While I will pick up coins I find, I don't go out of my way to look for them. I do believe in saving both on the big things as well as the small wherever I can. And all of our "found" change goes straight into savings. Thankfully we don't have any credit card debt!
This question makes me remember the human nature. Some people would spend so much time collecting pennies from the ground, and looking down, and stop living life because they want to find the small coins, while, they miss the sky, they miss the moment.
It is true, pennies can be a simbol of small things that happen, and the small things, at the end can count for a big thing... But, I do not know for sure...
Let´s say that people trow away coins in the fountains... If someone would not clean the fountains, then, the fountains and their beauty would be lost... It´s kind of like the same concept.
So, I would rather say that, a penny that is placed in a specific location, and attracts many other pennies to the same exact location (say a fountain, a wallet, a jar...) would come out as a big amount later on (which can still steal beauty at the moment/place)... But, if you have to spend TIME looking around, at the floor or a messy place, then, no matter how much is the nominal value of the coin (unless it´s made of gold and silver and diamonds and it is big) then, YOU ACTUALLY LOST TIME, AND THAT IS A EXTREMELY BIG LOST, WHICH, YOU MAY NEVER, NEVER, EVER RECOVER FROM.
As many have commented, this site still has limitations on the areas which it covers, though I think that this is a great resource for someone looking to buy a home. It's amazing to see the ways that technology is advancing the amount of information we can receive in a heartbeat.
Found change I pick-up (even broken pennies) and donate to a local animal shelter. I walk a lot and am amazed at what I find.
Money saved on small items (e.g. I drink soda--diet caffinefree soda-- and buy the store brand instead of a name brand or about 77 cents per 2 liters vs 1.49) is accumulated and when enough is collected (25 dollars), it is put into a DRIP stock.
The trick with the small amounts of money saved is to make sure that the small savings are noted, summed, and then actually put to a desired use.
(If this post wins the random draw, please donate any prize value to the Prison Book Program or any prison library.)
I enjoy water with a few peppermint or spearmint leaves. Perhaps ten to a dozen works for a gallon of water; just let them soak for about an hour, and it's ready to go.
For longer bicycle rides, I put about a shot of apple cider vinegar in my Camelbak (about a liter or so in capacity), and it helps keep my mouth hydrated as I bike.
Yes I pick up pennies, My Grandmother used to call them pennies from heaven because if you found one someone deceased was thinking of you!! So now every time I find one I know shes thinking of me. My point is its only money the important thing is how you view & relate to it. I ask myself if I need or want on discresenary objects. I don't want to just buy junk & fill up the local land fill.
I think big ticket purchases deserve a level of due diligence in terms of research, comparison shopping, questioning whether it's a real need, etc. A lot of money can be saved there and these purchases tend to stay with you so you want to do your homework. It's important to be mindful when it comes to small items, too, e.g. calculating and comparing unit prices in the grocery store (which also keeps your brain sharp!), but too much of it wastes time. Everyone is different, but I am one of those people who gets very stressed out when I'm late for an appointment or if I feel like I've been running at 100% all day. I need personal time. Spending a few extra bucks on a toll road so that I can get where I'm going faster, or paying for a convenient gym membership near work, or any number of small things that make my quality of life better are worth it for me.
I definitely believe in that. I don't go crazy trying to pick up pennies or save tiny bits of cash, but it does make enough of a difference - it's that "get rich slowly" mentality.
Penny pinching helps but I don't think it adds much to long-term savings IF you have are a homeowner. Every time I think I've got a good emergency fund built up, I find out I have a rotten wall in the shower ... or my water heater blows up ... or I need a new A/C unit. Sigh. At least I can pay for those repairs when I need to and don't have to go into debt. But I can't seem to really save to get ahead.
I'm in the middle. I do a lot of the small things and many of the big things but I also do spend on some less practical things.
I pick up change I see lying on the ground. I clip coupons. I drink water at restaurants. I shop sales. I did a lot of research before buying my car and won't make major purchases without more research than most people thing is possible.
But I also buy books (at the used book store) rather than using the library, subscribe to a few comic books and enjoy ice cream and cookies bought from those horribly overpriced stores at the mall. They're little indulgences that I enjoy on occasion (well, roughly monthly with the comic books). I could save that money, but the joy that the "frivolous stuff" brings me is worth it to me.
I work in the mortgage industry and keep saying that the internet will replace real estate agents who are just middlemen. I see sites like this all the time but they are difficult to navigate, require a membership to just look, or limited to certain areas. There needs to be a simple real estate site that's easy for the seller to post and easy for the buyer to browse. And make communication between the buyer and seller simple. Like Craigslist but a bit more sophisticated
At least that's what some people say. I firmly believe that "a penny saved is a penny earned". Once you start saving those pennies somewhere, in a jar, coffee can, unused shoe or whatever have you, they really start adding up! On the other hand, if you leave that penny on the ground or buy that latte' you are losing money.... which by the way...is the opposite of earning. just my 2 cents.
The big ticket savings steps are definitely more exciting and dramatic, but there are only so many you can do, whereas with penny-pinching techniques you can usually find another one to add to the list if you want to increase the effect.
Large one-off actions like selling a car etc can also have the downside of being treated (and acting) like a windfall income, rather than regular savings, as in they only last so long, and you often get most or all the money saved as a lump sum, which takes discipline to handle correctly. They also usually have a much greater effect on day-to-day life, making them harder.
The slowly but surely approach has always appealed to me - as a child I used to enjoy watching containers fill up with rain a drop at a time - I think personality has a lot to do with it.
I'm someone who falls in the middle. I'm very frugal but sometimes I just feel like its worth it to spend the cash, even if the items aren't technically 'necessary'.
A good example: My vaccum cleaner has been broken for a while. As I only have two small rugs to vaccuum, I've just been sweeping them clean. But I have a cat and cat hair has added up and now I feel awful every time I look at them.
I also have old dish towels that are ten years old. yes, they're still perfectly usable, but they are stained and worn and I'm embarassed for others to see them.
This morning I took $85 out of the bank and bought new dishtowels and a small vacuum cleaner.
I could have gotten by without spending the money and I'm sure it would have been a great thing to put towards another bill, but..... When I walk into my kitchen and see my shiny new dishtowels I smile, and my allergies seem to be minimized by the fact that my rugs are now super clean instead of marginally clean.
It may have been money i could have saved, but I'm so very glad I spent it!!
I have a netspend card and it's great. You have to read the fine print for certain transactions especially online stuff they will put a hold on some of your money. That's for your protection
Dude your husband is a lier. He applied for that card and just didn't want to tell you. Period. Problem solved. You have to go in and apply for that card they don't just send it to you.
I pay $60 a year for unlimited access, the cost of 2-3 bounced checks. I've been using them for over two years and never had a problem. When I was using a bank there was usually "something" that went wrong once a month. either direct deposit not being posted or being posted late, and then being charged overdrafts on stuff when all the transactions happened in the same day.
NEVER HAD A PROBLEM and its well worth the money. Id rather pay for the service up front instead of dealing with a bank Fuc*ing me around.
These are great points.
A great read for similar ideas is the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm sure most of you already read it. It basically says that working harder/smarter and being determined is what sets the successful apart. Chance and rare opportunity also need to be taken into account.
Change definitely matters. Look at Bank Of America and their keep the change advertising campaign. Would they spend all that money to advertise something that would not make a difference for their bottom line?
I usually pick up change if I see it, someone else would if I don't. On occasion, if there is too much foot traffic or it is inconvenient in other ways, I would avoid it.
I think picking up pennies is more of an obsession for me... I have a *really* hard time not doing it, and will only pass them up if I'm in danger of being run over by doing so. (I probably missed out on more than a few dollars in high school this way, but I would have been trampled.)
I keep all of my nickels, dimes and quarters in one bank, and I have a huge plastic jug from some old apple juice to house all of my pennies... The ~1 gallon jug is probably around 80% full, ALL pennies. I'm dreading the day I have to go to a bank and give them all up... I'm somehow attached to the money nobody else wants. I relate somehow, I guess? I dunno, but I love my pennies.
I'll buy cheaper versions of items at the grocery store or just go without. Most of the time, if you go without something for awhile or substitute, you find that you never miss it.
While I will pick up coins I find, I don't go out of my way to look for them. I do believe in saving both on the big things as well as the small wherever I can. And all of our "found" change goes straight into savings. Thankfully we don't have any credit card debt!
This question makes me remember the human nature. Some people would spend so much time collecting pennies from the ground, and looking down, and stop living life because they want to find the small coins, while, they miss the sky, they miss the moment.
It is true, pennies can be a simbol of small things that happen, and the small things, at the end can count for a big thing... But, I do not know for sure...
Let´s say that people trow away coins in the fountains... If someone would not clean the fountains, then, the fountains and their beauty would be lost... It´s kind of like the same concept.
So, I would rather say that, a penny that is placed in a specific location, and attracts many other pennies to the same exact location (say a fountain, a wallet, a jar...) would come out as a big amount later on (which can still steal beauty at the moment/place)... But, if you have to spend TIME looking around, at the floor or a messy place, then, no matter how much is the nominal value of the coin (unless it´s made of gold and silver and diamonds and it is big) then, YOU ACTUALLY LOST TIME, AND THAT IS A EXTREMELY BIG LOST, WHICH, YOU MAY NEVER, NEVER, EVER RECOVER FROM.
As many have commented, this site still has limitations on the areas which it covers, though I think that this is a great resource for someone looking to buy a home. It's amazing to see the ways that technology is advancing the amount of information we can receive in a heartbeat.
I like rolling loose change.
Found change I pick-up (even broken pennies) and donate to a local animal shelter. I walk a lot and am amazed at what I find.
Money saved on small items (e.g. I drink soda--diet caffinefree soda-- and buy the store brand instead of a name brand or about 77 cents per 2 liters vs 1.49) is accumulated and when enough is collected (25 dollars), it is put into a DRIP stock.
The trick with the small amounts of money saved is to make sure that the small savings are noted, summed, and then actually put to a desired use.
(If this post wins the random draw, please donate any prize value to the Prison Book Program or any prison library.)
I enjoy water with a few peppermint or spearmint leaves. Perhaps ten to a dozen works for a gallon of water; just let them soak for about an hour, and it's ready to go.
For longer bicycle rides, I put about a shot of apple cider vinegar in my Camelbak (about a liter or so in capacity), and it helps keep my mouth hydrated as I bike.
Yes I pick up pennies, My Grandmother used to call them pennies from heaven because if you found one someone deceased was thinking of you!! So now every time I find one I know shes thinking of me. My point is its only money the important thing is how you view & relate to it. I ask myself if I need or want on discresenary objects. I don't want to just buy junk & fill up the local land fill.
I think big ticket purchases deserve a level of due diligence in terms of research, comparison shopping, questioning whether it's a real need, etc. A lot of money can be saved there and these purchases tend to stay with you so you want to do your homework. It's important to be mindful when it comes to small items, too, e.g. calculating and comparing unit prices in the grocery store (which also keeps your brain sharp!), but too much of it wastes time. Everyone is different, but I am one of those people who gets very stressed out when I'm late for an appointment or if I feel like I've been running at 100% all day. I need personal time. Spending a few extra bucks on a toll road so that I can get where I'm going faster, or paying for a convenient gym membership near work, or any number of small things that make my quality of life better are worth it for me.
Assuming there is no opportunity cost and/or externalities (e.g., more time, harder work, side effect to you or others), penny saved is penny earned.
I definitely believe in that. I don't go crazy trying to pick up pennies or save tiny bits of cash, but it does make enough of a difference - it's that "get rich slowly" mentality.
Penny pinching helps but I don't think it adds much to long-term savings IF you have are a homeowner. Every time I think I've got a good emergency fund built up, I find out I have a rotten wall in the shower ... or my water heater blows up ... or I need a new A/C unit. Sigh. At least I can pay for those repairs when I need to and don't have to go into debt. But I can't seem to really save to get ahead.
I'm in the middle. I do a lot of the small things and many of the big things but I also do spend on some less practical things.
I pick up change I see lying on the ground. I clip coupons. I drink water at restaurants. I shop sales. I did a lot of research before buying my car and won't make major purchases without more research than most people thing is possible.
But I also buy books (at the used book store) rather than using the library, subscribe to a few comic books and enjoy ice cream and cookies bought from those horribly overpriced stores at the mall. They're little indulgences that I enjoy on occasion (well, roughly monthly with the comic books). I could save that money, but the joy that the "frivolous stuff" brings me is worth it to me.
I work in the mortgage industry and keep saying that the internet will replace real estate agents who are just middlemen. I see sites like this all the time but they are difficult to navigate, require a membership to just look, or limited to certain areas. There needs to be a simple real estate site that's easy for the seller to post and easy for the buyer to browse. And make communication between the buyer and seller simple. Like Craigslist but a bit more sophisticated
At least that's what some people say. I firmly believe that "a penny saved is a penny earned". Once you start saving those pennies somewhere, in a jar, coffee can, unused shoe or whatever have you, they really start adding up! On the other hand, if you leave that penny on the ground or buy that latte' you are losing money.... which by the way...is the opposite of earning. just my 2 cents.
The big ticket savings steps are definitely more exciting and dramatic, but there are only so many you can do, whereas with penny-pinching techniques you can usually find another one to add to the list if you want to increase the effect.
Large one-off actions like selling a car etc can also have the downside of being treated (and acting) like a windfall income, rather than regular savings, as in they only last so long, and you often get most or all the money saved as a lump sum, which takes discipline to handle correctly. They also usually have a much greater effect on day-to-day life, making them harder.
The slowly but surely approach has always appealed to me - as a child I used to enjoy watching containers fill up with rain a drop at a time - I think personality has a lot to do with it.
I'm someone who falls in the middle. I'm very frugal but sometimes I just feel like its worth it to spend the cash, even if the items aren't technically 'necessary'.
A good example: My vaccum cleaner has been broken for a while. As I only have two small rugs to vaccuum, I've just been sweeping them clean. But I have a cat and cat hair has added up and now I feel awful every time I look at them.
I also have old dish towels that are ten years old. yes, they're still perfectly usable, but they are stained and worn and I'm embarassed for others to see them.
This morning I took $85 out of the bank and bought new dishtowels and a small vacuum cleaner.
I could have gotten by without spending the money and I'm sure it would have been a great thing to put towards another bill, but..... When I walk into my kitchen and see my shiny new dishtowels I smile, and my allergies seem to be minimized by the fact that my rugs are now super clean instead of marginally clean.
It may have been money i could have saved, but I'm so very glad I spent it!!
I have a netspend card and it's great. You have to read the fine print for certain transactions especially online stuff they will put a hold on some of your money. That's for your protection
Dude your husband is a lier. He applied for that card and just didn't want to tell you. Period. Problem solved. You have to go in and apply for that card they don't just send it to you.
I pay $60 a year for unlimited access, the cost of 2-3 bounced checks. I've been using them for over two years and never had a problem. When I was using a bank there was usually "something" that went wrong once a month. either direct deposit not being posted or being posted late, and then being charged overdrafts on stuff when all the transactions happened in the same day.
NEVER HAD A PROBLEM and its well worth the money. Id rather pay for the service up front instead of dealing with a bank Fuc*ing me around.
These are great points.
A great read for similar ideas is the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm sure most of you already read it. It basically says that working harder/smarter and being determined is what sets the successful apart. Chance and rare opportunity also need to be taken into account.
Change definitely matters. Look at Bank Of America and their keep the change advertising campaign. Would they spend all that money to advertise something that would not make a difference for their bottom line?
I usually pick up change if I see it, someone else would if I don't. On occasion, if there is too much foot traffic or it is inconvenient in other ways, I would avoid it.
May we all "change" for the better :)
In 6 months 35 kids raised $2400 in spare change for their theater in HS.
I think picking up pennies is more of an obsession for me... I have a *really* hard time not doing it, and will only pass them up if I'm in danger of being run over by doing so. (I probably missed out on more than a few dollars in high school this way, but I would have been trampled.)
I keep all of my nickels, dimes and quarters in one bank, and I have a huge plastic jug from some old apple juice to house all of my pennies... The ~1 gallon jug is probably around 80% full, ALL pennies. I'm dreading the day I have to go to a bank and give them all up... I'm somehow attached to the money nobody else wants. I relate somehow, I guess? I dunno, but I love my pennies.
I'll buy cheaper versions of items at the grocery store or just go without. Most of the time, if you go without something for awhile or substitute, you find that you never miss it.
To me, a penny saved is worth the price until I exhaust myself saving a penny. Then, somehow, it costs me a dime to get revived.