Friday, November 17, 2006

Saving Pennies

http://jaabeemom.blogspot.com/ Julie Bo Boolie inspired this blog today. One way I save pennies is with deposit cans and bottles. I resisted this for a long time. Bottles and cans take up a lot of room. They are sticky. But then I realized...I was throwing away 'treat' money. I mean...if Hershey Bars go on sale 3/$1...if I cash in 20 bottles (okay, 22 for the tax)...I get 3 free candy bars! Or any number of things. Heck, 22 or so bottles/cans is worth one freebie from the dollar store! Think of the candy canes you could buy for Christmas! (Or the marshmallow Santas!)
So...I have a bin right outside the back door into which I can toss the bottles. The current stash is up to 75 cents. I figure I'll cash it in when I hit that dollar. I go to the grocery at least once a week, anyway, so it isn't out of the way.
The only complaint I have is that all deposit containers get you a nickel each. If you're as old as I am, you'll remember that small bottles were 2 cents and big bottles (we didn't know what a liter was back then, let alone a 2-liter bottle) got you a nickel. So...with inflation...shouldn't we get 5 cents for small bottles and cans and at least 8 cents for the big, bulky ones?
Here's a memory: trading a small glass Coke bottle in for two cents...and buying a pretzel rod from a big, tin drum! Alas, that was sssoooooo 1960s!

3 comments:

Mom said...

When I was a kid my friend and I decided to go around the neighborhood with a wagon and ask for donations of bottles 'to help the children'. Somehow my mother found out and intercepted us just as we were going to go get those children (us) some candy from the store!

Mom2fur said...

That's a fun and very different way to save for a wedding!

Lisa said...

I have started saving aluminun cans, will it be significant? I don't think so, but i think if is as finding change on the sidewalk. It all adds up and its like "free" money" if there was such a thing.