"See a Penny, Pick It Up!" Challenge

All three of my guys (hubby & two sons) are pretty careless with their change, I pick up everything I find and throw it into a vase on my vanity. I proclaimed a long time ago that if I found money anywhere in the house that it didn't belong, it was mine. :)

Yesterday there were 2x I was doing other things in the house and I just happened to notice that there were nickels in the floor, so I made 10cents. At one time I would have just picked them up and put them on the cabinent beside where I found them on the floor, for whoever lost them, but now I am pretty sure that the other people in our house don't care that much about losing them since my niece threw all that money away cleaning house and my mother didn't care.

When we did a deep cleaning of our apartment recently we found all kinds of coins lying around. Mostly pennies, but plenty of others, too. I've put most of the pennies into a couple of heavy colored glasses and pretty soon I'm going to take them to Albuertsons and put them in the change machine. The last time I did this (a couple of years ago) I got a slip for a $15 credit to use on that day's grocery shopping! I don't know if I've got quite that many right now, but I do know that it's going to add up to several dollars' worth of pennies. (My hubby just drops them all over the apartment because he doesn't figure they're worth saving.)

I would do that too when I have cleaned houses. You always feel like you need to leave it some place that they can see it. Just to prove your honest and won't steal from them.

Almost every day when I come into my office I find change on the desk that the cleaning people have found on the floor. I don't know how I can be so careless but it's nice of them to leave it for me. I think whoever finds money on the floor should keep it!

Yesterday, my son found a penny that had been painted into the lines in a parking lot. Ha! It amazes me how good of an eye he has for finding money. It took about 30 seconds to pry it out of the paint. Now telling how long it had been there.

Today was the first time I went to town since I joined the team. I found 3 cents. Two cents were in the middle of the floor in the beauty shop.

Pretty awesome, the way so many of you are teaching your kids to be savers!!

My daughter seems to find a coin 2 or 3 times a week. She's 5 and gets pretty excited by every penny or nickel. We are saving them together. I guess I need to get into the habit of looking more closely.

Yesterday I found 31 cents at the bar! I would not have found it if I wasn't deliberately looking.

I don't think that is at all ridiculous. Every penny, nickel, etc. adds up. She should start putting it into a jar instead of the trash. Maybe then she will see how quickly it can add up.

I just started so I haven't had a chance to actually pick up money but I sure like this idea. I had an Uncle who always opened the door at drive throughs and picked up sometimes several dollars worth at change. I have epilepsy so I don't drive that much. As soon as they quit playing with my med. again, and I wait 6 months I will.
I have a neice who just turned 23 who lives with us and when she cleans house, she throws away change that is laying around. Not just pennies, but nickels and dimes. I don't know of her throwing away quarters. People think I am being ridiculous thinking that she is wrong.

It is amazing how much he does find. Although one time he did get his head stuck between two video games trying to get to a quarter. Good thing I went over to check on him. He was okay... not hurt but it was a bit funny to see. After I got his head unstuck, he looked at the quarter again and I could see the thought of trying for it again cross his mind. I convinced him it wasn't worth it. Ha! I highly reccommend that she wear clothes that you don't mind get dirty and a few wet wipe too... floors aren't the cleanest in places like that. Ha!

I think I will suggest this to my daughter as an activity she can do so she won't get bored when we're shopping. That is so cool that your son has found so much money!

I didn't go through all the posts but I get the idea. That is actually a very good idea. Although we do everywhere not just when I'm walking. My son is VERY adimant about looking for dropped money. He actually is pretty smart about it too. First, he looks near any registers at the store, vending machines, pay phones, video games.... including in the coin returns. I guess he needs something to do while I'm shopping. HA! He actually finds quite a bit on one trip to Wal-Mart. Usually around $1.00. He even looks under the shelves in EVERY aisle. So if you are ever in St. Louis Wal-Mart and you see a kid crawling on the floor looking under the displays.... That would be him. Ha! He kepts his found money in a jar. We just deposited $15 into his savings.

Walked around the house picking up change again (my boyfriend is notorious for emptying his pockets where ever he thinks to). Got another $2.59. Yeah!

Edited by: -CORAL- at: 11/15/2009 (22:25)

Coral, that is great!! And I am like you, I haven't had much luck around town trying to find change. But the few times that I do, I have to move fast to beat my older son to it!!

I looked through all my old purses and found $2.82 in change. This brings my total found change to $8.10.
I also found a favorite necklace and ring that had been missing!

Edited by: -CORAL- at: 11/13/2009 (16:39)

OK so I walked around the house picking up change and found $5.28. I also found 2 missing library books! :D

Hi everyone, I just joined this team! I think this is really going to help me with my finances. In any case, I have never found money while out walking around outside (since being conscious of wanting to do this for the last few months). We have a lot of homeless people here and with the economy being so bad, I think lots of people are picking up money as soon as it falls! I will collect the change around the house today while cleaning and count that. It isn't usually my change anyway. It belongs to my boyfriend by I can steal it.. ha ha.. or maybe I should consider it cleaning income... More to come! Coral

Sweet!

I found one 10 cent around my home and also fortunately a $10 quarter change bundle popped up from one of my travel bag! It is now $10.13

Great, I am glad you found that!! I always wonder why people toss change, but hey, if they want to give me free money, I am all for it!! LOL!!

Hello Everyone,
I was out yesterday doing a few errands and on my way home I stopped to get some gas for my car. Guess What? I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. I found .75, someone must not like any change. So, I did what comes naturally for me. I bend down and picked it up. That brings my total to $1.09 in my jar for free money. Thanks! I just love this site.

Hi Aiym12, I am relatively new also. Welcome aboard! You will love this site. It encourages you to look for lost or free money like I call it.

I found another penny yesterday, whle bringing my granddaughter to her dentist appointment. That brings me up to .34 found money, or free money.

ya...I found 3 more penny today. This is my start.

Welcome, jump right in!! :)

Hi, I'm new! This looks like a fun challenge. I just cleaned out my desk at work (it was a workout, believe me!) and found 41 cents. So, that will be my starting amount.

found another .38 cleaning...taking total to $33.75....

Well, originally, it was just money found on the street when exercising.

But maybe just count money found on the street anywhere for this one. :)

33.37....Does won money count....If so then I can add $100...taking total to $133.37........

That is awesome on the coupons, way to go!!

I found .07 cents while out shopping the other day. Brings my total to .33 cents for finding money. But, on this shopping trip I saved $71.23 on my groceries with using my coupons. I think I did pretty good on that day.

found .41 on vacation taking total to $33.37....

Glad to see you jumping right in, Joe!!

Hi I'm new.

I am starting with 68 pennies.

Joe

They do add up... It can be amazing how quickly little pennies and dollars add up!!

These pennies are adding into dollars. Whee!!!!!
Found two more outside of Trader Joe's this morning.

This is my kind of challenge! Thanks!
Picked up a nickle yesterday- thought it was a quarter, though! Didn't pick up the penny I saw but that was before I saw this challenge! Never again!

Celtic, do you think that all the shimmying is shaking the pennies loose? :)

Found two dimes and a penny in the complex parking lot.
The jar is getting fed.

I found .10 over the weekend - one penny at a time.

Most of it in the YMCA parking lot where I've been belly dancing or teaching belly dancing every day.

Kim

Just found $.35 the other morning. Will be more attentive when walking again.

I found another penny today. Bringing my total to .26 cents.

I was walking out of my office just now and found $.25 under a box that has been sitting in the same spot for a year.

Found 5 cents when it fell out of the couch....I could hear more but I will have to cut the bottom open to get to it.......Taking total to $32.96.......

Cool!! Every little bit counts!! :)

I am always picking up pennies, and other change that I find. No matter what side of the coin happens to be up or down.I found two pnnies yesterdy when I brought my nephew to school. Also whe I was cleaning my car. I found eighteen cents. When I went inside to start sweeping and cleaning my living room I found five cents. Not bad for one day.

I really like that idea. I usually pick them up, I was never aware of the heads or tails superstition until adulthood, which is quite a feat in my family since the 3 previous generations are very superstitious. Me not so much, but once in awhile....Anyways, that is such a nice idea, talk about good karma!