# Save your change in a jar? What did you buy with it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2007, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092 "2007-12-15T11:55:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/21 "2007-12-15T21:11:31Z")
It’s our [tzedaka](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzedaka) (charity) jar. When there’s enough to make a reasonably decent donation, we pick a charity and send it off. ---
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/22 "2007-12-15T21:42:03Z")
My dad has a small coin jar that we refer to as my college fund. The deal is, when my finances are tight I’m allowed to raid it - I usually get about $30, enough to keep me in gas until payday. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/23 "2007-12-15T21:48:18Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Vegas money. We usually have enough saved in change to pay for the gas there and back, a couple of monorail passes, and maybe a meal. [/QUOTE] Nice! Now this is an answer with some pizazz. ---
**Author:** ![Hakuna\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hakuna\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakuna_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/24 "2007-12-15T21:51:30Z")
We also throw occasional one dollar bills in the jar as well (the dollars come from the gas money for the vehicles–anything left over from say $60 is put into the jar). Once a year we empty it and take it to the credit union which counts for free. This money pays for our annual Halloween party–we usually have $400-500 each year out of this jar. For us it is a nice way to pay for the party without really hitting our pocketbook. ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/25 "2007-12-15T22:19:35Z")
We had a fairly good sized applesauce plastic/Jar that once a year collected ~@125.00 worth of coins and as a young almost/early married couple, we would chip in $35 a piece & that would be our Atlantic City gambling & gas Money for a day trip & when it was gone it was gone. We did that 5 years in a row. These days we have a novelty bank (like [this](http://www.epinions.com/Sports_Apparel-The_Snack_Factory_New_York_Giants_Popcorn_Bottle_1F53820B) only for the Redskins don’t want to link to a manufacturer) and we are only 40% there close to year 3 - I think we use less change these days than we did in the past -more electronic & online buying & as we are older & richer less careful with our change. When we fill this I don’t know what we will do - It might pay a weekend at the beach - but I bet we won’t remember it as fondly as those early AC trips ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/26 "2007-12-15T23:36:42Z")
[QUOTE=jimmmy] \ These days we have a novelty bank (like [this](http://www.epinions.com/Sports_Apparel-The_Snack_Factory_New_York_Giants_Popcorn_Bottle_1F53820B) only for the Redskins don’t want to link to a manufacturer) and we are only 40% there close to year 3 - I think we use less change these days than we did in the past -more electronic & online buying & as we are older & richer less careful with our change. When we fill this I don’t know what we will do - It might pay a weekend at the beach - but I bet we won’t remember it as fondly as those early AC trips [/QUOTE] That is like what I am filling, only mine is for the Steelers. I am probably 80% full, maybe a little more. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/27 "2007-12-15T23:52:09Z")
I have both a coin purse & a piggy bank (copper plated). Local coinstars don’t offer Amazon slips, or I’d get them. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/28 "2007-12-16T01:29:33Z")
I must admit to being somewhat bemused by this: I can understand change jars for charity in shops and pubs, but at home?! I usually pay by card / PIN anyway so I don’t gather much change, but I’ve normally a modicum of change in my pocket and it doesn’t stay more than a modicum. If I’m paying for something small and I’ve got the exact amount in change, I’ll use it. And even before cards, I never kept much change. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/29 "2007-12-16T01:51:48Z")
My husband and I use a small electric coin sorter these days. I believe it cost under twenty bucks. It sorts coins into rolls, and when the paper roll is full, the coins start sliding off the top. It might be a coin or two off, but we don’t worry about it. When we get a jarfull of coins rolled, they go into our savings account. We generally don’t do anything special with the money. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/30 "2007-12-16T01:57:39Z")
To my fellow Canadians out there: a galvanized metal Corona bucket filled level with random Canadian change (including loonies and twoonies) is almost exactly $1000. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/31 "2007-12-16T02:08:45Z")
[QUOTE=Shamozzle] To my fellow Canadians out there: a galvanized metal Corona bucket filled level with random Canadian change (including loonies and twoonies) is almost exactly $1000. [/QUOTE] But that’s only worth a couple million American dollars. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/32 "2007-12-16T02:08:48Z")
I changed out close to $200 once. Just saved me a trip to the ATM for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/33 "2007-12-16T02:40:06Z")
I usually have enough change in my pockets to buy an SUV in cash (stock with no chrome package). I put it in a giant jar in my office and cash it in at CoinStar whenever I need to make a special purchase like a present for my wife. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/34 "2007-12-16T03:18:44Z")
I’m getting tired of wrapping so I might try one of the machines but I probably have a couple a hundred in change. I throw it into the charity pot. It takes some of the pain out of giving it away. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/35 "2007-12-16T04:43:19Z")
There’s two banks here in the DC area that have change counters even for non-customers. One of them, Commerce Bank, is open seven days a week. I see no need to switch my custom to one of those banks, but every couple of months, I get about $70 from cleaning out my piggy bank. I usually buy golf related stuff - a round at a nicer course, or some Titleist Pro V1 balls as a treat, something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/36 "2007-12-16T05:10:48Z")
Similar them- I never break a five dollar note, and save all my $2 coins. When I get $100 of each I take it in and deposit it in a special account. I normally end up with about $2,000 a year which I then waste on computers or a holiday. It is also handy if I want something extravagant like a day at the races- I will raid it for a few hundred dollars. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/37 "2007-12-16T05:18:39Z")
It goes toward travel or to charity, depending on time of year. ETA: Oh–and we throw it in an empty cardboard Scotch canister with a slot cut in the lid. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/38 "2007-12-16T06:34:01Z")
I have spare change out the wazoo - where should I go (in Australia) to get it all changed? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/39 "2007-12-16T07:10:54Z")
If it’s coming out of your wazoo, you might consider a trip to the emergency room 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092/40 "2007-12-16T08:50:36Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] Since the kids have discovered the coin jar, this money is now ransacked daily for lunch money and milk money. [/QUOTE] They didn’t eat lunch before they discovered the jar? :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-your-change-in-a-jar-what-did-you-buy-with-it/430092.md?page=3)