Finding Hidden Treasures Under Your Bed

On a daily basis, many of us use our debit and credit cards without regards to bank ATM fees (debit and credit cards) and finance charges that occur if the credit card purchases are not usually paid before the close of the billing cycle. Unfortunately, some of us do not realize that we could avoid a lot of charges if we just look under our beds, in our cars or around the house for loose change.

Ask yourself, how often do you make a purchase in cash and leave the change in your pockets or in the car? If some of you are honest, a few hands should go up. This is money that currently earns no interest. I can remember a trip when my parents traveled to my apartment outside of Indianapolis, IN and found a considerable amount of change, $135 to be exact, in my room. I was startled by the discovery. Besides, this amount of money was not earning any interest. From talking to individuals, I am not the only person with a story like this to tell. Some of us might have $500 to $1000 laying around the house and or car.

If we improve our cash flow by finding hidden treasures (change), we can be less dependent on using credit cards when we are unable to pay in cash. Furthermore, we can keep just enough money in our pockets for emergencies, if we are faced with the dilemma of not being able to use our debit or credit cards in certain retail outlets. This is an alternative way of thinking, as opposed to racking up ATM charges ($2 to $3) for every withdraw at a machine that is not affiliated with our bank.