find money

You’re probably thinking that you can’t possibly do 83 things with a nickel. But, when you think about it, every dollar can be broken down into little increments. Each increment includes pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and the occasional half-dollar. Prepare to have your mind blown! Here are 83 things that you can do with a nickel.

• Make change for a dollar.
• Make change for a quarter.
• Make change for 50 cents.
• Save for new ear buds.
• Pay your parking meter.
• Purchase tickets at the ticket machine
• Pay for the bus.
• Leave a bad tip…please don’t.
• Play the nickel slots.
• Put in your skirt hem to weigh it down.
• Do not drop a nickel from the Eiffel Tower.
• Do not drop a nickel from the Empire State Building.
• Do not drop a nickel from the Sears Tower.
• Make a wish and toss a nickel in a water fountain.
• Pay a toll.
• Purchase a food item from McDonalds dollar menu.
• Save a bunch of nickels and buy coffee for your friends.
• Purchase items from a vending machine.
• Throw at your friend.
• Use when playing a game of poker.
• Give to a younger child as an allowance.
• For your own coffee habit.
• Save for debt repayment.
• Save over time for your savings account.
• Use at the casino.
• Play a trick and pretend to pull a nickel from behind someone else’s ear!
• Collect rolls of nickels for an upcoming yard sale.
• Save for your emergency fund.
• Pay your blogging related expenses.
• Save and pay off someone else’s debt.
• Collect from your friends and donate to St. Jude’s Hospital.
• Tithe
• Run a donation drive and donate to Habitat to Humanity.
• Run a donation drive to donate to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
• Run a donation drive and donate to Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
• Run a donation drive and donate to Oxfam.
• Run a donation drive an donate to Red Cross
• Pay for a fun run.
• Pay for your marathon entrance fee.
• Run a nickel fundraiser for Team in Training.
• Save several rolls of nickels so that you can buy your yearly Girl Scout cookie fix.
• Pay your blogging conference costs.
• Save for your next mommy/daughter trip.
• Save for your Father’s Day gifts.
• Save for your Mother’s Day gifts.
• Use your nickels to pay your Hulu subscription. Deposit what you save, then transfer to your bank account to make a payment.
• Do the same with your Netflix subscription.
• Buy someone else’s groceries anonymously. It may take a while to save to do this, but it’s worth it.
• Save for your next vacation.
• Pay for a class.
• Use when renting a bike.
• Always put your nickels in your favorite piggy bank.
• Save and then cash in to add to your Roth IRA fund.
• Get your ears pierced at the mall.
• Save for your coffee bean addiction.
• Pay to get your Instagram photos developed.
• Buy a cheap beer the next time you go out!
• Buy inexpensive holiday cards from the Dollar Store.
• Use your nickel stash to purchase Amazon gift cards.
• Save for music lessons.
• Save and cash in your stash for dance lessons.
• Save and cash in your stash to donate to the Charity Water organization.
• If you’re accepted to participate in Up With People, begin a nickel fundraising drive to help fund your participation.
• Use your nickel savings to purchase computers for kids.
• Buy children’s books from the dollar store for a school in need.
• Help Fund SALt and give the gift of light to people in need.
• Put a nickel in the “swear jar” every time you swear.
• Buy a movie ticket.
• Pay your subway fare.
• Use your nickel stash to replace a lost key.
• Buy some $2 buck chuck the next time you go on a wine run.
• Pay for your child’s cheerleading fund through nickel savings.
• Pay for your next manicure at the beauty college.
• Purchase your next pedicure at the beauty college.
• Encourage your friends to donate to charity with their own nickel challenges.
• Purchase your next discounted plane fare. Frontier was running a $14 dollar one way special a week ago.
• Pay for your thredup.com shipping fee after the $20 referral fee has been applied to your purchase.
• Adopt a pet from a no-kill pet shelter.
• Drop some change in the donation box after enjoying a free day at the museum.
• Create a random acts of kindness fund.
• Use some nickels for an arts and crafts project.
• Buy a couple of stems of flowers and give them to someone in your life who deserves it.
• Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain…hopefully to return again.

Now you have 83 ways to use a nickel. It’s amazing how a unit of money can be so mighty if just thought of in the right way.

 

As economies around the world transition at an increasing pace towards a more digital relationship with money, change is sometimes seen as a quaint thing to have. I beg to differ. The following is a list of 83 things that you can do with the next dime that crosses your path.

• Drop change in Unicef boxes on Halloween.
• Pay your bus fare with coins that you’ve collected.
• The next time you pass by your neighborhood lemonade stand, buy a cup and support young entrepreneurs!
• Throw some coins in the next fountain you pass.
• Leave a bad tip. But hopefully you won’t be in the position to have to do that.
• Trace around a dime to draw a circle.
• Hand out a dime while giving “You’re a 10!” compliments.
• Roll your dimes as you save more and more.
• Make a $5 donation to a cause of your choice.
• Purchase chickens from Heifer International and help a family.
• Similar to the $5 challenge, save every dime for your next vacation.
• Follow the same process as #11 and save to pay off a debt.
• Follow the same process as #’s 11 and 12 and donate to a charity.
• Save to buy a friend a gift.
• Pay a toll.
• Save to pay for all of the baby gifts that you will find yourself needing to buy as friends have children.
• Begin your Christmas savings pot.
• Begin your Hanukkah savings pot.
• Begin your Kwanza savings pot.
• Purchase some Wet & Wild makeup the next time you go the store.
• Use your change for your work lunches.
• Use your change to purchase your work related treats.
• Use your dimes to build up your grocery fund.
• Stock up your product pantry for winter with dollar store finds.
• Buy energy efficient light bulbs.
• Use dimes the next time you have a candy craving.
• Purchase your next Justin’s Peanut Butter cup with two dollars worth of dimes.
• Use your change for the tips that you have to pay during your next trip.
• Create a gas fund. Every time you have dimes (or other change) save it!
• Use your dimes to save for long-term goals that you’ve set for yourself.
• Use your dimes to pay off your debt!
• Use your savings to pay for your dental insurance.
• Use your dimes to pay part of your health insurance premium.
• Donate to Heifer International monthly.
• Save and purchase a pair of Tom’s shoes. With that purchase a person in need will also receive a pair of shoes.
• Use your change to add to your barista’s tip jar.
• Pay your blog expenses with ad revenue that typically grows one dime at a time.
• Purchase your next used t-shirt with some dimes.
• Buy a cup of McDonalds dollar coffee.
• Get an ice cream sandwich the next time the ice cream van passes your house.
• If you’re a romance novel fan, you can buy as many books as you would like for a dime a book (usually on a sale day!)
• Save for a friend’s charitable cause-don’t let it be said you’re not helpful!
• Create a themed family fun night where you can only use dimes to bring that night to life.
• Go on a date night with your loved on and have a cap on the amount you’re allowed to spend.
• Go to the zoo.
• Build up your emergency fund.
• Save your dimes for your next yard sale.
• Cash in your dimes to purchase gifts for office mates.
• Cash in your dimes for your part of the office party contribution fund.
• Pay for your Republic Wireless $5 service.
• Pick up an energy bar.
• Pick up an actual paper newspaper. Preferably the New York Times.
• Pay your kids their weekly bonuses for doing a good job with dimes.
• Go to the thrift store on ½ off day and go crazy!
• Buy a meal for $5
• Purchase your next cheap beer at your local bar, but make sure you change your dimes to bills!
• Use your savings for networking expenses.
• Use your dimes to pay for conference expenses.
• Teach your children about saving by using their change to fund their 529 plan.
• Look for and collect rare dimes.
• Save for short-term goals.
• Pick up treats or gifts for strange holidays like national taco day.
• Save for baby items like cloth diapers and nuk nuks.
• Tithe.
• Cash in your ibotta change and buy a drink.
• Use your change for your “I have to fix the broken things in my house” fund.
• The next time you’re at a food truck party pay with your saved change.
• Donate to your local art museum’s donation box after attending a free day.
• Fund your Roth IRA.
• Fund a household emergency fund.
• Send change to help the U.S. government pay off its debt.
• Feed people who need help with groceries.
• Purchase chickens for your backyard.
• Fund a scholarship that you create. Ask donors to only contribute in increments of .10 at local fund raising drives.
• Pay for an at-risk youth’s camp participation.
• Save for a babysitter so that you can take your spouse out on a date.
• Go to the movies.
• Get your flat tire fixed.
• Cash in your change for your next cab ride.
• Pick up some bath and body works travel-sized products for your next trip.
• Replace your phone cord-again.
• Pick up some dishwashing soap from your local dollar store.
• Buy random vinyl records from the thrift store to see how they sound.

I am sure there are a number of other things that you can do with your dimes, but this list is a great start. Pick up a jar or find a nice piggy bank to begin your savings today.

 

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.

 

Almost every kid has had a love affair with the quarter. After the introduction of the highly successful 50 states quarter collection program, quarters remain the hands down favorite coin of most Americans.

There are also a ton of things that can be done with a quarter. The following is a list of 83 amazing and mundane things that you can do with your quarters.

• Play the “quarters” college drinking game with a red solo cup. Ahem.
• Do your laundry.
• Take the bus.
• Buy McDonalds dollar menu items.
• Play older arcade games like Ms. Pacman and Tetris at novelty bars.
• Use quarters as makeshift screwdrivers.
• Buy a Chipotle burrito.
• Purchase a coke with a smile.
• Go to the dollar store.
• Add to your swear jar every time you slip up!
• Go to the thrift store.
• Drop your quarters in a donation box.
• Give to trick-or-treaters who have Unicef donation boxes.
• Pick up lunch from Taco Bell.
• Rent a one dollar movie.
• Make change for a dollar bill.
• Make change for a 50 cent piece.
• On a quiet day, roll some quarters.
• Throw some change in a water fountain.
• Pay for luggage carts at the airport.
• Leave quarters in random places for other people to find.
• Use your quarter to scratch your lottery ticket.
• Teach the history of U.S. money to your children.
• Quarters are fun to collect.
• Make some art.
• Give your quarters to a person in need.
• Lose your quarters in between the cushions of your couch.
• Measure your tire tread thickness with your quarter.
• Make it “hail” quarters instead of making it “rain” dollars. This will probably hurt.
• Shoot quarters at your friends using a makeshift slingshot-DO NOT AIM FOR THE EYES.
• Buy stamps from the stamp vending machine.
• Buy a new pen.
• Purchase your next candy bar.
• Carry your quarters in your pocket.
• Buy some ice cream.
• Pay for your parking (if you still can with change).
• Purchase a magazine.
• Use as an ante for poker.
• Donate your quarter collection to the Thanksgiving Fundraising drive.
• Remove your quarters from your pockets and donate in the donation box next to the security line at the airport-because you have to.
• Pay your library fines.
• Use in a magic trick and make it disappear.
• Buy a cup of coffee.
• Donate to your favorite charity.
• Stack your quarters creatively-because you’re bored.
• Use your quarters to weigh down your skirt hem.
• Take your change to the bank and save it.
• Pay for a purchase with the exact change.
• Put in your shoe for good luck. This might be an old wives’ tale.
• Use a quarter as a small weight.
• Skip your quarters on the lake.
• Fund your Go To “hell” fund.
• Add to your Roth IRA.
• Pay your taxes-but change to dollars or write a check.
• Buy new trees for your home.
• Cash in your change and pay the plumber for your next household service call.
• Pay your babysitter a bonus with saved money.
• Save 10 rolls of quarters and exchange it for a $100 bill.
• Save two rolls of quarters and exchange it for a $20 bill.
• Save one roll of quarters and exchange it for a $10 bill.
• Tithe.
• Sign up for a local stair climb using your cashed in quarters to cover your participation fee.
• Use your quarters to pay for rides at your local amusement park.
• Throw change in the Fireman’s charity boot and help their cause.
• Buy travel sized products for your next trip.
• Pay your Ting phone bill with your quarters.
• Purchase some school supplies at your local neighborhood dollar store.
• Save your change and grow your home emergency fund.
• Save your change and create a budget buffer.
• Take a loved one or friend out for ice-skating during the winter.
• Purchase the cheapest baseball tickets you can find. In Denver those tickets are usually $4 dollars.
• Pick up snacks from the dollar store.
• Pay for a Greyhound bus ticket.
• Download a song off of iTunes.
• Pay your urban garden participation fees.
• Pay for virtual assistant services with a VA headquartered in the Philippines.
• Find some fun costume jewelry at Forever 21 or H & M.
• Pick up your next set of business cards from an Etsy seller with quarters saved and deposited into your bank account. Etsy purchases usually are via Paypal or credit card.
• Pay the taxes on the next ticket you purchase with airline miles.
• Leave under your kid’s pillow after they lose a tooth.
• Use quarters to dry your clothes at the laundromat.
• Go to Whole Foods and purchase your groceries with quarters to make a statement.
• Pay your taxes with your quarters after saving them for a year.

Quarters are great to collect, use, and save. With the brilliant introduction of the quarter collection program people’s passion for the quarter was re-energized across all generations. Do you collect quarters?