Another year of picking up money: change amassed from sidewalks, parking lots and the return bins of those Coinstar machines. This year it added up to $8.80.
It’s not as much as I’d hoped for, but a lot more than I’d feared. Sometimes a couple of weeks would pass between finds, and I’d wonder if I’d even manage to get $5 in 2017.
Regular readers know the drill: All year long I glean specie (and occasionally folding green) wherever I find it, and drop the cash into a vase my daughter gave as a gift when she was little. After a dozen months I count it, round it up and send a donation to the Food Bank of Alaska.
Denomination-wise, here’s how it broke down:
- 17 quarters
- 31 dimes
- 10 nickels
- 95 pennies
This time around, the food bank gets $20.
This year wasn’t as lucrative as one I had a few years back, when picking up money included a $20 bill I found while walking the High Line in New York. But as ever, I get a small charge out of finding small change.
Why? Because it adds up. Because it stretches my giving dollars. Because every penny does matter.
It’s a good example of how small steps can ultimately lead to large rewards. Next time you’re about to spend even a little on something that that won’t make much difference in your life, ask yourself why.
Little things mean a lot
Maybe you’ll snap awake and think, “Why do I want to grab a soda at the gas station? I’m 10 minutes from home!” Or you’ll decide that even though $1 is a swell deal for that (whatever), you’ve already got enough clutter and had better walk away from the yard sale.
If you decide not to buy, try this frugal hack suggested by my daughter: Save your savings. That is, send the amount you would have sent over to your savings account when you get home. (Or use an app like Tip Yourself.)
You might be surprised (or alarmed) by how much you might have otherwise spent. But you should be delighted that you still have that money, separate from the everyday budget and now available to go toward a financial goal: emergency fund, retirement, entrepreneurship or whatever idea fills you with purpose.
Should you decide to buy anyway, go ahead: It’s your money. Keep up a habit of aimless spending and it may not be your money for long. Such things are fun in the moment, but add up to a lot of opportunity cost.
Budget for the basics (including those goals!) and do allow for some fun stuff. Just not all of it. I’d also recommend finding ways to help others because it gets you out of your own head, i.e., it reminds you that no matter how tight things are you can still find a way to give back.
In my case, that giving includes cash. Picking up money isn’t for everyone, but it works for me. The food bank can do a lot with that extra $8.80.
Readers: Do you find money? What do you do with it?
Related reading:
- Filthy lucre
- Are dimes the new pennies?
- Why ‘found’ money matters
- Can’t get ahead? Try a ‘savings challenge’
Yes, I do find money. I always have good intentions to follow your example of putting it in a jar, but inevitably, it goes in my change purse. I can do better.
I love this thought and I took it on a few years ago after reading your post. I will also bend down for any coin on the ground. I think mine added up to $3.83 last year. I usually add that to my donation to the SPCA on giving Tuesday in November. Your right…it makes ya feel good 🙂
Yes, I pick up change and save it, for sure. This year (2018) I am doing something different with my change. I am saving the pennies separately, for buying a small gift for the boy that I sponsor through Compassion International. The other change is going into a giant baby bottle bank, the beginnings of a college fund for my grandson,Lucas, who will be born at the end of March. I have bought one of these baby bottle banks for the parents-to-be as well as one for the other grandparents to be. Small change, over time can ad up to a lot. I wonder how much we will have saved by the time Lucas is 18?
Your mission — should you choose to accept it — is to come back here in 18 years and let us know how Lucas made out.
And congratulations.
You guys are so disciplined… sigh… I do pick up change, we put it in a jar and then use it as part of our vacation money. Sometimes it winds up in my pocketbook, however, and then I usually use it when I’m at the grocery store for that one item that costs $2.05!
Yes I have been saving the change I find for years now. I first read about it when you worked for MSN. I am saving for a down payment on a trailer. I love this idea. I have always picked up money since I was a kid. I am counting my year earnings today.
Come back and let us know how you made out?
I just counted for the last 5 years and my total is 511.23!
Wow. I want to walk where you walk.
I walk all over and I have been lucky people drop coins for me to get and some green as well!
My found money for the yet was close to $60 this year. I work on a college campus so there’s always money on the ground it seems! I donate the money to a local animal shelter, and this year it went to the TNR rescue that we adopted our kittens from.
I also keep track of any money we saved each month and transfer that into a savings account that I have set up for my husband and myself. Hubby and I split the monthly savings and use that as our fun money.
Two very good examples of the power of looking down. Thanks for sharing them.
Yes, I’ve been picking up money for years now. I deposit it into my savings account.
I can’t remember the exact saying about picking up a penny will give you luck all day but it’s one of the reasons I started picking up coins as a kid. The other reason was the excitement my mom got seeing pennies or other coins. As a kid my mom would go “look girls a penny!!! See the amazing things you can see when you look?” That always stuck with me.
Find a Penny
Pick it Up
And All Day Long You’ll Have Good Luck!
When I saw a penny as a kid, I got excited because I could buy a piece of candy on the way home from school.
In the case of Hershey’s Kisses, I could get two pieces.
Gee, I’m old.
I adore this idea! I love that you donate the proceeds, too. I’ve been meaning to find more ways to give in life; this seems like one that’s a no-brainer. 🙂
re: donating found money: My thinking is, it was never MY money in the first place. All I did was pick it up, so why not pass it on?
I think of it as “stretching my giving dollars.” There’s a point at which I can no longer afford to give cash, so anything I find keeps the donations going a little longer.
I also donate via gift cards I get from rewards programs. Specifically, I’ve been having diapers, paper products, and a few groceries sent to a family I know who’s struggling financially. Again, these gift cards stretch the “giving” category of my budget.
I’m a dime finder it seems—which I love. Even in the snow & mud I find them…or rather they find me it seems. I like to put them in my pocket and go about my way without spending them for a while. I Googled the significance of finding dimes online and one thing said it was a loved one who has passed on connecting with you & reaching out & trying to help you from “the othe side”. Lord knows I can use all the help I can get! Joking aside, it makes me think of my dad each time who has passed on & I take a moment to tell him I love & miss him & to say “Hi Dad!”. It works for me.
I’ve heard the same thing said about pennies.
Here’s my woo-woo moment: Shortly after fleeing my abusive marriage, I was walking on a Seattle street when I saw two pennies on the sidewalk. One was dated the year I got married and other was dated the year I left. Spoooooky.
when I find a penny I say ‘what do you want to show me GD’? Yikes!
I share your disappointment for “found money” this past year. I own a property that is adjacent to a shopping center. Unfortunately trash blows over onto my property. BUT with it comes “folding money”. Usually I find $20-30 on average thru the year when cleaning up the debris. This year? A dollar? I wonder what this is a sign of? People being more careful with their money….Or stronger winds that blow the dough elsewhere?
Maybe people are being more careful in your neighborhood. But do your tenants still throw pennies on the floor?
I too will reach for found money! I store any quarters separately and donate them to my nephews savings account each Christmas. I have been doing this since he was 7. The other coins we save and then split between him and his sister’s savings at the end of the year. They will have a nice chunk of change when they are ready to use it. I donate as well, but have noticed that some of the charities I use have a wish list on Amazon. I love the concept and know exactly where my donation is going. Love reading your blog!
Charity wish lists on Amazon? I should check that out.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
if you use amazon a lot try amazon smile. all you do is click through the charity’s website link and shop like usual then a portion of your purchase is automatically donated to the charity. No extra steps!
I pick up money too, but haven’t found much lately. I think part of it is because so many people use cards to pay for things these days. Even school kids have a lunch card or prepaid lunches so they’re not carrying cash and dropping bits on the ground. of course I live in a metro area so maybe that makes the difference.