Back when I was helping my friend Meghan she gave me a couple of books to read. The books are by Dave Ramsey. The one I started reading was The Total Money Makeover and the other one that I have yet to read is Financial Peace Revisited. There is nothing revolutionary in Total Money Makeover and Dave Ramsey even says this, but what he says makes a lot of sense. So Allison and I have decided to read through the book together, a chapter a night and see if we can’t change our financial fitness by working together on the same page.
For a few years I’ve been unloading my pockets with change from my trips, lately I’ve been slipping as much as possible into Eva’s piggy banks (This one is not Her’s it is mine, I’m not robbing my kids piggy bank). Today I stopped at Target to pick up some rolling sleeves so that we can start rolling this change and start upon Baby Step #1 and that is to build a $1000 emergency fund. I couldn’t find them anywhere. I will have to try someplace like Staples and Office Max. I know that banks used to give you rolling sleeves but not anymore. I did think of Coinstar but they take $0.08 per dollar unless you get an Amazon.com or iTunes gift card. Well, the idea is to not keep spending money so that wouldn’t make sense.
We got our first ever property tax bill today and well, I think that $1000 emergency fund just got slashed in half before it even got started. Oh boy. That just makes me more motivated to get out and stay out of debt. Oh and depresses me a little too, I’m not gonna lie
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I applaud you for taking the right steps. You can only go up from here. You’ve got the plan, and what sounds like the drive, so go carpe financial freedom! 🙂
Mike and I do this, too, we dump all of our excess pocket change into a big jar. It really does add up, and it’s a lot cheaper than doing that “keep the change” thing that one of the big box banks in this area offers.
They do have the coin rolling sleeves at the office supply megamarts, I’ve gotten them there.
Good luck with your savings plan!
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Hey Drew, I’ll save you some money. If you ask the bank for rolls when you go in, they’ll give you some for free 🙂
I love Dave Ramsey’s books, he’s a smart man. It’s funny you should write about him today because I’ve got a post in the works myself that has to do with him.
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Chica,
I’ve tried this many times in the past. I was close to debt free in 2000 but that was short lived. I gotta get past the second baby step, stop using credit, and that is what keeps tripping me up. But we are both getting ont he same page so that is good.
Christine,
I’ve heard about the keep the change thing, not that interested in that one. I like change, I like to bring it home and put it in the piggy bank. I don’t know why, I just do.
I think you can get coin wrappers at the No. Attle. Credit Union. Good Luck
Courtney,
Going to the bank for the sleeves was my first thought but there was a time when I went down to get them from the bank and they were no longer giving them away. That was a while ago and I certainly should check again.
I’ll have to read your Dave Ramsey blog post. I just subscribed to his podcast.
Dad,
I will go there today and see.
Drew,
Good luck as you work to build financial independence. I am sure you recall my letter to Bank of America “Keep the change? No thanks ” so I don’t feel the need to rehash it here nor will I throw in a link.
Finances are hard. The American economy is designed to have us spend beyond our means and to keep us in debt. The US actually has a negative savings rate. That means we as americans are spending more than we make. Scary.
Bottle you change recycle your cans. It is all good. Ecomonics is crazy. Gas prices are going up because the dollar is weakening. Investors are using the oil commodities market to hedge against inflation. It all sucks.
Basically the way to understand our economy is to realize unless you have over $10mil in the bank the economy is not there to server you. Sure you might get a check from the Govt from time to time (what I joke that was I need to write George) but you are only aided as a side effect of the rich making things better for themselves.
Good luck to you I know you will do well
Drew,
Does your bank have any offices that offer a coin counting service? I know my bank has 2 offices in my area that are banking centers so they offer it for customers.
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Stephen,
I don’t know if you ever read these books, you are a smart dog so I assume that you are debt free, you’ve been working very hard on your ODD to pay back your A so you understand the value of a dollar.
I just realize that unless I do something drastic to save money we are going to get stomped.
Hi Sabrina,
Actually we counted out everything that we had and then I walked down to the credit union to get the coin wrappers. They gave me a bunch but had no penny ones. Pennies will get rolled another day. But the good news is that we have over $300 from change to deposit. Sick isn’t it. I just kept putting change in the containers but didn’t do anything with it.
Good luck to you! I love Dave Ramsey. We are working through his baby steps, too. That spare change does add up. My aunt bought a washer from the spare change she found while doing laundry. Not sure how long she had to collect it but still impressive.
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Thanks Lynn,
Spare change from the wash to buy a washer, that either took forever or someone never clears the change out of their pockets.