One of the easiest ways that I earn a little extra money is that I go to the fountains around town and take the money that people have tossed into them to make wishes. There really isn't much too it if you are willing to get your feet a little wet.
There are some fountains where the money in them is collected for various non profit organizations. I don't take money from these, but it seems that if there is a pool of water, people are willing to throw coins into it.
The amount I make really depends. There seems to be seasons. I always find more money around Christmas time and Valentine's day. Most days I only make a few dollars, but I have made over $50 on occasion doing this. When ever I travel, I am always on the lookout for spots where people might toss coins for wishes.
Fountain Money
September 23rd, 2012 at 07:41 am
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{I personally don't throw my money away like that - maybe because I have thought this through a little}.
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September 23rd, 2012 at 09:35 pm 1348436156
You seem quite defensive about this one. Makes me curious. If you NEED the money, take it. If you WANT the money you should consider finding another way to get it. Just my opinion. I think it's a little like stealing because you can't be sure who is using the coins. Perhaps it's the land/property owner who needs it to fix the pump when coins get caught in it.
September 23rd, 2012 at 09:50 pm 1348437049
September 23rd, 2012 at 10:33 pm 1348439618
I don't need the money. I take it because it is just sitting there and I can use it to help others instead of just letting it sit there.
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September 24th, 2012 at 01:59 am 1348451977
In any case, your title "too cheap?" is inviting responses. Now that you've had several responses, what are your thoughts?
September 24th, 2012 at 02:32 am 1348453934
yesterday i had to wonder to myself if this person was for real, or were they just fishing to cause trouble on this blog.. Im with you on the whats their thoughts, and what is their intent in this blog?
September 24th, 2012 at 03:32 am 1348457528
Taking a thrown coin for a wish is, I would argue, better than picking up a dropped coin. The person that dropped their coin didn't mean to and it could have been important to them. The one that throws it into water for a wish does so on purpose and doesn't want the coin any longer.
I am perfectly comfortable with all the things I do. I put it out there to create discussion and get people to think about how they view money.
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September 24th, 2012 at 05:08 am 1348463324
Frugality doesn't involve taking advantage of others (and others' good intentions) and I think you have the wrong idea.. its about lowering your own spending, being more mindful of what you spend money on. Choosing to spend less on the things you don't care about so that you can enjoy spending on the things you really want.. not taking advantage of people, hence my comment about you giving frugality a bad name.
You are not only cheap, but opportunistic of others and not at all the sort of person I wish to associate with.. I wont be replying to your posts again in future...
September 24th, 2012 at 05:22 am 1348464137
You seem to be fixated that all money people throw into wells is supposed to go to charity. That assumption is false. Here is a question. If I knew for a fact that they money thrown into a wishing pool wasn't going to go to a charity, would it be OK for me to take it?
September 24th, 2012 at 03:54 pm 1348502045
September 24th, 2012 at 05:07 pm 1348506444
OF course Toocheap is just trying to rile people up. Toocheap has succeeded, as always.
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September 24th, 2012 at 10:24 pm 1348525492
I have no idea why people would get riled up over me picking up money that people have purposefully thrown away, yet are at the same time more than willing to keep money that people have accidentally lost (and may have needed). If any coins deserve to be picked up, they are the ones that are purposefully thrown away in my opinion.
September 24th, 2012 at 10:30 pm 1348525852
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September 25th, 2012 at 05:55 pm 1348595746
This post reminds me of something that I actually saw:
On Mother's Day in the early 1990s, I was with my husband and in laws eating at our favorite local diner-like place. It happened to be located across from a small local cemetary on Main Street. I saw a man pull up to the side entrance (clearly avoiding the entrance from Main Street). He walked in without flowers, and came out with a very pretty floral bouquet (not a wreath or grave decoration, but flowers). How sad is that?
September 26th, 2012 at 02:39 pm 1348670360
It is up to the owners to decide what to do with them and I am aware of no requirement for the owners to put up a sign telling you that they intend to donate them if that is the intention. If the owner wants, perhaps one week s/he chooses to let the fountain maintenance people keep the coins, while perhaps another week, they choose to leave the coins in they fountain because they personally enjoy seeing them sparkle and glint in the sun, and also because the presence of some coins invites even more coins to be tossed in. Perhaps every once in a while the owner donates them to some particular charity. I am aware of no tradition, law, or history that says coins in a fountain are up for grabs unless specifically labeled. It is your business to refrain from taking other peoples' property.
September 26th, 2012 at 04:37 pm 1348677431
You are correct. I googled it ;-)
The coins in a fountain are the property of whomever owns the fountain. Most businesses and schools use the proceeds to pay for the maintenance of the fountains and donate the rest to charity.
But even if they don't donate them to charity, they still belong to the owners of the fountain. So if you want to take money from fountains, you need to build your own fountain somewhere. Then you're welcome to whatever gets tossed inside.
Hilariously, I found a lot of new reports about people getting arrested for stealing a few bucks in change from fountains. (Not homeless people, actually. Guys who took the money and went to the 7-11 or similar.)
I'm guessing the cost of bail is higher than whatever you are scavenging from the fountains.
September 28th, 2012 at 05:42 am 1348810968
September 29th, 2012 at 08:41 pm 1348951306
I'm a little late to the party here, but thought this was all very interesting. If someone tosses a coin in a fountain, then I guess they don't need it all that much to start with. They've relinquished their claim to it when they tossed it. If they really wanted to donate to charity, there are other ways to do so (like writing a check) that assures the money goes where it's intended.
However...There are plenty of people who say they pick up coins they find on the street. The difference here is that by wading into the fountain to retrieve the coins, you are now trespassing on someone's private property.
It's also totally unseemly to go wading into the fountain after them. We live in a society, where things like parks and fountains are created for the enjoyment and pleasure of everyone. I think seeing someone go after those coins somehow detracts from the intended effect of public recreational facilities, and I'm guessing a police officer would put a stop to it. To each his/her own.
October 8th, 2012 at 12:23 pm 1349699028
Jerry