Do you save change and earmark it for something special?

[rubyslippers]

I've always saved my change and threw it in with the rest of my savings.  In November of 2010 I was almost going to close one of my savings account but thought I might keep it open and put my change in there with the purpose of starting a savings account for future grandchildren.  In April of this year, I reached over $500.00 and took it out to put in a CD.  A couple months later there was an online offer to enroll with Capital One.  They gave $76.00 if you set up a savings account of at least $500.00, so I did that.  I had only earned $.20 and $.10 was a penalty for early withdrawal.  I told them to keep the dime because I was going to get $76.00.  My goal now is to get it to $700.00 by the end of the year.  My other goal is that I will have a grandchild by the time I reach $1000.00 (DS1 is getting married next year.)  I don't plan on keeping it in the savings account forever but I want to at least $1000.00 before I do anything else.

What do you do with your change?

[MonicaLee5186]

I throw it in a jar.  When I waitressed, I would keep as much of my tips in change as I could instead of cashing them in at night.  Then I would save it up all summer long and by the time I was ready to go back to college in August I had about $300 that I didn't even miss.  Now I use my CC with rewards points for everything so I don't often add change to the jar, but every now and then we have enough lying around to throw in there!  I haven't cashed it in in years so who knows how much is in there.  We'll just keep plugging along with it until we have something to cash it in for.

[mrsdutt]

I save all my change for Christmas gifts.  I save my cc points and hook them up to amazon so I don't have to pay shipping gifts at Christmas to NY family, as well.  I'm in a different stage in life so I have different needs.  I like what you are doing and would follow suit if I was younger.

[mollyanna58]

My change is earmarked for buying a new car. I throw it in a jar and take it to the bank once in a while. Also, any bills that happen to wind up in my pockets. It'll take a while

[chiver78]

I've typically saved my change in an old Scope bottle (when you empty it, the change smells like mouthwash instead of gross coins!) over the years. this year that I've spent living in an MLS listing, I've tried to minimize the clutter as much as possible - including moving to using as little cash as possible. most of my coins have gone by the wayside in 2013, but I do still have that Scope bottle ready to go as I pull my listing for the winter. I will definitely be emptying my wallet into the bottle daily like I had been.

what I would do with that Scope bottle? each year, I take a charter cruise in the 1st quarter. until about 2012, it had been early in January. it's since moved to almost March. what I would historically do with that "loose change" is roll it and cash it in for bills just before heading out on that cruise. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with the bottle contents this coming new year, as it will be significantly less than normal just due to my going as cash-free as possible this year.

[Apple]

I have saved all my change since my son was born and put it in a savings account in his name. There were a couple years I did miss, because I needed every penny, but when things got better I threw an extra hundred or two in the account to make up for it. He's almost 16 now. He went to put some money in the account last summer and was shocked to see he hadalmost $1000 in there. He knew I never spend change (I have several jars throughout the house, but I guess he forgot what I do with it.
I have also seen the amount I save every year this way go down because I don't use cash as often as I used to.

[Waffle]

My change goes for something very frivolous.  It's my Amazon book/dvd fund.  I take it to a coinstar machine and choose an Amazon gift card.

[murphath]

I kind of save change.  Like most of you, I don't carry around much cash so change is limited.  I like to use my cc's to pay most things (even though I use a spreadsheet to act as an envelope system) to get the rewards.  They get paid off in full each month so no worries there.  That "change" is usually used for vacation travel.  I had $200 of rewards to use toward my Europe ticket this past June.
I'm also a daily walker/hiker and usually find some change on these constitutionals.  I was curious as to how much I was picking up so have kept track for about 5 years.  It's usually $75-$125 per year:  one penny, nickel, dime, quarter at a time.  On occasion I will find some green: $1s, $5s, $10s and even a $20 once.  Yesterday, I found a wallet.  Fortunately, it had a high school id in it so I took it to the h.s. office.  That kid should be pretty happy I found it as it also contained $21.  It's amazing what you see/find while meandering around.

[Deleted]

DH saves up his change and cashes it in for spending money on his annual golf trip.

I use any change I get for the kids' lunch snacks. The woman who runs the little stand likes exact change.

[kittensaver]

We save all of our loose change in a cookie jar on the kitchen counter (no cookies, only money lol!). We used to put it in our EF, but pretty much now we convert it to rolls of quarters for DH. He's a self-employed computer guy and when his clients don't validate for parking, he parks on the streets and feeds the local parking meters with quarters.

[Sam_2.0]

We give ours to DD. It's "Piggy Bank Food"

[constanz22]

I don't use it for anything special, but I do have a jar at home I throw it in.  I don't use/carry much cash anymore either so don't really have as much change anymore, but, it does add up and nice to have a little "extra" for some of those lean months.  A few times a year I will roll what I have and deposit it.

[Jake 48]

Save it in a jar for vacation w/DW, this year was 186.00, just pocket money for something frivolous. this year it paid for 3 plates from a pottery shop we go to each year.   

[mrsdutt]

Sept 25, 2013 19:30:37 GMT -5 Apple said:

I have saved all my change since my son was born and put it in a savings account in his name. There were a couple years I did miss, because I needed every penny, but when things got better I threw an extra hundred or two in the account to make up for it. He's almost 16 now. He went to put some money in the account last summer and was shocked to see he hadalmost $1000 in there. He knew I never spend change (I have several jars throughout the house, but I guess he forgot what I do with it.
I have also seen the amount I save every year this way go down because I don't use cash as often as I used to.

My gosh!  he's getting so big.  When I 'met' you he was 12.  Is he taller than you yet?

[Apple]

Sept 26, 2013 17:35:08 GMT -5 mrsdutt said:

Sept 25, 2013 19:30:37 GMT -5 Apple said:

I have saved all my change since my son was born and put it in a savings account in his name. There were a couple years I did miss, because I needed every penny, but when things got better I threw an extra hundred or two in the account to make up for it. He's almost 16 now. He went to put some money in the account last summer and was shocked to see he hadalmost $1000 in there. He knew I never spend change (I have several jars throughout the house, but I guess he forgot what I do with it.
I have also seen the amount I save every year this way go down because I don't use cash as often as I used to.

My gosh!  he's getting so big.  When I 'met' you he was 12.  Is he taller than you yet?

he is! I think he is about 6' 2" now 

[motherto2]

I have this large plastic coke bottle bank that I have no idea where it came from.  I've had it so long I don't have a clue.  I don't typically have a lot of change, since times are lean, but I throw it in there from time to time.  I have two quarters on the counter headed up there this evening!  We used to cash it out when we were getting ready for a vacation.  It was mad money.  I did it this summer for my vacation, and it was close to $100.  Of course, this was the first year in several that I've actually gone somewhere.  The two summers before that were staycations since I couldn't afford a real one!

The ex used to throw bills in there, but I now save those elsewhere.  I started doing the cash envelope system again.  Anything left in the wallet at the next payday goes put away.  I like to have some cash on hand for emergencies.

I used to use the coins for Easter eggs back in the day.  Kids always got a kick out of counting all their cash.  Each one was allowed to hunt for 12 eggs.  They usually got somewhere close to $20.  Oh, and the tooth fairy.

[marvholly]

I just started to save my change once/week in Jan. I have NOT counted it – just want to see how much it is in a year. I still use cash for my everyday expenses like food, HBA, cat stuff, gasoline & clothes. I have NOT yet determined what it will go to as I have NO mortgage, SL or cc debts.

I’m thinking prob something fun (vacation, mani/pedi, nice dinner out, ?) or something I want to do but not in the budget depending on the amount.

[mrsdutt]

Sept 26, 2013 18:39:15 GMT -5 Apple said:

Sept 26, 2013 17:35:08 GMT -5 mrsdutt said:

My gosh!  he's getting so big.  When I 'met' you he was 12.  Is he taller than you yet?

he is! I think he is about 6' 2" now 

-rofl-Get him on a basketball team!  They'll win every game!  I'm glad he's strong and healthy.  Good going mom!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

It's my cafeteria donut fund.

We cash whatever is in he jar in when we go on vacation in August.

[cronewitch]

I have two small metal buckets full of coins with no plans. I should take them to a coin star but many are rolled so I could take them to a bank. I think coin star has hardware store gift cards. I will be fixing up my house to sell so can use them for painting supplies.

[happysenior]

I save my change in a piggy bank.  Twice a year the coins are exchanged for paper bills and added to the monies saved from using coupons.  Between the two "kitties" we've paid for a new fence and are having the house painted (interior).  We're too old to be getting up on ladders to paint the vaulted ceilings. 

[mrsdutt]

Sept 29, 2013 14:26:24 GMT -5 happysenior said:

I save my change in a piggy bank.  Twice a year the coins are exchanged for paper bills and added to the monies saved from using coupons.  Between the two "kitties" we've paid for a new fence and are having the house painted (interior).  We're too old to be getting up on ladders to paint the vaulted ceilings. 

Welcome HAPPYSENIOR!

[Blonde Granny]

Not very YM, but I bought a really cute jar at Hobby Lobby recently for our change container.  It's clear glass, round with jute type rope macrame on it with a wooden lid.  We've had the jar since we've been in this apt. since the "real one" is in storage boxes. 

The jar is now half full, so I'm curious to see how much is in it. 

In defense of my YM purchase, it was on sale for 50% off, so I believe it was around $10.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

We save change in a jar, cash it in at the Coinstar machine, and get an Amazon credit with it. We shop a lot at Amazon, so we use it for all sorts of things.

[zibazinski]

I use it for charity donations. Divided up evenly between heifer international and the humane society.

[Deleted]

Most of ours is in coin rolls except for the quarters- we ran out of quarter rolls and I'm too cheap to buy packages of rolls for all coins when we need only quarter rolls. We probably have $100. Eventually I want to put it in our travel fund in my checking account.

[Artemis Windsong]

I put some coins in a cup.  If I am short on dollars, I will raid the quarters.  Most of the change is pennies.

Smart Spending used to have a "Found Pennies" thread.  That was fun to post when  change was found on the street.  I liked the story of found pennies being from angels.

I used to find change on the floor at the gym.  One day, there was a lot of it.  I thought, hmmm, set up.  So I looked around and did see two guys that weren't regulars.  I left it.  At other times, there was a change jar for a charity and I would put it in there.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

When I lived in TX, I bought this huge ceramic gaudy piggy bank at El Mercado.  There was no way of taking the money out without breaking it, nor was there any way to see how much was in there.

All my pocket change went in there, along with any blood money.  Blood money was the money I got for being a normal paid guinea pig for labs that needed fresh blood.

After about 10 years, I had $700 in bills and another $700 in change.  It was enough to pay for my trip to Turkey and Greece, after I paid for my I kept with miles.

FWIW, for me to carry $700 in change into the bank, I had to use a rolling suitcase.  The guard at the door really looked at me strangely when I walked in with it.

[mollyanna58]

Blood money was the money I got for being a normal paid guinea pig for labs that needed fresh blood.

Literally blood money - interesting

[Iggy aka IG]

This is the first year I've been able to save change.  I keep it in a South Park looking penguin given to me for my BD in Feb.  Last I counted a few months ago there was about $14 in there.  DH saves his separately in a battery operated coin counting jar which I gave him for Christmas.  He said it's "almost" accurate. 

Not sure what I will do with the coins when I'm ready.