3.56, or 3 Free Chocolate Bars

How many times have you walked by a penny on the ground? Or a nickel? A Quarter? I see it everyday, and in my mind, maybe its because I'm dutch, but its a little bit stupid. So much of what we do is aboout saving money, about saving every little penny. Iif you are at the grocery store and one loaf of bread is $2.33 and another completely comparable loaf is 5o cents off at $1.80, you're gonna go for the cheaper one, without a doubt. You go to a vending machine, and one is selling cans of coke for $1, but that discount brand is $0.50, you go for the discount nearly every time.

But that 50 cents is in that quarter you walked by the other day, and those 2 dimes and a nickel you saw on your way home. If you think of that spare change, those pennies, and quarters and nickels and dimes, you realize you probably dropped by at least one penny a day, and usually much more. If you had actually picked up that penny, one a day for a whole year, you'd end up with $3.56, or, as I like to see it, 3 free chocolate bars. Now if someone gave you 3 free chocolate bars, free of charge, no obligation whatsoever, you would take it, of course you would. But this is a bare minimum; what happens if one day instead of a penny, you picked up a dime, or a quarter? All of a sudden this $3.56 turns into $5. Now add in that change in your pocket you actually collect this time instead of having no idea what to do with it and your up in the $20 range.

Don't believe me? I did it, I picked up change, as much as I could, in my grade 12 year. I was in high school, so their was always change left on the floor of the caf or in the hallways; change I picked up and put into a piggy bank. I recently took the time to roll this coinage, while I watched TV so it wasn't like i was putting any extra time towards it. I ended up with $38. $38 from one year of coinage. I was surprised.

Now I didnt buy 38 chocolate bars, as it may look like i'm suggesting. I actually gave the $38 to charity. People, at least those who are frugal like me, are always wondering about charitable giving: often they would like to give but they don't know how much they should give or how much they can afford. My advice? Pick up the change, roll the change, and hopefully you can make some change. Give it a try, all it takes is stooping once a day, pickin up that lucky penny, and maybe you can make a difference.