What's the smallest amount of money you would pick up? - Page 2

Zkribbler · November 6, 2003, 00:33

As I was waiting for the elevator tonight, I bent down to pick up a nickel. Usually, I don't go for anything less that a quarter.

Hey Fez, long time no see! How's CSUN?

Skanky Burns · November 6, 2003, 00:44

10c or more. Although it depends on my mood, sometimes I just can't be bothered.

November 6, 2003, 01:43

I pick up pennies
By principle I couldnt explain why
Learned it from father...
I dont think about it in terms of time well spent, its just against my nature to waste or something.

KrazyHorse · November 6, 2003, 02:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Theben
I figure that if it takes 2 seconds to pick up a penny, that comes to $10.80/hr. Not awful, but sometimes I'll skip pennies. Anything larger I'll nab.

More like 18.00$

Plus there's no taxes on it...

Berzerker · November 6, 2003, 02:09

Nickels, 'Ol Tom Jefferson shouldn't be sitting on the ground getting stepped on. Pennies? Nah, Lincoln should be sitting on the ground getting stepped on.

Drake Tungsten · November 6, 2003, 02:18

Probably a ten yen coin. Five yen have the stupid holes in them which I don't like and the one yen coins don't even feel like real money.

Rex Little · November 6, 2003, 02:28

Ideally, you should figure out the probability that your back will go out when you bend down, and multiply that by the cost of getting it fixed. The result is the smallest amount you should bend down for.

connorkimbro · November 6, 2003, 02:57

in any aafes stores (which are the military stores overseas) they don't use pennies. they'll accept pennies if you have them, but you'll never get them back in change. Hence, almost nobody here HAS pennies, and so, cannot drop them on the ground.

That being said, i pick up any coins (or bills) i see lying on the ground. if it's some significant amount (i found 100$ bill once) i'll try and return it to it's rightful owner . . .if its just a dollar or a fiver (or even a ten), i'll usually keep it, unless its QUITE obvious who it belongs to.

Spiffor · November 6, 2003, 06:36

0.5 €
Smaller coins I don't spend at all (and I don't spend 0.5 coins much)

Jamski · November 6, 2003, 07:06

I pick up anything AND I always pay the exact amount in shops. I figure all that change is good for something.

-Jam

Solly · November 6, 2003, 07:07

Quote:

Ideally, you should figure out the probability that your back will go out when you bend down, and multiply that by the cost of getting it fixed. The result is the smallest amount you should bend down for.

That's one consideration.

Others might include:

1) How long it takes you to bend down
2) How full your pocket already is
3) How much of a rush you are in

etc etc..

Az · November 6, 2003, 07:24

I admt to not picking 10 Agorot~ 2.5 US cent

Sikander · November 6, 2003, 07:57

My usual policy is to stoop for nickels ($.05) and above. Growing up poor I would of course glom on to anything I saw, even Canadian pennies. As I age and my pay rate increases I may raise that.

Unspeakable Horror · November 6, 2003, 08:25

0.05 cents (wich also is the smallest amount of money there is)

Dauphin · November 6, 2003, 22:09

I will pick up any coin. The number of times I'm 5c short of being able to avoid shrapnel change at the shops isn't even funny.

Oerdin · November 6, 2003, 22:25

I've been known to pick up nickles from time to time. Normally I wouldn't be bothered with anything less then a dime though.

:) Smiley · November 6, 2003, 23:07

Pennies are practically useless, only the stamp machine in the post office takes them; everything else is fair game.

mrmitchell · November 7, 2003, 01:37

You lucky bastards must live in the City of Holed Pockets or something. There's no way I've seen more than two coins on the ground this whole damn week, at all.

One, a penny, and one, a dime (VERY rare for anything on the ground for me to be more than $0.01). I picked up both.

Urban Ranger · November 7, 2003, 14:25

I pick up any coins I find on the ground; I am not proud.

When I was a poor student in the US of A, once I found an envelope with a wad of bills in it. Initially I was happy, but then I got scared because I thought the $ belonged to a triad memeber or somebody like it. So I turned it in to the police. Nobody showed up for the money though, so eventually the police rewarded it to me. That was pretty lucky.

Cruddy · November 7, 2003, 14:30

Quote:

Originally posted by Japher
Find a penny pick it up, then all day you'll have good luck...

I pick up pennies.

Same here - I never pick up tuppences because they generally bring me bad luck.

It's not the cash factor, it's the luck factor that dictates my behaviour.

"Illogical captain".

Of course it is. I'm just very, very superstitious.

Old n Slow · November 7, 2003, 14:35

I will bend over to pick a up a penny because:

1) the single "toe touch" is some sort of exercise

2) there is a slight safety issue in hallways and other semi-slick surfaces -- someone could step on a coin (or a paper clip) and slip & fall. It's happened.

3) As my old college roommate said, "pennies make nickels and nickels buy candy". Of course that WAS a few years ago.

If I'm in a store or other environs, I'll bend over pick up the coin & leave it on the store counter for someone else. Sometimes I'll pick up the coin & hand it to the persom next to me. No sense letting the money go to waste.

Ben Kenobi · November 7, 2003, 15:23

Quote:

I would of course glom on to anything I saw, even Canadian pennies.

The horror! Having to pick up a Canadian penny.

Dis · November 8, 2003, 03:28

I pick up nickels, but not pennies. Unless the penny looks real clean and shiny

ghen · November 8, 2003, 16:43

a clean quarter or a dirty $1.. dimes are wayy too small to pick up unless noone's looking.

Dis · November 9, 2003, 03:20

but dimes are worth a lot of money. I always pick them up.

axi · November 9, 2003, 14:34

When I was little, I threw away on the school yard 15 drachmas, which, in 1987, would buy you 3 sticks of bubble gum. I did that because I was playing football and I didn't want them dangling in my pocket (drachmas were rather heavy coins back then, the tenner was about the size of the Euro). I guess I thought that if I wanted them afterwards, I could still find them.

Nowdays, if I see 10 eurocents I will always pick them up, but anything less, it depends on the mood.

Now another question:

What's the smallest amount of money for which, if you dropped it accidentally under the counter of a shop, or under your bed, you would go on fours and try to catch it from beneath the said obstacle? How long would you go on trying?

Inside my house, I would do that for any coin, as long as I would not have to move the obstacle. In a shop, I'd only go for 1 Euro or more.

Az · November 9, 2003, 14:45

I'd look for 1 NIS ~ 0.20 Euro or perhaps 0.5 Nis~ 0.10 Euro.

Verres · November 9, 2003, 14:50

I pick up pennies, buttons, old chewing gum.....I really am that poor. Of course, what I really need to pick up is a multi-millionaire who is close to death

Whaleboy · November 9, 2003, 14:59

You know Verres I'm sure I have an uncle or a cousin somewhere thats about to kick the proverbial bucket...

I'd pick up anything above 20p, cos they are a cool shape.

Drogue · November 9, 2003, 16:07

If I dropped it, anything (I can't stand littering, and the times I'd drop anything else I'd be using it to pay fro something). If it was there, anything above £1. In the lasty month I've had two £20 notes given back to me by passers by, so my faith in the goodness of people has grown somewhat. Actually one was a 20 Euro note, which makes little difference.