MoneyMoneyMoneyMoney

Since money is on our minds most of the time, let's consider....

In these countries, a U.S. dollar is worth: (these values fluctuate constantly)

Canada                                       97c (Canadian dollar)
England                                     80c (an English pound)
Countries that use the Euro       89c (value of one Euro
Chinese                                   6.88 (Chinese Yuan)
Australia                                 1.44 (Australian dollar)
Japan                                       1.09(Japanese Yen)
Mexico                                  19.30 (Mexican Peso)*
Brazil                                       3.90 (Brazilian Real)
India                                           69c  (Rupees)


*The peso is worth different amounts; pesos are used in most Central and South American countries and its value varies.

Canadian money

Chinese Yuan

Euros

Mexican Pesos

Brazilian Real ("ree-All")

America, it would appear, has not yet discovered color ink.However, there is an explanation. During the Civil War, 'both countries' had their own currencies. After the war, 'new money' had to be printed that would be usable throughout the United States. People tried to print their own money, called counterfeiting, and the inks used would wash out of the printed paper money. So, a formula was created to stop counterfeiting. It just happened to be green with black. The US has never changed the colors used in its paper money. So, basically, "this is how we've done it since the 1860s". More on that here: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/02/u-s-paper-money-green/

This is who is pictured on various paper U.S. money, starting with the $1 bill:
      $1.00            Washington
        2.00            Jefferson
        5.00            Lincoln
       10.00           Hamilton *
       20.00           Jackson
       50.00           Grant
     100.00           Benjamin Franklin  *
     500.00           McKinley
   1,000.00          Cleveland--this bill is no longer available
   5,000.00          Madison
 10,000.00          Chase  *
100,000.00         Wilson

There is no million-dollar bill.
*These people were not presidents.
By the way, if you run across a $2.00 bill, there's no need to save it--it's no more valuable than $2.00, they aren't that rare.

Learn more about the U.S. mint at: http://www.usmint.gov/education/historianscorner/

What can I buy with an American dollar, in other countries?

In Kenya, $1 American will buy you 8 cups of milk.
In Bangladesh, it will buy 1/3 of a sari (woman's garment)
South Korea         1/2 hour of computer use
England                1/2 a loaf of bread
Vienna                  one small roll
Denmark               a stamp for a postcard
Seoul, Korea         one subway ticket plus a mask for the smog


Cost of college in England, for a resident of England: About $11,600.00.
Cost of college in Canada, for a Canadian: $9,000.00
Cost of college in Australia, for an Australian: between $10,000 and $20,000 a year.
People from other countries who wish to attend college abroad will usually pay considerably more.

                                            Kings College, Cambridge, England

                                                     Australian National University


Using U.S. dollars:
In Brazil, a Honda Civic will set you back about $40,000. In Sweden, a VW Golf will cost you about $33,000 and gas runs about $9.00 a gallon, hence the number of people who do not have their own cars, and the excellent public transportation system that most people use. And they use bicycles to get where they need to go as well.

Back to the $1 discussion:

• Steve Jobs, the creator of Microsoft, used to take a salary of $1 a year.
• If you put $1 extra on your mortgage check, it will reduce your payments by .000000000001 years.
• $1 will buy you a quart of gas if it currently costs $4.00 a gallon
• There are some states with houses for sale asking $1 as the lowest bid.
• Paper money (U.S.) is not paper, it's made of linen and cotton
• Most dollar bills-more than 90% of them- are contaminated with traces of cocaine
• A bank will replace a torn or mutilated bill as long as you have more than half of it
• Many of the symbolic pictures on a paper bill involve the number 13:  13 stars, 13 berries, 13 stripes...indicating the original 13 colonies
• Did you know England has something like our Dollar Stores? Locals call it (what a surprise!!) the Pound Store: http://www.poundland.co.uk/
• If you have a $1 bill in your pocket, you can trace where it's been. Go to https://www.wheresgeorge.com/ . When you add your zip code, it adds to the paper trail.

For more trivia about the U.S. dollar, check out:
http://money.com/money/4041295/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-1-bill/

Kindness: The Summer Edition 2.0

We talked about giving gifts of kindness last winter around the holidays, but kindness can and should be a year-round thing.  Not only do people need kindness all the time, the rewards always come back to us. So, here goes Kindness 2.0:

• Is someone in your neighborhood older, maybe ill, maybe injured, and can't mow his or her lawn? You can do it, using their mower or yours. This will lift his/her spirits plus make that yard look nice amongst the others.

• Do you have a bounty of vegetables from your garden? Sometimes we plant more than we could possibly use. Share with your neighbors.
• If you put up preserves or make jam or other goodies with your produce, give some to another person.
• When it's swelteringly hot, leave bowls of water out for animals, not only for the wild things but for dogs who might stop by as they go for walks. Note: Some dogs do not like ice cubes, some do.

• Take some time to water the flowers and plants outside. Pull off dead blooms, too.
• Remember to water the trees, too.
• Feed the birds: Here are simple bird feeders to make:

Here is a recipe to make your own bird food: https://www.savvyhomemade.com/making-homemade-bird-food/

• Food shelves operate year-round. Often, people donate around the fall/winter holidays but never again. You could make a donation a monthly thing. Some grocery stores have a bin for donations all the time. When there's an opportunity to simply leave a bag for the mail carrier to pick up, do it. 
• When you donate, don't forget kids having birthdays: Birthday cake mix, frosting, and candles may not seem essential, but a birthday cake means so much when you are a child.  
• Some police and fire stations appreciate donations of stuffed animals or little cars that they can give to frightened kids: if the police come to a house for a domestic violence incident, or people have a house fire, it's pretty stressful for the little ones. Ask at your local station about it. 

• Try to be more patient when you see (or hear) a crabby child. The parent is probably stressed out as it is, so having others judge and become exasperated doesn't help. If you've been there, a smile and a "hang in there" can be so supportive.  
• You can donate new or gently used bikes to kids in need here  http://fb4k.org/home/  

• Do you know how to fish? Lots of kids have never been fishing. You can teach a kid (or an adult) how, and have fun doing it. You might put this on your calendar for next May, the Kids Fishing Clinic at the Coon Rapids Dam park:  https://www.exploreminnesota.com/events/26474/kids-fishing-clinic  (explore all the other adventures available as well)
• Leave some change in a vending machine so the next person doesn't have to pay. 
• Help someone bag their groceries, or help get it into their car.
• Pick flowers from your garden and give them to random people.

• Write a thank you note to someone, not necessarily for a gift someone bought and gave you, but because this person means something to you. It doesn't have to be long or flowery. Send it in the mail or drop it off in person, or leave it tucked in the door.
• Donate some books to the nearest Little Free Library.  

• Go for a walk, or visit a park, lake, river, or creek, and clean up some garbage left by others.
• Is your hair long enough to donate to Locks of Love? They need 10" to make a wig for a child who's lost hair due to cancer treatment or alopecia: https://locksoflove.org/
• Everybody likes cookies and donuts. Make or buy some and give them out, somewhere random or in a business or care home.
• Participate in the annual Neighborhood Night Out, this year on August 6. Meet neighbors, enjoy great food you share, see if there are concerns you can all work on. It is kind to be friendly.