ASK THE AUTHOR

ASK THE COPPER PENNY LADY: Connect online to share your penny stories, and read up on the author’s inspiration and advice.

What inspired you to write The Little Copper Penny? I have had the privilege to hear great teachers such as Dave Ramsey and the late Jim Rohn teach about the principles of money. I have read books like The Richest Man in Babylon, Think and Grow Rich and The Richest Man That Ever Lived to name a few. In my opinion, the common thread is a respect for money down to its lowest form – the penny.
I have always picked up every penny I see. If it is in a place of business, I give it to the owner. If not, it quickly finds its way into my purse. Once I started giving the penny my attention, I noticed other coins lying around too, and even dollars!
All of this inspired me to write the story about The Little Copper Penny and the penny’s value. My goal is to teach our children to value every coin with respect. They say, “Money can’t buy happiness,” and I agree, but it sure does make life easier. I really like what Dave Ramsey says about how the more money you have, the more you can give away to help someone else’s life become easier.

When was the last time you really wished you had some pennies to make exact change? Due to my love for pennies, I either have them to make exact change, or receive them to keep a while for later change. It makes no difference to me. I just don’t want to see them thrown aside.

What advice can you give parents who are beginning to teach their kids about money? All coins and dollars have value, but even the smallest can count as much as the largest. Recently a grandmother shared with me the game she plays when she takes walks with her grandchildren. The game is to see who can find the most pennies. At the end of the walk the person with the most gets everyone’s pennies. What a great game!
I would like to see parents teach their children by collecting each day’s coins, discussing how many of the smaller coins make up the others and starting a collection for the month. Then, reduce the coins to dollars at the bank with your child and donate to a charity supporting education for children. And of course, have your child write me their story of their adventures collecting pennies!