Spare Change

**cyclonewriter** · 09-30-2008, 04:26 PM

I noticed there is a change jar challenge here on the forum and I am planning to investigate that further, but I was wondering what everyone does with their spare change. Do you use it for little things like lunch money, etc or save for larger things or just deposit it and add it toward the debt snowball? I am just wondering what the best thing is to do and I love all of your opinions, etc...

**itsahumanzoo** · 09-30-2008, 04:46 PM

I consider it "free money" basically when I pay cash for groceries, I round my spending up to the nearest dollar, and the change goes in the jar. That money is counted out of the budget, therefore it's free. I try not to spend it, but I might use it if we want to go out to eat and I don't have it in the budget, or something like that. I last used the money in the jar to get DS a haircut after he cut off the front of his hair. I'm hoping I'll be able to leave it alone and let it build up for Christmas.

**TexasPeanut** · 09-30-2008, 04:51 PM

We have a giant piggy bank and when I say giant I mean HUGE and it is a pig, a glass pig to be exact. So we've been saving our change for years. It's full now and DH and I were just talking last weekend saying we needed to load it up and take it to the bank and have it exchanged and the money put into our savings. Last time hubby was bored to death and curious he started counting it out and he gave up at around $475 and he was only 3/4 through the pig. We are planning on this Saturday heading to the bank with it and dropping the money into our savings account. .

Forgot to add, this will be used just for regular savings. We already have our EF in cash funded here at home.

**ladykemma2** · 09-30-2008, 05:59 PM

when the bowl gets full, i take it to the walmart, use the coinstar machine and do the bi-weekly grocery shopping

**Amanda W** · 09-30-2008, 06:48 PM

We just save ours at the house. Kind of like a super, super emergency fund. We call it "bail money."

**anna021** · 09-30-2008, 07:03 PM

I started out collecting cedar banks, you know the ones at vacation places the say"Welcome to Lake George" or "Welcome to Wisconsin" anyway, having all these banks seemed to be the perfect start to saving change. I've got quite a few filled. I call it my pin money, not sure what that means, but my Grandma always called the money she got for selling eggs, her pin money. I guess its here for that rainy day.

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 09-30-2008, 07:05 PM

I save mine for a beach vacation and have been for years. I pay my kids to do chores in quarters, so it hasn't added up to as much as it would have otherwise, but it works for me. If I had debt it would probably go towards that.

**mhope** · 09-30-2008, 08:02 PM

save mind for food during Thanksgiving through News Year.

**staceyy** · 09-30-2008, 08:26 PM

We save it and use it for small emergencies. My computer broke and I needed a new one. I had about $500 in change so I used it to buy a new computer several months ago. My bank does not charge a fee to their customers for using their change machine.

**emily_hope** · 09-30-2008, 08:35 PM

I have used mine to pay off credit cards, gas for vacations and right now I am just socking it away in savings.

**Mo-BayMom** · 09-30-2008, 08:50 PM

I have a plastic take out container in my desk drawer that I throw my $5,$10 and $20 coins...they add up quickly!! I use them to buy the daily paper so I have exact change because I buy it roadside. I use it to buy hot roasted peanuts from the street vendor as we drive why..again exact change. Dh laughs me about my stash of money but I don't see him turning down the hot roasted peanuts! lol

We have $1 coins too but we don't use them unless we 'have' to. LOL

**McD** · 09-30-2008, 08:53 PM

We put it in our son's college savings.

**Lady_V** · 09-30-2008, 09:06 PM

We roll it and tuck it away for a 'all heck broke loose and we're gonna starve if we don't use it' emergency fund.

**Laura2** · 09-30-2008, 09:11 PM

Personally I always carry my change and I always use it when paying for things.

But my fiance hates carrying change so he brings his home and puts it in a jar. Sometimes it get raided for things like when we really want to eat out but don't have the extra money or when I need cash for a bus ticket or for the bridge toll.

**dschipman** · 09-30-2008, 10:58 PM

We just recently started our change jar again after 3 years. We started a change jar about a year before we got married and we had enough in there to pay for our hotel and a nice dinner on our honeymoon. NOT BAD for just a year of savings. You would be surprised just how much change you accumulate in a short amount of time.

It is tough though, my husband has a coin collection and we always have to look to make sure its not something he needs. GRRR LOL

Dawn