Where did you find money?

[sounderella]

Well I was thinking about it....with the end of the year I know money is probably tight with some folks. When/If you were in a situation where you thought you were totally broke, where'd you find the money? Couch cushions? Extra job? What?

I'll start....we sell on Ebay and we also have a change machine that we empty our pockets into each night. We roll and deposit.

[Ralph]

Fsa

One thing (and about ONLY one thing) is nice financially at the end of the year.

Flexible Savings Account money - This is the time of year to take note of your balance and submit receipts to zero out the balance. For some reason though the medical expenses that get automatically deducted are swarming in lately as deposits to checking.

I thought pretty hard about going with a High Deductible Plan this year, but in the end I chickened out and stayed with a somewhat expensive but safe HMO-like plan.

[d&lcavileer]

Are the change rolling machines really worth while? I wondered about the cost about $25. Does the machine really encourage you to roll the coins more than waiting until there is a jar full and then rolling by hand?
PS- I'm new to forum, so be kind.

[Ralph]

Are the change rolling machines really worth while? I wondered about the cost about $25. Does the machine really encourage you to roll the coins more than waiting until there is a jar full and then rolling by hand?
PS- I'm new to forum, so be kind.

IMO, no, but then here in NJ we are spoiled by Commerce Bank's Penny Arcade, where you just dump your loose change in, it prints a receipt, and you get your money from the teller, even if you don't have an account there. Sweet! But they were recently acquired by another bank, so time will tell if we lose that unique little perk.

[lgslgs]

Are the change rolling machines really worth while? I wondered about the cost about $25. Does the machine really encourage you to roll the coins more than waiting until there is a jar full and then rolling by hand?
PS- I'm new to forum, so be kind.

They usually aren't worthwhile to us, so we used to plan on watching a movie on TV and making an evening of rolling coins every couple of years.

The last time, though, the local store had a coinstar machine. Total rip off if you want cash back, but if you took payment as an Amazon gift certificate there you got full credit for every one of your pennies. We put the change through and used the gift certificate for regularly scheduled niece & nephew birthday and Christmas gifts. That was a good value to us. It would be less so if we didn't usually have planned gift purchases through Amazon each year.

Lynda

[lgslgs]

I see Coinstar has expanded their program since we last counted change: Coinstar : Our Products : FREE Coin Counting when you turn coins into a Gift Card or eCertificate

[sounderella]

I bought mine on ebay for $4.00 I wouldn't have dared buy one for $25....it ain't that great. Also, I think Coinstar charges a fee everytime you use it.

[Lori63]

I roll mine by hand, usually when I am broke-like today! Went around looking for nickels and dimes from the kids!

[Coleroo]

we had budgeted for all christmas gifts / tree this year but between rolling our coins and me cleaning out my car (haha i found $17!) we have enough "found" money to give our upcoming baby a nice gift - a $100 savings account which we're going to open tomorrow! who would have known that scrounging for change could produce such good results!

[PrincessPerky]

When I lived in my car I put all the change from anything into the ashtray (old car it actually had one of those) Then right before payday, or the middle of the night I could count out enough for a gallon of gas or something.

After marriage we still kept change (though in the house) and when we run short and need it, we rolled it. I had the kids help, it is good counting practice for them. I still have that option, but now I budget a cash pile, for times of need, sortof...

I keep it in my sock drawer (figuratively speaking) when we get cash gifts or payment (like if we bought an item that someone else wanted to pay for) We may use some and always keep ones for the kids donation to church (I want them to remember giving weekly, but do not want to trust them with our full donation), the rest piles up, forgotten till one month when unexpected 'stuff' comes up, and usually we just want a splurge (having spent the Misc fund on the 'stuff') so I dig out and see what there is.

I am the type to forget it is there, and just go looking for a splurge here and there, not to fast. Not that it is worth stealing, about 20-100 nothing worth breaking in for, just enough to splurge once or twice.

[cheapdoggy]

I bring the deposit bottles back. $6-7 every trip for some strange reason when I have a couple of bucks I don't want to be hasseled but when I'm cashless (broke) I seem to not see it as a hassle. I also got one of the water cooler bottles that all my change is going into.

[Ralph]

When I lived in my car

Man, you got my attention there!

[buzz]

Monthly savings over the past year:

$140 - Quit smoking (both my wife and me)
$ 45 - Switched to basic cable
$ 25 - Cash back from credit cards
$ 40 - Cancelled one of the cell phones
$ 25 - Started clipping grocery coupons
$ 5 - Additional interest on rent and credit purchases in money market acct.
$ 50 - Gas saved by moving closer to work
-----
$330/month

Add to that greater diligence with stocking up on grocery/household products at sale prices, cutting waste, and general frugality affecting many areas. I think I'm getting the hang of this.

Edited to add: This is more along the lines of cutting back than producing actual cash, but the 2 should go hand-in-hand.

[kristinecfp]

Ways I "find" money when things are slow...

Take change to the bank (no rolling or machines, just a big ziploc bag)
Sell items on eBay
Sell books on Amazon
Get a part time, seasonal or temporary job (temp agency)
Adjust income tax withholding (if expecting a large refund)
Contact clients I haven't talked to in a while (I'm a small business owner)
Contact potential clients to see if I can answer any questions
Post a sale on my services on various private membership sites (where I know the people I am offering a discount to)

I'm sure there are other ways I have "found" money when I needed it, but these are the ones that come to mind.

This thread got a bit off track. I'd love to hear other ways people "find" money when they find themselves in a pinch.

[threebeansalad]

I started babysitting in my free time last January. Over the course of 12 months, I made ~$2,000 from babysitting alone! Selling stuff on eBay and half.com were also good income generaters (~$500 on eBay, $200 on half).