# Americans - How much change is on you right now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 28, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394 "2010-09-28T20:50:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/41 "2010-09-30T01:26:20Z")
I found a penny today, and it is the only cash in my pocket! ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/42 "2010-09-30T02:14:25Z")
$0.00. Doing some research to replicate the “beggar lady” con from GQ? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Shot\_Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_Clock)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/43 "2010-09-30T02:16:26Z")
Sixteen cents. Change from purchase at the local coffee house earlier today. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/44 "2010-10-01T03:35:01Z")
Nothing. My change goes in my desk, stays in my car, or goes in the change jar when I walk in the house. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/45 "2010-10-01T06:34:28Z")
I live in the Bay Area (CA) and have to contend with parking meters constantly, so I carry one of those cheap plastic coin purses with me everywhere, so unless I’ve just fed a meter to capacity, I always have at least $1 in change on me. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/46 "2010-10-01T08:56:51Z")
$0.00 I’m in my jammies. 😛 I do have quite a bit of change around, though. There’s usually a couple of dollars in my purse, a few dollars worth of quarters in the laundry money bowl, up to $20 or so in the ashtray of the truck, probably $30 worth of pennies in the penny kettle and a couple of dollars in my desk at work. Every couple of weeks, I go through what’s in my purse and weed out the quarters (for laundry) and the pennies. What’s in the truck is drive-thru change (there are usually a couple of ones there too) that gets added to/ taken from whenever I go through a drive-thru or toll booth. Every couple of years, when it gets too full, the penny kettle gets run through coinstar. Given some of my leaner days in the past, it’s always reassuring to know that I can usually put my hands on $100 or so in cash should I need it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/47 "2010-10-01T09:19:12Z")
If this is for that one thread, I’d like to point out that (1) more people actually have change coming out of a supermarket, and (2) that lower numbers are pretty much useless if the goal is to be given that money. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/48 "2010-10-01T11:36:57Z")
0.98, but that wasn’t an option. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/49 "2010-10-01T14:44:13Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > 0.98, but that wasn’t an option. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/50 "2010-10-01T18:36:49Z")
25 cents. 2 dimes and a nickel, but I have no idea where they came from. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/51 "2010-10-01T19:04:01Z")
Oops, I lied. I never carry change so I hit .00 without checking. I actually have a quarter in my pocket. There, I threw it in my change drawer. Now I’m back to .00 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394/52 "2010-10-01T19:05:19Z")
There is none on my person, and never is. There is a small pile in my office desk drawer, because my co-worker insists on giving me correct change when I pick up lunch for her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-how-much-change-is-on-you-right-now/555394.md?page=2)