Is loose changing piling up at your house? Put it to good use with the following ideas. It will be like found money working toward a good cause.
Gift Cards
Turn all of that loose change into a gift card or two or three, depending on how much change you find in jars, pockets and the couch around your home. The gift cards can be used to thank the school bus driver or garbage man, as an unexpected gift for the baby sitter or just as fun money to spend when you are feeling down (one of my friends swears by a trip to Target as a mood booster).
One of my favorite ways to use a gift card that was purchased with loose change is as a random act of kindness to a stranger. Usually I zero in on the mom juggling three kids and a wad of coupons at the grocery store who looks like she hasn’t had a moment to herself in a decade. This is simply because I can relate to her, but just choosing someone you want to randomly gift is part of the fun.
A Big Purchase
I’ve heard of loose change buying everything from a Disney vacation to a big screen television. It is amazing how quickly you’ll find ways to add to the spare change jar when you are saving for something that the whole family wants.
As a bonus, you’ll find yourself using cash more, just to generate the change, or skipping the lattes and breakfast muffins at work in order to put more money into the fund. Purchasing things with cash instead of cards has been proven to make you spend less. The spare change is now working for you.
Once you meet your initial goal, make sure to set a new one and keep the ball rolling.