Happy Halloweeeeen Indeed!!!

Ahhh halloween... the world is swept up by auburn, orange, and gold. It's very Frost-esque around here- lots of pumpkins, leaves, and happy kids with overflowing goodie buckets. We took the kiddies to a few places which yielded some surprising results.

We didn't expect to find much change considering the evening all about the children.. haha! The found change front has good and bad news to report.

Bad News:
Kitty found about forty cents this morning (three dimes, two nickels) but some of the coins disappeared since the changepurse clip wasn't secure enough. We did make up for the change by finding a dime and eight pennies... now for the good news:

Good News:
I found a twenty dollar bill! It was funny because there must have been dozens of people who passed over this cash and didn't bother to pick it up. It is my first CASH twenty dollar find in this quest!! The fact that my three other companions didn't notice it makes me feel kinda special.. woohoo!! The twenty definitely makes up for the three missing dimes which might actually be in the backseat of my car. I'll check tomorrow... right now I've got a date with some tylenol and it's off to bed- early day tomorrow.

Total found today: $20.28
Total so far: $ 97.11

This time last year, I found twelve cents. This year we found $20.28. Yayy.

Biscotti Blues

I woke up with a major craving for almond biscotti. Rationalization came only after I brushed my teeth and saw the space where my wisdom tooth once was.. so I didn't give in. I stayed in the entire day today as the meds are still "working" on me. Fortunately hubby and Sandy cheeks came through with a whopping $0.57 in change- two quarters and seven pennies.

I'm looking forward to Halloween this year. Hubby is contemplating taking us to the village halloween parade- haven't been there in YEARS!

Total found today: $0.57
Total so far: $ 76.83

Pain.

**Quick note: Just finished watching "The Lake House"... Two thumbs up!! The movie was FANFRIGGINTABULOUS! or as Ne' would say, 'allz dat and some cool whup'. Keanu- you have redeemed yourself in my eyes, bud... I can honestly say this man has negated the awful effects of "the Watcher" and that film with billy bob thornton and tom cruise's robotic female wench (forgot her name).


Found today:

Half Dollars- One (0.50)
Quarters- Five (1.25)
Dimes- Twenty Seven (2.70)
Nickels- Twenty One (1.05)
Pennies- Thirty Six (0.36)

I am in too much pain to go into details. Thank you to the Krab family members who ventured out while mommy was KO for the greater part of the day. Perhaps i'll expand on this topic tomorrow when i'm feeling better ::sigh::


Total found today: $5.86
Total so far: $ 76.26

What a day!

While I am still in some serious tooth pain, I couldn't pass up an offer of free babysitting!
I apologize in advance if this post seems jumbled lol.

Anywhoo... Hubby and I stepped out to Atlantic City Saturday night- a virtual haven for found change. Details later! Earlier in the day, hubby and Sandy cashed in some coins for Abu and found the following in the rejection slot:

One Mexican Peso
One Canadian Dime
Three Canadian cents
One 100 Korean Won
a plastic dime with the word "COPY" on it

Sandy also found a silver dime in the rejection slot. Apparently coinstar machines don't like silver? Anywhoo, mom chose the amazon card option and is happily perusing the site for Christmas gifts. One smart cookie indeed! Shopping early is a major advantage.

Once hubby returned from the coin cashing, we went grocery shopping. As we walked into the Stop 'n Shop, Hubby noticed a wad of lined paper on the floor. I would have totally missed it.. this man has eagle eyes I swear! He picked it up before the wind did away with it (the gusts are no joke around here lately geez!). Inside he found some redeemed bottle slips worth exactly $21.00 but here's the catch... it was dated today at another store- in another borough!!! Fortunately there was a store here in Staten Island but it wasn't close either- about three miles or so by car. We drove to the store and happily cashed in the receipts. Twenty one dollars... good luck indeed. The lady handed us the first twenty dollar bill in changepot history. YAY!

Atlantic City was a whole nugget find altogether. We found NO slips whatsoever. What we did find was people leaving credits in the machine- especially the nickel and penny machines. As we cashed in the slips, we found a few quarters lingering in the return slot. The booty? $2.34 in change.

Funny event: We headed to our favorite casino first. As hubby sat down to play some "Spanish 21", I walked over to a blazing 7's machine. I inserted some money and played absently- throwing an occasional glance at hubby and his table activity. I didn't notice the three "7's" until the noise interrupted my thoughts. Basically I walked away from the machine with $75 won from a five dollar investment. Hubby walked away with a few hundred in the black. We were happy.

We hit four casinos altogether. They were SO PACKED. It still didn't deter us from finding money. I spotted what looked like a severly beat up five dollar bill tucked under a five times pay machine. From where I was standing it could have been a leaf too lol) Ironically, I watched two people use the machine, get fed up with the results, and walk away- not noticing the money underneath (then again it is hard to see when you're eye level with the machine). I sat down, inserted my card, pried the green from under the machine, took out my card and walked away with a series 2003 changepot five (the first for Changepot 06'). Sorry Lincoln, you shouldn't look so beaten up like that! Not one slip in Caesars, Bally's, Trump, or Sands... geez!

Hubby found a dollar machine with ten credits at the Taj. Apparently the gambling folks don't appreciate the reclusive dollar Jeopardy! machines anymore. It's not that they don't like Jeopardy. The penny slots are the new craze it seems. The rest is history.

Now it's time for Sunday morning pancakes with my happy clan. Hopefully a penny or two will complement today's changepot total? Quien sabe.

Total found today: $38.44
Total so far: $ 70.40

Wisdom or Folly?

Today the doctor removed my bothersome tooth. I felt as though he was prying my jaw out through my mouth. Apparently I'd forgotten just how much wisdom tooth extraction hurts... luckily my bright young dentist was available to re-acquaint me. The minute I walked into that room I felt like one of pinhead's victims in "Hellraiser"- the tools on the table looked so primitive and gory ::shiver::. The doctor quickly disposed of the ugly dark tooth despite my half-hearted moans about wanting to see it. Halloween indeed.

I felt bad because hubby wanted to go out and I was in absolutely no condition to go anywhere. We did manage to run a few errands before my face puffed up. Today's finds were all hubby. He found a penny while getting my meds, another penny by the subway counter (the kids wanted meatball subs since mommy was out of commission), and a quarter and a penny at Blockbuster video (since I was in no condition to go out, he made it a blockbuster night). Sandy found nothing and seemed a bit bummed since it was day two of no finds for her. I gave her a hug and told her not to despair. The holiday seasons are approaching after all, people will be dropping much more change than usual. She smiled and drifted off to sleep peacefully.

The rain and howling winds outside sound awfully scary right now. Time to curl up into a medicated little ball of flesh while mother nature takes the spotlight tonight.

Total found today: $0.28
Total so far: $ 31.96

92 days ago...

The Changepot wasn't fed either! Today we found NOTHING. I didn't go out since I'm on meds and kitty stayed home with me. The two changepot experts were dispatched early in the morning- equipped with change purses and sanitizers. The difference between the four days in July (12,15,17, and 26) and today's non finds are:

#1. Sandy went on a class trip to a place where we FREQUENTLY find change. She found nothing.

#2. Hubby went to three locations of work, night class, and the gym (three prime change spots). He found nothing (well.. does a coke can count?)

Perhaps friday will be a good day for the pot. Who knows?

Toodles!

Lucky number 13

Today my wisdom tooth decided to yell at me for not taking good care of it. After an impromptu visit to the doctor, I am now on medication and awaiting extraction in a few days. Yay. Ugh.. antibiotics make me nauseous.

On the upside, Sandy found a dime while we waited for my medication. I spotted a penny in front of the store. Hubby found two pennies in front of Dunkin' Donuts as we made our way to our vehicle.

Total found today: $0.13
Total so far: $ 31.68

Black days ahead.

Found five pennies. Not much else going on today. Sandy found a few pennies but she's fast asleep- long day for the little tyke. I'll add them to today's total once she hands them over.

Total found today: $0.05
Total so far: $ 31.55

Music

Every time I hear trance music, I feel rejuvenated. A friend of mine found my alltime favorite trance track and sent it over in .mp3 format.. I am on cloud nine right now!!!!

Today sped by. Sandy found a penny on the way home from school. Hubby found a penny and a nickel on the way to the dealership. The family found three dimes and eighteen pennies while on our three mile powerwalk. My new walking partners Sandy and Kitty make me proud. They didn't fight. Today was a good day.


Total found today : $0.50
Total since 10/05/06: $31.50

The Earlybird gets the coins.

It pays to wake up early!

As most of you know, the NYC Marathon is a few weeks away so many folks are out before 8am doing their pre-marathon training. YAYYYY! Kit, Hub, and myself headed out to Jogger's Park at 7am for some morning sprints and strides. Our favorite lake didn't disappoint either!

While I've been a bit down (we sold our truck on Friday), I was happy to have seen some old friends today. Thanks for the memories, R.

Found Money Totals: Two quarters (one SILVER, one regular), twenty six dimes (three silver!), two nickels, and seventeen pennies. The dimes were scattered all over the place today... it was incredible!!! Three dimes haunted us at IHOP this morning. We actually left two pennies which got picked up right after we moved away from the register. We also found a french coin, a COPY of a penny, and a no cash value token. We get alot of odd coins by the lake here. I overheard one ranger talking about an egret swallowing a silver dollar. I wonder if the egret popped that sucker out and if so, where is it now? hehehe. He gave kitty a bag of teddy graham brand crackers and my daughter looked at him suspiciously. She is no fan of strangers giving her things. Luckily she accepted the uncirculated silver dollar given to her at a recent coin fair... that puppy's now worth seven dollars.

Best Find of the day: As Hubby and I lugged heavy grocery bags into the house, Kitty walked slowly-bag in one hand, puppy in the other. Just as I turned around to call her one last time, I spot her bending over and what she said was absolutely priceless:

"Guys. You're too busy to pick up ping? Baby found a ping."

She walked up with one exceedingly dark nickel and placed it in her pocket defiantly.

"It's mine for now mommy. Your hands look busy."

Now that's what I call courtesy.


Total found today : $3.37
Total since 10/05/06: $31.00

OktoberZOOfest 2006

Today we headed out to the Bronx Zoo for the "Boo at the zoo" jamboree. We partied, made treat bags, and drank some refreshing Snapple Kiwi Strawberry served by none other than celebrity fit club alumni and local city celebrity Wendy "The Snapple Lady" Kaufmann. She was such a sweetheart! She was telling me of a few online ventures she's working on to launch in January 07'. I am so proud that she is able to branch out from the "fit club" stereotype- Go Wendy! She is starting a new clothing line for

plus size women- check out the website here: Wendywear. Personally I think she looks fabulous. You be the judge!

Found money front: Prior to getting over there, the Sandster found a quarter and five pennies at the local gas station where we spent a whopping thirty bucks and ACTUALLY filled the tank... YAYYYYY!!!! Hubby found $0.28 at the zoo (one dime, eighteen pennies) in odd places. We ended the day with some savory chinese food at my favorite place- Fortune Hawaii! Good times, good company....today (like all days of late) was a good day, my friends.















(congrats to hubby who took this excellent shot of 'the bored bear'. I think he'll make one good photographer someday!)















The New and Improved Little Rascals 2006- Who said eating pizza was boring?




Total found today : $0.58
Total since 10/05/06: $27.63

Odd day... odd finds.

This morning started off rather loppy here at the Krabs' house. Sandy woke up late for school, hubby forgot to leave me the car seat, and Kitty was unbelievably moody all day. The rain just fell HARD right around the time I had to pick Sandy up- our hill was quite sleek but manageable.

Sandy came home smiling with two pennies in hand. Hubby was quite proud of his quarter and penny find right by the steps of the building where he works. It was Kitty's find that stunned us all as we headed toward the Bank just moments before it closed.

New Rule: When a kid exclaims that they have found something, do not ignore them!

The time was approximately 4:57pm. This particular bank closes at 5:00pm on Fridays but it stays open until 5:10 or so while the gov't employees file in religiously. We'd barely made it and I was just about to walk in when suddenly Kitty tugs on my pants and proudly exclaims "Mommy, mira... ping!" and points to a far off corner of the parking lot.

I studied her for a second and decided to stay outside while Hubbs and Sandy stood outside. We walked over to the aforementioned area and this is what I found:

Two neatly folded $2 bills (yes.. two dollar bills... I am quite shocked.)
One Susan B. Anthony Dollar (the second susan b. found this year)
and one funky metallic black earring (no value but gawdy enough to mention nonetheless).

Kitty found us three dollars. 'Nuff said.

(Edited at 6am 10/21/06: Total oversight on my part. Kitty found us five dollars. I can't even blame liquor for my accounting error. Good thing I am not a banker by profession LOL)

Tomorrow we head off for a day of fun filled activities girl scout style. I'll be sure to check in with some meaty details.

Total found today : $5.28
Total since 10/05/06: $27.05

Happiness is...

a nice relaxing bath.

I am sooooo looking forward to my bath.

Sandy found a record 77 cents- three quarters and two pennies: One quarter on the bus, one in the lunchroom, and one in the schoolyard. The pennies were found by the bus stop. She is one happy camper.

Hubby found $0.35 in school as he walked toward the car. I gave him my special search light which allowed him to spot change miles away. Drive Thru ATM gave us two cents bringing today's total to $1.14
- at this rate we'll be ridin' dirty just like Chamillionaire!


Total found today : $1.14
Total since 10/05/06: $21.77

SavingAdvice's $20 challenge

As I peruse through the finance boards at Saving Advice, I am fascinated with how my fellow PF enthusiasts are making $20.00 grow. Here is the link for the challenge I'm discussing : $20 Challenge. I tried getting into this but I haven't had much time since the move and plus- i'm running out of money-making ideas. Right now I do PTR's when I have some free time. I've received a couple of dollars in Paypal (just enough to buy some Christmas gifts through Ebay). So far I got hubby a kung fu dvd and the girls each get brand new piggy banks- courtesy of online money.

The Stray Cat Strut

Today turned out to be an okay day despite the lack of walking like we'd planned on. Sandy was fascinated by a certain stray cat that loitered around na-na's property as we went to collect mail. It was jet back with beady little iridescent eyes. I thought it would be bad luck since it crossed us but it wasn't :)

Hubby found a cache of pennies seemingly discarded by the side of the road adjacent from na-na's place. Apparently someone dumped out their cupholder change angrily as they waited for the light to change. Hubby patiently parked across the street and made his way toward the find. Eighteen pennies and two dimes later, hubby crossed the road shamelessy and hopped into the car. A few onlookers sneered. This did not deter hubby's smile one bit. I found a dime by a soda machine in front of the supermarket and Kitty spotted a dime under the display table of a pet store. We looked at all the sad lil' puppies they had to offer. One pup caught our eye. He was an english bulldog with the cutest lil' wrinkles! Hubby dared to ask the rep how much they wanted for the dog... this was the exchange:

How much for that doggie over there?

Thirty Two hundred.

Uhm.. you mean thirty two dollars?

No.. thirty as in three thousand, sir.

Does the dog speak like Brian from family guy?

(laughs) No, sir. This dog has impressive lineage.

Hubby turned and walked out with no other minor retorts, dejected. I prefer not having any dogs since it's a mess to housetrain them. Still, I don't like watching hubby et al look so sad. One quick trip to baskin robbins for some icey cream turned the frowns upside down and the Krabs headed westward toward the hut they call home.

Total found today : $0.58
Total since 10/05/06: $20.63

(Quick note: Today the Changepot broke $400.00 since its inception- now that's what I call teamwork!)

Lluvioso...

The rain made it nearly impossible to concentrate on anything other than drab gray. I've managed to get a few things done in time for this weekend so I feel a bit better.

While the weather has been rainy all day, the Krabs still managed to find change in the following places (in mixed order)

McDonalds
FYE Store
Johnny Rockets
Target
Chuck E. Cheese
Bank of America

We found a total of $0.44- a quarter, a nickel, and fourteen pennies. While I'm too tired to get into details, I will post a picture of a miracle find at an apple orchard instead...

running out of steam...

While today was productive in some aspects, I can't quite say I've had a good day healthwise. I may be coming down with something. On the change front, we found a total of $1.09- one quarter, five dimes (one is a silver dime which will yield an extra sixty cents as the price for each silver coin is seven times face value) , three nickels, nineteen pennies. Sandy found one of the pennies in school and hubby found thirty three cents at work. The rest of the coins came from a coinstar machine in Elizabeth, NJ where we found the following:

10 Yen Japan
5 ? Spain
10 ? Israel
One game token from Chuck E. Cheese
5 pence U.K

I found out there is some dude on ebay that buys world coins outright at a flat rate of $0.30 a coin. I wouldn't do it (especially since I found out one of the coins we've found is worth $179.00 and rising). I'll keep y'all posted on the progress.

Total found today : $1.09
Total since 10/05/06: $19.61

Sundays in the Park....

(I saw this chair on our walk but since I didn't have my car, I couldn't pick it up and walk home with it... the weather was much too cold. Okay.. maybe that was a half-hearted excuse lol)


What a beautiful (but cold) Sunday it was indeed! The family and I set out to walk alongside the runners who participated in the Staten Island Half Marathon. We had a great time. Kitty got to sample a "dunkacchino" and I had my much awaited french vanilla to complement the cuban espresso I had earlier in the AM. We were quite wired.

The blustery day provided much coinage- two quarters, three dimes, one nickel, and forty two pennies. The bulk of the change was found scattered at a previously uninspected mcdonalds on the walk home after the marathon (YAY MICKEY D'S!).

We also cashed in exactly 100 bottles we'd found throughout this week, making it an even five dollars and eighteen coke caps towards that rewards promotion which ends soon. Hopefully I'll be able to get something good?

Total found today : $6.27 ($5.00 in bottles, $1.27 in change)
Total since 10/05/06: $18.52

Quick Update-

A little under a month ago, Hubby found some interesting old coins which was added into the changepot for FY 05'. They were seven half dollars which were in good shape. Right off the bat I knew these coins had more than their surface worth so I held on to them until I got a chance to visit a coin dealer. Today we attended a coin show and we sold five of the coins (we've kept one of each type for our numismatic collection). Basically, the changepot received $14.00 extra compliments of the economy- catapulting the found change of fiscal year 05' to $379.50... each coin is worth $3.50 (they are paying $7 per 1oz of silver).

The quarter and dime we found was sold for $2.45 (basically we got $2.10 for the changepot FY 06') and three other quarters hubby found about two years ago fetched him $5.25. He has graciously donated it to Changepot FY 06'.

My kids got a nice gift from the event holder and his wife- two uncirculated Eisenhower dollar coins (worth approx. $6-10 bucks depending on where it's sold) and pennies before and after a strike. They are quite happy and so am I. I got my hands on some nice coins for my collection- including an 1882 Morgan Silver Dollar (it has sentimental value for me) and a few barber coins of my favorite year - 1904.

Numismatics is a good way for kids to learn about money. While it does not rule everything, it's nice to see how america commemorates important events and preserves patriotism in coins. Still our most important facet in american coins has to be the one saying that all US currency has in common: E Plurubus Unum or In God We Trust.

IMPORTANT LESSON: Fellow coinhunters please inspect your coins and make sure you keep up to speed with the metal values... if it looks valuable, it might very well be :) If you're curious about the value of your coins, check on ebay first.. if it's selling higher than face value, it'll show there.

Total today: $7.35
Total since 10/05/06: $12.25

Pennies from Pockets... not from charity, please.

Today Sandy and I went into the city to run a few errands. We witnessed a few interesting things. The pic of today is of a ferry rider looking extremely excited. I love taking odd pictures of unsuspecting people... used to do it all the time in high school. Anywhoo... Sandy and I had a rather fun day together- until we got home where Kingdom hearts called her attention away and now she sleeps peacefully.

We also saw a mariachi band play a tune on the subway. My mom says they play on this particular subway line all the time since the tourists love the #4 train. I say "hoorah" to them.

On the change front, Sandy and I found exactly $0.24 - a dime at Dunkin' Donuts, a dime while waiting for the ferry and four pennies all over manhattan. Finally, some change budged!! Hubby found an arsenal of pennies (22 to be exact!) while waiting to pick us up at the ferry. The four of us went for a walk after dinner and found four dimes, one nickel, and one interesting penny which appears condensed to match the shape of a dime. I am tempted to hold on to this coin as it looks soo cool but it's found money and in the pot it goes until further notice.

During our brisk walk through Joggers' Park we found a nice cache of bottles which I've got tucked in the back of my car so I won't mix it up with the cans in the house. Tomorrow we'll be skipping around the island so I'm hoping to find at least ten cents to close out the week at five dollars since Monday.

P.S- I am quite unhappy with the bank I chose to put the Changepot 05' totals in. Apparently the rate of return is 0.25% every THREE (3) months... I was kinda hoping to see a monthly change in numbers. Time to shop for a better rate or at least find something stable and small to invest $365.50 in... if any of you have suggestion(s), please feel free to comment and I'll mull over the prospects. Thanks in advance! :)

Total found today : $0.92
Total since 10/05/06: $4.90