The Change Jar

In our home as well as many others, we have a jar where we keep all of our spare change. Instead of spending any of the change we have on hand, we only pay in full-dollar amounts. Even if we are charged $20.01, we will pay with twenty-one dollars and save the change. I actually enjoy getting nearly a whole dollar as change to add to our change jar. Especially when we are on a cash-only diet, this change can really add up fast.

What to Use it For
A change jar can be used as a simple way to save little by little, possibly for a specific need or want. The change jar in our home is designated for food storage items. We are working on building an emergency reserve of food, and we use the money from our change jar to pay for those items. Other uses for a change jar could be:

College savings for kids

Family vacations or outings

Dining out

Retirement savings

Christmas presents

Of course, the reason you save your money is up to you. A change jar can generally be used for any expense that you would rather not include in your regular budget. Some people choose to use the money for practical reasons, like savings, and others prefer to use it for entertainment money that they might not otherwise want to budget for.

The great advantage to saving this way is that you hardly notice that you are saving money at all. Not spending your change each time you buy something is doesn’t seem like a sacrifice at the time. But it really does add up in the end.

One More Tip
Instead of paying money for a machine to sort and count your change, buy paper rolls to count the change yourself. They are sold at a minimal cost. Rolling coins might even be a fun way for you to recognize your hard work by counting your savings.