“What can I do with a dollar?” Today, many people think a dollar is less valuable, but that doesn’t mean it’s worthless. In fact, you can do a lot of things with a $1 bill that have nothing to do with spending money (and there are a lot of things that have nothing to do with spending money). Some are very interesting. Some are tricks. Some of the activities are weird and some are just fun. If you have a $1 bill in your pocket and are looking for some fun things to do with it, here are some ways you may not have considered using it in the past.
Use it as a bookmark
Photo courtesy of felipejcontrerasOne of its most obvious and simplest uses is as a bookmark. You can do this using it as-is, or you can get a little fancier and create an origami dollar bill bookmark
Here’s a fun book on how to make origami dollar bills, if you’re into it.
mix it
Wait…what? Why Mix One Dollar Bills? For science, of course! Dollar bills are made with ink that contains iron, which helps prevent counterfeiting. If you mix a dollar bill thoroughly, you can use a powerful neodymium magnet to separate the iron from the ink. Here is a tutorial on how to perform this experiment. This is a great activity for kids to get involved in because seriously, who doesn’t want to mix a dollar?
track it
Have you ever wondered where the dollars in your hand go? You can find the answer by entering it into the database of “Where’s George?” If someone else entered the serial number for a bill you hold, you can see its previous location. If no one knows it yet, you can enter it and keep track of where it ends up in the future because others will also enter it when they get it.
find owl
Many people believe that there is an owl hidden on the dollar bill. Spend some time trying to find it yourself. If you can’t see it, you may want to get out your microscope and see if you can see it better. Then you can start debating whether you actually think it’s an owl.
Burn it!
While you can indeed burn dollar bills, a better way to burn them is with a mixture of water and alcohol. Doing this will make the dollar bill appear to be burning, but ultimately the bill will remain intact so that you can use it for other purposes as well. This is a fun experiment for kids to do and a great science experiment.
Convert it to one dollar coins
Since dollar coins are not used in everyday financial transactions, they may seem special, especially to children. If you’re going to give your child some money, why not use coins instead of notes? This works especially well when donating money from the Tooth Fairy or other special events.
making rings
This is another fun project you can do. With just a little folding, you can turn a dollar into a ring. It takes a little origami skills to pull this off, but it’s a great project for the kids and they’ll have a great time wearing the new ring they create.
Shot glass balanced on it
This is another great trick you can use to win bets at the pub, or the kids can use it to surprise their friends. While the example here uses two beer glasses and a shot glass, you can use other glasses as well. The challenge is to ask your friend to place dollars on two glasses and then balance the glasses on top of them. It seems impossible when they try it, but you can do it by giving it power by folding the dollar accordion style. Watch the video below to learn how.
find your birthday
There are many people who collect dollar bills that they find interesting. One of the popular types is to find serial numbers that contain your birthday. For example, if you were born in 1985, you would look for bills with “1985” in the serial number. If you find a birthday bill that doesn’t fit your year, you can keep it as part of your collection or sell it as people often pay a premium for these birthday bills on eBay as many consider them lucky.
Learn a really cool magic trick
If you have a $1 bill, a playing card, and a pen, you can perfectly perform a magic trick that will wow your friends and family. Although this trick looks magical, it’s not difficult to perform. Keeping it in your pocket is a great trick when you want to impress. Skip to 4:11 to watch directly.
Exchange 100 pennies
If you want some lasting fun, you can exchange your dollars for 100 pennies. There are so many fun things you can do with pennies. You can also look through all the pennies to see if you’re lucky enough to get some older pennies.
Learn about conspiracy theories
There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the $1 bill and the markings on it. Pull one out of your wallet or wallet and spend 45 minutes (yes, you read that right) listening to all the intrigue some people think can be found in dollar bills:
discover where it was printed
You can view your bill and determine where it is printed. Bold black letters on the left side of the front of the note identify the Commonwealth bank that ordered the note. Here’s a summary of your billing sources:
A = Boston
B = New York City
C = Philadelphia
D=Cleveland
E = Richmond, Virginia
F = Atlanta
G = Chicago
H = St. Louis
i = minneapolis
J = Kansas City
K = Dallas
L = San Francisco
spend it
Head to your local dollar store and see what you can find there. While there are definitely some things you’d never want to buy at the dollar store, there are also some things worth going there. Since the items in these stores change regularly, you might also come across some gems that you have to spend $1 to buy.
Open coke or beer bottle
If you’re at a party or want to impress your friends, you can open a beer or Coke bottle with a dollar bill. Yes, you read that right. By folding the bill tightly, you can open the lid of any bottle. So next time you’re somewhere without a bottle opener, grab a $1 bill from your wallet and impress all your friends.
looking for a star
Another cool thing on the $1 bill are the stars in the serial number. When you find a banknote with an asterisk at the end of its serial number, it means a printing error occurred during the production process and the banknote needs to be reprinted. These are called replacement annotations. But it is often called a “star bill”. This is a very collectible banknote, or you can sell it at auction for much more than the face value, as many people like to collect these banknotes. If you’d like more details, consider reading our article: What’s So All about a Dollar Bill with Stars?
give it to street musicians
If you’re walking down the street and hear some great music that brightens your day, consider giving that dollar to a street musician. If any street performer is doing something interesting enough to make you stop and watch for ten minutes, they deserve at least a dollar. Street performers will appreciate this gesture.
balancing a coin
This one takes a little practice, but it’s fun when you get the hang of it. Challenge your friends to balance a coin on the side of a $1 bill. If they can’t do that, you can show them how to do it by folding the bill in half and slowly opening it with the coins on top.
hide it
Hide dollar bills somewhere where others will find them and when they do, it will bring a little joy to their day. Everyone has a few favorite books that aren’t all that popular. You just go to the library, find a book you like, put in a dollar and surprise the next reader. There are thousands of places where you can throw a dollar in and when people discover it, it will brighten their day.
Pull it out from under the bottle
This is another trick you can use to make money (or just trick your friends). Challenge them to remove a one-dollar bill from under an upside-down beer (or soda) bottle without touching the bottle or letting the bottle tip over. They may try to quickly pull the bill out from under it, but they’ll find that doing so knocks the bottle over every time. Instead, you’ll slowly accumulate dollars and win bets (and wow your friends).
leave it at the bar
It seems that more and more bars are encouraging patrons to pin dollar bills to their walls and ceilings. If you visit one of these bars (or you can start a new trend at your local bar), you can write your name on a dollar bill and stick it on the wall.
Pull it out from between the two bottles
This is another great trick that you can do with any $1 bill when you’re at the bar. Pick up the banknote and place it between the two bottles (in this example, the banknote is from top to bottom of the bottle, with the banknote in the middle, but you can also place the top of the bottle on top of the bottle). Ask your friends to try to get the bill out without touching the bottle. They will try to pull the bottle from the side, causing it to fall. Then you can do it successfully with this little trick.
Make paper airplanes
Photos courtesy of Jared NoelTake your money and make a paper airplane with it. The easiest thing to do is to use a regular piece of paper to make your paper airplane. You don’t have to stop there. If you really want to challenge yourself, you can also build an F-14 jet fighter.
Challenge your friends to catch it
It’s an oldie, but a good one. Challenge your friends and try to catch a dollar before it slips from their hands. You hold it and they put their hands around it (without touching) and when you put it down they try to quickly close their hands to catch it. The only rule is that they can’t close their hands or move their hands down to help them catch the ball until they see the ball drop. Their brain’s reaction to seeing the bill fall and making them clench their hands long enough that it would be impossible to catch it.
save it
Photo courtesy of Origami VisitorWe wouldn’t be a responsible finance site if we didn’t mention saving money as one of many options. While one dollar may not seem like much, when added up to the numerous other dollars that pass through your hands every year, they can quickly add up to an emergency fund. Tuck it into your piggy bank for a rainy day.
This is obviously a short list of the many things you can actually do with $1, but I hope it includes some things you’ve never considered before and that it sparks your imagination.
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