Fun with money – The US Dollar!
I thought that I’d take a little break from business and have some fun, with money.
As a kid I learned how to make a T-shirt with a dollar-bill. This was a pretty fun party trick with my friends as it typically lead to learning other origami creations including a dollar-bill shaped ring and a dollar-bill sailboat.
We all know that giving cash as a present is far and away one of the easier gifts to give. It is also one of the most desirable gifts to receive. However, the problem with giving cash is that it isn’t nearly the most memorable gift someone can receive. (If my friends are reading this, trust me – high dollar gift amounts are very memorable) One way to make a gift of cash far more memorable than a walk to the bank is to create a piece of art with that money. In the past, I’ve given picture frames with valuable hearts, photo albums with money on the pages, and other small gifts with hidden cash. It makes gift giving more fun all around!
Another environment that we tend to give people money is the trip to the local drinking establishment. Tips can go a long way at a busy bar. However, the difference here is not necessarily that we want the gift (tip) to be remembered for years but rather we want to be remembered frequently enough, that the bartender makes sure we are well lubricated. I once tried giving a bartender a nice piece of dollar-bill origami, but that seemed to annoy him. I imagine he thought he’d have to unfold his entire nightly wage. People will often get the bartender’s attention with a $20, while this will have the right effect; it can become pretty pricy as the night goes on. One trick I’ve found is using a two-dollar bill. In a real busy bar it may go unnoticed, but even a glance will make the bartender give it a second thought. Initially they may think it is a $20, but even when they find out it is only a $2, they usually are pretty pleased. You’d also be surprised at how easy it is to get two-dollar bills; just about any bank has some on hand.
Have you ever thought about where your money has been? What happens to that tip after it leaves your hands? Back in 1993 there was a movie staring Elisabeth Shue, Steve Buscemi, and Brendan Fraser entitled ‘œTwenty Bucks.’ The movie followed a crisp $20 bill from an ATM and into the lives of these strangers. Following on that theme, the website Where’s George attempts to do the same thing for the every day bill. With over $678 Million dollars of currency being tracked, it is no wonder the Secret Service gave it their attention.
While we’re at it, some people believe that the dollar bill contains signs and symbols of a great Masonic conspiracy. While I can’t explain what our forefathers were thinking, I have questioned some of the things that I’ve seen written on dollars that I’ve received.
Aside from rolling around in it, after winning the lottery, how do you have fun with money?
In college we used to fold the bill so that george washington’s head looked like a mushroom. Not as cool as the T shirt by a long shot though.
Phil: Did you know that the $2 bill is considered unlucky?!
I like to use dollar coins lately- my workplace has a change machine where I get them.
The especially shiny golden dollars are what the tooth fairy brings at our house.
Mike – I remember doing that too.
Nina – Hmm… I have a ton of them right now, maybe that’s why I’m having a bit of bad luck.
DivaJean – I like the golden dollars and I’ve used them in my “gift” giving before. There are some great places you can hide them.
A certain “fishy” fast food restaurant used to use $2 bills to foil robbery in that they trained their people to slip one into the “getaway loot” in hopes the robber would be caught. The serial numbers on the two dollar bill would prove to be the dullards undoing! That would make them pretty unlucky…. to fast food burglers anyway!