Last weekend while I was on a walk, a simple, but strange thing happened. I found a brand new shiny penny on the sidewalk and picked it up.
It may not seem like a big deal or even worth writing about. I wholeheartedly agree, but it reminded me of one of my New Year’s resolutions: to save as much money as I can. I’m hopeful I can spend less this year. Depressingly, with inflation, the future is not so promising methinks.
What is the value of the penny in today’s world? Not much. I agree with you there. However, the real value are the object lessons and simple reminders it can foster.
When I was growing up, my dad and I would pick up all the spare change we would find on our walks. It use to be a big deal to find pennies to add to my collection.
I’m not sure exactly when the lucky penny became ostracized by society. I guess I stopped picking up orphaned pennies from the ground years ago when I noticed people would walk right over them, avoiding them like a pile of dog poo. Fearing that I would be viewed as an oddball, a penny-pincher or a desperate tight wad, I stopped picking up pennies too.
Strange how societal pressures effect us.
What’s even stranger is, some years ago, lost pennies seem to have vanished all together. I know no one was picking them up. Where could they have gone? Perhaps the rains washed them away into the storm drains. No, that wasn’t it. I think the real reason was (and still is), most of us no longer use cash to purchase things.
As you know, there’s been societal shift toward plastics. Who knew, the movie THE GRADUATE (1967) would have predicted the future so spot on! Plastic credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, gift cards, gas cards, etc. are prevalent and pervasive in our daily lives.
Nowadays I’m not sure how kids learn about the value of money if they are not observing transactions done with cash or spare change or even with the lowly penny. More over, do little kids pick up pennies they find if they see parents avoiding them instead? The fundamentals of sound money and budget management begin when we’re young.
I still think cash is king, but to each his own.
As reminder to you, those found pennies may even add up to dwarf some interest earnings at some banks. Unfortunately that’s the sad reality we are living in and there’s no change (for the better) in sight.
Cheers!
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Copyright © 2012 by Rob Dragan
