I still haven’t decided what to do with my bank of found money. I started thinking of ways I could use that money but I have not come to a concrete decision yet so for now it is staying in the bank where I have it.

When I talked about the bank where I have all of the money that I have found (outside of my house) over the past eight years it made me start thinking that maybe I wanted to at least earn some interest on it. I came up with a list of things that I could do with my change jar and possibly inspire you to use these ideas as well.

Ten things to do with money from a change jar

1. Start a savings account for a kitchen remodel or vacation

2. Order a pizza or other treat

3. Donate it to a good cause

4. Buy a magazine subscription

5. Buy some yarn (or supplies for your hobby)

6. Add money to my 401k/mutual fund

7. Increase the principal in your mortgage payment

8. Buy a savings bond

9. Take it to Coinstar and get a gift certificate

10. Use it for coffee / lunch money or gallon of gas

No change jar? You could start one by tossing all of your change into a jar at the end of the day or week. You might decide that you just want to save a certain denomination of coin, go for it. You will still save money doing that. Though it may not add up to a large amount, if you have it in one place you can still use it later on for an expected treat.

I’m not a big milk drinker but whenever I want milk I used to buy a quart or half gallon because the price was better. Sounds good but… I would only use about a pint of milk. So I was wasting money by buying the larger size. Was that good use of my money? No. I felt a twinge of guilt when I would throw the milk out after it spoiled. It was a good price. Then I stopped buying the large size and started buying the size I needed. Though that size may cost more per fluid ounce I don’t waste any so the cheaper fluid ounces aren’t being thrown out. A good steward takes advantage of sales but doesn’t waste. When I stopped buying the larger size mile I saw that I had what I really needed.

Buying what you only need or will use saves money.

How many times have you convinced yourself at a large shipping club or even regular grocery store that the largest size is the bet even though it is more than you (or your family will ever use)? Then if you are like me with the milk you may end up throwing it away. There are some things that you may buy in bulk and will use without fear of it going to waste… toilet paper and paper towels. After that, the list gets short very quickly.

Buying detergent in large containers is smart but they will tend to take up a lot of space in a short while. And if you have to take your container of detergent to the laundry room or laundromat you need to have smaller container to transfer the detergent so that you aren’t lugging a gallon container (or larger with you along with your laundry).

Coffee, I drink coffee almost every day but sometimes if you keep it too long it doesn’t taste much like coffee anymore. A couple of years ago someone donated 20 pounds of coffee to our church. We used it a couple of times for breakfast but the breakfasts were months apart and the coffee had started to make its descent into nastiness. Another tip: Buying too much at one time can backfire on you. Even if the discount club offers a great deal, will you use the item before it loses its vitality.

Only you know what you can use within a reasonable amount of time and spending plan. If I drank milk every day I probably would reconsider and buy a larger container. I only use milk once or twice and then don’t get the urge to have some again for a while. I use coffee daily and will go through a pound in short order but I don’t have a lot lying around because even it is packaged fresh it will still lose its savor if I have too much on hand.