There’s something deeply satisfying about turning a handful of dusty coins into hundreds of dollars. In large numbers, pennies are far from useless. If you’ve saved a lot of them, like HHH and me, turn them into cold hard cash. That saved coin can add up to more cash than you ever dreamed!
Deep into early fall cleaning, we recently decided to cash in our coin jars. I’d already turned in the pennies weeks before, totally more than $100. Sadly, I’d wasted the time rolling them and then found out most banks won’t accept them. Unwrapping them in a flash, I went to Coin Star at the local Walmart. After fighting with an aging machine for longer than it should have taken, I was delighted with the outcome. The rolled coins I’d been hanging onto forever needed to be the next to go.
The next time we went together. At that time, HHH mentioned that our Credit Union had a Coin Star machine we could use for free. In no time, we were the Coin Stars! It was rather like winning a jackpot without the risk of gambling. We were both shocked at the results. Saving big money doesn’t need to be about giant sacrifices, but more about being sneakily consistent.
There is something strange about those of us who save coins. I’d often dreamt of sitting through the winter looking for that one valuable coin. In reality, the chance of that happening is very small. Besides, my winters now are busy having fun with HHH.
Amazon offers something called the 100 Envelope Savings Challenge book. With this inexpensive little system, you can try a challenge that’s right for you. $500 in 30 days. $1,000. $5050. $10,000 in 52 weeks. Each book comes with 100 numbered pockets in which you put a certain amount of money each day, week, or month, depending on your goal.
In 2007, my girlfriend really wanted a flat-screen television, so her budget-conscious husband told her to save for it. She decided to save $5 bills. Anytime she found one in her purse, it went into the TV fund. She even began to sneak $5’s from her hubby. She was driven. It took a while, but she finally had a brand new flat screen on her wall after months of being mindful and consistent. In the end, she fessed up to her husband. It turned out he knew it all along and thought it was cute. He’d even added a few $5’s to her jar when she wasn’t looking. It’s not about the amount but about consistency, patience, and a laser-like focus on the goal.
Here’s the beautiful truth: you can save any amount once aware of your spending habits. That’s it. No magic tricks. No 7-step financial bootcamp. Just awareness.
It’s easy to spend in the moment while grabbing lunch out because it’s easier, buying that $12 candle that smells like “coastal dreams” (whatever that means), or subscribing to a streaming service we forgot we had. But when you pause and put that $10 aside instead? It quickly adds up.
Saving shouldn’t feel like punishment. Turn it into a game, like choosing which envelope to fill today. Do a little victory dance when you find $3 in your jeans pocket and toss it into the coin jar. It’s about stacking up small wins until they turn into big changes.
So, whether you’re rolling quarters, labeling envelopes, or channeling your inner $5 hoarder, just know that every little bit counts. It only takes a goal and action to accomplish something big! However you begin, make it fun.
More tomorrow.
