Things You Can Do With Loose Change

In our present economy, I've started looking at something I used to value greatly as a kid but not so much as an adult. It's called 'change'. No, not the stuff of political campaign speeches, but the pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters that rattle around in our pants pockets and the bottoms of our purses. Nowadays we only care about the green stuff, we've forgotten how those little, round metal pieces can add up.

If you grew up with everything you ever wanted, you probably won't appreciate the wisdom of this hub. However, If you were a kid that had to have a paper route, rake leaves, clean the house, etc. for extra money you'll understand what I'm talking about completely.

When I was a kid, I knew my parents could afford whatever I wanted, but my dad made me work for things that were 'wants' as apposed to 'needs'. (I have the work ethic I do because of Dad-but that's another hub.) So, I had to be creative. I knew that Dad always carried a lot of change in his pants pockets. He had also taught me that pennies add up. I'm a quick study and I've never been a snob about monetary denominations-enough pennies will still get me what I want. Well, Dad had his favorite reclining chair in the den where he would go after a long day at work. I discovered that when he reclined all the way in the chair, the change would fall from his pocket onto the carpet under the chair. What a deal! So, I always made sure Dad relaxed. Did he realize I was doing this? Dad was a smart man, and I'm sure he realized he had empty pockets when he took his clothes off. But he never said anything. After awhile, I told him and he laughed. But he never stopped sitting in the chair and reclining-all the way back. I can't even begin to tell you how much that loose change supplemented my allowance.

My kids are just as resourceful. They learned early on that change worked just as well as dollars. They also knew their dad was a tight-wad, yet saw no value in loose change. In fact, he saw it as an encumbrance. So, instead of asking him for 'money', they always asked if they could have his change. Smart kids.

Whenever I see a penny on the sidewalk, or in the parking lot, or on a floor, I always pick it up. I call them "pennies from heaven". They have come in handy over the years. Like at the check stand when someone needs a penny to finish their purchase, or your child is twelve cents short of their bus fare; little things but important things. Pennies add up very quickly, and two rolls of pennies equals a dollar.

I know, you're wondering what kind of fundraiser could you have that involves loose change. And stop looking at me in that tone of voice. I'm serious. Let me give you some examples.

Churches:

Set aside one month (or any other length of time) to receive a "Change Offering". For the entire week have the congregation -kids too- collect all of their loose change. Then on Sunday bring it to church and give it during the special offering. Do this each week for a month. You will be amazed at the amount of money you will receive, and it hasn't added a burden to your members. A really great time to have this kind of offering is in conjunction with raising money for your building fund. Another is to use it to raise money for scholarships to youth camp.

Schools:

Can you imagine how much money you would be able to raise with all of the kids and their families saving their loose change? You could probably do away with having the students going door to door, or bugging family and friends to buy the same cookie dough and magazine subscriptions every other child is selling. Not to mention the meager percentage the company gives you to sell their product. This way 100% of the money is yours. There is less stress all around-teachers, kids and parents.

Family Vacations:

Tired of crappy vacations? Want to really be able to enjoy yourself and not have to worry about every penny? Get a huge jar and have everyone in the family put their loose change in it for a year. Use the money to help with the cost of your next summer vacation. It may even help you upgrade your travel, hotel, etc.

Christmas:

Everyone always seems to overspend during the holidays. But, if you start saving your loose change on January 1 and save all year, you can pretty much put away your credit card over the holidays, and you'll enjoy them so much more. Think of all those day after Christmas sales!

How many of you have said you would be willing to help those in need if you just had some extra money? Well, your extra change can going a long way in buying someone a meal. You don't have to try and feed a multitude. Just one person will help. Just think what would happen if each of us who could fed just one person. Use your extra loose change to buy a little extra food when you grocery shop, or buy an extra dinner when you go out.

Since it's summer, one fun thing to do is listen for the ice cream man. When he gets on your street, watch and see if there is a kid who just hangs in the background because they don't have money for anything. Watch their face as you call them over and buy them the ice cream or popsicle of their choice; it's priceless. And you didn't have to go into your wallet, it was just your loose change. You do reap what you sow. Understand what this scripture is actually saying. Most people always associate it with money. However, it is quite literal. If you sow kindness, you reap kindness. If you sow compassion, you reap compassion, If you sow love, you reap love. These things are of much greater value than the little bit of change you spent, and there will come a day when you will need these things to come back to you, trust me.

I know that wrapping your own coins can be a pain, so you should wrap them periodically. You can use Coin Star, but remember, they charge a 9.8% fee to count your money. That's money that could be in your pocket. They make their money counting on the laziness of humans. If you are a group or organization, this is especially important. The fee could add up to a lot of dollars. You can just round everyone up and make a party out of wrapping all the coins.

Whatever you decide to do, this is a great way to collect and/or save a sizable amount of money without hassling family and friends, depleting your bank account, or putting yourself under a lot of financial stress. Give it a try. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.