Comments on: Hunting for Change http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/ Bridging the gap between saving money and investing Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:35:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: bleason http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-272060 bleason Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:17:18 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-272060 As a retiree in my sixties, I walk one hour each day. I walk fast, but with head down and eyes focused looking for money. This morning was a good walk money wise. I found four quarters, three dimes, two nickles and forty pennies. I have been taking money walks for about two months. What follows are a few observations and safety tips. I walk streets at curb level. I do limited scanning, eyes mostly focused in a two to three foot area. If a coin is spotted, I look for clusters as coins are often lost in bunches. Recently I found seven quarters in a cluster outside of a bar. When walking streets, I detour onto parking lots and walk the stripped areas. This technique resulted in my largest find to date, a ten dollar bill. I also walk parking lots of appartment complexes. My largest multiple coin find was 35 pennies in an appartment parking lot. Finding money is dependable in all socio-economic neighborhoods. For safety, I wear a reflecting vest and an orange sun visor cap. I am always aware of the sound of autos, bicyles, and other pedestrians. I place all of my findings into plastic jars, wash the coins, and then when my granddaughters visit, we take the coins to the machines that convert coins into larger denominations. We spend the money on granddaughter treats. As a retiree in my sixties, I walk one hour each day. I walk fast, but with head down and eyes focused looking for money. This morning was a good walk money wise. I found four quarters, three dimes, two nickles and forty pennies. I have been taking money walks for about two months. What follows are a few observations and safety tips. I walk streets at curb level. I do limited scanning, eyes mostly focused in a two to three foot area. If a coin is spotted, I look for clusters as coins are often lost in bunches. Recently I found seven quarters in a cluster outside of a bar. When walking streets, I detour onto parking lots and walk the stripped areas. This technique resulted in my largest find to date, a ten dollar bill. I also walk parking lots of appartment complexes. My largest multiple coin find was 35 pennies in an appartment parking lot. Finding money is dependable in all socio-economic neighborhoods. For safety, I wear a reflecting vest and an orange sun visor cap. I am always aware of the sound of autos, bicyles, and other pedestrians. I place all of my findings into plastic jars, wash the coins, and then when my granddaughters visit, we take the coins to the machines that convert coins into larger denominations. We spend the money on granddaughter treats.

]]> By: Help Me Friend http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-221223 Help Me Friend Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:32:13 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-221223 "Is it really worth the effort to pick up a penny? There is the time involved and then the chance of injuring yourself doing so. While getting injured isn’t likely, a reward of 1 penny isn’t much. When you begin looking at it like this, it may not be so smart to pick it up." I never ever pass up a penny. I don't care if it is in the mud, at the bottom of a stairwell and I have to go further down to get it. It is money. You might break your back for $100.00 but you don't want to strain yourself (wuss) for any other denomonation of cash. PICK UP YOUR FREE MONEY OFF THE GROUND. “Is it really worth the effort to pick up a penny? There is the time involved and then the chance of injuring yourself doing so. While getting injured isn’t likely, a reward of 1 penny isn’t much. When you begin looking at it like this, it may not be so smart to pick it up.”

I never ever pass up a penny. I don’t care if it is in the mud, at the bottom of a stairwell and I have to go further down to get it. It is money. You might break your back for $100.00 but you don’t want to strain yourself (wuss) for any other denomonation of cash. PICK UP YOUR FREE MONEY OFF THE GROUND.

]]> By: dan http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218861 dan Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:34:43 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218861 @ counterpoint I don't think it is so much about the money as an attitude overall. Yes, a single penny might not work out to be the best use of time for the money, but the attitude that coins aren't worth picking up probably costs you in many other ways. @ counterpoint

I don’t think it is so much about the money as an attitude overall. Yes, a single penny might not work out to be the best use of time for the money, but the attitude that coins aren’t worth picking up probably costs you in many other ways.

]]> By: counterpoint http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218848 counterpoint Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:20:13 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218848 Is it really worth the effort to pick up a penny? There is the time involved and then the chance of injuring yourself doing so. While getting injured isn't likely, a reward of 1 penny isn't much. When you begin looking at it like this, it may not be so smart to pick it up. Is it really worth the effort to pick up a penny? There is the time involved and then the chance of injuring yourself doing so. While getting injured isn’t likely, a reward of 1 penny isn’t much. When you begin looking at it like this, it may not be so smart to pick it up.

]]> By: ben http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218827 ben Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:46:58 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218827 Never understood why people wouldn't pick up coins. Money is money. Never understood why people wouldn’t pick up coins. Money is money.

]]> By: moneybags http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218528 moneybags Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:50:44 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218528 My favorite change finding spot was the toll booth. I picked change up every time through. Now that I have the IPass, I drive through the fast lanes. I miss the change, but it isn't worth the time. My favorite change finding spot was the toll booth. I picked change up every time through. Now that I have the IPass, I drive through the fast lanes. I miss the change, but it isn’t worth the time.

]]> By: anonymous http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218492 anonymous Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:02:20 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218492 I bike with a guy who picks up change. I have seen him stop, in the middle of the road, to pick up a penny or two. The absolute best case for this guy is that he finds a few dollars per year. The worst case is he gets whacked by a car. Penny-wise, pound-foolish. I bike with a guy who picks up change. I have seen him stop, in the middle of the road, to pick up a penny or two. The absolute best case for this guy is that he finds a few dollars per year. The worst case is he gets whacked by a car.

Penny-wise, pound-foolish.

]]> By: Aleta http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218217 Aleta Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:30:33 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218217 My son dated this girl that would put her change into her car, but if it was pennies, she would kick them out of the car and would say how worthless they were. My son started telling her how I saved pennies in piggy banks, rolled them into the coin wrappers and took them to the bank and bought savings bonds with them. I paid $206.25 and in Oct of 2007 had a value of $1,005.60. We just cashed in 2 of them that matured for $500 and bought his daughter (my granddaughter) a $1,000.00 bond paying $500. for it. He wanted to pass it down. By the way, he didn't marry the girl who kicked the pennies out of the door of her car. Like you, i have found money inside the slots of self-pay where people have forgotten to take their change. You can't turn that in. It has no ID unless it had something with it to identify it. Like you said it is free money. My son dated this girl that would put her change into her car, but if it was pennies, she would kick them out of the car and would say how worthless they were. My son started telling her how I saved pennies in piggy banks, rolled them into the coin wrappers and took them to the bank and bought savings bonds with them. I paid $206.25 and in Oct of 2007 had a value of $1,005.60. We just cashed in 2 of them that matured for $500 and bought his daughter (my granddaughter) a $1,000.00 bond paying $500. for it. He wanted to pass it down. By the way, he didn’t marry the girl who kicked the pennies out of the door of her car.

Like you, i have found money inside the slots of self-pay where people have forgotten to take their change. You can’t turn that in. It has no ID unless it had something with it to identify it. Like you said it is free money.

]]> By: mom-from-missouri http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218192 mom-from-missouri Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:07:25 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218192 I found a lot of cash and some gift cards in a pink purse with no ID. I didn't trust the store with it. So, I put an ad in the paper to call, describe and claim. I got a call-it belonged to a 8 year old girl. It was money she had saved up and lost in the store. She was so happy to get it back she baked me a cake. I found a lot of cash and some gift cards in a pink purse with no ID. I didn’t trust the store with it. So, I put an ad in the paper to call, describe and claim. I got a call-it belonged to a 8 year old girl. It was money she had saved up and lost in the store. She was so happy to get it back she baked me a cake.

]]> By: dawn http://www.pfadvice.com/2008/01/19/hunting-change/#comment-218136 dawn Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:27:44 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/01/19/102001_hunting-change.html#comment-218136 "People looked at me funny when I crawled under the bench to get it" I think the above comment is one reason why people don't stoop over to pick up money, they quarter isn't worth the funny looks “People looked at me funny when I crawled under the bench to get it”

I think the above comment is one reason why people don’t stoop over to pick up money, they quarter isn’t worth the funny looks

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