Sometimes your hobbies don’t make much sense to others, but still prove to be immensely helpful and entertaining for you. Today I’d like to explain why it’s the case with one of the more recent hobbies I’ve acquired.
My approach to treasure hunting
One beautiful morning a few months ago I was walking across my company’s parking lot in the morning. It was an unusually sunny day, we don’t get that many of them here in Ireland. I was happy and ready for the challenges of the day, almost anticipating a quick scan through corporate email and immediate start with daily technical chores. As I was walking, I stumbled upon a coin. A brand new, shiny 2c coin. I picked it up and realized that it immediately improved my day by a tiny bit. That’s how it all started.
Since mid-summer 2008, I must have picked around a hundred coins – 2 coins a day on average. First, I’ve found the obvious treasure which was waiting for me on my way from the car to the office entrance. A few weeks later, I started changing my walking route slightly, by just a few steps a day. Yet another few weeks later, I developed a habit for always being on the lookout for more coins wherever I walk.
Benefits of my treasure hunting
Finding new coins is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life: it’s really fun! I don’t do it for money, but every coin picked up makes me feel a bit better. I’m still to figure out what one can buy with all these coins, but for the moment it’s just great to realize how my treasure fund slowly grows cent by cent. Long gone the days of easy finds on the parking lot – nowadays I discover new coins everywhere I go – on streets, in shops and at airports.
Some coins have quite a history attached – I found one coin at 2am in Frankfurt as I was walking along some empty street, for example. I’ve got few coins brought from Munster, a great little town in central Germany. I’ve found coins in Dublin city center and in pretty much every local shop I go to in my area.
My treasure hunting hobby is a great financial mindset trainer, too. It has reassured me of a few financial basics:
- every little helps
- you too can be a money magnet if you want
- money is everywhere and sometimes all you have to do is to literally stop and pick up a coin
- the more you find, the easier it gets
- once you learn a skill, it can be applied everywhere
- if you receive money easily, it’s easier to give them away
Suddenly I see
You know the way people say you see what you focus on? Well, that’s what happens to me with coins. I feel like there are lost coins everywhere! I never thought there are so many of them out there just waiting to be picked up – but now that I developed a habit of always looking for them, I find new one almost every day even if I don’t get out much.
I suddenly see coins which have been around for weeks, months and sometimes even years – nobody noticed, that’s all.
It’s all about having fun
Like any hobby, finding coins is nothing but another way for me to have fun. I’m a cheerful person by nature, but some extra entertainment on a daily basis can never hurt. I have many other hobbies, some are cheap and some are expensive. Treasure hunting fits in very well – no setup hassle and plenty of immediate benefits.
Hi Gleb,
What a fun post! I can’t believe you are finding so many coins! What I like best is the fact that you say that every coin has a story behind it. Life is full of great experiences and this seems like a good way of marking them!
Don’t quit the day job if you’re only finding pennies though ;)
Cheers,
Chris
Hey Chris, thanks for stopping by! No, I’m not gonna quite my job just yet ;)
Hey Gleb,
I do a mini celebration whenever I pick up some coins or dollars. It just make me feel like a money magnet and who don’t want to be a money magnet. :)
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Yes, money magnet it is – thanks for reminding, I’ll update the post cause that’s exactly how I feel too! :)
Good for you for learning to be more observant. That’s great! My favourite thing is to go out for dinner, so that’s what I’d do with the collected coins.
Thanks for stopping by, Alex! Yes, I heard that doing something for your family is always a great way for such money to be spent.
I find it is the gratitude in finding the money that is so amazing, as you find it once and feel the joy and gratitude more comes. I found 20 dollars a couple of weeks back and it was great, then I found some coins here, and now I find some money almost everyday! Just have to be open to receive, thanks for the story.
G’day, Gleb!
A really funny hobby :-) I used to have such when I was about 10 years old and attended a sport-school (for young swimmers huh). I needed to walk through the half of the city to get to the swimming pool. And I always stared under my feet hoping to find something. Usually it was another one bubble-gum wrapper but sometimes I was lucky enough to find a coin or even more. At that time I beleived that it was a bad habbit and tried to stop look constantly on the ground. It’s time now for me to have another look on this problem :-)
regards,
Alexey
Sounds like you have a great time with this hobby and it has it’s other monetary benefits as well. You can’t go wrong.
Cool, I collect coins too, even I have a hobby to collect old paper money. It’s kinda fun.. I have a box full of them. heh.
It sounds like fun, too, Sako! I need to find a bigger wallet for the coins of mine.
Hello, Gleb!
You have really funny hobby. Actually, I also very often see lost coins but I prefer not to pick them because of microbes. Is it really safe? :)
As for me I convinced myself that there are a lot of other people who need them much more than I am.
Hey man, that sounds so much fun :) Have you read Pipi Longstocking?
I have read it, Yavor, but maybe it’s time to re-read :) There can never be too much fun!
A friend once asked his friend, “Why are you always looking down when you walk?” The friend explained that he was looking for money. And he usually found it. I believe he even found $100.00 once.
It does amaze me what people fail to notice. I’m pretty good at finding money, but usually point it out to my kids so they can have it. Hopefully it trains them to look for money everywhere.
My 3-year old girl is a master at spotting lost coins, but we don’t allow her to pick them up cause they’re dirty. Still, she’s thrilled with every find and gets only better and finding them.
Через пару лет можно объÑÑнить дочке что такое банк, что там лежат многие и многие миллионы монет и что они по Ñути общие и в какой-то мере потерÑнные :-) Ðужно только придти и взÑÑ‚ÑŒ :-)
just kidding,
Alex
Hi there,
Its interesting that you mention this. I to seem to find money lying in the street.
This has started happening ever since I made an A4 poster saying “I earn £5000 a month” and stuck it beside my bed.
I think I have found about £8 in the last month, including a five pound note.
I was dubious about the law of attraction, but more and more evidence for its existence presents itself every day.
having a belief in a thing makes it true in your mind.
Keep it up Gleb.
Andy
Feels fun, but I am always afraid of microbes
Great lessons that did not came in a big, flashy box, but a small one that was worth a fortune.
The all about having fun part can be used as a financial mindset trainer too. People are sometimes focusing on the things they do not want to see. Acquiring riches can start from focus!
Cheers to you!
what I see in this post is the beauty of simplicity. you can be happy if you do the things that can make you happy. some people may see your new-found happiness as a tedious, pointless task but in truth, you feel otherwise. it’s indeed an uplifting activity which brings joy to your own being, all the more reason to hold on to it. :)
I used to work as security, during pavement changing in Cork in 2004. I spent about 10 weeks having 3 nights weekly of watching machinery and patrolling a few streets across. During that time I found almost 200 euro in cash (mostly coins).
Now I am hunting for old coins using Metal detector.
You are right. Coins are everywere.
I never knew you were Irish. I live in England! Manchester to be precise. We get a lot of Irish folks over hre for the United games. I wonder how much money their is on the ground in the whole of the UK? There must be 100s of thousands.
Hi Gleb,
It sounds like the key for you in this case is the enjoyment, I believe you are right when you say that this is a great “financial mindset trainer”.
Have you noticed any difference if instead of looking for coins you decide to suddenly see bank notes or profitable income generating activities?
All the best with your collecting.
Alberto