a day) and found all kinds of coins. Bus stops were good places to look.

      Reply

  14. I also pick up coins. The floors around check out counters at gas stations are always a good bet.

    I also check Coinstar-sometimes silver dimes are kicked out. They are worth over $1 due to their silver content. If you aren’t sure it is silver, drop one on a hard surface. Silver (90% in US coins minted 1964 or earlier-dimes, quarters 1/2 dollars) has a distinct ringing sound.

    Also check the floor around/under Coinstar machines.

    Reply

  15. A couple of years back I’ve decided that I would try to give money or food to others in need. And I would do this daily. It doesn’t matter how much or how little I can give, I have to give it daily. I can’t express the joy this brings me. Someday I hope to make a bigger change that will ripple and create a bigger change in the world, and until then I am doing something, each day. Thank you for doing the same, Donna. Everything counts.

    Reply

Leave a Comment