Spring Break
Meaning of coins different for college students
Editorial Board
Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: Forum
This is a column about coins. You know, the random pieces of metal lying in the streets and in between couch cushions and clanking around the dryer and weighing down your wallet.
Those would be coins. But who needs 'em?
Oh, wait, college students do.
We know you are probably tired of hearing about the economy, since the thought can be dull, depressing and anxiety-inducing. But who doesn't want free advice to help us through this sad situation?
Lucky for you, reader, we at The Daily Barometer have determined the worth of these clunky pieces of silver. Quarters actually are worth $20, dimes $15 and nickels their same value. Pennies are usually seen as essentially worthless until you have 100, but even then, they still are kind of worthless.
Our appreciation for coins seems to be lost and we all use debit and credit cards like they're going out of style.
Sure, cards are convenient when you're buying something online and when using a checkbook is a hassle - like when buying textbooks from the bookstore mid-day, the first week of the term, when you have 20 other irritated students in line breathing down your neck.
But what about when you need to do laundry? Or buy a cup of coffee? Or park at a meter? Those quarters and dimes turn into pure gold - in $20 and $15 increments.
Even though we like to think of ourselves as adults, we still are students.
Many of us don't have washers and dryers at our houses or apartments. We need shots of caffeine to get us through our days after staying up late studying or, you know, watching "Family Guy." We don't work at fancy office buildings with free, heated, underground parking that always has spots available.
For us, these coins are important.
Loose change adds up, too. Spend a year tossing the day's coins into a pile and you may end up with enough money for a tank of gas.
So what is a student, one without a washer or dryer or a cup of coffee in hand or a consistent parking space, to do to make his or her everyday life better in this economy? Collect change. Keep it in a random glass or in a drawer or in an awesome old-fashioned piggy bank.
Having random change just within reach can make life a bit easier in these dire times. And you may just have $300 of college money sitting in your wallet as we speak.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to editor@dailybarometer.com.
Those would be coins. But who needs 'em?
Oh, wait, college students do.
We know you are probably tired of hearing about the economy, since the thought can be dull, depressing and anxiety-inducing. But who doesn't want free advice to help us through this sad situation?
Lucky for you, reader, we at The Daily Barometer have determined the worth of these clunky pieces of silver. Quarters actually are worth $20, dimes $15 and nickels their same value. Pennies are usually seen as essentially worthless until you have 100, but even then, they still are kind of worthless.
Our appreciation for coins seems to be lost and we all use debit and credit cards like they're going out of style.
Sure, cards are convenient when you're buying something online and when using a checkbook is a hassle - like when buying textbooks from the bookstore mid-day, the first week of the term, when you have 20 other irritated students in line breathing down your neck.
But what about when you need to do laundry? Or buy a cup of coffee? Or park at a meter? Those quarters and dimes turn into pure gold - in $20 and $15 increments.
Even though we like to think of ourselves as adults, we still are students.
Many of us don't have washers and dryers at our houses or apartments. We need shots of caffeine to get us through our days after staying up late studying or, you know, watching "Family Guy." We don't work at fancy office buildings with free, heated, underground parking that always has spots available.
For us, these coins are important.
Loose change adds up, too. Spend a year tossing the day's coins into a pile and you may end up with enough money for a tank of gas.
So what is a student, one without a washer or dryer or a cup of coffee in hand or a consistent parking space, to do to make his or her everyday life better in this economy? Collect change. Keep it in a random glass or in a drawer or in an awesome old-fashioned piggy bank.
Having random change just within reach can make life a bit easier in these dire times. And you may just have $300 of college money sitting in your wallet as we speak.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to editor@dailybarometer.com.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
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