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I Forge Iron

After all it is just a quarter.


Glenn

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In todays world 2 bits, 25 cents, or a quarter is not worth much. You get them in change and slip them into your pocket without much notice.

 

So here is the deal. 

Find a container, at least a quart in size, a gallon is better, paint cans work great. Remove the lid and make a slot in the lid so the quarter will just slide through the slot. Now put the lid back on the container tightly.  

 

Start at Thanksgiving or December 1, or when ever. Each time you get a quarter in change, hold on to it, do not spend it, but put it through the slot and into the container. Do not put any other coins through the slot, just any quarter you get in change. Do not sneak a peek or remove any of the quarters as you do not want to know how many are actually there.  Do however put the container in a safe place.

 

As the year progresses, keep putting each quarter you encounter into the container. 

 

At Thanksgiving next year (2015) you will then open the container and count out the quarters. Or take it to the bank and they will put it into their coin counter. How much money, who knows. You will have to wait until Thanksgiving 2015 to find out. 

 

 

After all, it was just a quarter, and  did not really cost you anything.  It is now free money, but only if you drop quarters into the container.

 

We will not ask how much was there but we will ask how you spent your free money (grin)

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Brings up the subject of pennies not being worth much. In Australia, they got rid of pennies in the 1960's when they revised their monetary system. They also got rid of bobs, shillings, etc. In the U.S., we keep trying to mint cheaper alloyed pennies. Shouldn't we get rid of them altogether, and perhaps use nickels as a substitute?

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Years ago I did the change thing with a 5 gallon water bottle.  It took about 5 years to fill.  Emptying it was tough; it weighed about 100 lbs.  I build a stand to hold it upside down, and used a dowel to dislodge the change.  Then, in the pre coin counting machine days, it took about three days to separate, count, and roll all of the change.  It did yield about $800.  It would never work today, as almost everything is on a Rewards credit card or gift cards.  The only thing bought with cash, usually big bills, is more iron for the museum.  I cannot remember the last time I had change in my pocket.

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24 years ago I got married. My wife dug out those pounds of change I had stashed. "Start rolling coins we do have money for a honeymoon".

 

Years before that I bought an old forge and blower with change from an old lady. Her comment was "won't run out of laundry money now".

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  • 11 months later...

This was started November 2014, and now a year has passed. Time to bring this back into the daylight and see exactly how much you got stashed away.

I can say that the wife found and broke open the piggy bank and withdrew $250 for a good kitchen tool she will use for years into the future. It makes her life easier and the food better, so it was approved. Cost me nothing but I gained several thank yous, and some extra points, and a couple of pounds. (grin) Last count the pig has not fully recovered but is close. It was a challenge to dedicate each quarter to the savings but the pig got fed. 

A year later it ends being $400 or so of FREE money. Cost nothing, but each quarter does add up.

How did you do? What have you had your eye on that you can invest some free money into?

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The day before plane day to S. Cal our boiler died and we had to call for emergency repairs. We were back maybe 2 days and the washing machine died and the dryer was so old we bought the set. Deb needed new studded tires on her pickup so we got those. We'll be taking a little dip into retirement savings this year but that's what they're for.

Frosty The Lucky.

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We are cleaning out the house and farm buildings to sell and move to our smaller more northern farm.  So every time we find any form of money we have been dropping it in cans and 4gal water bottles.  Have got quite a bit now trying to find a place to turn it in where they don't charge a fee to handle it.  One thing not allowed for was the weight of the water bottle may have to use a hand truck on that one.  Around 8 coffee cans plus the bottle, no idea of amount but anything is an improvement.

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My daily change is all in peso's and 4 days of lunches generates enough pesos to cover Friday's lunch.

Most other purchases in the USA are done by card.  However we budget and save as part of our normal life.  Spent $690 on truck repairs yesterday; pretty well drained the US$50 a month we allocate towards the truck.  (no loan payments, so $50 a month is not bad even if it tends to go out in large chunks once a year...)  Now my allowance for fleamarket, books, beer, vices and vises is done in cash---small bills and if it builds up I put a good sized chunk in my "power to the shop" fund in the bank.

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I wasn't on IFI last year, but even so, this wouldn't have made a difference. My wife and I have our money budgeted to the penny, so those quarters would have already been given jobs.

As for coffee, nothing beats a good French press. 

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  • 7 months later...

My cup runnith over.

Since this thread was started each quarter received as change has been saved. The quarter cup was filled and each time was exchanged for paper (easier to count).

As the wife did take notice of the activity, a bait jar was created for distraction and the safety of the program.

Since this started, there have been enough quarters saved to purchase a good sized, used, anvil at today's prices. That would be a FREE anvil, or money available for what ever you would care to purchase.

Just takes the dedication to save one quarter at a time.

 

Please let us know how your savings account is going. We want to take notes.

 

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