A penny saved is a penny earned

Tonight I continued working on my story about Leslie, the woman who collects change she finds on the street. After more than two years of doing this, she’s got her search method down pat.

- Walk near parking meters, street curbs and bus stops; people are likely to drop change there and not have time to pick it up.
- When scanning dirt, look for something perfectly round since “nothing in nature is perfectly round,” she says.
- Be willing to step out in traffic but remember to watch for oncoming cars.

As a photographer I consider myself a fairly observant and aware person but I’m telling you, Leslie has hawk eyes. There were times she’d yelp in delight over spying a penny and I wouldn’t see it until she held it in her hand. Clearly, this is an acquired skill.

Leslie’s intake this evening: 32 cents. Plus, I found a penny, too! I have to admit I was pretty excited.

Pennies

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 11:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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  1. Leslie Stein

    Thanks for walking with me today and capturing my penny finding on film! And of course, thanks for adding the penny you found to the fund. We are sooooo close to breaking $500. It’s going to happen in 2009. I can feel it! :-)

    May 08, 2009 @ 11:30 pm


  2. Andrea Scharnau

    Fun! I like it!!

    May 09, 2009 @ 8:28 pm


  3. Sarah Stein

    This is my adventurous sister working the streets to pick up some change. Don’t even try and compete with her change searching skills. She can eye those things from blocks away. I have to laugh at her when she thinks she found a quarter but really it is gum stuck to the sidewalk – hillarious!

    May 11, 2009 @ 6:21 pm


  4. Lyssa

    I totally love these pictures of Leslie! Go girl!

    May 15, 2009 @ 9:18 am


  5. Jane Kuhlman

    My daughters and I spent our sightseeing trip to DC looking at the sidewalks! What a fun time searching for change for the penny project!
    Leslie’s addiction is certainly contagious!

    May 15, 2009 @ 9:37 am


  6. Stacy

    Such an interesting idea and story. Of course, I love all the pictures.

    May 16, 2009 @ 4:08 pm


  7. laurapohl98

    There’s no way I can compete with Leslie but it’s true that her spirit is DEFINITELY contagious. That’s why I love working on this story!

    May 17, 2009 @ 9:20 pm