Comments on: Ask the Readers: What To Do With Loose Change? http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/ Money Saving Insights: Coupons, Smart Spending and Promotional Codes Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:37:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Daryl Tay http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43697 Daryl Tay Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:44:02 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43697 I love the Coca-Cola idea! I've also been saving some money (not in a Coke bottle) and my mind has been a little boggled as to what to do with it and a $200 investment in KO sounds like such a simple way to get the ball rolling and see how it pays off! Great advice :) I love the Coca-Cola idea! I’ve also been saving some money (not in a Coke bottle) and my mind has been a little boggled as to what to do with it and a $200 investment in KO sounds like such a simple way to get the ball rolling and see how it pays off! Great advice :)

]]> By: Paula http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43682 Paula Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:12:55 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43682 Lou gets the last word. Lou gets the last word.

]]> By: Amy B. http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43655 Amy B. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:43:33 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43655 Totally agree! You could also use the funds to make a favorite book or scene from a movie come to life (thinking about the kids who remade "Raiders.") Or meet a childhood hero. Think like a kid. Get in touch with your inner 7 year old. Totally agree! You could also use the funds to make a favorite book or scene from a movie come to life (thinking about the kids who remade “Raiders.”) Or meet a childhood hero. Think like a kid. Get in touch with your inner 7 year old.

]]> By: Lou http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43653 Lou Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:53:01 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43653 I vote for the ballsy adventure - camping trip; visit to an unfamiliar city; the rose idea is cool, but pick a girl who looks adventurous rather than beautiful. And buy your mother a rose, too. I vote for the ballsy adventure – camping trip; visit to an unfamiliar city; the rose idea is cool, but pick a girl who looks adventurous rather than beautiful. And buy your mother a rose, too.

]]> By: CityGirl http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43650 CityGirl Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:04:18 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43650 I had saved $800 in change during college (with the help of those who thought that a few cents just didn't add up to much) and I ended up buying a pair of plane tickets to Hawaii for my 92 year old grandmother and my terminally ill mother for their first vacation ever!!! Obviously I spent more once we got there but it was the best gift for me to have had that money to take the trip with them while they were still both well enough to go. I had saved $800 in change during college (with the help of those who thought that a few cents just didn’t add up to much) and I ended up buying a pair of plane tickets to Hawaii for my 92 year old grandmother and my terminally ill mother for their first vacation ever!!! Obviously I spent more once we got there but it was the best gift for me to have had that money to take the trip with them while they were still both well enough to go.

]]> By: Jemma http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43648 Jemma Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:52:23 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43648 So I suggest creating a memory that would blow your seven year old self's mind and at the same time, keep you from becoming a grad school hermit. A ticket to the Lego convention (just 'cause Legos were awesome), Tae Kwon Do lessons, river rafting trip, a puppy from the SPCA, or even an killer vintage red bike with a banana seat (and sparkly handle bar tassels!). But there is no rush, the bottle has been there for a while. It will keep. So I suggest creating a memory that would blow your seven year old self’s mind and at the same time, keep you from becoming a grad school hermit. A ticket to the Lego convention (just ’cause Legos were awesome), Tae Kwon Do lessons, river rafting trip, a puppy from the SPCA, or even an killer vintage red bike with a banana seat (and sparkly handle bar tassels!).

But there is no rush, the bottle has been there for a while. It will keep.

]]> By: Holly http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43642 Holly Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:49:11 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43642 First: look over the coins. Look for special pennies minted in 1942 or 1943 (Google the year, I am not sure) and other peculiar years...for example, use of copper was too expensive and the U.S. turned to an alternate, but a certain number were accidentally made, etc. Second: Buy Ford DRIP stock which is way undervalued and still sells for only $11.90/share. I bought it soon after the '08 crash when it was only $4.00/share. First: look over the coins. Look for special pennies minted in 1942 or 1943 (Google the year, I am not sure) and other peculiar years…for example, use of copper was too expensive and the U.S. turned to an alternate, but a certain number were accidentally made, etc.

Second: Buy Ford DRIP stock which is way undervalued and still sells for only $11.90/share. I bought it soon after the ’08 crash when it was only $4.00/share.

]]> By: katie http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43638 katie Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:50:15 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43638 The best advice for this was in the article: what would your 7 year old self tell you to do with the money? If you are not currently seeing anyone and want to, I second the rose idea (I commented above to say how sweet it was). However, there is the risk there that the woman you give the rose to does not end up being the mother of your future children - and the story is of course so much better if it's "I bought your mama a rose" - so, think about that one. Given the situation though, I personally think the coca-cola shares are the most fitting thing to do with the money. For story purposes, I would also earmark the returns from the coca-cola shares and continue using them to build a future of dreams. Once the money has grown a bit, get creative with it and invest it in something that will go until your children are old, and they ca be actively involved in when the time comes. That might mean starting a side business, but if you do, have your children involved in making some of the decisions about it. They are going to love the idea that something that daddy started when he was a child has grown to something that they are involved in themselves (also: built in opportunity to tell the story lots of times!) and that they will be able to put their strength and talents to, and they will be able to pass on in the future! The best advice for this was in the article: what would your 7 year old self tell you to do with the money?

If you are not currently seeing anyone and want to, I second the rose idea (I commented above to say how sweet it was). However, there is the risk there that the woman you give the rose to does not end up being the mother of your future children – and the story is of course so much better if it’s “I bought your mama a rose” – so, think about that one.

Given the situation though, I personally think the coca-cola shares are the most fitting thing to do with the money. For story purposes, I would also earmark the returns from the coca-cola shares and continue using them to build a future of dreams. Once the money has grown a bit, get creative with it and invest it in something that will go until your children are old, and they ca be actively involved in when the time comes. That might mean starting a side business, but if you do, have your children involved in making some of the decisions about it. They are going to love the idea that something that daddy started when he was a child has grown to something that they are involved in themselves (also: built in opportunity to tell the story lots of times!) and that they will be able to put their strength and talents to, and they will be able to pass on in the future!

]]> By: katie http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43637 katie Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:33:53 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43637 This is a sweet idea :) This is a sweet idea :)

]]> By: Meg http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/12/what-to-do-with-a-pile-of-change/#comment-43635 Meg Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:56:32 +0000 http://frugaldad.com/?p=5721#comment-43635 From the POV of the 'girl', this could come off as being really creepy. Imagine you've just got finished getting your watch fixed and are wandering down to Borders to see if they have anything interesting when some random stranger comes up and starts talking as though you were his soulmate?! And if, on some off-chance, she's not creeped out by THAT, a fancy dinner is completely inappropriate for a first date with a stranger. This might be a generational thing but that kind of reality-TV/romcom stuff isn't how young people actually date. From the POV of Andy, this is also a bad idea. Romance is unpredictable, and he only has one childhood piggy bank (I assume). Odds are, he'll have no story to tell the kids, because the chances of any given flirtation between strangers ending in kids is slim to none. Sorry to be a party pooper; I know it can seem romantic watching this kind of thing on television, but we're talking about real people here. From the POV of the ‘girl’, this could come off as being really creepy. Imagine you’ve just got finished getting your watch fixed and are wandering down to Borders to see if they have anything interesting when some random stranger comes up and starts talking as though you were his soulmate?! And if, on some off-chance, she’s not creeped out by THAT, a fancy dinner is completely inappropriate for a first date with a stranger. This might be a generational thing but that kind of reality-TV/romcom stuff isn’t how young people actually date.

From the POV of Andy, this is also a bad idea. Romance is unpredictable, and he only has one childhood piggy bank (I assume). Odds are, he’ll have no story to tell the kids, because the chances of any given flirtation between strangers ending in kids is slim to none. Sorry to be a party pooper; I know it can seem romantic watching this kind of thing on television, but we’re talking about real people here.

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