Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

What’s in your wallet? Let me guess. A few plastic cards, some paper bills, and possibly a few coins? It looks like one coin in particular, the penny, might be running out of luck. It costs almost two cents to make every penny, and it appears the public has disdain for the little copper sphere with Lincoln on it. It has no value, because there is not one thing that you can purchase for a penny. And in a monetary exchange, customers are often refusing to accept the penny.

I recall as a young girl in Ohio, the corner store having jars of “penny candy” that I could get after school. A mini–Tootsie Roll, or a Dubble Bubble were all penny treats. I would walk into that store with big dreams, until the owner, Mr. Brown, would ask me if my mother knew I was buying candy and that maybe he should call her to ask if I was allowed to have sugar before supper. So much for the value of a penny if you can’t even spend it!

Well, let’s fast forward to 2024 when a penny doesn’t buy anything and seems to be a bigger hassle and cost than it is worth. My husband has a big water jar filled with coins, which have been sitting in the garage for quite some time. One jug with 100 pennies weighs 55 pounds! It is not exactly a convenient way to stash money if you ever want to exchange it for some paper bills.

Are you sentimental? It appears that Americans have a very “special” feeling about pennies and most folks (especially boomers) don’t like the idea of just eliminating them. There is the argument that prices will be rounded up, so no more 99 cent deals will exist. Do they exist now? And shoppers are known to leave pennies behind for the cashier.

Sure, fiscal hawks will point out the government loses about 90 million dollars a year in manufacturing coins that people don’t need, don’t want and have little purchasing power. Canada and New Zealand have stopped manufacturing pennies and other countries are considering it to save money. Yikes, it costs seven bucks to manufacture one nickel! Not sure the United States cares much about saving money because we seem to print it faster than you can say “deficit.” It will take a lot of common cents for our government to stop manufacturing pennies!

I went through the drive-through recently for a coffee and my bill was a little less than five bucks. I handed the cashier a five-dollar bill and she asked if I wanted my change back. I was confused for a moment. The change was only about ten cents, but I wondered if this is “a thing” to leave money behind. And I guess it is. Why bother with coins, when they are so annoying and take up too much room in your wallet. Ha! I will take my change please, because I was taught that a penny saved is a penny earned!

Oh, let’s keep the copper, for nostalgic reasons. Besides, aren’t pennies from heaven?

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.