Monday Monthly Mission #10

February 1st, 2010 - filed under: Furthermore » Monday Monthly Mission

On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.


piggy-bank


#10

Today is the first anniversary of Bonzai Aphrodite (!!!), and it also happens to be the 1st of February. That means it’s time for our tenth Monthly Mission (ten already!). But I wanted to do something more symbolic this time, something very special to honor this little blog’s birthday.

What could we do to represent the values and ideals that we aspire towards here? What single step could epitomize :
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Certainly not something as focused as composting or going no-poo. These are awesome acts, to be sure, but they’re too directed to represent an entire ideology.

Bonzai Aphrodite is all about simple changes; about understanding the truth that altering our actions can add up to impactful magnitude. So, here’s your challenge for the month – Start A Piggybank.

That’s all. Easy as pie. We’re all going to start saving our change, in order to make some change! I’ll tell you more at the end of the month but for now you’ll just have to trust me.

So start saving those coins! To move things along, get in the habit of breaking bills instead of fishing for exact change. You’ll hardly notice the difference in your wallet, but you’ll end up with a lot more weight in your piggy! Try to get change from each transaction, and aim to contribute to your bank every single day. Of course, you needn’t break dollars into quarters just for the sake of adding coins! You want this to be natural, to become a habit.


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Stash your coinage at the end of each day. If you don’t want to invest in a ‘real’ ceramic piglet, that’s fine! There’s tons of other wonderful ways to stylishly save. You can custom-make a piggybank out of old plastic bottles, as evidenced above, or an old coffee tin, shown below.


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As well, you can always just decorate a glass mason jar! Cover it with a favorite fabric, or decoupage it with lovely images clipped form magazines. Hell, you can toss your change in a cereal bowl if that’s what works for you! The point is to begin collecting ‘change’, in a mindful and meaningful way. Because we all know that ‘change’ is more effective, when it’s collective!

So, will you accept this mission and join in??


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BONZAI!
sign-off

*** I had a lot of trouble finding sources for these photos and I hate not acknowledging artists. I apologize, and if anyone can help me give credit where credit is due, it would be much appreciated. Thanks! ***

  • http://hautemacabre.com Samantha

    I did that years ago, and it saved my butt on 9-11 and I couldn’t access my bank account! I lived off an orange juice jug full of loose change for nearly a week.

    Viva la Coin Star!

  • Laura Louise

    I’ve collected coins into my golden piggy for some time now but coins are not worth a lot where I live. The biggest coin is a little less than $ 0,1. So I will put some smaller bills in a jar for this challenge.
    This means that I’m all in. Feed your pigs everyone!

  • http://www.ultimatemoneyblog.com Mrs. Money

    I’m in!

  • akeeyu

    We’ve been doing this for about two years. It really is surprising how fast it grows. Ours goes into the girls’ savings accounts after we roll up the change.

    When I find a five in a jacket pocket, a buck in the laundry, or a a couple of ones on a counter that I’ve forgotten about, I always throw those in, too, on the theory that if I haven’t spent that money in X weeks or months, I must not have missed it very much, therefore it goes in the piggy bank.

    It helps if you keep a small piggy in the laundry room for emptying pockets and gathering change out of the bottom of the washer.

  • Staar

    I’ve got some change on my desk right now that I’ll put in my ceramic “cat” piggy bank.

  • Annelise

    I’ve been wanting a piggy bank, right now we’re keeping all our change in a little mug. We do have to dig out our quarters every week- the joys of the laundromat. That orange one there is super cute!

  • http://kpapoulias.blogspot.com/ Kathryn

    I have a little box my grandma got me that I keep my change in; however, I am definitely the type who ALWAYS gives exact change. I’ll try my best for this MM!

  • Amelora

    My husband and I started doing this when my son was born. We use the change we saved through the year for Christmas and then what is ever left over goes into his college fund. Last year we contributed over $700 to his RESP. It helps that we have $2 coins here.

  • http://www.lostinoversettelse,blogspot.com Kirstin

    I am SO in. This is the perfect challenge for my Husband and I, as he is just starting his new job tomorrow, and we want to have saved up enough to be in our very first home by Christmas!

  • RawJoy

    My dad used to throw his pennies in a coffee can and then every year, cash them in and buy us something – a red wagon, new swings, etc.

    I throw all of my change into an old crock (the kind you used to use to ferment pickles and such). It comes out to several hundred dollars a year. And I DO break my dollars. If the price is $1.01, I give the cashier $2. I’ve actually had to fight with them sometimes to give me the change instead of writing off the penny. ha ha

  • http://twitter.com/erosan EroSan

    YES! totally into this MMM!

    We’ve been meaning to start our own piggy bank for some time now and so far, we’ve been keeping only those coins that look new-ish (shiny!!!)

    But I guess it’s time for the pig to stop being so picky about it’s food xD

    btw, Happy belated b-day, blog!

    Regards,

  • Leah

    Oh girl, I’m WAY into saving change. It takes me awhile because I’m a super tightwad and rarely spend money, but about once a year we cash in the change. Last year we bought some books, and the year before we had a nice dinner.

    I love the piggy bank!!

  • http://thegreengeek05.wordpress.com Courtney

    Great challenge! I’ve already got two change receptacles. One is just for quarters. The other is a “Rice Bowl” they give out at the beginning of Lent to raise money for a charity whose name I can’t remember. I keep it year round and throw in pennies, dimes, and nickles at the end of the day.

  • daoine o’

    i accept the challenge! tho my partner might wonder where all the quarters are disappearing to…we don’t have a washer/dryer in our house and so use the coin laundry, thus we are ‘quarter-hoarders’! so maybe i can still set aside my change, sans quarters! ;)

  • http://salekdarling.livejournal.com Salekdarling

    I’m a little late on this one but I’m totally in! I’m still in the poor college student stage so every little bit counts. Good luck Sayward. I’m going to decorate a mason jar tomorrow. :-)

  • Cary M

    My husband saves all of his quarters in an ammo can. Whenever he wants to buy something, that I roll my eyes at, he just says “I’ve got my quarters.” I can’t argue with that.

  • Mark M

    After our house burned, the gallon jar of coins that my son Aaron partly filled was found under a burnt mattress. These coins were generally taken from my dresser every evening. Our bank found the coins useless, but the US mint sent us a check for $250 for the coins that were not melted together.

  • http://www.creativeanomalie.com sarah

    We’ve been doing this for years and use a plastic juice jug. Even used to throw paper bills in. I bought my brand new washer and dryer a couple years ago on that savings alone.

  • http://www.agirlwriting.blogspot.com Jessica

    I have a savings jar, well actually it’s a giant-sized Parmesan cheese jar that I got at Sam’s Club because my husband (the Italian) loves parm! It’s got some savings in there which can always help out. I knew someone who took a vacation on their change!

    Congratulations!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Samantha – Coin Star! Do they have those everywhere? Haha, saved my butt SO many times in college . . .

    @ Laura Louise – Ooh, where do you live? And yes, hungry piggies need money food! =D

    @ Mrs. Money – Yay!

    @ akeeyu – That’s such a great way to set a little aside for the kids future. And I LOVE the idea of keeping a piggy in the laundry room. I’m totally going to do that!

    @ Staar – But of course, all animals are welcome to play. =)

    @ Annelise – Sounds like a weekend craft project! If you do decide to make one, I’d love to see pics (this goes for everyone)

    @ Kathryn – I’m the type to always use my debit card, and I rarely deal with cash at all. So, I’m trying to break a habit too. Luck!

    @ Amelora – Wow that’s awesome! And a great way to get through the money-crunching holidays. Your name is beautiful, btw. Where are you from with t hose $2 coins?

    @ Kirstin – Oh that’s so exciting! Buying HQ was one of the most empowering and exciting things I’ve ever done. I’m so happy for you and I’ll be sending you happy money thoughts for this year of saving!

    @ RawJoy – It sounds like a lot of parents did this, which makes sense. My pregnant butt is taking notes!

    That’s awesome that you insist on breaking bills. People underestimate the penny, in my humble opinion. I’ve cashed in pure pennies plenty of times and gotten a bunch of bucks!

    @ EroSan – Awesome! And yes, no picky piggies – money is money man! =D

    @ Leah – It’s good to be a tightwad, haha. I totally understand. ;-)

    @ Courtney – I’ve never seen a ‘rice bowl’ specifically for that (then again I’ve never celebrated Lent). Is it just a normal bowl?

    @ daoine o’ – I too am a quarter hoarder! My produce market puts out ‘dollar bags’ full of bruised and battered fruits and veggies, so I always keep my quarters on me for those. But this month, it’s all going into the piglet. =)

    @ Salekdarling – I did this in my own poor college student days, and it saved me from hunger a number of times. =) And I want to see how the mason jar turns out!

    @ Cary M – Brilliant, I gotta get Damian doing that! It may save us some friction, haha.

    @ Mark M – Wow they melted together? Did you save the hunk of metal? I’d like to see that.

    @ sarah – Wow you saved enough for a washer and dryer?? Not THAT is inspiring!

    @ Jessica – A vacation would also be an excellent use of savings. It’s awesome that so many of you already do this!

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  • MsGinSmith

    I know this is way old but I have a blog post about change…

    http://faithinthereflection.blogspot.com/2010/08/god-in-money-mill.html

    I love saving coins. I too have a smallish piggy bank in the laundry room for errant coinage and bills. I also us an envelope system for my budgetary matters – and if there is any left over bills in the envelopes that are expected to be run down to zero – I save that too… I have bought new tennis shoes, a Trek bicycle, a Specialized bicycle and am currently saving to purchase the materials to re-upholster my couch… love me some “found money”!!!

    I am also the lady that will stop and pick up coins from the ground if I notice…