You call this desperate?

I leave in 9 days. What does this mean for you? It means it's time to put in your souvenir requests!

I'm getting a strange feeling that souvenir-fulfillment will be limited on this trip. Why do I feel this way? It could have a little something to do with the $601 train tickets I still need to buy.

To put it simply: Tell me what you want before I go broke!

Smashing open my piggy banks!

The last thing I want to do is come back empty handed. So yesterday I decided it was time for The Great Coin Search of 2011.

I have a box of nickels and pennies that I've been saving since I was, oh, about 13. Unfortunately, the quarters and dimes all went to the bank a long time ago. This was a good starting point. I had a massive haul. $14.34.

Like I said, this was just the beginning.

I scoured the bottom of every purse I own (Yes, this took awhile). Cha-ching! $2.85.

Of course, I checked my best hope of all ... the couch cushions. Alas, not a single dime.

Then I moved on to my car. I got down on my hands and knees and pried out sticky nickels from under the seats. Score. $0.26.

Then I decided to get serious.

It was time for Chuck E. Cheese. It was time to bust open my oldest piggy bank of all. He's been with me since I was 5 years old. He didn't know he had it coming. I'm kidding! He's plastic! I flipped him over, popped out his trap door and emptied his guts onto the table. A glorious $18.09.

All together, I found a whopping $35.54.

This converts to €23.93, or a bus ticket and a ham sandwich.

 

Am I desperate? Nah. Funding a month-long vacation to Europe is serious business. I'd hardly call this desperate.

Now I’m headed to the bank to hand over all my pretty little pennies, and this girl's vacation fund will be back in the black.

What's the craziest thing you've done for a few extra bucks?