Fatten that piggy (bank)!

Posted By Flori on Feb 22, 2007 | 4 comments

Coins are very easy to take for granted. They’re small and they don’t necessarily buy us much. Besides, I know that almost all of us hate the way they add unnecessary weight to our wallets (pero kung papel yun okay lang), and not to mention the annoying sound they make as they jiggle in our pockets.

But I think it’s about time that we curb our aversion to coins and embrace the fact that we do need them for those emergencies when all we carry are bigger bills. And of course there is truth to the old adage, “A penny a day keeps the collectors at bay.”

Personally I adore coins.

When I go out, I carry with me a small drawstring purse where I keep what I accumulate the whole day. The idea here is to refrain from using them. With the exception of trike and jeepney fares, I use paper bills as payment. I really don’t buy that, “Wala po ba kayong barya?” crap from groceries and department stores. After all, business establishments should always have available coins in their cash registers.

Anyway, when I get home, I put the coins in my money jars. You can always keep just one, but I’m a little OC so I have one for each denomination. You can also use a piggy bank, especially one with just a slit opening. This would keep yourself from spending the coins.

Seriously, just fatten the pig and you’ll be surprised that soon enough it’ll fill up. Once it does, bag the coins (maybe take a little time to count) and deposit them to your bank account. There’s no reason to be ashamed of depositing coins in a bank! But beware. Ask your bank first if they charge for coin deposits. If they do, you might end up spending more than what you are saving.

Not all of the coins I keep to save. I allot some for commuting fare and for buying petty household items.

When I was still driving, I would also store 20 to 50 pesos worth of coins in my car. They would come in handy as tip for the parking boys or for the parking fee itself.

During the Christmas season (for some here in the Philippines, it starts September and ends early January), I give the 25 centavos to the kids attempting to sing carols on Christmas. Yeah, a little miserly but it’s way better than screaming, “Tawad!”

I’m sure there are so many other reasons to keep coins. If you have some, please feel free to add on to this post.

So what are you waiting for? Fatten that pig up!