This is what happens when you use cash rather than card as much as possible and then every now and again empty all the small bits from the purse into a money box and save them for more than a year.
I've been doing this for many years, it started with just 5p pieces, although it was more fun when the bank would change the bags of small coins into notes which I could then go out and spend on a Christmas treat. Now it has to be paid into a bank in case of money laundering. I know it was my money anyway but it always seems like a surprise extra income.
This time there was just over £32 although the £20's worth of 20p pieces was two years worth. It's all in the bank now with the odds and ends back in the money box ready to start all over again.
I've done the accounts for last year and income was more than expenditure - which is the right way round. I don't need to be so frugal but it is a way of life and for me means spending less in some places leaving money to spend in other more enjoyable ways. I'll carry on with frugal notes and ideas and keeping accounts so that I can afford the bigger expenses ......... this year that will be the moving of the old patio slabs and re-laying them by the oil tank and freezer room door and laying new ones near the house plus a family summer holiday.
I used to save all the small coins and take great pleasure in taking them to the bank. Now I barely use cash and wonder how long it will be before we are an entirely cashless society. It makes it hard on people who prefer to use cash.
ReplyDeleteI still need cash for car boot sales and use it whenever I can - a one woman mission!
DeleteI really don't want to have a cashless society. Too many people are dependent on cash.
ReplyDeleteI know what money I have when I've cash in my purse
DeleteBecause of the pandemic I hardly use cash now and I think this is bad on so many levels. I know, before it closed, the bank clerks hated it when I took in bags of coins even though counted and sorted so all they had to do was weigh them.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found a problem paying in the bags of cash - yet
DeleteThe problem is there are people who still use cash, like taxi drivers and people in the markets. I don't see it as a problem by the way, the change over has happened so fast though. The banks withdraw their services and left many people stranded. Post Offices do a good job but then again some are closing down.
ReplyDeleteBanks closing has caused so many problems for older people and annoyed me too
DeleteBrings to mind the saying 'look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves'. I'm a big believer in using cash to keep a closer eye on my spending.
ReplyDeleteI like using cash - it was the best way to budget years ago when the children were small.
DeleteI also use cash and give my loose change to my other half who has more patience than I do and willingly counts it all out to pay for purchases in the local shops.
ReplyDeleteCounting it up once a year is the best fun!
DeleteI am one of those rare beasts who finds it easier to keep track of my spending using contactless. I looked at some coins the other day and realised I had almost forgotten what was what.
ReplyDeleteI'll carry on with cash just to be awkward!
DeleteWe save our 5p pieces as well. Used to also save 1p and 2p for card playing but no one comes anymore for that so don’t bother.
ReplyDeleteI'll carry on doing this while I can and using cash as much as possible
DeleteI have always saved mixed coins, but we don't use so much cash so they take longer to fill. We also save £2 coins in a separate container, which does grow much quicker. It's good to have plans at the beginning of the year.
ReplyDeleteI think I would miss £2 coins from my purse, although don't see many of them
DeleteYou've got a good stash there. 🙂 I did The Sealed Pot for years, the best year was when I saved every single £2 coin we got. We had hundreds of pounds by December when we used to open it. Now living in our small town we use cash a lot in all the small shops so I just have a little box with change in, thankfully our Aldi has self serve tills that don't mind you paying for a loaf with 5p pieces. 🙂
ReplyDeleteSomeone shared a chart recently showing how quickly £50 spent on a credit or debit card decreased in value once the banks took their commission off shopkeepers, it immediately made me start using cash again. That way £50 stays as £50, and the banks aren't literally cashing in on our day to day spending at the expense of the people we are buying off.
I'll carry on using cash - on a crusade to keep it going
DeleteOH is a coin hoarder but never cashes them in - and banks don't seem to like you turning up with bags of coins these days - even when as you say you only go to a bank where you have an account to pay them into. I simply make a point of using them up as I go along because I bank with an online bank that has no high street presence. Cashless businesses can be quite an embarrassment. Many in our cycling group go out for tea and scone with a tenner in the pocket, only to find that our chosen cafe that day is cashless. needless to say we don't go back there.
ReplyDeleteSome supermarkets have those change machines that count it for you but take some off for the privilege
DeleteWe used to do this pre covid but only seem to tap and pay nowadays. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI just like using cash when I can
DeleteI don't like the idea of a cashless society but along with other commenters I find that we rarely use cash now and as for a cheque........ they are very nearly a thing of the past aren't they?
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales.
If cash disappears so will car boot sales and that will be a tragedy!
DeleteI have done this for many years, first 5ps, then anything under 50p and I have saved £2 coins, but cashed them in (£100 a time) when it got to over £500. My husband and I still save anything under 50p, not for anything specific.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add that I believe banks are closing down because people are doing on line banking now, so they only have themselves to blame.
DeleteI don't do online banking - object to it strongly even if it does make life more difficult without
DeleteIt seems strange to me that businesses (especially the small ones) prefer you to use a debit or credit when they lose a small portion of that payment to the bank.
ReplyDeleteI'm Canadian (born and grew up in the UK) and still use cash for groceries. I will line up for a cashier rather than use the self-serve option which is debit or credit only.
I don't mind self service sometimes - but get annoyed when it has a hitch!
DeleteSorry, forgot to add my name to my comment.
ReplyDeleteChristine
I shop at resale shops frequently and almost always use cash for that. I use my change there also and never save it up. The shops are usually happy to have it and it lightens my purse when I spend it.
ReplyDeleteMr Micawber had it right, didn't he? xx
ReplyDeleteWe are the same. Don't need to be as frugal as we are, but it is nice to be able to spend a bit where we want to.
ReplyDeleteI save our change to use at the family reunion that happens every second year. It is amazing how it adds up.
God bless.
We don't often use cash much now, although I always try to have £10-20 in my purse just in case. I do often wonder how my Mum would have coped nowadays, with banks and post offices closing down left, right and centre, she certainly didn't use online banking.
ReplyDeleteWe do the same here, and it does add up quickly, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteWhen my late mother was moving to be near me we put all her hoarded change, mainly one cent pieces, we filled a rolling suitcase to take to the bank. $72, but the bank said it was no where near the record.
ReplyDeleteWhen my 99 year old uncle passed, I found a large flowerpot filled with coins. He must have been adding coins to this pot for a very long time. I have a small jar with loose coins but these days not much gets added. Self check-out is a bit of an experiment, I hear grocery stores find people are not paying for items and they are losing money. Big box home stores (e.g., Home Depot) selling larger items are finding no theft and will likely continue with self check-out. Like you, I enjoy keeping a healthy positive balance sheet. Your plans for new patios sound excellent. Patios add nice outdoor spaces to the landscape.
ReplyDeleteI have usually used accumulated coins to buy stamps at the Post Office, but perhaps they have cracked down on that now. I have to say that if I wanted to go in for money laundering, it would have to be a lot more to make it worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteMy bank has a machine which counts all change... and spits out the "bad" ones or not US ones. The total goes into your bank account and you are given a deposit slip. Nothing left to start anew!! LOL
ReplyDeleteps... the grocery store used to have something similar but you had to pay.
DeleteCONGRATULATIONS on 800 followers!
ReplyDeleteI only use cash for flea markets and tipping, only need paper money for that. Otherwise, since covid it's cashless for me. Coins are a rarity in my house now.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a small-time money laundry operation. Because you have been frugal you can now afford what you want and need
ReplyDeleteCathy
We went to put petrol in our car at a well known supermarket yesterday beginning with A. As we pulled in a sign CASH ONLY. The amount of people who had to drive through another lane because they had no cash was surprising. Some looked very concerned. My worry is that once we get "rid of cash" we will be taxed every time we want to go on the roads and drive somewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising how all those little bits add up. When I did use more cash I used to always put away those coins and used them to boost spending money on holidays. It was always a nice treat!
ReplyDeleteGlad the income was more than the outgoing - always good!
I save all of my change and have for years. Years ago, it was for emergencies and now I'm going to put it on my mortgage. I want to get my house paid off. I will continue to keep my change as long as we have change. In the US there are a lot of places that charge you a fee for using your card. This is for debit and credit cards. I try to use cash as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteI use cash at times and I put some in a jar. When it's half full, I take it to the credit union. There is a machine to put it in and it counts how much money is in the coins. I take the receipt over to the teller and either get the money in bills or put it in my account. I don't go to banks any more as they are different. I got charged my account I had at one bank when it wasn't supposed to be charged. The manager took care of it. A few months later he died so I gave up and went to a credit union here in town. Hope you have a good week!!
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