Author Topic: Throwing Change  (Read 20171 times)

MrMath

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Throwing Change
« on: April 22, 2015, 09:21:58 AM »
Hey all,
As I was walking into the grocery store yesterday I saw two college-age guys, like me, walking out. Before getting in their SUV, one of them threw his loose change on the ground and laughed.
I went over after they left and picked it up. Not pennies but two dimes, thank you very much! Absurd on their part, right?

GuitarStv

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2015, 09:23:07 AM »
I've always wondered who it is that throws the money I pickup around . . .

YoungInvestor

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2015, 09:36:48 AM »
I've been guilty of doing that a few times when wearing a suitfor an important meeting. I generally carry some paper money and id, but suit pockets are too small for change and it just looks bad. I left it at the counter instead of throwing it on the ground, though.

MgoSam

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2015, 09:50:33 AM »
I keep a cup at my desk for spare change and occasionally will bring it in for some cold hard cash. In college, my roommates would toss their change in a trash can, and were surprisingly hesitant to just give it to me or put it in my jar. So I got a second cup and told them that I would donate it, and they were happy to do so. Some people just don't think about it, but 20 cents a day means at least a dollar a week, and $50 a year. With an organization like FMSC, that's enough money to feed a kid in Haiti for 7 months.

FatCat

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2015, 09:59:41 AM »
I keep a cup at my desk for spare change and occasionally will bring it in for some cold hard cash. In college, my roommates would toss their change in a trash can, and were surprisingly hesitant to just give it to me or put it in my jar. So I got a second cup and told them that I would donate it, and they were happy to do so. Some people just don't think about it, but 20 cents a day means at least a dollar a week, and $50 a year. With an organization like FMSC, that's enough money to feed a kid in Haiti for 7 months.

I knew someone that would throw out all the coins except quarters when their wallets were full of change. I didn't know other people did that too.

deirdre08

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2015, 10:19:43 AM »
I have a very clear memory from when I was a very young child sweeping our kitchen floor and almost throwing away a few pennies that got swept up into the dustpan, only to have my dad stop me at the last moment when he spotted them. As an adult now it's very bizarre to me if I ever see anyone throw coins away. Wouldn't it be so much easier to allocate a jar to the purpose of holding on to them?

MgoSam

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2015, 10:23:08 AM »
I have a very clear memory from when I was a very young child sweeping our kitchen floor and almost throwing away a few pennies that got swept up into the dustpan, only to have my dad stop me at the last moment when he spotted them. As an adult now it's very bizarre to me if I ever see anyone throw coins away. Wouldn't it be so much easier to allocate a jar to the purpose of holding on to them?

Each evening growing up, my dad would put his wallet and keys in a drawer and would toss any change in there. Every once in a while he would tell me to clean up the coins, but they would be mine as payment. He would also require me to give him a breakdown of each. This was a way for him to keep me busy, but it was a lot of fun for me. As a 5 year old, seeing nickels, dimes, and quarters add up to $10 (big money for back then), was an eye-opener, and might contribute to why I am a mustachian today.

MrsPete

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2015, 11:18:18 AM »
I've seen students do this.  They never fail to comment on their wasteful choice, as if they whole purpose of doing it is to draw attention to their "surplus" and "lack of need".  Thing is, it's always the free lunch crowd who seems to do it; that is, the ones who can least afford to throw away money. 

Not wanting to carry change is a whole different story.  That's just putting your change away in a different location -- not discarding it altogether.

MrMath

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2015, 11:26:51 AM »
I've seen students do this.  They never fail to comment on their wasteful choice, as if they whole purpose of doing it is to draw attention to their "surplus" and "lack of need".  Thing is, it's always the free lunch crowd who seems to do it; that is, the ones who can least afford to throw away money. 


And then they'll complain about their student debt.

Kott308

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2015, 11:33:49 AM »
My grandfather, who taught me much of what I know about being a mustachian, used to say "Pick up any change you see. 10 pennies is a dime, and ten dimes is a dollar".

I teach in a middle school and my students throw their change on the ground all the time. I always say "Thanks for the raise!".

Capsu78

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2015, 12:11:26 PM »
All our change goes into the jar that goes into the travel savings account...I bend over and pick up all change with the knowledge that one day I will convert it into a nice cold beer in a foreign country!

mm1970

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2015, 03:17:47 PM »
Ha.  I sometimes drive people crazy. I like to shop occasionally at two stores that have self checkout.  Whenever I do, I always use the change that accumulated at the bottom of my purse.

rocketpj

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2015, 03:52:13 PM »
I always pick up change.  We don't see many pennies here in Canada anymore, but I'll still pick them up.

I've never seen anyone throw their change away.  The closest I've seen is the fairly common practice in Vancouver of putting your empties in the back lane for the dumpster divers to collect.

It is often the people who most need to be careful with money who feel most compelled to pretend they don't care about it.  Very common in my hometown for the broke friend to 'buy a round' or wear expensive clothes. 

Davids

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2015, 04:26:55 PM »
I pick up any change I see on the ground except if it is a penny on a public bathroom floor, I pass at that just to play it safe. If it is a nickel or a dime then I will take the chance...

carozy

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2015, 04:47:52 PM »
Speaking of picking up loose change, I came across two piles of 93 pennies and 1 10-cent Euro on Monday on my walk to work.  I know, because I picked up each and every one.

I make it a habit to always pick up change that's lying around.  I have found dimes a few times.  Seems like I pick up change nearly every week, at least.

zephyr911

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #15 on: April 23, 2015, 07:06:15 AM »
Speaking of picking up loose change, I came across two piles of 93 pennies and 1 10-cent Euro on Monday on my walk to work.  I know, because I picked up each and every one.

I make it a habit to always pick up change that's lying around.  I have found dimes a few times.  Seems like I pick up change nearly every week, at least.
Oddly enough, this happened to me last Friday. A buddy passed me on the road and called me, and we both stopped at a grocery store so he could give me a tool I needed. While BS'ing in the parking lot, I looked over and noticed an entire patch of ground that appeared to be shining... copper! By the time we picked it all up, it was over $3.
I figure even picking up single pennies gives a respectable hourly wage, but these were so thick that I scooped some up in handfuls. Assuming it took a whole minute, I earned $90/hr - beats the hell out of ~$35/hr riding this desk. ;)

mak1277

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #16 on: April 23, 2015, 07:50:03 AM »
Ha.  I sometimes drive people crazy. I like to shop occasionally at two stores that have self checkout.  Whenever I do, I always use the change that accumulated at the bottom of my purse.

I'd offer to buy your groceries if I was behind you in line.  I did this at the dry cleaner about a month ago.

mm1970

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #17 on: April 23, 2015, 12:28:22 PM »
Ha.  I sometimes drive people crazy. I like to shop occasionally at two stores that have self checkout.  Whenever I do, I always use the change that accumulated at the bottom of my purse.

I'd offer to buy your groceries if I was behind you in line.  I did this at the dry cleaner about a month ago.
I mentioned this in passing at our PTA meeting.  Our PTA is so hard up for money we talked about doing a change drive (one of the local charities does it at our school and it's hugely popular with the elementary school kids). 

Anyway, I said that I just grab all the change that I find, it goes in the bottom of my purse.  But see, every bank that I know of charges at least 5% or 7% to use their coin machines, and they won't let you bring in rolled coins.  So literally the easiest way to spend it is at the grocery store. My friends were HORRIFIED and said that would annoy them.

In my defense, I do it only a few times a year, and I'm generally shopping at non-peak times, so there is almost never anyone behind me - after all there are 4-5 self-checkouts.

FatCat

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2015, 12:49:52 PM »
But see, every bank that I know of charges at least 5% or 7% to use their coin machines, and they won't let you bring in rolled coins. 

Some of those coin machines don't take any of your money if you turn the coins into gift cards. Go through the menus and and see if they offer gift cards to places you shop at anyway.

James!

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2015, 12:58:17 PM »
I throw pennies away on principle, because it's absurd that they still exist even though making them costs us money.

Also, the ROI just isn't there on saving pennies.

This is the most amazing analysis of the cost of pennies I've ever seen (and just a generally wonderful site)

https://what-if.xkcd.com/22/ "Cost of Pennies"

-J


jj20051

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #20 on: April 23, 2015, 01:07:19 PM »
But see, every bank that I know of charges at least 5% or 7% to use their coin machines, and they won't let you bring in rolled coins. 

Time to change banks. Mine doesn't charge a fee unless it's over $300 worth of coins, then it's 1%.

EricL

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #21 on: April 23, 2015, 02:31:00 PM »
Small change is small potatoes.  We're not living in the 1940's where a few nickels would get you a meal. But even so throwing it away is a bad habit that can lead to further bad habits. And it's tacky - like picking your nose in public.

galliver

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #22 on: April 23, 2015, 03:05:03 PM »
Dimes and nickels get used for 50c breakroom coffee (academia; I think most businesses provide coffee free).

Quarters for laundry and occasional bus fare. And coffee.

Pennies go in a jar. I don't actually remember what happened to my last jar when I moved last summer...hectic time. I think I left it. Which is still better than trashing!! Probably had $2-3.

mm1970

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #23 on: April 23, 2015, 03:20:08 PM »
But see, every bank that I know of charges at least 5% or 7% to use their coin machines, and they won't let you bring in rolled coins. 

Time to change banks. Mine doesn't charge a fee unless it's over $300 worth of coins, then it's 1%.
I have a credit union, where the benefits far outweigh any local bank.

mm1970

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #24 on: April 23, 2015, 03:21:54 PM »
Small change is small potatoes.  We're not living in the 1940's where a few nickels would get you a meal. But even so throwing it away is a bad habit that can lead to further bad habits. And it's tacky - like picking your nose in public.
I dunno - you know my grocery budget is $80 a week. I pick up change whenever I find it (not much, I know), but I can easily scrounge $3 from around the house, in the car, bottom of the purse, etc.  That's a meal.  My typical budget for food is $11.40 a day, or <$4 a meal (for four people).

libertarian4321

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #25 on: April 23, 2015, 05:47:55 PM »
I throw pennies away on principle, because it's absurd that they still exist even though making them costs us money.

The fact that it's inefficient for the government to produce them (I agree) does not mean it's a good idea for you to "throw them away."  That's an absurd bit of "logic."

Quote
Also, the ROI just isn't there on saving pennies.

The analysis in the link is more than a bit ridiculous.

I only skimmed it, but here are a couple of points.  It does NOT take 3.6 seconds to bend over and pick up a penny, unless you are in some way disabled an extremely slow moving.  And even if it did, the tired old "time is money" meme isn't applicable UNLESS you would have used that time engaging in a for pay activity.  If it cuts into your TV time, the "time is money" bit doesn't apply.

And I'm quite sure most people don't leave a penny in their car for the 12 or so years it takes to go 140,000 miles.

I'm a multimillionaire, but I'll still bend over and pick up a penny.  I guarantee it takes me less than 3.6 seconds.  Also, the "cost of calories" wasted analysis is inappropriate for most people, since most Americans are not lacking in calories.  For most Americans, burning a calorie of two picking up a penny is a good thing.

So what to do with pennies?

SPEND THEM.

Preferably paying for something objectionable.  For example, toll roads.  I freaking hate toll roads, so on the rare occasion when I have to get ripped off for using a public road (e.g. the NY State Thruway), I give them a bunch of pennies.  For example, if the toll was $5.45, I'll give them a $5 bill and 45 pennies.

I also use them all the time at drive thru food joints. Especially at McDs, where you pay at window #1 while waiting to pick up your food at window #2.  You're just sitting there waiting in line anyway, so give the money taker 50 or 60 pennies.  They never object, and I get rid of pennies.

Also, when in a restaurant that has some sort of charity box, toss a few in there.

I never have a problem getting rid of them.

And if some idiot is tossing down big money (nickels, dimes, quarters), I'm not only going to pick them up, I'll knock people over to get to them :)

The Pigeon

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #26 on: April 23, 2015, 06:56:47 PM »
Wow! I can't believe anyone would just throw it on the ground!
I always pick up pennies or any coin. I also check the CoinStar machine at the grocery store--some coins won't process through, and people just leave them behind. Also, silver dimes don't work right in the machine, and sometimes you get a prize! (I like old coins).
I either take spare change to the CoinStar (no fee if you get a gift card) or simply spend them. Do exact change for enough small purchases, and use it up!

See a penny, pick it up, and all the day you'll have good luck! And increase your net worth! ;-)

-p

Hayden Frys Mustache

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #27 on: April 24, 2015, 12:03:07 PM »

[/quote]
I have a credit union, where the benefits far outweigh any local bank.
[/quote]

This....Most banks are anti-mustachian enterprises....especially any bank that charges fees for services credit unions provide for free. I've always wondered why someone would pay more for banking services....or pay a bank more than a CU would charge. There are some good community banks, but my experience with the big ones is pretty brutal.

James!

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #28 on: April 24, 2015, 08:30:42 PM »
I throw pennies away on principle, because it's absurd that they still exist even though making them costs us money.

The fact that it's inefficient for the government to produce them (I agree) does not mean it's a good idea for you to "throw them away."  That's an absurd bit of "logic."

Quote
Also, the ROI just isn't there on saving pennies.

The analysis in the link is more than a bit ridiculous.

I only skimmed it, but here are a couple of points.  It does NOT take 3.6 seconds to bend over and pick up a penny, unless you are in some way disabled an extremely slow moving.  And even if it did, the tired old "time is money" meme isn't applicable UNLESS you would have used that time engaging in a for pay activity.  If it cuts into your TV time, the "time is money" bit doesn't apply.

And I'm quite sure most people don't leave a penny in their car for the 12 or so years it takes to go 140,000 miles.

I'm a multimillionaire, but I'll still bend over and pick up a penny.  I guarantee it takes me less than 3.6 seconds.  Also, the "cost of calories" wasted analysis is inappropriate for most people, since most Americans are not lacking in calories.  For most Americans, burning a calorie of two picking up a penny is a good thing.

So what to do with pennies?...

Perhaps you should spend less time picking up coins and more time working on your ability to appreciate comedy :-)

Here's a sampling of topics addressed by https://what-if.xkcd.com/  "what if":

"If a T-rex were released in New York City, how many humans/day would it need to consume to get its needed calorie intake?"

"What if I jumped out of an airplane with a couple of tanks of helium and one huge, un-inflated balloon? Then, while falling, I release the helium and fill the balloon. How long of a fall would I need in order for the balloon to slow me enough that I could land safely?"

"If you call a random phone number and say “God bless you”, what are the chances that the person who answers just sneezed? On average, not just in spring or fall."

"What if one were to drop 3,000 bouncy balls from a seven story parking structure onto a person walking on the sidewalk below? Should the person survive, what would be the number of bouncy balls needed to kill them? What injuries would occur and what would the associated crimes be?"

While the guy is a physicist with a tenure at Nasa, it's clearly intended to be humor. I'm sorry you didn't see that.

SailAway

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #29 on: April 25, 2015, 10:38:28 AM »
I shop at Aldi and last winter when it was super cold people were just leaving their carts in the parking lot and not returning them for the quarter deposit. Why, yes, I did go around and collect the carts. Only partially for the money. I can't stand loose carts in the parking lot. It's my pet peeve that people will push the cart all over the store but as soon as they get to the car the are too lazy to take it another 10 feet. 'Murcia, I guess.

It also drives me nuts to see people at Aldi buy shopping bags rather than bring reusable ones, from both a financial and environmental perspective.

horsepoor

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #30 on: April 25, 2015, 11:09:49 AM »
I still remember how pissed at me my mom was when she saw me throwing away some pennies that had gotten into some wax or sticky substance.  She didn't yell much, but she did that time, and I haven''t thrown away currency in that very literal sense, since.

So I was very surprised when an older co-worker told me a couple days ago that he throws pennies into bushes "as a protest against still having pennies in the currency system."  Not sure what it proves, but there you go.

carozy

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small change update
« Reply #31 on: April 25, 2015, 12:02:39 PM »
I found another 3 pennies yesterday.  I was on my bike and stopped and picked up all 3.  They were all from different locations.  Not sure how many exact seconds it took me each time I slowed down, stopped, reached over, and grabbed the penny, but it doesn't really matter, because I wasn't late to where I was going, and like I said before, I like picking up pennies.  Seems like once I got in the habit of picking up pennies, I find them everywhere, pretty regularly.  Pennies and other change.

I need one of those paper penny rolls at this point.

MrsPete

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #32 on: April 25, 2015, 06:20:48 PM »
It also drives me nuts to see people at Aldi buy shopping bags rather than bring reusable ones, from both a financial and environmental perspective.
I ALWAYS forget my bags when I go to Aldi's, but I refuse to buy bags ... so I just put the stuff in my trunk, and then I have to make 50 trips in and out of the house.  As efficient as I am, you'd think I'd carry some bags in my trunk all the time. 

Random Internet Stranger

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #33 on: April 25, 2015, 08:21:13 PM »
I always pick up coins when I find them.

I always think of my grandad tho...he would save his coins and "drop" them for me to find as a little girl. It was kind of our thing together. He would always act so surprised when I would find this small stash of pennies/dimes/nickles, and sometimes even a quarter OR a silver dollar. I knew he dropped them for me, and he knew he dropped them for me, but it was that special something between us.

He has been gone for a long time now... 31 years, but I when I find that shiny dime or penny on the ground, sparkling in the sun....I sort of think sometimes that MAYBE he still drops them for me to remind me to be happy and that he still loves me :)

They are Angel coins as my mom calls them :) They all go into my special jar to be donated to charity.

Latwell

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #34 on: April 25, 2015, 09:22:37 PM »
My brother and I got into my car. I then notice a dollar bill on the ground outside about to blow away in the wind. I turn to my brother and get super excited there's a dollar! He just laughs. I then yell at him, "what are you doing? why aren't you moving?!" I then make him quickly jump out and run after this dollar bill floating in the wind. bahahaha. Was pleasant to watch.

Laura

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #35 on: April 25, 2015, 09:37:09 PM »
I always pick up money, even if it's just a penny on the ground. Just recently, in the parking lot of my condo building, I found a folded up dollar bill with weed in it LOL. It was right in the middle of the parking lot. I shook out all the weed into the dumpster and I kept the dollar bill. The person who dropped that dollar didn't just lose the dollar, they lost their joint for the night! Haha.

okits

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #36 on: April 25, 2015, 10:05:35 PM »
Add me to the list of those shocked anyone throws change away.  I guess they're the ones feeding those charity change collection boxes by cash registers?  We've done away with the penny in Canada so you don't see them much anymore, but I think anything a nickel onwards is worth picking up.

mm1970 - ha ha, I have done that, too.  Sure lightens the purse!  And it doesn't even really take that long.  I'll buy some small things entirely with change (though we do have $1 and $2 coins, so it's not like I'm handing over a hundred nickels or anything.) Cashiers don't really seem to mind, exact change is nice for them, as is receiving coins so they're unlikely to run out.

faithless

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #37 on: April 26, 2015, 05:20:39 AM »
In the UK the self service supermarket checkouts usually have a coin slot that's actually like a funnel, so whenever I go through one I just tip my purse up over it and it counts all my change including my found pennies quickly and automatically. I like that lazy/stupid people pay for some of my food shopping.

gaja

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #38 on: April 26, 2015, 06:03:14 AM »
The other day driving on the highway here, the car in front of me started throwing out money. Not an option to stop for them when you are going 110 km/hour, I'm just glad those coins didn't trash my car.

Some people don't think further than their nose.

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #39 on: April 26, 2015, 11:25:20 AM »
My husband hates carrying change in his wallet. Fair enough - it does get heavy and bulky. But he used to throw coppers away into the actual bin! I was shocked and told him to give them to me, and I'd put them in my jar. "But what do you do with them?" he asked, genuinely confused. "You can't spend them." "You can," I said, "if you just pay them in at the bank. Then they put that among of money into your bank account." He had absolutely no idea that you could do that. He's changed his tune now, though!

FatCat

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #40 on: April 26, 2015, 01:35:08 PM »
The other day driving on the highway here, the car in front of me started throwing out money. Not an option to stop for them when you are going 110 km/hour, I'm just glad those coins didn't trash my car.

Some people don't think further than their nose.

You should have reported them. They could cause a wreck from people trying to dodge them. Someone was on the news several years ago for throwing out $1 bills to see if other cars would pull over to try to collect them.

Laura

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #41 on: April 27, 2015, 04:48:33 AM »
I shop at Aldi and last winter when it was super cold people were just leaving their carts in the parking lot and not returning them for the quarter deposit. Why, yes, I did go around and collect the carts. Only partially for the money. I can't stand loose carts in the parking lot. It's my pet peeve that people will push the cart all over the store but as soon as they get to the car the are too lazy to take it another 10 feet. 'Murcia, I guess.

It also drives me nuts to see people at Aldi buy shopping bags rather than bring reusable ones, from both a financial and environmental perspective.
I've never been to a grocery store in America that makes you put a quarter deposit to get the carts and makes you pay for shopping bags. But I remember that when I studied abroad in Sweden, their grocery stores were like that. I would return any cart I saw to get the coin back and I'd bring my own bags cause I thought it was absurd to have to pay for the plastic bags.

pancakes

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #42 on: April 27, 2015, 06:14:05 AM »
I picked up some change once that a kid had dropped at a bus stop and attempted to hand it back. She asked if I thought she looked poor and refused to take it.

I have a jar of coins that I've found on the street. I find at least 5 cents each time I do a grocery shop and have almost enough now for a trip to the bank to change it. This year I've also found $60 in notes in the street.

kaposzta

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #43 on: April 27, 2015, 06:39:37 AM »
I never pick up money, I left it there even if it's a banknote. I don't really need it, so I think it's better if the next person picks it up. He/she might need it more than I do. My wife thinks I'm crazy :)

The weird thing is that I dream a LOT about picking up money from the ground or from water, and it feels so good :)

zephyr911

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #44 on: April 27, 2015, 06:43:50 AM »
My husband hates carrying change in his wallet. Fair enough - it does get heavy and bulky. But he used to throw coppers away into the actual bin! I was shocked and told him to give them to me, and I'd put them in my jar. "But what do you do with them?" he asked, genuinely confused. "You can't spend them." "You can," I said, "if you just pay them in at the bank. Then they put that among of money into your bank account." He had absolutely no idea that you could do that. He's changed his tune now, though!
How is it possible to think that coins minted by the government cannot be spent?

The Pigeon

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #45 on: April 27, 2015, 07:21:51 PM »
Today, abandoned in the CoinStar machine's reject slot. Always worth a look!: (hope the photo works).

shelfins

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #46 on: April 27, 2015, 08:49:17 PM »
When I was a kid, my mom's boyfriend always paid for things in dollars and would drop his leftover change at the end of the day in a HUGE jar he kept in kitchen filled with coins. My brother and I offered to roll all the coins for him so he could deposit them at the bank in exchange for some percentage of the money (this was back before there were CoinStar machines). I had so much fun doing it and it was super exciting for me to see how much money the coins added up to, especially all the quarters! Maybe it is part of the making of a Mustachian? Or maybe it's just Mustachians who think this is fun enough that they get excited about it...

cerebus

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #47 on: April 28, 2015, 04:32:32 AM »
In South Africa we have people asking you for change at every single intersection, and when you park there's always a parking attendant expecting a tip for watching your car. It's a bit ridiculous because I don't feel my car needs watching, and I never asked for their service, but it's also quite hard to get away from. So any spare change above R1 (below R1 is basically worthless, nobody takes it and I have to admit I don't watch those coins very much) goes to the 'car guard' pot because you always feel guilty when you don't have coins, and it's very little i actually buy in cash these days.

math-ya

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #48 on: April 28, 2015, 05:28:22 AM »
Someone super glued a quarter onto the cement on the Main Street in my home town. Endless people would try to pick it up all day hah. I wonder if it's still there. We also used to play poo dollar a lot hah

shelivesthedream

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Re: Throwing Change
« Reply #49 on: May 31, 2015, 03:50:38 AM »
My husband hates carrying change in his wallet. Fair enough - it does get heavy and bulky. But he used to throw coppers away into the actual bin! I was shocked and told him to give them to me, and I'd put them in my jar. "But what do you do with them?" he asked, genuinely confused. "You can't spend them." "You can," I said, "if you just pay them in at the bank. Then they put that among of money into your bank account." He had absolutely no idea that you could do that. He's changed his tune now, though!
How is it possible to think that coins minted by the government cannot be spent?

He didn't mean "has no financial value", he meant "you would not turn up to a shop with £5 in 1p coins and try to buy something, and there is no way to turn those 500 pennies into a more easily spendable form of money".

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!