Coming Soon! "Money Handbook" (the book)

Pennies and Quarters

Ever since I was four I liked money. I remember having a change jar in my bedroom. I would pour it out onto my bed at least once a week. Then I would sort it. Four types of coins, four different piles: pennies, nickels dimes, quarters. I loved quarters. I hated pennies.

Oh, the quarter! I loved the quarter. Quarters were my favorite. It took so few coins to get so much money! Only four of these glorious ribbed-edged pieces, and a person could have a dollar. A pile of quarters made me a millionaire! Or so I thought at the age of four.

Pennies were my least favorite coin. As a child I knew that it took way more than four pennies to make a dollar. As a four year old, I knew it took at least a thousand pennies to make a dollar. They sucked. Such a large pile of metal and all I would end up with is two dollars and five cents. Lame.

My mother and older sister loved to joke about the times they would walk into my room as I counted my life savings: “Two quarters plus two quarters equals one dollar.” Yes, I was rich. Quarters in a jar on my oak bookshelf made me rich.

Then I grew up. I reached the ancient age of seven. Seven is a wonderful age. You are rounding the corner of elementary school and getting the hang of this whole “school thing.” Yes, seven rocked.

One cold evening my mother sat my sister, Marissa, and me down to talk. (Marissa was two years older and loved boys as much as I loved money. I had my priorities straight, she was all mixed up.) My mother handed us both two one-dollar bills. She informed us that this would be our monthly allowance for all of the chores we did around the house.

Now, I am sure that at some point in time I did chores. To this day, I could not tell you what they were or how I did them. It did not matter to me at that time. I had money! My own money! I was ready to move out and get my own place. I was ready to buy a nice truck, a sweet motorcycle, and a playful dog. I could make it out in the world. I now had a steady paycheck: $2 a month.