In a previous post, which was primarily about something else so I won't link to it here, I said:
Having experienced the higher-level coinage of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and the European Union, I wish the United States had the sense to supplant (not just supplement) the dollar bill with dollar coins. (And maybe the $2 and $5 bills while we're at it.) But the mountain of paper used to print dollar bills comes from Massachusetts, where the Crane Paper Company has a stranglehold monopoly on the business. The $1 bill has a lifespan of under two years and represents about 45% of the U. S. currency production, so it's no surprise that Massachusetts politicians don't like dollar coins.
I've mentioned the idea of getting rid of the lower-denomination bills in favor of coins, and while women generally don't seem to mind, I am likely to get a negative reaction from men. I think this is because women's wallets almost always have a place for change, but men's wallets rarely do. Porter carries his change in a small coin purse (something like this) which keeps the coins handy and protects his pocket. But most men I've talked with tend to keep their change loose in their pockets and then dump them in a jar or on a dresser at the end of the day. This system works because our coins are worth so little.
(Back when I was little and our coins were worth a lot more, this system was a boon to children, who would comb couches and chairs for change that had fallen out of men's pockets.)
Needless to say, these men are less than happy with the thought of heavy coins jangling in their pockets instead of light, thin bills in their wallets. I can see their point. However, I know that Europeans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders (and no doubt people from other countries) manage quite well with higher denomination coinage instead of bills. So my question is, What's your secret? How do you handle change?
(I'll admit I only know of one European male who regularly reads this blog and can be counted on to be generous enough to comment, but there are others who occasionally stop by, and I figure the women probably know something about it, too.)
Then again, eveyone else seems to have been able to adjust to the metric system and we still haven't managed that, so maybe I shouldn't hold out too much hope....
This European male is happy to oblige...
a) Most of our manly wallets have an inbuilt coin purse. See this example or this one - though the latter maker offers a few wallets without coin purses, presumably because people willing to shell out over 300 euro for a wallet can afford to disregard coins. (The German Wikipedia entry on wallets includes a note for the first image stating that the pictured wallet is intended for the US market, as shown by the missing coin purse.)
b) We learn as kids to use coins in the payment process - I learned to take pride in eliminating as many coins as possible by giving exact change or at least a good approximation. For instance, if something costs 7.95, and I have a five-franc coin, a two-franc coin, a one-franc coin, two twenty-rappen coins, and a five-rappen coin, but no fifty-rappen coin, I'll give the salesperson what I have and end up with a fifty-rappen coin instead of two twenty-rappen coins and two five-rappen coins from just giving the five-, two-, and one-franc coins. I'm not sure if I formally learned this or just from observing or from elementary school math examples... anyway, the goal is never to have two five-franc or five-rappen pieces at once, which is almost always possible.
c) What do American men do with all their one-dollar bills? Nowhere does my wallet get fatter than in the US - I must not have the proper coping strategy.
This European man is also available for import services. Be the envy of your neighbours with a real wallet! ;-)
If we ever do go to more coinage instead of bills, Jon might appreciate a nice, real, imported wallet. Those pictures looked reasonable - he tries to get the thinnest wallet he can, which in the US means avoiding a change section. He's one to dump change as soon as possible, but now that he's married, I take care of that for him. (:
About one dollar bills, Jon also likes to give those to me when there are too many. But mostly he tries to avoid using cash of all forms.
Ah, there you have it Stephan: you need a wife to take those dollar bills off your hands. :)
Ah, but maybe then I'm marrying the wrong woman. Or perhaps the right one, because your standard wife isn't satisfied with the small bills?
There really isn't ever a time when you need more than 4 one dollar bills in your pocket, right? (even before I was married...)
I gather that credit and debit cards aren't used as much in Europe, and having to carry cash of the bill or coin variety would be annoying.
I do spend some cash when the purchase is small, since I know it is annoying for the business to pay the high transaction fees on small purchases, and I did get 25 cents in change the other day on a four dollar purchase the other day, and I managed to bring it home without losing it or giving it to someone. On that particular instance, I didn't have any pockets, and just had my wallet hung over the elastic band of my shorts - having a heavier wallet with coins in it would make me have to hold onto my pants teenager-style to keep them from falling off.
Really? I wasn't aware that said teenagers made any attempt at all to hold up their pants. :)
Well, it seems like there are two types - and I don't know if one group strives to be the other. There are the ones that have their belt or elastic or perfected keeping their legs apart far enough while walking that keep their pants halfway down.
Then, there is the other group that holds onto their pants with one hand the entire time while standing up. Watching them run for the bus, or answer their cell phone while eating a hamburger, etc. is amusing.
Excerpt: U.S.A. Today recently printed an excellent editorial in support of saving large hunks of taxpayer money by replacing the one dollar bill entirely with dollar coins. What do I mean by "excellent"? (1) They got the facts right, whic...
Weblog: Lift Up Your Hearts!
Date: November 15, 2008, 10:49 am
