Five Uses for Pennies

My friend recently bought a true fixer-upper of a home. She purchased it for a steal and knows a thing or two about home remodeling, so she thought what the heck and went for it.

What was she thinking? I have had the "honor" of assisting her with this huge undertaking and ... oh my, the skills I have learned. Soon I will be ready and prepared to take on my own fixer -upper... even though I really do love my current home.

A couple of weekends ago, we finished work on the new bathroom she added downstairs. One Saturday of ten hours of work and we finished the last two items needed to complete the project... we added a sink and a toilet.

The sink was the devil- that much was true.

The toilet- I learned a new use for pennies. If the toilet is not straight and is wiggling... simply place pennies underneath for leverage. They are better than wood shims, as they will not warp and rot. Ten pennies later (yes, I am aware that might be a bit many, but it all worked out!) and the toilet was safe and secure: and not going anywhere.

As we then tackled the devil- aka- the sink we discussed additional ways we could put pennies to work. (It turns out my friend had been saving her pennies and has a lot of them!)

They are not only good to be saved for a rainy day.

Five uses for pennies- feel the burn, ease the pain

Pennies do not melt! Instead of placing ice on a plastic bag to be used on sore muscles, fill an old unmatched sock (we all have them) with pennies. It works the same as an ice pack and will not melt away. With all the labor we have been putting into this house... yes, this is an idea we tried and discovered works great.

Five uses for pennies- Adult proof no more

You know those pesky child proof medicine bottles that sometimes, even adults silently berate as they twist and pull? Wedge a penny as far underneath the cap as you can- then push up. Instant leverage. The cap will pop right open as you push down, in and twist. After days of hanging drywall and feeling nothing but hurt all over... this is a handy little tip.

Five uses for pennies- fabric leveler

We hung the curtains on the huge window --- bought on clearance and were gorgeous. As we walked away to view our work, we noticed one panel of the curtains was slightly askew. Whip out our trusty exacto knife; place five pennies along the bottom and then fabric glue the hem. Level and pretty. In addition that one panel will not be blowing in an open breeze, adding a better sense of privacy.

Five uses for pennies- Good old Lincoln

It is summertime, a time for tire blow outs along every major road. It seems like every summer I am dodging blown apart tire parts than any other time of the year. We went out to inspect her daughter's truck tires. Placing a penny inside a tire groove, with Lincoln's head pointing downward, we bent and looked. We could see a smidgeon of his head. What does that mean? The distance between the top rim of a penny and Abraham Lincoln's head is 1/16 of an inch. This is also the minimum suggested tread depth. Since his head was not in full view, her daughter's tire were not in need of being replaced right away, however; my friend knows that she needs to continue to monitor the tires and replace them by summer's end.

Five uses for pennies- shy no more

My nephew is shy. He finds meeting new people a daunting task. What to say, what to do? What on earth will he have in common with this someone new? A new penny game will help. The next time he has a function where he does not know that many people, my friend suggested that a penny be placed at every place setting ( great, there is a family reunion coming up and he will be meeting cousins he has not seen or spoken with since he was a baby!). As an ice breaker, everyone will look at their penny and recite a song or a television show from that year. I might even start doing this weekly at the dinner table; instead of a song, my children can tell to me the capital of the quarter's state. Educational!

I have noticed a mainstay of penny use is leverage. Wow.... A penny saved really is a penny earned!