What do YOU do with loose "pocket" change? I remember my grandparents had a big 5-gallon water bottle in a corner of their Florida room. It was where they threw their loose change every evening. For the life of me, I can't really remember what they'd do with all the change when they filled it, but I seem to vaguely remember them saying it was "something" for the grand kids. My only real memory was the BIG jug of pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters. At that young age, I thought there was at LEAST a million dollars in there!
Over the years, I've had buddies who would toss their change into their consoles or cup holders in their cars after leaving a convenience store, drive-thru or whatever. My buddy in Ohio was TERRIBLE about tossing his change about anywhere in his truck that seemed appropriate at the time (to HIM anyway). The weirdest was when he'd simply toss it onto his dash (which was also constantly covered with trash, papers, old mail, you name it, there was a 2-foot pile of shit on his dash at all times). The change he'd toss up there just went wherever it happened to settle. Some would roll off onto the floor, but the most irritating thing is, much of it would roll down into his defroster ducts, out of reach forever, but it gave a constant reminder whenever he'd turn a corner and you could hear the stuff rolling from side to side. I've had buddies who seemed to have a shitload of change all over their bedrooms or apartments, whatever. It was "useless" to them and just got tossed wherever they thought appropriate at the time. Almost everybody at one time or another has a little change dish or something similar on top of their dresser for use when they empty their pockets, but it usually gets dumped back into a pocket on the pants they wear the next day.
The most extreme case I ever knew was a buddy of mine. He worked for Cabela's (managed many different stores for them over the years) and he HATED loose change. Literally! I swear this is the truth. If he walked into a store and bought something that cost $1.01 and he gave the cashier two 1-dollar bills, the minute he stepped out the front door, 99-cents in change would end up rolling across the parking lot. He always ended up with change because he didn't believe in credit cards and only carried cash. I remember the first time I saw him toss his change, I asked, "WTF"? He said, "I HATE that shit!" It was funny, after the first couple times, whenever we'd walk out of a store, I'd just hold my hand out, he'd drop his change in my hand and I'd slip it into my pocket. We used to hunt together and I remember when I bought my Honda 4-Trax. I called to have him come over and see the new 4-wheeler "he bought me"! (I told him I bought it with the change he'd "thrown away" over the years!)
When I had my pressure cleaning business, I worked on a chain of about 20 gas stations (did them on a monthly basis) and I probably picked up a buck in change from every store I'd clean. I understand many people accidentally drop their change, but for the volume, I'd have to think many actually throw it away (mostly pennies).
That brings me up to the present. I mentioned here a couple weeks ago about my buddy who passed away unexpectedly. I helped his sister clean out his apartment, There were little piles of loose change EVERYWHERE in that apartment! EVERY dresser drawer had change in it. Little bowls, ashtrays, boxes ... whatever ... change was everywhere. Even in kitchen drawers. It wasn't like he was saving the stuff, it was scattered with no real order .. like he'd just drop it wherever was handy at the time. I filled a box with loose change and gave it to his sister. She couldn't even lift it and I had to carry it to her car and place it in her trunk. I brought his car home to get it cleaned up and I sold it for her. While cleaning it up, EVERY cup holder was full ... actually overflowing with change. There was change on the floor (front and rear). There was change under the seats. I could see a bunch of change between the seat rails and the floor ... I could SEE it, but couldn't get to it ... the same with the area between the seats and console. Console ... glovebox .... door pockets ... loose change in every cubbyhole in that car. Who knows how much change was between the seat cushions?
Me? Change is money and I treat it as such. If I happen to collect a pile of it, I cash it in someplace ... sometimes the bank. But that's rare as if I buy something for $2 and have a pocket full of change, I try to get rid of it by paying the $2 tab with loose change. If it's $5.43, I try to pay with a 5-dollar bill and 43-cents in change if I have it. I just counted the change I pulled out of my buddy's car alone (I have no clue how much was in the box from his apartment) and I have almost $17.00 worth of change here!
I'm just wondering. What do youse dufes do with your loose change. Do you have friends you've known over the years ... or even family members, who fit any of the above scenarios? I'm just bored and after counting this pile of change, am a bit curious.
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Originally Posted by quercus alba
