Friday 16 September 2011

Washin Me Pennies .... and other Thrifty Tales!


Yes .. I know it all sounds a bit crazy ... I know you're thinking .... is the woman short of something to do? or is she simply crazy?

Well there is method in my madness .... I save um all .... every last penny gets tucked away in the jar .... every one I find... on the floor at the carboot sale, in the washing machine, in pockets when doing the laundry... and I claim them all for 'the jar'.

I was adding some more pennies today when I noticed there seemed to be a lot of silver amongst the pennies and 2p's .... silver as in 5p and 20p's. So I thought I would have a sort out a bit of a count up.... it was whilst doing this that I noticed how really dirty and sticky the coins were.... quite yucky really.



And I thought if I was the lady at the Post Office I really wouldn't like to handle this cash ... and that's where I take it... I use it for postage and stuff.... or rather Hubby P does (one of his little jobs... its obviously a masculine sort of job... and involves lengthy discussion with whoever is in the 'Post' whilst he remembers to pick up the newspaper too).

Anyway that's how I came to wash the pennies .... when you think of all the hands they have been through they must be smothered in allsorts of yucky germs and whatnot.




So it had a bit of a wash, and dry .... and I took the silver out .... the copper when back in the jar .. for now.



The jar stands by the phone near Katie ... handy for depositing oddments of cash from pockets and purses (and floors of course).



I managed a good £5 in 5p's and £3 in 20p's.... and off Hubby P trundled to the Post Office.

Its amazing how quickly it all adds up... you know what they say......
Many Mickle Makes a Muckle..... and all that!

What do you save your bits and bobs in?
.... a huge Whisky bottle use to be a favorite.... you can see we favor an old wine carafe..... we've had the same one for years, don't think its ever had wine in it yet.

Whilst I was 'Washin me money' the boys were playing outside with bits of wood.....Ooohhh how they love bits of wood....
the project at the moment it a large 'summerhouse'.....I know its September....fast approaching winter!

But they want to do it with recycled timber and whatnot where possible ....... and to be honest, financially it will have to be ... have you seen the price of timber?!
So its been a do a bit when the right stuff turns up kind of project.



Pleeese ... don't look at Hubby P's hair .... or lack of it, its a long sad tale, suffice to say don't decide to cut your hair late at night... in bad lighting..... crouched before your wife's too low mirror..... no glasses on and mistaking the guard number on the hair clippers!

It will grow again.... thank goodness!




Now they have caught me taking photographs!

Ooooo they are having a good time!

Have a good weekend ..... happy thrifting!

15 comments:

  1. I love your posts. I collect my 1p's etc in a sealed pot and just before Christmas it gets broken open and counted out then off I trot to splash the cash on booze!!
    Not crates and crates of the stuff but just a little bottle or two.

    Hubby's hair doesn't look too bad at all, if I had to cut my hair in poor light and without my specs there would probably be blood shed - eek!!

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  2. You will have to knit hubby P a nice woolly hat - I like his short hair, tell him he looks very manly !!
    I used to soak my pennies in vinegar when I was little to make them super shiny.
    How's the weather with you, it's wet, wild and windy up here. Mr Twigs is making honey mead and rhubarb mead at the moment, Twiglet is building Lego and I'm blog surfing :)
    Love to everyone
    Twiggy x

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  3. Great post. We avidly collect pennies here too. I have a nice fat, squat, jar with a cork lid on it that I fill up with odd change here and there as I find it. There is that other saying too, "take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves"

    Hope you are having a lovely weekend x

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  4. We have 2 old marmalade jars to keep change in. It's always the higher value coins that are taken out first leaving little old me to count up all the pennies and two pennies to offload at the shops (very apologetically). - is that spelt correctly?
    Love from Mum
    xx
    Love the haircut.

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  5. I found your blog through Jan in Australia. I started reading this post and now I can't wait to read some more posts. These are the kind of blogs I absolutely love.
    Real people. You are welcome to come visit mine!!

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  6. I keep my 1p, 2p and 5ps in exactly the same bottle as you do!

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  7. I have ours in an old aluminium sugar shaker and it comes in handy for the school trips and swimming etc...I m sure they dont mind the small change!
    Nice to see theyre having fun in the sun..your cheeky chappies!

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  8. Just joined the merry lot that follow your blog.
    I keep my pennies in an old icecream tub. End of the year I take it all to the bank, then usually spend it on goodies for the Christmas table. Not sure what it will get used for this year, as we are spending X-mas with my mum and dad in Germany.

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  9. I have what we call 'the badger bank' because it's like a piggy bank, but badger shaped. All 'found' money goes in there and we raid it if we fancy a takeaway or a treat.

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  10. We have a small bowl on the kitchen window sill that I stash change in. But when it fills up, I make sure to take it out and spend it :)

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  11. I save my £2 coins in an old coffee container - it really adds up and pays for our spends on holiday. I don't see many pennies on the floor these days but maybe I am just not looking hard enough!

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  12. just an extra comment to say that our pennies and tuppences go in a separate jar and are put towards paying for the occasional school dinner for our eldest.

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  13. I went on a rebelious "I am only going to use my change" at the post office! (being how my jar is ginormous) actually it is a good place to use the change if you precount, so as not to drive the postal lady mad with a gather crowd at your back.

    :-} I like your blog and I am now a follower! Lorraine xx

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  14. Hello, found a link to you from Welsh Cottage On The Hill, love the fact you washed your pennies, I'm giving my old tea tin a good sort through now, it's where I keep my pennies, it's amazing how quickly the pennies can turn into pounds.

    Bea

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  15. I keep a half size demijohn for small change. you are not alone in cleaning them - I figure the world will be a bit nicer if coins are glinty and shiny and more than once I have put them in cola to clean them before I have taken the to the bank!

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