Pinching pennies has always had its benefits. Otherwise, why else would all frugal minded people be busy doing it? Sometimes, we lose sight of the reasons that we pinch those pennies, and what the big picture is. In fact, sometimes, it even begins to feel more like work, than a lifestyle. It is nice to get a reminder, or see the fruits of our labors, every once in awhile.
I got that opportunity recently. In our bedroom, we have a huge water cooler jug. It is the kind that sits on top of the ceramic bases and dispenses water. I’ve had it for years, and drag it with me every time I’ve moved. Sometimes, when people hear about it, or see it, they wonder why I would even bother using it, since it certainly isn’t attractive.
First, I took the water jug and placed it in the corner of our bedroom, out of normal eyesight, so I don’t have to worry about what it looks like. We don’t notice it by sight, but trust me, we know it’s there.
Before bed, we gather up change from pockets, the car, or anywhere else in the house that we have seen it, and we dump it into the water bottle. It takes a long time, when you first begin saving, to see any noticeable difference, with a bottle that size. And when it is only about a quarter of the way full, it’s hard to move. When it’s halfway full – it’s nearly impossible, and when it’s totally full, you should probably just dump it out. But it’s still worth it.
The other day, I took our huge water jug, and dumped it out. It was a little less than half full. We’ve been saving since just before Christmas, which was the last time we emptied it. As frugal as it seems, to roll change and get the most for your money, it’s a tedious job with that much change, so I was off to Coinstar. Even with Coinstar’s percentage, we had $204.88 in change. What a nice surprise that was, and it is allowing us to take a much needed family camping vacation in a couple of weeks.
What you choose to do with your change, is up to you. The last time we changed out, it was about $180 or so. We purchased several large gifts for three of our children – which included a camera and three mp3 players, among several smaller items. You have no idea, how fast change adds up. Set a goal and save change for a certain amount of time. You’ll be thrilled with your savings.