What do you do with your Pennies?

What do you do with your Pennies?


As a teenager, I was once asked if I would choose a flat million dollars or a penny doubled everyday for 30 days.

I laugh now remembering the man's face.
Cause I stuck my hand out to him and said.  I'll take the pennies in your pocket, instead.
The rest of the men that happen to be sitting at the table with my father drinking coffee laughed.  While my father was giving me dirty looks.  The man laughed with the others when he caught the look my father was giving me.  He stood up and started digging out the pennies he had in his pocket.

I borrowed one of the men's ink pens to grab a napkin and quickly did the math on the napkin for the penny doubled for 30 days.

Math was something I found that I was good at in school, and my father's father had asked me years before that day what the answer was for the penny doubled.  I know it was over a million, but couldn't remember what the day 30 total was and one of the men at the table had asked.  So by the time the man had sorted out all his pennies he had in his pocket I had the answer written out on the napkin.

I gave the man the napkin for his pennies, got gas money from my father then left the men to their drinking coffee and talking.

A single penny by it's self doesn't really look important.  

You do a search on, Do you pick up pennies?

And you will discover most people won't, don't, and even admit to throwing their pennies in the trash!

I will admit I pick up pennies.  

The 1907 Indian head penny, I 'm not sure how I came across it, but I did notice it when I was counting out my change to pay for something.  I told the cashier sorry that's not a penny and slid it to the side and went back to counting out the change to watch the lady pick it up out of the corner of my eye and she tells me it was too a Penny.  It's an Indian Head Penny.  Really?  Cool never seen one of those before.  So I took it from her and put in my left pants pocket, so it wouldn't get mixed up with my change again.  

1941 Wheat Penny, I found it when I picked it up at the grocery store parking lot.

Lets get a better look at the math of a Penny Doubled Everyday for 30 Days.

With a better look at it can you believe the math?

Remember me telling you about that person throwing their pennies in the trash?

Lets say that person throws 4 cents a day in the trash.

Doesn't seem like much does it?

Well lets do some more math.

10 people throwing $13.44 a year in the trash = $134.40 in the trash a year.

10 years by $134.40 = $1,344.00

I know my math is on the low side.

I know among teenagers throwing pennies away is a game for them.

I'm curious to see if anyone will admit to throwing their pennies away.  I started a poll on G+ asking.

What do you do with your pennies?