Change in the seat cushions...

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Change in the seat cushions...
9
Wed, 02-01-2006 - 4:33pm

and other 'hidden' sources of that little bit to bide you over to payday. I've got myself on a pretty short leash for spending cash for the first couple of months this year and had committed myself to some expenditures before I made that decision. That leaves things pretty tight for the next couple of paychecks. I'm trying to find some sources of a little bit here and there to get me by. I thought some of you might also share some of your successes/ideas in this area.

For me today, I took in all the spare change I had been tucking into various baskets around my house for years and years and it added up to....drumroll, please....$65! I'm pretty happy. This immediately left me feeling less strapped and helps me believe I can really pull it off!

Peg

Avatar for aerandel
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 02-01-2006 - 5:17pm

Hey Peg! That's a great amount to find in change, I'm jealous! LOL can I come raid your house too? We have a system for saving change. I have a little decorative cup thing on the dresser that dbf and I throw our extra change in. When the cup is full, I dump the cup into a big tub thing that I have (You know the big plastic containers you can get protien drink mix at GNC? That's what it is) and then we start refilling the cup again. We only cash in the change when it's time for vacation and we want extra money to blow or if we are very desperate and have no other options for money. We usually end up with around 80 dollars or more by the time we finally cash it in.

Congrats on finding extra money!

                          

             

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Wed, 02-01-2006 - 6:11pm

WOW! Well since we have a zero based budget we notice the change alot more and it gets spent LOL... But before I had a little change jar and whenever I went to tackle the debt we would cash that in and add it to the payment... a few dollars here or there really can help as we've seen in the snowflakes...

Stephanie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Wed, 02-01-2006 - 6:23pm

<> LOL well, it wouldn't be very lucrative now! I scraped it all up...even the quarters around the washing machine! :)

<> I'd been stashing all of that coin for a long, long time. I can't imagine how long it would take me to gather it all back again. I was wondering what you meant by zero based budget. I'm a newbie and not sure about the terms sometimes. Thanks!

Peg

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Wed, 02-01-2006 - 10:40pm

Well a zero based budget means that all money is accounted for.. Meaning Brandon gets paid tonight at midnight.. He found out today that his checks were $X so I sit and assign every penny to a place. There is nothing that doesn't have a name... So it is based on zero.. Did I confuse you more? Dave Ramsey talks about it in his books...

So our budget would be:

Rent $$$$
Water $$$$
Car $$$$$
Groceries $$$$
Gas $$$$
Eating out $$$$
Debt $$$$

And when you totalled all of that up and subtracted it from what he brought in there would be zero left...

Stephanie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Wed, 02-01-2006 - 11:47pm

Nope, didn't confuse me more. Makes total sense. Thanks!

Peg

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Wed, 02-01-2006 - 11:56pm

Your welcome... Sometimes I wonder if I explain things clearly... I'm glad I did and you got it! :)

Stephanie

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Thu, 02-02-2006 - 8:42am

Check your coat pockets! I sometimes stuff my change in there when I make a purchase, rather than putting it in my purse. Also, check your car for any change there, the bottom of your purse (or purses, if you change them from time to time), and the laundry room where you may have put coins that fell out of pockets in the washer/dryer.

Hope this helps! Congrats on finding that $65!

Pat :-D

Avatar for endomagazine
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2004
Thu, 02-02-2006 - 10:06am

Hello,

My husband tends to drop change all over the house, so I have a mayo jar in every room to stash it in when I notice a pile of coins. I was reading something on Motley Fool about change jars a few months ago. They suggested that when you have $10 in change, deposit it into savings or somewhere it will gain some interest. If you don't want to spend it immediately, then it will still be "working" for you. If it sits in the jar for months or years, the money becomes less "valuable" due to inflation, and doesn't help you until you spend it. It was an interesting point of view. I started using smaller change jars so that I would feel more "accomplished" at having filled it up. =)

Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke

Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke

Geeks on Tap: Mission Accomplished

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2005
Thu, 02-02-2006 - 10:33am

Lindsey, that makes a lot of sense!

My husband uses every penny of his change!!!!!! He loves change! ha ha Although, if I find some in the wash I stick it in my son's piggy bank. As it fills up, we count it out and put about 99% in his savings account (some of which I use for homeschool supplies), and then he can buy a little treat with the rest.

I have my own change jar, but DH is always asking me for a buck here and there so he can buy a soda at work, or a sandwich at McDonald's on the way home from work.... so, again, he uses every penny of it! ha ha

~Aravis~

 

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