MetaChat - I'm rich!

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28 January 2007

I'm rich! I just took my piggy bank (filled with dimes, nickels and pennies; I save the quarters for laundry) to the bank to be counted and I got $34! Drinks are on me!

post by: amro at: 13:11 | 13 comments

When I was a waiter, back in college, I kept all the change I came home with in a small jar. Then, it was a bigger jar. Then, a bucket. Finally, a tallish trashcan.

When I graduated and moved to Austin, I wrapped all the coins and deposited them. I estimated that I must have had almost $150 in change. It was nearly $900.

I was happy for a moment, until I realized how many times I really, really needed money and I never even considered my change stash.

posted by ColdChef 28 January | 13:17

Also, my roommate kept dimes in an Absolut bottle. When he filled it, he was thrilled until he realized that he had no way of getting the coins out.

It's a long boring story, but I'll give you the highlights: chisel, hammer, shattering, carefully picking dimes from shards of glass, many tiny lacerations.

posted by ColdChef 28 January | 13:20

My friend's mother is a waitress. She keeps her change from a year of working in a bucket, cooler or other handy storage container. Every year she takes it to the bank before she and her friends go to Vegas. It's about $1,500 each year.

posted by youngergirl44 28 January | 13:36

I've got a couple five-gallon buckets full of used bottle caps. How much do you think they're worth?

posted by box 28 January | 14:16

I just used up all my pennies last week. I expect to get more of course, but it was a happy day.

posted by safetyfork 28 January | 16:01

I usually cash out my silver change when I figure I have 20 bucks or so; it just sits on my nightstand. But pennies I put in this old-school coke bottle bank, I think I've been saving them in there since I was 10 or so. Sadly, I've only filled it up a few inches.

Maybe I need to carry more cash around instead of putting everything on my credit card.

posted by kyleg 28 January | 17:11

Heh. My son is a waiter and hasn't taken his money to the bank in a few weeks. So far he has $126 in coin and $1300 in singles. Now he has to count the larger bills.

posted by Doohickie 28 January | 20:17

kyleg - I have that same bank! I put my U.S. change in it (it's about a third full, no idea how much there is). I have a Kraft peanut butter jar shaped like a bear for my Canadian change (only loonies and toonies, last time I counted it was just short of $300).

posted by deborah 28 January | 21:57

I have two coffee cans full of change on my bookshelf and while the wife and I graze on it for laundry and occasionally the funds for a coffee or something else when we are skint, I'd guess there is probably about $160 to $200 in there, we will eventually coinstar it when we are really in need. I always refer to those cans as my 401k and then give a little hiccuping sob.

posted by Divine_Wino 28 January | 22:01

Yeah, we chuck money in a jar and cash it out every 6 months or so, when there is usually around $50-60 in there. Plus, it would make a great weapon.

posted by gaspode 28 January | 22:09

Well, when he was all finished, sonny boy ended up with about $3000 in tip money (this included what was left over about 6-8 weeks of waiting tables, minus gas money and other spending money).

I wish I could save money like that (then again, it costs money to keep a roof over sonny boy's head....)

posted by Doohickie 28 January | 23:17

Sounds like someone needs to start paying board to me ...

posted by dg 28 January | 23:33

Honestly? It's probably better to let him take care of the money. Mine is constantly disappearing....

posted by Doohickie 01 February | 01:03

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