Quarters

This Mom of Six was at one time a regular customer at the local Credit Union when it came to Quarters and one dollar bills.  As soon as the kids were old enough to understand the concept of money and that it could buy them things they wanted, it was time to institute some sort of allowance.   At one time we lived next door to a little convenience store, so the kids liked being able to purchase their own candy and bubble gum and baseball cards.   I don't remember what the original allowance amount was, I do know that it involved quarters, and it seems that Mom or Dad would pay it out on a weekly basis, probably on Saturday morning.  Usually we would also offer a very small sum of extra money for completing extra chores.   We have always taught our children to set aside ten percent of what they earn as tithing to be paid to the Bishop or ecclesiastical leader of our local congregation, so often times the allowance would also include nickles and dimes or even pennies to make it easier for the children to pay their tithing. 

One year for Christmas DS1 and DS2 each received a very cool little coin sorter bank in the shape of a safe where they could keep their allowance and chore money.  There were two little drawers for folded bills or other treasures.  I have often wished that I could have gifted similar banks to the dear daughters, but never could find the same item again.  Several of the girls did receive piggy banks or other banks to store their money in, but often times an old jar or can or just a purse or wallet had to suffice. 

As the children grew older and began school, they also at times needed lunch money or milk money.   We have usually offered them the choice of taking their own lunch to school or purchasing school lunch, and most of the schools have published a monthly menu of the school lunch offerings, so that they could make informed decisions about which type of lunch they would prefer.  They also had the option to just buy a carton of milk to drink with their lunch from home, so many quarters were sent to school in the lunch bag to be used for milk money.  In elementary school we could usually pre-pay for lunches a week or a month at a time, so I would usually pay a set amount by check and send it to school with the child, but by Jr High or High School, Mom would usually give them the amount their lunch would cost at the beginning of the week, and they were on their own.  Some still chose to pack their own lunch instead, and that was fine too.   It was always necessary for Mom to have a nice stash of cash and quarters to send to school!  (I was just now curious as to the current price for school lunch and found in our local school district the price is $1.50 per lunch for elementary school children.  I could not find the price for secondary school lunches, but remember that they usually cost a bit more.)

Once the kids left home, they quickly found a new need for quarters:  doing laundry.   Since most of them did not own cars during their early college years, a trip to the bank or credit union was sometimes a bit of a walk or a bus ride, and many of the laundry facilities in the dorms and apartments did not have change machines like many large laundromats do.   A roll of quarters as a gift from Mom or Dad or in a Christmas Stocking was usually very much appreciated!

Now most of the kids no longer need quarters on a regular basis, and many laundry facilities take credit or debit cards, so it has been a while since I've asked the bank teller for a roll of quarters.

Do you still use quarters and/or cash?