First and foremost, let me apologise for being away from Keene On Saving for so long! I didn’t mean to be away this long – however life got a little busy and money problems arose so the last thing I wanted to do was write about how to solve them when I couldn’t see a way out myself. Luckily, everything is pretty much sorted now and I am back – hopefully with a bang – with my latest post, Roadkill – A Savings Step Too Far?
Now when you saw the word roadkill, I bet your heart skipped a beat and you thought..is she really talking about that type of roadkill? Well rest easy because I’m not – I am talking about the roadkill we see almost every day – those unwanted pennies discarded onto the floor as if they are worthless.
I am not entirely sure where it got its name, I think the term perhaps originated on the MSE forums, however I took part in some ‘roadkill’ challenges and it was amazing to see what discarded money people were bringing home. Some of them weren’t just picking up money but receipts and coupons as well – anything to make a saving!
I wasn’t very lucky in my efforts – managing about £1.50 for each month that I attempted the challenge. However, some people were much luckier, often scooping up between £20-£60 in discarded change each month! I happen to live in a very savvy area where everyone watches their pennies and their pounds very carefully – however I am thinking of giving it another go.
You do need to have eyes like a hawk at times – they can sometimes be almost hidden from view – but places where you are likely to find some include outside shops and at bus stops. I am never going to make an income from picking up someone elses loose change but I have turned it into a fun game with Jack – he puts anything we find into a jam jar and once it is full we will take it to the bank and get it put into his account – after all, it will do much better in there than it will sitting on the ground!
What do you think? Is this a savings step too far? I do it with Jack as and when we see something, we don’t actively go out searching like some people do. Would you be tempted to try this?
