A Simpler LIfe... Penny

Meet Penny.  She has changed our habits, and helped us tremendously over the past year.  We met Penny on the shelf at Michael's and thought, "What a great addition to our home!"

Penny is our piggy bank.  We feed her often.  She needs nourishment.  We operate on a cash budget, so all our lose change goes to Penny.  We count up the money at the end of the year, and use this as part of our vacation fund.

Here are some great benefits of a piggy bank:
*It's a hassle-free built-in saving account that you manage from home.
*It's difficult to get money out of it (which is a good thing if you're SAVING.)
*It grows only if you're using a cash budget system, so it's great accountability to use cash.
*It is much more fun than just setting money aside.
*If you've ever worked at CentriKid Camps, you know how fun it is to count money... this is like your very own camp store or missions offering to count!
*If you don't count on Penny for a while, it's like extra "SURPRISE!" money you didn't know you could spend.  We're using ours for an extra excursion on our cruise.

Oh, and it doesn't have to be a pig.  A clear jar, a fun jar, a box, a bag, anything will work.  Just make sure it's not easy to steal from, and that you really are SAVING!