Do you save your spare change?

I started saving pocket change in Arizona Iced Tea bottles back in '94-'95, after one of my friends emptied his out and counted out 100 bucks so we could go get some weed. I was hooked. After a year or so I had maybe 3 of them filled up then came across one of those empty 5 gallon water jugs and started filling that up instead.After 12-13 years of adding to it and never dipping into it, this is what I was left with....

The thing weighed 127.5 lbs, I weighed it on a bathroom scale. I took it to Commerce Bank, they have a free coin counting machine there. And that's where all hell broke loose.I jammed the machine!!! They had to come and take the thing apart, here is the first person who came over and she was extremely pissed off that her banking job has come down to fiddling with a coin counting machine.

Then she sent over another guy, I had to wait maybe 5 minutes for him. He didn't even look at me, barely muttered a word to me. I was silently chuckling to myself at first, these people must have thought I was the biggest fucking asshole for carrying in all this change and jamming their machine, and at this point there was a line of 4 people waiting, none of whom had more than a Ziploc sandwich bag full of change!! And every one of them was pissed at me too! So now the guy is able to get the machine working a bit, but you see in the picture at the bottom those loose coins below the white area? That's some type of chute, and he's now putting coins in the top and they're going right through and off the chute and all over the floor of the bank! I'm walking around like a complete fucking asshole at this point, picking up pennies in front of these people and openly laughing my ass off because this situation has reached the pinnacle of how absurd it could have possibly become.I think they were pissed that I was laughing, but that shit was too much. It was like a scene from a Coen brothers movie, or something you'd find on Candid Camera. I'd actually pay them for security camera footage of me walking around chasing this one nickel that wouldn't stop rolling. You know that freak coin that when you drop it it winds up rolling halfway around the block? I had ten of those fucking things in there.Finally I brought my receipts up to the teller, and while I'm there they were still trying to get the machine to work right for the next people. I'm looking at the teller and the guy who wouldn't even look at me just walks up and plops down on the counter a handful of change that fell through and the machine missed, then walks away without saying a word. They really fucking hated me at this place.I walked out with $1623.27. Nice day. Moral of the story, save your change.

 

[SoulOnIce]

I throw it on my bureau, and after it's become a
ridiculous pile (a few months) I bring it to one
of those machines at the supermarket. Usually end
up with $25 or so, which isn't too bad.

$1600 is RIDICULOUS

 

[Mr. Casual]

I throw it on my bureau, and after it's become a
ridiculous pile (a few months) I bring it to one
of those machines at the supermarket. Usually end
up with $25 or so, which isn't too bad.

$1600 is RIDICULOUS

12-13 years.. damn.. thats a long time

 

[DJBombjack]

Once a year, for Christmas presents. Usually in the region of $300, although this year the change has slowed down cos now I keep the quarters for the car.
$1600 is come-up though. Nice.

Oh, and the one time I used the machine at Commerce Bank, the same shit happened to me. Twice. I don't think those machines work too well. Try a CoinStar, even if they do take a percentage.

 

[kitchenknight]

Wife and I used to put a dollar in a piggy bank everytime we knocked boots. Then, we put our loose change, and whatever found money we had floating around in the pig.

We count it once a year, and over five years the change/random cash (never over $20)/love money has reached $2000.

We bought some furniture, and paid for part of a trip to New Zealand.

Save your change, folls. And do the do as often as you can.

 

[Otis_Funkmeyer]

Holy crap! I like that you took a picture too, I'm sure they loved that.

I'm going to Commerce right now, I don't think I'll get $1600, maybe $30.

The last 3 times I went I actually won the "can you guess how much it is (within $2)?" game, I hope I can keep my streak up. Got me a sweet plastic Commerce letter opener!

 

[edith head]

you have the best stories

i save my change, but i turn it in as soon as the jar almost gets too heavy for me to carry.

 

[DJ_NevilleC]

My wife and I save our change and treat ourselves to a nice restaurant dinner every 3-4 months.

 

[Aser]

does it go straight back into aapl?

 

[Delay]

this fool took PICTURES!!! LMFAO!

 

[rsmeets]

last time i took change in to the bank, the teller gave me the "are you serious" look.. that was only about 60 bones... i can only imagine faces on this one...

 

[hogginthefogg]

i save my change, but i turn it in as soon as the jar almost gets too heavy for me to carry.

I love that Sween waited to redeem his coins until his change "jar" weighed as much as Edith_Head.

 

[bassie]

I can't believe you took a picture of her - that is hilarious!

I love those coin counting machines at the supermarket - like waiting to get a prize! I love waiting to see my total - will it be a crappy plastic toy or a giant plush panda?????

 

[ajraffles]

I am sure the Commerce staff loathe the decision to offer free coin counting. The picture is an especially nice touch. My question is, did you break the machine by upturning the water cooler bottle onto the machine, as though it were full of water and you were simply swapping out an empty?!? Cos that would do it, if you need to fuck wit 'em some more.

Wifey and I religiously save our change. In addition, we have gone

and now collect Lucky Pennies from the street, escalators, dollar vans etc which we keep in a separate jar. The plan is to eventually take all the pennies/coins (I found a $20 in an ATM tray one time! That is in there too) to a Coinstar and cash 'em in and then use the proceeds to pay for the adoption/rescue shelter fees for our next dog.
We plan to name the dog. . .Penny

 

[yuichi]

Sween, ALWAYS got the best stories man.

1600dollars, unbelievable. Funny as hell that you took a picture of that lady. hahahahahaha.

 

[empanadamn]

can we get a 5 gallon jugg graemlin? money in the bank or something...

 

[onetet]

My dad used to save all his change and once a year or so we'd all count and roll it and buy something for the fam... VCR, day trip, whatever.

I started off my adult life following his example, and once broke the piggy bank to buy an emergency plane ticket (circa $350 or so).

but these days I can't hold on to it, my change goes to tips on coffee and bus fares.

 

[DJ_NevilleC]

It's not quite saving change but I knew kid in college who whenever he bought some weed (and he only bought kind) he'd put aside a gram or two in a sealed test tube. He'd save these throughout the year and then on Spring Break he'd go to the Keys or somewhere and smoke his stash. No matter how dry things got during the year he'd never break into his Sprng Break stash. Remarkable will power.

 

[pickwick33]

After reading about an 18-year-old who got himself through college by not only saving his pennies, but putting a notice in Bob Greene's syndicated newspaper column asking people across American to send him any 1-cent pieces they had lying around, I started doing the same for myself. I usually got it cashed after a year. Haven't done that as much in the past 10-12 years or so.

 

[Birdman9]

My wife collects my change from me at the end of the day, EVERY DAY. It's just the routine now. Years ago when I bought my first house, I threw the change stash we had saved (about $200 at the time)into the savings that ended up going towards the house. To this day, my wife still claims I 'owe her $200'!

A waitress I knew back in Minneapolis used to throw her change from tips into a big water jug like Sween's. She would usually have at least $750 bucks off that thing once a year.

Save yer pennies.