The Power of the Penny

Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and spring is on its way. This is the time of year where we come out of winter hibernation and get active, travel and go out more. So, today I decided to start collecting change in my "Fun Fund" jar for the upcoming season.

Well, to be quite honest, I really just wanted to lighten my purse. I'd noticed how heavy my bag was for the past few weeks and wondered if I simply just carried too much "stuff" with me or if something else might be causing me to feel as if I were carrying barbells on a daily basis. After further inspection of its contents, I came to the conclusion that it was weighed down with way too many loose coins. Funny how they seem to go straight to the bottom of your purse never to be seen again unless you send out a search party. It was time to make a change and lighten the load.

 I decided to take out my large decorated plastic jar we had used last year to countdown our days to Disneyworld and recycle it into something useful. I carefully took all of my loose coins from my purse and placed them in the jar. Then I did the same thing with my console in my car. Next, was the scavenger hunt through my house to find other areas where pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters might be hiding.  By the time I finished my jar was  a quarter way full and a little heavy.  Really, how does one who seems to stay broke have so much loose change? 

Of course, after seeing how many coins were already in the jar, I couldn't resist counting some of it. Wow! I probably have close to forty dollars (if not  a little more) just in change. That's a dinner and movie night for my son and I or it could be an outing to the zoo and a pizza. Amazing how something so little can add up so quickly.  By this point the wheels in my mind were working over time. We could continue to save coins until summer vacation for extra spending money or we could use it every few weeks for a short outing. Then again, we could also save it for small emergencies. The possibilities are endless.  It's a win-win situation. My purse is lighter, coins are not usually something you will miss from your monthly budget and you'll have a little extra dough on hand for a nice treat once in a while.  Sounds like a good plan to me!  Bring on the change. I might even throw in a few loose ones here and there to help my "Fun Fund" add up more quickly.