One of the things that is nearly unavoidable when traveling is using the local currency. Credit cards and ATMs make it a lot easier. But, it is rare to be able to go anywhere let alone anywhere remote without using at least some actual money. And what is equally unavoidable is coming home without at least a little pocket change on your person.
I have had a plastic bag full of money sitting in my desk drawer for years. I have never known what to do with it and have grown to love it. Part of me adores having it as if it is a souvenir. (Some of the money I have collected doesn’t even exist anymore! Irish pence, Italian, etc.) Part of me hangs on to the money thinking I will use it again when I go back to that country!
What does one do with their plastic bag full of foreign money? Well, I did what any rational woman would do. I consulted Pinterest. Well, as usual Pinterest makes me feel inadequate because they had a number of wonderful ideas on what to do with one’s money. There were folks who glued their money to the place where it came from on a map and displayed said map in their house. There were others who turned their change in to a coffee table. And my favorite put the money in a gorgeous little vintage jar and wrote the word “Adventure” on the outside of the jar. It was as if the money in the jar would fund their next adventure.
Tell me what do you do with your left over travel change? Do you donate it? Do you turn it in and exchange it for your local money? Do you keep it for your next trip? Do you do any Pinterest style creative things with it? Or do you just have it in a pile in your desk?
Bulldog Travels / Photos By Jenny 
I have a little wooden box for the notes and a tin for the coins!
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Wonderful!
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I have mentioned this somewhere in my blog. My dad liked to collect foreign currency and he was always determined to bring back a note or two from his holiday travels. Even when people were desperate for a drink at the airport. I am glad of that now because I have inherited his ‘treasure chest’ of useless currency!
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That’s very cool. I imagine the money has changed a lot over the years. It sounds like he was keeping the money as a souvenir.
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I am truly envious of your travels! I hope to one day be able to travel the world! I have only been to a couple different countries, but I save the coins and paper money I get from them in their own container! I had an uncle that traveled to nearly every country in the world and saved the money he got in photo albums. I am lucky enough to have them! Such beautiful bills and coins from around the world! I hope to one day get a collection like yours and be able to make something creative out of everything!
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I would love to see all of that beautiful money. What a wonderful keepsake. Thank you for sharing your treasure. 🙂
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A very intriguing post Jenny. I haven’t travelled too much is the past couple of decades (get to travel by reading wonderful blogs such as yours) 🙂
At the local stamp and coin shop, I buy foreign coins from this big grab box of loose change for 25 cents each. I assume different travellers will just cash their coins in. I don’t know what most of them are actually worth when you factor in exchange and denomination, but it is a fun little side hobby. I display them in these heavy plastic pages that go 3 ring binder, and can be purchased at any coin shop!
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
~Carl~
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Wonderful. I am glad to hear you share my hobby. I’ll bet you have quite the collection. Some of the coins are beautiful. And some aren’t. It’s also fun to see how heavy some coins are and how puny others are.
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I have all those coins in separate envelops. I had in the past that someday I will return and I may need the money 😀 😀 but just like your case, some of the money is no longer existed and replaced by Euro for instance..
I like the idea of collecting them in Bulldog’s cookie jar..maybe I should look for a Labrador one 😀 My mother suggested to glue the money into a canvas like making a flower form or star then put it on a frame..perhaps I will do such thing later on..just a thought..
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The art sounds like a fun idea. I had all of mine separated so it was easy to tell them apart. But I threw caution to the wind and put them all together! I think I would rather have the money in a clear jar so I could see it some day.
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haha, me too, it’s like Indah, I keep all the coins in separate envelops just in case I would need them in the future 🙂
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I did the same thing until just recently. Sounds like all three of us are organized. But then I threw caution to the wind and jumbled them all together!
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haha, craaazy time 😀 Maybe I will be fed up one day and do the same ! 😉
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Like you, I have the money just sitting around. In fact, I just realized I have no idea what I’ve done with some of my collection as I recently moved apartments. I haven’t been as careful as I should have. The coffee table idea sounds intriguing but I know I would have neither the patience nor the skill to pull off that kind of project.
P.S. Love your bulldog cookie jar! So adorable.
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Thank you! Glad to hear I am not the only one! I would still like to do something with it so I can actually see the money. I’ll update the post whenever creativity strikes me!
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i ALWAYS hang on to old currency as a way to promise myself I’ll head back to that country! haha, this is a great idea though – I need to do something with all my random coins
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Keep me posted on what you come up with!
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