83 Things to Do with a Half Dollar

Half dollars are fun to spend but they don’t cross my path as often as other change. The half dollar reminds me of tooth fairy visits and allowance payouts when I was younger.

The half dollar is a great addition to any savings plan that is based on saving large amounts of change-it just grows your savings much faster than other denominations of change. There are a number of things that you can do with a half dollar. You have 83 interesting and innovative ways you can use the next half dollar that comes your way.

• Pay for the bus.
• Pay your kid’s allowance.
• Use as an epic tooth fairy payout.
• Toll road payments.
• Support your neighborhood lemonade stand.
• Donate to a Unicef box.
• Purchase your groceries at your local farmer’s market.
• Do a half dollar donation drive amongst your friends.
• Get creative and make a necklace.
• Collect half dollars because they’re great.
• Give your change to people in need.
• Buy a great bottle of hot sauce in New Orleans.
• Save for a trip.
• Save for Christmas presents.
• Save your money to help other people.
• Drop your change in a fireman’s boot during one of their annual fundraisers.
• Pay it forward and buy coffee for a stranger.
• Use to pay your national park entrance fee.
• Pay your amusement park entrance fees.
• Pay off your parking fines.
• Use half dollars to pay your parking meter.
• Use half dollars as clues in a scavenger hunt.
• Make a change skirt.
• Use as weights to weigh down your skirt’s hem.
• Throw change in a fountain and make a wish.
• Purchase food from a festival with saved half dollars.
• Save for a trip to your Grandparents’ house.
• Buy a gift for Mother’s day.
• Buy a gift for Father’s day.
• Save your half dollars and pay off debt.
• Give to your kids as bonuses for chores done above and beyond parental expectations.
• Save for your next season’s lift tickets.
• Purchase snacks for road trips.
• Take change with you when you go to foreign countries to show to people that you meet in the country you’re visiting.
• Save money to purchase food to donate to a food pantry.
• Pay for school uniforms by saving a ton of change to be cashed in before the school year begins.
• Change your half dollars into bills.
• Pay it forward and pay for a family’s holiday layaway items.
• Top off a parking meter that is getting low on time.
• Save for emergencies.
• Save your half dollars in preparation for your next yard sale.
• Purchase a $10 meal.
• Pay your Republic Wireless bill.
• Exchange the roll for a $20 bill.
• Use your half dollar to even out your wobbly table.
• Buy inexpensive school supplies from the dollar store.
• Pay your virtual assistant a bonus during the holiday season.
• Tithe.
• Go on a date night with your person and have a cap on how much you can spend.
• Pay your library fines.
• Go to the zoo.
• Pay your museum entrance fee.
• Help someone in need
• Pay for your Easter basket fixings.
• Prepare for your Christmas gift giving.
• Go on a trip with your mom. Use the change you’ve saved for fun money.
• Go on a trip with your dad. Use the change you’ve saved for fun money.
• Save money to treat your kids to Disneyworld.
• Pay your cable bill with saved change.
• Pay for Hulu.
• Pay for Netflix.
• Make a game using your half dollars.
• Use your half dollars as game pieces.
• Buy lunch at Chipotle.
• Pay for your bus ticket to the airport.
• Drop on the ground when lost in a forest so that the search crews can find you.
• Pay for Facebook photo development at Walmart. Upload your pictures and pick them up the same day.
• Use your change to donate to the Democratic Party.
• Use your change to donate to the Republican Party.
• Use your change to donate to an Independent candidate.
• Donate to the campaign of your favorite politician.
• Help support a potential Olympic athlete.
• Cash in your change when your cash flow stops unexpectedly.
• Buy the least expensive ticket you can find at the basketball arena.
• Support your local Girl Scouts and buy some thin mints.
• Go bowling at the local bowling alley.
• Contribute to your SEP IRA.
• Contribute to your children’s 529 plan.
• Pay your staff writers from the change that you’ve saved.
• Use your change to buy seeds for your garden.
• Buy hot roasted chestnuts while wandering around New York City.
• Pay for your ferry ride when you visit New York City.
• Save your half dollars to pay for college applications.

Every time you find a half dollar in your pocket, remember how valuable it can be to you not only in the long-run, but to help you pay for or save for immediate needs. Don’t forget about the power of a small amount of change over time.