Found Money in the Parking Lot

This morning I got ambitious and swept up the leaves on my fake grass (Astroturf, I guess it is) on my little patio. Then I put up the big umbrella on the patio to help block the sun. The Arizona heat is coming. Today the high here was 93 degrees Fahrenheit. Ugh. It's hot. So, I'll also have to begin putting up the extra blackout fabric I bought last year. The morning sun from the east hits one side of my house, and last year the extra layer of blackout draping really helped to keep one bedroom a few degrees cooler.

So, after I took the garbage out, I wandered around the parking lot and spotted a penny! It's unusual since it has an S (San Francisco) mint mark. I don't find many of those.

Have you found any money recently? I really enjoy hearing about your found money too.

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  pennies:  1972
U.S. Mint:  S

Condition:   Tarnished, scratched
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.46

Jackpot!

Today I volunteered at Learning Ally then took a little walk where I found a penny. 

Then I drove over to Dollar Tree for some plastic Easter eggs. On the way in I spotted the two dimes in the parking lot right next to each other! 

After I'd spent $11 plus tax (11 items, love that!), I walked to a new thrift store in the same parking lot. Right behind a parked car, I spotted the three pennies on the strip of tape!

I was flummoxed and thrilled!

I kept looking but that was as lucky as I got today. A friend told me I should have bought a lottery ticket. Yes, I should have!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  4 pennies, 2 dimes
Year:  pennies:  ?,  ?, 1996, 1999; dimes:  1984, 1988
U.S. Mint:  ?, ?, D, D, D, D

Condition:   These coins range from shiny to unreadable.
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.45

Guess What? Yes, I Took a Walk and I Found a Penny!

I know, I know, it's shocking. (I typed, tongue firmly in my cheek.)

But one thing I've learned since I started my found money blog, I don't find money unless I leave my house and get out there and look for it. I would love to know how much money we walk on, step over every day. I wager it's a lot! 

So, did you watch the HBO show Big Love? I only had HBO a few months so didn't watch it in real time, but I rent the movies from the library. I just finished watching Season 4. Whoa! What a shocker at the end of the last show. Wonder how that will turn out. I have Season 5 on reserve so will have to wait to see.
 
This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  2007
U.S. Mint:  D

Condition:   Worn, tarnished, and fairly grimy
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.21

Ran Lots of Errands and Finally Found a Penny

Today I ran several errands (went to two libraries, took a walk, a thrift store [half off day, don't ya know?], and Big Lots!). I found a penny on the floor while checking out at the thrift store.

I didn't find any money all week since Monday because I had grandkids at my house from Tuesday through Friday. Fun times! We went on walks and to a park and even though I found quite a few coins, each time I pointed it out to one of them and let them keep it. So, today, since I was by myself, I kept the penny!

Here's what I remember of the found money my grandkids found this week:

• One grandson found a dime in the parking lot.
• The same grandson used his metal detector at the park and found a buried penny!
• My other grandson and I took a walk and he found 14 cents! That was pretty exciting!

This is the metal detector like what I bought my grandson.

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  1973
U.S. Mint:  D

Condition:   Worn, tarnished, and lovely
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.20

Took a Walk and Found Two Pennies (Again)

Today we actually had some weather! Actual cool air. I love it! Yesterday it hailed for about 2 minutes (see photo). So we did have winter here in Arizona after all! And yes, this while much of the rest of the country is having warmer than usual weather for mid March. 

Oh well. Brian Williams said it's something to do with a jet stream or something. I wasn't paying attention. I figure why should I? It's not like I'm going to make any difference.

So, I wanted to enjoy this weather (high of 54 today!) and took a walk. I found 2 pennies. Have you found any money lately?

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  2 pennies
Year:  1977, ?
U.S. Mint:  D, ?

Condition:   Both pennies are tarnished and I can't read one of them at all
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.19

I Found a Penny in the Parking Lot

Today I got a wild hair and did a bunch of little projects around the house. I guess it started last night when I pulled out the basket where I "file" most of my papers (bills, receipts, etc.). I hate filing, so this basket method works fine for me.

Here's how it works:  When I get a bill or a piece of a paper I have to keep, after I take care of it (pay the bill, read the paper, whatever), I stick it in the basket. Then every once in a while, I pull out the basket (it sits under my printer table) and make piles on the floor of all of the papers. Then I pull out my little filing box and file the stuff in the correct folder. I always have leftover piles too, stuff to shred, stuff to read, plenty to just recycle. I hadn't done anything with the papers since last October! I knew the basket was getting full!

So, then today, after I washed the dishes, I took the drip pans off the stove and stuck them in plastic bags with some ammonia. If you leave them overnight, you can supposedly rinse away the gunk the next morning. We'll see. It can't make them any worse! Then I changed the furnace/AC filter. Then I shredded the papers from my filing spree last night. I usually weed out old bills that I don't need to keep, etc., when I file and I had quite a pile to shred.
 

After I took the bag out to the recycling dumpster, I walked around the parking lot. It's really cool and breezy here this evening. Perfect weather! And I spotted a penny in the parking lot!

So, are you a better filer than me? You can't be much worse. I probably should file my stuff more often but I always know where it is.

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  2002
U.S. Mint:  D

Condition:   Tarnished, dinged up but not bad
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.17

I Bought Apple AirPort Express and I Found 15 Cents

This morning I went to the Apple store to buy a wireless router.  That's it in the photo:  the AirPort Express. Today the iPad 3 came out, and there was a line dedicated to those buyers. They had them corralled in one spot outside the store, so I was able to go in and buy my router lickety split. 

I brought it home, my son came over to drop off a couple of cute kids, and he hooked it up. I'm finally wireless. Yay! Next I'm going to to get a Roku box to watch television with and ditch my cable service. I should save $60+ a month. Another Yay!

This afternoon after the kiddos headed out, I checked the parking lot and spotted a nickel then a dime in a parking space. A third Yay!

Are you having a good Friday, too?!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 nickel, 1 dime
Year:  1963, 2006
U.S. Mint:  none, D

Condition:   Very shiny and nearly new looking
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.16

I Found 31 Cents Today

Today I volunteered then took a walk, and I found 31 cents! I had to find it the hard way:  one coin at a time.

Come on. Have you found any coins or bills recently?

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  6 pennies, 1 quarter
Year:  2 pennies:  1997, 2003; the other coins, who knows?
U.S. Mint:  2 pennies:  D, D; the rest, your guess is as good as mine

Condition:   Even after washing, these coins are dirty and worn so much to be unreadable mostly.
Total found money to date for 2012:  $2.01

Found a Penny at the Walmart Parking Lot

Today I headed out to one of my infrequent trips to Walmart. It gets harder and harder to shop there, it seems. Between the crowds and just big-chain feel, I just don't like it. 

Anyway, after I did my shopping (not finding everything because I wrote down Amazon prices to compare and lo and behold, Amazon was cheaper on a few), I headed out. Home Depot is next door to Walmart so I walked over there to see if they had some power failure lights. These things are so cool! You plug them in to an outlet and they act as nightlights until the power goes out then they turn on light a flashlight!

On the way to Home Depot, I spotted a penny in the Walmart parking lot!

This light pictured is available at Amazon. Do you have one of these? Have you ever used it? I bought a couple as gifts, so we'll see how they like them.

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  2007
U.S. Mint:  D

Condition:   Very shiny but dented
Total found money to date for 2012:  $1.70

While on a Walk This Lovely Breezy Day, I Found Two Pennies

Today after volunteering, I had to run to the library because a book I hadn't read was due and couldn't be renewed. It seems like that happens the most:  books or movies I don't read or watch come due so much quicker! 

On the way, I parked the car and took a walk. I found these two pennies! The less dirty one (the one on the right next to Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby's face) is a 1957 wheat penny! I rarely find those so that's always exciting!

Have you found any money lately? And have you ever watched Midsomer Murders? This BBC show started in 1998 and is still going strong. I love it! This episode from Season 10, Picture of Innocence, is due tomorrow so I watched it this afternoon. I like to keep my priorities straight.

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  2 pennies
Year:  1957, 1992
U.S. Mint:  D, D

Condition:   Both tarnished and beat up, very beat up
Total found money to date for 2012:  $1.69

Found a Penny in the Parking Lot

Today I walked around the parking lot here at my complex and I spotted a penny! I went out later to the bank and the grocery store but didn't find anything else. Dang.

Have you found any money lately?

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  2005
U.S. Mint:  D

Condition:   Shiny, oh so shiny
Total found money to date for 2012:  $1.67

I Found Another Penny Today!

When I posted earlier that I'd found a penny on my walk, I thought that would be it for today. But when I went out to get my mail, I spotted another penny in the dirt next to the mailboxes. Ta da! 

I can't read the year or anything since it must have been there a long, long time. It's filthy and didn't come clean when I scrubbed it with my trusty toothbrush. (Don't worry, it's an old toothbrush I keep in the kitchen, not mine.)

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  ?
U.S. Mint:  ?

Condition:   Very very dirty
Total found money to date for 2012:  $1.66

Found a Penny in an Alley

Today I ran some errands:

-  hit a church thrift store that keeps odd hours but the sandwich sign was out on the sidewalk (found a roll of vintage ribbon:  $.25)

-  stood in line at the post office for 20 minutes (doh, should have gone to the postal annex in the card store)

-  returned some books and movies at the library and picked up more

So, then I parked my car on a side street and walked up and down a few alleys with my magnet. I spotted a penny on the ground and scooped it up. The photo shows some of the junk I found (I threw away quite a few really junky pieces and sorted a lot of nails and screws and put them in a separate container). What makes this junk special, worth saving, you ask? I don't know. But I love the wire with the twisted part and loops at the end and those washers have a lovely rusty patina. By the way, I had to actually bend over to pick up the broken tile pieces. My magnet won't pick those up.

Have you found anything good lately? Any money?

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  1993 (I think)
U.S. Mint:  none

Condition:   Tarnished and dirty with a chunk missing in the side
Total found money to date for 2012:  $1.65

Today I Found a Penny

Today I rode my bike and spotted a penny on the ground. Yay!

This Found Money FACTS:
Denomination:  1 penny
Year:  ?
U.S. Mint:  ?

Condition:   Tarnished and beat up
Total found money to date for 2012:  $1.64