Sadly, the value of pennies has dropped really dramatically in the past decade or so. Nowadays the little copper coins are essentially useless (except for those rare moments when you can actually make exact change) and are even being thrown away in parts of the U.S. But we say don’t you DARE throw those little guys away. Pennies might not be used as often as they used to be, but all we need to do is rethink the way we use them! Here are some seriously clever ways to use pennies around the house, with your kids, or in your general life.
1. Homemade Battery
If you or your kids love science experiments, then you’ll love what this stack of pennies can do. Using just a few materials and the energy conducted through the little copper coins, you can create a battery strong enough to power an LED light or remote control. Pennies might be small, but they’re powerful!
2. Keep Flies at Bay
3. Penny Table Top
Have an old coffee table that you picked up at a yard sale? You probably loved it for the price, but you might not be a fan of how boring or ratty it is. There’s any easy way to makeover an inexpensive table using just a collection of pennies! It will leave you with a seriously unique piece that everyone will ask, “Where did you get that?!”
4. Revamped Penny Floor
5. Checking Floor Tiles
If you’ve decided to go for a more traditional floor, like tiles, you can still use pennies to help during the revamping process. To make sure that all your tiles are evenly laid out, stick pennies in between each one (around each side) to make sure they’re all spaced correctly. Pennies are the perfect cheap item to use for this task, and you’ll know for sure that they’ll provide the exact same space across your new floor.
6. Tire Treads
7. Snail Repellent
Like flies, snails apparently do not like the copper in pennies, which makes them the perfect thing to use for a quick, effective snail repellent in your garden. According to science, snail secretions react to the metal, providing a slight static electricity response that most snails want to avoid. With this in mind, try outlining your garden with pennies, but make sure they were minted no later than 1981; by 1982, the copper in pennies was replaced with nickel, which may not produce the same result.
8. Copper Curtain Weights
Stubborn curtains that aren’t hanging properly? You don’t have to buy curtain weights (little weights that help curtains stay still and hang perfectly) if you have some pennies and paper clips. In moments, you can create DIY curtain weights with these little copper coins and make your curtains look exactly the way you imagined.
9. Homemade Tap Shoes
Most parents will tell you: kids hobbies can get expensive. Kids want to try everything — basketball, art, drama, archery, you name it! For the little dancer who wants to try tap, this is a genius DIY. Tap shoes are EXPENSIVE, so to create some makeshift shoes on the fly, try gluing a few pennies to the bottom of your kids’ sneakers. This cheap trick will help you kids figure out if they like the feel of tap dance and are guaranteed to entertain them for hours.
What do you think of these creative uses for pennies? Share your thoughts and uses you’ve tried in the comments section below.