Tossing Loose Change in a Jar: Tales from Childhood

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around personal experiences and anecdotes related to collecting loose change in jars or other containers. Participants share their childhood memories, current practices, and the practicality of using change in daily life, with a focus on cultural differences in currency handling.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants recall having jars for loose change during childhood, while others mention current practices, such as using bowls or car ashtrays for spare change.
  • One participant describes their brother-in-law's large jar filled with quarters, suggesting it could last through various apocalyptic scenarios.
  • Another participant shares that they used to throw change into a cake pan but now finds their spouse takes it.
  • Several participants discuss the practicality of carrying coins, with one noting that a handful of Canadian coins can quickly add up to a significant amount.
  • There are differing opinions on the usefulness of $1 coins, with some expressing a preference for paper money while others appreciate the convenience of coins.
  • One participant mentions using collected change for specific purposes, such as laundry or snacks, while another laments that their jar has not accumulated much over time.
  • Some participants express frustration with the amount of change they accumulate, with one suggesting that coins are just "useless metal" and another humorously stating they would melt them down for a secret project.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share personal anecdotes and experiences, but there is disagreement regarding the value and practicality of using coins versus paper money. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best way to handle loose change.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying cultural perspectives on currency, particularly between Canadian and American practices, which may influence their views on the utility of coins.

Do you have a money jar?

  • I use to have one

    Votes: 7 35.0%

  • I have one right now!

    Votes: 9 45.0%

  • My family has one but i think it's stupid

    Votes: 1 5.0%

  • I throw my loose change in the trash

    Votes: 3 15.0%
  • Total voters
    20
Pengwuino
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Did any of you ever have/still have a jar or something where you toss loose change in? I remember my family having one for a while when i was younger... that idea didn't last very long at all.
 
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I don't have anything, although my brother-in-law has a three foot tall, one foot wide jar filled with quarters.
 
Dawguard said:
I don't have anything, although my brother-in-law has a three foot tall, one foot wide jar filled with quarters.

are you serious...
 
Pengwuino said:
are you serious...
Yup. He's got enough change to last out every apocolypse Hollywood has ever made a movie of.
 
My money jar is the top of my computer desk :smile:
 
Dawguard said:
Yup. He's got enough change to last out every apocolypse Hollywood has ever made a movie of.

I bet there's thousands of dollars in there.

What's his address
 
Pengwuino said:
I bet there's thousands of dollars in there.

What's his address
Would you actually want to pick up and move that jar? Maybe you can convince Cyrus to try, and then laugh as his back breaks from the effort.
 
I used to throw my change into a cake pan, but that was when I was single. If I did that now, my wife would just take it!

Here in Canada, with our loonies and toonies, change adds up quicky. A couple of days ago, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a handful of change that summed to over $20.

Regards,
George
 
We have one for pennies - when it gets full, we take it to the bank.

We have another for quarters.

My son collects whatever he can get his hands on. With him around, there is not spare change! :biggrin: There are no loose bills either.
 
  • #10
George Jones said:
A couple of days ago, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a handful of change that summed to over $20.

Regards,
George
How large are your pockets, and just how much did that weigh? I don't think I could fit twenty dollars in change in my pockets.
 
  • #11
Dawguard, Loonies and Twoonies are, respectively, one and two dollar coins. We don't have smaller paper money than 5's, and there's a $5 coin in the works. I was quite delighted to pay my bar tab with pocket change a couple of weeks ago, and I'm a heavy drinker. It was about $45.
 
  • #12
I have one myself, my grandma has one for me, my parents have one for me, and my uncle also has one for me :D

There's usually about $27 in each, before I go to a bank. Once I brought all of them together and there was more than a 100$ it was pretty heavy. Now I decided to keep up 'til I collect $500.

I don't have anything, although my brother-in-law has a three foot tall, one foot wide jar filled with quarters.

Tell'em that some fellow from PF accepts donations of any kind. I'd be glad to have a jar.
 
  • #13
Dawguard said:
How large are your pockets, and just how much did that weigh? I don't think I could fit twenty dollars in change in my pockets.

Just standard 501 jeans.

$20 = 7 toonies + 6 loonies, which is only 13 (somewhat large) coins.

Edit: I see Danger beat me to it. I still sometimes pay pizza delivery guys with change, which they certainly don't mind.

Regards,
George
 
Last edited:
  • #14
A $1 coin in mass circulation would be pretty sweet over here in the US!
 
  • #15
No, it would not. Paper money is better.
 
  • #16
cyrusabdollahi said:
No, it would not. Paper money is better.

you ruined my thread. CYRUS CLOSED!
 
  • #17
cyrusabdollahi said:
No, it would not. Paper money is better.

Of course any opinion on this is subjective, but I know from where you're coming. Before loonies came out, I was quite vocal in opposition, but now I quite like loonies and toomies.

Regards,
George
 
  • #18
I hate your looney-tunes. I had a pocket full of change because you guys don't have $1 bills, I am sorry, its stupid. You end up with pockets full of metal change, and I can't stand that.
 
  • #19
Actually yah come to think of it, having a bunch of $1 coins in my pocket would be annoying since i ALWAYS have some $1s on me (shut up), but only have change on me when i know I am going to need it.
 
  • #20
You always have some 1 on you? I hope she's cute, more than likely, she's not.
 
  • #21
cyrusabdollahi said:
I hope she's cute, more than likely, she's not.
If he can get her for a buck, I figure she's got to be pretty damned ugly.
 
  • #22
I knew i shouldn't have said anything...
 
  • #23
This was a lousy poll. None of the options really fit. I put quarters, dimes, and nickels in a slot in my jeep so I have them when I need them. Pennies, I fling at the ceiling, embedding them in the ceiling tiles.
 
  • #24
BobG said:
This was a lousy poll. None of the options really fit. I put quarters, dimes, and nickels in a slot in my jeep so I have them when I need them. Pennies, I fling at the ceiling, embedding them in the ceiling tiles.

What kind of strange world do you live in. Haven't you ever heard of hte "coin jar"?
 
  • #25
I put the change in the slot in my car too. Great minds think alike.

Even BobG does not like you pengwuino, a new all time low for you..
 
  • #26
my family has one but I think it's stupid...paper money is better...though it comes in handy sometimes because the !@#$%^&*()!@# Gatorade machine at school nstopped taking paper money
 
  • #27
i have a jar, I've never been able to take it to the bank though. I've been collecting all year and i have less now than i did when i started... i don't spend much money to begin with, so i never carry much or get much change. then if i have any in my jar, i use it for laundry or snacks late at night. all i have left is a few pennies now..
 
  • #28
Now, since my parents are away, I'm going to spend some jar fortune on tomorrow's breakfast. Heh, I'd find pretty funny to pay for bread with pennies.
 
  • #29
I don't have a jar, but I have a bowl that some change makes it into, the car ashtray gets more (that's where I usually need change, for parking meters...got in the habit when I lived in NJ and also needed it for tolls...that was before EZ Pass). The rest ends up strewn about coffee tables, kitchen counters, dressers, and the top of the dryer (after I fish it out of the washer)...that is what isn't weighing my purse down...every so often I end up paying for something with an awful lot of coins just to get rid of the things).
 
  • #30
It goes in the garbge.
It's just useless metal that our government waste
 

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