Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Change!

There's a family in New York who pick up every coin they see discarded on the street. Would you feel strange bending down to pick up a penny? Perhaps you'd reconsider when you learn that in 5 years they've found $1087? Generally I only pick up a coin if it's silver and shiny, but for $200 a year I might be tempted to put more effort in!

And as for money that's already mine...

When cleaning out my old car for scrapping I found ~£6 in change. It made me wonder just how much change I have knocking around whilst I've been struggling to pay back my debts! I sling 1, 2 and 5p pieces into my flowery piggy banks (both gifts, it's not like I collect them!). I've never considered these coins to be worth my time as it takes sooo many of them to make a substantial amount. I'm slowly coming round to the frugal notion that every little really does help, especially when I can't justify spending 30p on a hot chocolate some weeks!

Well, it was time for me to look after the pennies and hopefully the pounds were about to look after me!

After opening up both piggies I was pleased to find a nice little pile of coins in each (although I felt that I was violating one of them whilst dragging the 2p coins out!). It looked like a fair amount of change but nothing to get too excited over. 

Sitting in my counting house counting out my money (wearing gloves because I really hate the smell of money!) I found I had accumulated £7.21 of coppers! 

The real excitement came from lining up stacks of 5p coins... I'd collected £14.50! This is over a few years, but hey, I can really use that money! :)

Altogether I'd been ignoring on £21.71 of “useless” change! That's a month of free phone contract with a fiver left over for a trip to the cinema (2-for-1 of course)!

Next time I see a penny, I'm picking it up!