The Penny Jar

I am well aware that I'm almost 30 but I have a confession to make... I still have a penny jar. 

The penny jar is a step up from a piggy bank because when you're 30 you should be well past the piggy bank stage. I, my friends, am not past the piggy bank stage so I have a jar. It makes me feel more grown up. Don't tempt me...I'll go buy a piggy bank. It's actually one of the vases we used at our wedding with our monogram on it.

Since we rock the quasi- Dave Ramsey plan, we accumulate more loose change than folks who rely solely on plastic. If you are familiar with the Dave Ramsey plan, you know that each month we withdraw cash and put it in different envelopes. Gas money, grocery money, lunch money and "fun money". So that once that money's gone for the month from each envelope -that's it. It's supposed to make you think about what you are buying. (Sometimes when the cash runs out I whip out the debit card- that's why we call it the "quasi-Dave Ramsey plan." That's also why we are doing the saving challenge!)

At the end of each week I dig in the bottom of my purse and gather up all the change. Because that's where change goes, people. I have time to put bills in my wallet but nickels, quarters pshhh.... just toss 'em in the handbag! I get way more excited than a normal person should about digging for loose change in their purse. I try to guess how much I'll have, I count it (it's usually less than my guess. What can I say- I dream big?) and toss it into the penny jar.

I frequently ask my husband how much he thinks is in there, and he kindly obliges and usually guesses a number higher than could possibly be in the jar and always asks me what I'm going to do with all our my change. I usually answer in an English accent with "I'm going to buy diiiiiiiiamonds!" and we have a good laugh.

I have no clue (other than mental illness) why I geek out over change. I guess I just enjoy knowing that one day the jar will be full and we can use it for anything we want. It's not part of our designated savings or going to be used for bills or groceries... we can buy 10 gallons of ice cream, or spend it on tokens at Chuck-E-Cheese and play skee-ball all day, or go bonkers on iTunes! So until I cash that sucker in and see how much is actually in there, it sure is fun to imagine what we could get! 

**I've even been known to clean out Daniel's change holder in his car....much to his dismay (apparently he uses that change for vending machine money! haha! oops!) **

Love,
The Crazy Change Lady