I have an idea that you can tell the wealth of a country by the amount of money you can find on the ground. I find on average a quarter or more almost every single day. What does that say about us in the U.S.? Do we value money less or is this a reflection of the change to our monetary system to a more digital system? When I watch people walk by change sometimes I wonder “why don’t they pick it up? A few years ago I spent 3 weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina where change is so coveted and hard to find that people hoard any change that they get. From what I understand the Argentine government doesn’t make as much change as they need to be circulated. When I went shopping, the cashiers would ask me for change. Here in the United States more often than not it feels like there is a disdain for picking up change. It has been on the ground, who knows where it has been? Etc. For me, I value every single coin, dollar, etc. that crosses my path. When I think of the amount of time and energy that I spend earning money and thinking about how I’m going to pay everything off, I value every single freakin’ coin that crosses my path. But, I also think that having such a highly digitized financial system creates a lack of connection with hard currency. How often do you carry cash? But really, this post is about the value of a penny, a nickel, a dime, a quarter (small amounts of money). In an earlier post I talked about how I am using the snowflake method to pay off my debts. Part of that method is adding anything I can to that snowball. Every time I spend cash, I deposit the change into Mr. Piggy (my piggy bank). Every time I find change, I put it into Mr. Piggy. Then a couple of months down the road I cash it in and use this money for bills, fun, etc. Typically I average over $40-$100. Right now that makes a difference. Every single piece of currency that crosses my path is important. Period. In order to reinforce this idea. I have also switched to a primarily cash system and it has reconnected me to money and its value again. The financial journey that I’m currently on is all about discovering the value of everything. Every meal out, every piece of clothing I buy, how much I spend at the grocery store, every financial decision is important. Every single part of my financial life is under review and honestly this process is a pain. I hope to never be in the position that I’m in now, in the future. So, if that means I pick up a penny everyday and add it to the small amounts of cash that are being thrown towards my bills I’ll do it. I feel no embarrassment, shame, or discomfort. The only discomfort I feel is the discomfort of dealing with my debt that I hate. Saving Advice has a number of bloggers writing about the value of small amounts of money. If you value small amounts of money, then I encourage you to participate in the “Save Small Amounts Giveaway.” Submit you name via the giveaway widget on the right side of my blog. Remember, every single cent is important.
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)
- How Work Policies Against Black Women Birthed a Love of the Soft Life - 20 March, 2024
- How Taylor Swift’s IP Victory Could Change the Business of Music - 28 February, 2024
- Why Don’t More Personal Finance Content Creators Talk About Policy - 16 January, 2024
Leave a Reply