7 Good Uses For A Penny

Photo by r-z.

For years, the production cost of a penny have far exceeded the value of the finished product. Good thing we still make them. But REAL SIMPLE has provided us with 7 Good uses for a penny and I have provided some commentary on each:

1. Curtain Straightener – Insert pennies into the bottom hem of your curtains. The weight of the penny will keep your curtains in line.
2. Tread Checker – If you haven’t already Winterized Your Car, you can use the penny to assess the remaining tire life. Stick Lincoln’s head into the tire tread. If the tread covers any part of Abe’s melon, you are okay. If you can see his whole head, time for a pit stop at your local tire shop.
3. Table Anchor - Next time you fall victim to a wobbly table, slide some pennies underneath the short leg of the table to stabilize the problem.
4. Missing Game Piece – Yeah. Its come to that. If you find that Colonel Mustard is MIA, let Ole’ Abe take his place.
5. Makeshift Screwdriver – For years I carried the Swiss Army Card. But if you aren’t as cool as me (which doesn’t take much), you could use the penny to solve your problems.
6. Icebreaker – Liven up a stuffy party by passing out pennies. Ask everyone to share a story from the year that appears on their penny. If they weren’t alive yet, they have free reign to make something up.
7. Birdbath Cleaner – Use a pre-1982 penny to fight off the gross-ness in your birdbaths. The copper (post-1982 pennies hardly contain any copper) stunts the growth of algae.

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