A penny for your thoughts? No? How about $5?
And if you get pennies from heaven, it’s probably because they have no use for them up there, either.
According to a simple inflation calculator app, a dollar today is worth about what a quarter was in 1979. And a penny today? It doesn’t even register in ‘79. My app says $0.
All of which explains why you’re not lugging around sacks full of coins and bills these days. That would make a night on the town a bit of a workout. It’s much easier to pull out a plastic card. Nothing says inflation quite like the fact many of you are literally throwing coins away. We measure what we value by whether we would search for that thing if it went missing. I’m guessing you wouldn’t sweat a common coin of any kind. A dollar? Maybe.
Meanwhile, inflation is hitting the U.S. mint, as well. It costs more to make the coins you hate to carry.