The Hundred Dollar Jar

When we lived in Germany, we used to go to all the local fests. My beloved was insistent that the whole point of going to a fest was to get a beer stein, which could only be gotten by drinking all the beer inside. Often, a refill was needed. After three years, there were quite a few. After that tour, he was assigned to recruiting duty, and he'd spend a bit of cash every day while he was out and about networking. Every night, he'd empty his pockets into his catch-all basket on his desk. I noticed it was starting to accumulate. It was an epidemic; beer steins and pocket change were overrunning our small quarters. I decided to conserve space by putting the change into a stein. In about three months, it was full, and I took it to the bank. It was very nearly a hundred dollars! Every three to four months, we'd fill it up and every time there was the same amount. Three to four hundred dollars a year in loose change definitely works for me! We still have a partial cash, partial debit spending system, but we don't fill up our jar nearly as quickly any more. It takes about a year nowadays, but it's still a happy surprise every time.