Comments on: Do you pick up loose change?

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 15:16:31 +0000

Great comments!

Cathy, that’s certainly a great way to view it. What you say is probably true.

Debbie, it’s very interesting that you put the observation-action phenomenon in a physics context. My day job (and ten years of post-high-school study!) involves physics, so I understand perfectly. People looking while I pick up a penny doesn’t really bother me, but it might bother some other people.

You usually get a more revealing glimpse into a person when you see their behavior when they think no one’s looking.

I think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with picking up your own money if you drop it. It would be a sign that I don’t care about my money enough to pick it up — even if it’s a penny.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 04:06:13 +0000

I used to leave change on the ground for the little kids to pick up because I remember how exciting it used to be to find it. But when I see the same penny every day for weeks in a popular kid’s spot, then I decided I was making unwarranted assumptions about today’s kids in my neighborhood and changed my philosophy.

I started collecting all the change I found for a few months and put it in one place for a while to see how it was adding up. After a year I think I still didn’t have a dollar.

That was a while ago. Now I only pick up change if I feel pretty sure that no one is around to think worse of me for doing it.

You don’t think there’s a stigma to picking up your own money off the ground, do you?

If so, then it’s like physics where watching the phenomena changes it. Have you seen people notice that they dropped their money and then not pick it up even when no one was around?

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 02:42:44 +0000

I generally don’t pick up money because I figure there’s always someone who needs it more (though I do retrieve my own change when I drop it). Not too long ago, my husband found a $20 bill on the sidewalk right next to a LAPD donation bin, so we dropped it in there.

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 05:58:34 +0000

Wow, PFAdvice, that seems like decent money for that kind of article! Did you keep the rights to it or did you sell those with the $250?

ADD, that’s a good thing to do with the found money.

By: Adult ADD Money

Adult ADD Money — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 16:07:38 +0000

While I don’t think it it wrong to pick up lost money, I think from now on I will directly donate any found money to the charity of my choice so that the money is being used for universal gain rather than individual gain.

By: pfadvice

pfadvice — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 12:59:45 +0000

When I wasn’t in front of the computer 24 hours a day and actually had to commute, I used to do this. I collected over $100 and actually wrote an article about it which sold for another $250 to a magazine out here.

By: ~Dawn

~Dawn — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 06:56:51 +0000

I find it utterly amazing the lack of regard people have towards loose change, even bills sometimes. I posted on this a a few months ago as well. I suspect that may change with the economy, but who knows.