Step 8: COMPLETED

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been quite busy, and have not had a chance to get to a computer.





It seems that whenever I say that I'm through using spare change, that it's done all it can, that It won't be able to get me through another step, I find enough to bump me up. I've been intending to get to a yard sale and buy & resell items for a greater value, but as I said I have been very busy. Again, most of the coins have been dimes. They were found at various places, and I can't remember all their exact locations. I won't be able to get very far by collecting Coke cans. $1.60 should be able to buy a fair amount of goods at a yard sale. Hopefully I can resell them somehow.

My pile of coins keeps growing and growing.

Step 8: Update

I found another two dimes today. One was outside, underneath a metal grille-type ramp, and the other was on the floor in the food court. Strangely enough, I now seem to be finding dimes with more consistency than I am finding pennies. And two in one day? Either I'm getting really lucky, I'm being trained to spot loose change, or, somehow, the steps are becoming much less daunting then they appeared at first. Strange.

Also, I would like to thank Thin Air Millionaire for deciding to swap links with me. He is currently at step 20, and has become subscriber #2. His site can be seen at the hyperlink... or to the right.

Step 7: COMPLETED

I've been meaning to update this for some time, but my monitor burned out and I had to get a new one. I now have completed step 7.

Last Saturday, I found a dime in a Wal-Mart. I also found a dime in the lawn as well as a nickel in a public bathroom (the first nickel since starting, I washed it thoroughly before continuing) on Monday, and yesterday found a penny (again, in the street) and another nickel in a local grocery store.

This brings me up to exactly $0.64, precisely what I need to begin step 8. I am still trying to think of a way to turn these pennies into dollars, as you can't really make much of an investment with $0.64. Yet if not now, when? I'm going to take this money to a yard sale and see what I can resell for a higher price. Expect to hear back on Saturday.

Step 6: COMPLETED

I found a scratched-up dime and three scratched-up pennies while crossing the street today. This brings me up to $0.36, and up to step 7. I'm getting up to the area where found money won't do so very much anymore. It's been shooting me up through these first few steps, but it won't be able to sustain me much longer. I suppose that if I REALLY wanted to, I could find $1,000,000 entirely out of found money. If I keep finding money at the rate that I've been going at, it will take well over 114,000 years. On the other hand, this program is not even close to being a failure. I may only have $0.36 now, but it's $0.36 more than I would have had had I not started the program. It was a success from the moment I picked up that first dime.

But sooner or later I'm going to have to make some investments with this $0.36 if I want to complete the project, and I intend to do that. I'm going to try my "Trade $0.36 for $0.64?" expirement one more time. If it works, we'll see how it goes from there.

Step 5: Completed

Today I've completed Step 5. Previously, my stake was at $0.14, but I found another $0.06 in pennies... and they were all within 150 feet of the vending machine where I found my original dime. In addition, I found another (grimy) penny outside in a gutter. My stake is now at $0.21. I now need to turn this into $0.32.

I've wisened up and decided to use a scanner.

What's my next strategy? I don't know. I've read quite a few accounts of people getting to higher steps by collecting cans for recycling, but unfortunately, I don't have a program like this in my area. For the moment, I think I'm going to keep going with my "money in the street" strategy.