What to Do With All of That Change...

Last weekend, my best friend from college came down and we spent the day having lunch and goofing around at Pinstack.  Quick note about Pinstack:  It is a super nice bowling alley with interesting food choices and plenty to do other than just bowling.  For example, there is a rock climbing wall, laser tag and a laser maze, a nice arcade area, and above that, an area where people can walk on ropes above the crowd.  We mainly spent our time in the arcade area acting like teenagers, but it was a lot of fun.

I had a Michael Kors purse I had purchased with a matching wallet.  I used the purse for about 5 months and was not happy with it.  However, I had no idea of what to do with it.  I spent too much to throw it out or give to Good Will, but I am horrible on eBay or Craigslist.  My BF from college expressed an interest in having the purse.  She needed a new one and had really liked the one I had.  The purse had everything she needed for a purse, so I told her that when she came down for lunch, I would give it to her.  I also gave her a Coach purse that never quite worked out and a Dooney I had for over a decade and never used.  She really loved the Coach purse, but was also excited to get the MK and Dooney.  I knew that the purses would go to a good home.

For the past several months, I have been using a Dooney small cross body purse to carry everything and now, "everything" won't fit.  Rather than succumbing to the urge to purchase a new Coach purse I saw a few weeks ago, I pulled out one I had not used in quite awhile.  I loved it so much that I had bought a matching cross body purse I used for concerts and any air travel.  (I no longer carry a huge purse when I ride an airplane - I think the TSA uses that as a sign to tag you)

Before my friend got my MK wallet, I had to empty it.  Getting the cards and such out was okay, but the change pocket was full of change.  I remember having difficulty trying to get exact change out of the wallet and it was frustrating.  You have all of this change and you just cannot get rid of it properly.  I put all of that change in a baggy.

I realized I had a snack size baggy full of change the other day as I was emptying out the small Dooney I was using.  That purse also had a lot of change in it that I was unable to access easily.  I also knew that the outside pocket of the larger Coach had a lot of change in it as well as the matching cross body.

As I empty out these purses/wallets of their change, I am amazed at how much change I have collected.  Mind you, I have a literal piggy bank that is pretty much full of what - change!  That pink pig is definitely a full little piggy.  I have a side baggy full of change and is quite heavy.

As I write this, I see two dimes that I need to put in the piggy bank or in the baggy.  I know this place is just full of money - in change.  

This week, I will get a plastic container and work on emptying out the piggy bank.  Once that is done, I will mix in the baggy of change.  I will take that heavy box to Kroger and work to get cash out of the whole lot.  I figure I can put that change into my cash jar for Christmas fund.  I do not wish to break my piggy bank, so I hope to reuse it and start over adding change to it.  This time around, I will work on emptying out the change into it.

I remember one year, when I was in high school, everyone emptied their change into a Chinese jar.  By the time we were ready for a trip to south Louisiana, we had about $700 in change.  Heaven knows I have a ton of change - here, there, maybe everywhere.  I just need to collect it for a "whatever" purpose.  That way, it does not end up in some landfill.  Can you imagine how much money is out there?