You read that right – I daily drive a 2003 Corvette Z06 50th Anniversary Edition, to and from my day job. All the while, I take recyclable bottles and cans out of trash cans, so that I can recycle them for 25¢ a piece. Why on Earth would I do that?…

It all started when I was a child, around 13 years of age – I wanted money, to pay for fun and silly things. So, I would ask my dad what I could do to make some money, any amount of money. He told me that I could start collecting aluminum cans to recycle and that he’d even get a recycling bin for us at the house so that whenever we’d drink a soda, we could collect the cans separately. It’s important to note, I didn’t grow up poor; my Mom and Dad always made sure we had more than enough money for school supplies, school lunches, new clothes every year, paid housing and yearly trips. We were very comfortably middle class by Texas and world standards.

But for me, it was more an opportunity to make a weekly choice and a way for me to directly influence how I would get some pocket change every month. So from age 13-18, I collected aluminum cans and with my dad’s help, we’d drop them off at the local recycling center and for each 30 gallon trash bag full of cans, I’d get back about $5-7 dollars. The bags were measured in weight, as Texas doesn’t have the 5¢ per can refund like some Eastern states do in the US...

In the summer months as a young teen, I would mow my neighbors yard (Rest in Peace Mr. Gles, you’ll be missed -2023).

From the end of May through Mid August, he would pay me about $50 a month to mow his lawn. This was a huge step up for me, as I was used to clearing $5-7 a month just recycling cans. Plus, my Dad would pay for the fuel in the lawnmower, so I saw this as a huge opportunity, netting about $200 a summer. Not bad for just a few hours of work in the Texas sun. Plus it was an opportunity to chat with a family friend, Mr. Gles, and learn about his time in the US Army. I basically found any opportunity I could to make a few bucks…

My final informal job was through middle school and highschool. Now I can’t speak to the legality of this, but I definitely sold candies and and chocolate from my backpack. I figured I could use a little bit of the money that I had saved from recycling cans and mowing lawns to ‘invest’ in Snickers and Twix and Blow Pops at our local Sam’s Club; then, bring those goods to school and sell to kids during class. Kids always happened to have a few bucks for lunch or from allowance, and I always carried some form of candy bar or Little Debbie snacks. I didn’t even have to know anything about marketing or advertising because, as a formal child, I loved snacks and figured everyone else did to.

With this ‘business’, I was able to clear a hundred bucks or so every month during school. Further reinforcing my desire to make some money and spend it at the movies or on art supplies or …buying more snacks to replace the ones I’d eat (look I never said I was a great business man). So where does this lead us?

My desires to earn additional income extend to today, in the year 2023, where you’ll routinely see me collecting ‘trash’ because people in Germany throw out these bottles that are worth 25 Euro cents a piece. And with the exchange rate, that makes them worth about 26-27¢ USD!!!

Crazy right?

That adds up over time. Monthly, it’s about $10 worth of ‘Pfand’ (German word for refund or deposit) that I pocket every month.

Now, I can hear you typing already. As a person that makes $90k per year, why do I go through the trouble to earn an extra ~$10 per month? Even writing this, it does sound a bit silly. Isn’t there something else I could spend my time doing to earn that amount? Other than rooting through others trash?

There are other things I could be doing. And if you know me at all, you know that I’m doing them! Running a blog, an art business, working 9-5, pet sitting. I do it all.

It all ties back into what I did as a kid, and how I like to live. I’m comfortable driving my paid off 20 year old Corvette, and I don’t need to make any more money. All my bills are paid automatically. My salary covers more than all my expenses and travel.

But it’s about the principles I developed as a child – why waste a few quarters when all I have to do is collect a few bottles, bring them to the German grocery store and turn them in for cash. The few minutes a year that it takes to practice a little bit of frugality and be a good steward of my money is more than worth it. It’s not about the extra $120 a year in refunded bottles, it’s about the behaviors that lead to saving more and spending just a little less. So yes, I drive a neat sport car and collect recyclables… And I wouldn’t have it any other way!

-Michael, with military.cash

P.s. This post is dedicated to Mr. Gles, a family friend and life long buddy of mine. To this day, I appreciate the guidance he’s provided over the years, may he rest in peace.