Keep the Change

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Very few of us carry cash anymore, but for those of you that do you, what do you do with the change?

I know, change eludes us. We never have it when we need it, yet always find it in the most random places…

The car floorboard.
Under the couch cushions.
And of course, clacking around in the dryer.

I have one non-radical yet ever effective piece of advice for you:
Keep the Change!

That’s right, you heard me, keep the change.

For starters, if you do start paying with cash everywhere, chances are you will spend a lot less than if you use your credit card.

But what I’m really talking about is literally keeping your change in a place for you can see it.

Don’t stick it in your pocket. Don’t drop it in the car. You don’t drop it in the street.

Actually, scratch that last comment, please drop it in the street (my 8 year-old son has an uncanny ability to find changing the street, so that will just help us reach our family’s goals.)

“What goals are those Sami?”

Well, I’m glad you asked!

As a family, we are always working towards a savings goal. Typically, it involves either family travel or a donation (or some version of both).

Any spare change goes in to a glass mason jar, so we can tangibly track our progress.

And yes, we literally do have a “found money fund” where any money my kids find on the road goes in and gets donated to the homeless at the end of the year.

Another great tip when you have kids is to offer to match any money your kids put in the jar. When they know what they are saving for, it helps motivate them.

If every member of the family participates in saving their change and putting it in the jar anytime they spend money, you would be surprised at how much more quickly you would reach your savings goal.

What do you do with your change?