I live in a condo building and beside the area where our mailboxes are we have a small recycle bin for the junk mail. Today, someone left a box of empty beer cans on the floor beside the paper recycle bin (too lazy to bring it to the garbage/recycle bin room where we are supposed to put such recyclables). So, since it didn't belong there... I picked it up and brought it home to put with the recyclables that I bring to the depot.
Why? Because if I bring it to the depot, I'll get 60 cents!
Finding 60 cents in the middle of the floor - score!
I will often pick up cans or bottles if I see one tossed on the ground. I'll admit it. I don't like litter and I sure would pick up a nickel if I saw it on the ground, so why not a soda can that will get me a nickel?
If I were to find just 60 cents a day (either by literally finding some more beer cans, or maybe just reducing an expense by 60 cents) and put it aside for my preschooler for university, then I'd probably have half a year's worth of tuition saved up. If I actually invest the 60 cents a day, it would be near double that. By the time she is ready to go to university (she's only 4 now), that might just be close to a year of tuition covered. I didn't get so much as $10.00 from my parents when I went to university, so $3,000 would be an incredible gift!
It doesn't take much to add up over time.
When I was paying off my credit cards, I would very frequently pay less than a dollar here and there. It was easy with my bank that doesn't charge per transaction. Slowly, but surely, those cards (all 4 of them) were paid off. Of course the key here is to not add to the credit cards at all as you are making 35 cent payments!!
I share this because many people are under the wrong impression that it takes a lot of money to reach a financial goal. Sometimes it just takes 60 cents to get you started.
