If I Had A Nickel
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (78761)
United States
July 14, 2022 4:34pm CST
How many times have you heard someone say, "If I had nickel for every time?" I'd bet that if you had a nickel for every time someone has said this, you'd have a lot of nickels.
I have said it many times myself.
It is often funny to me, though, that the phrase is never really used in a monetary way. We use it more often colloquially. We used it somewhat metaphorically.
It seems strange that what we are saying, essentially, is that nickels add up to enough money that if we had a nickel for every time "X" was said or happened, we might be rich.
Which is the implication of the phrase.
Yet when it comes to real money we more often will use another term. "It's only a nickel more."
And if we saved that nickel every time we said this, the implication is the same.
We might be rich.
When we say, "If I had a nickel for every time," the opportunity to actually have that nickel is of course impossible. But of course we can have the nickel every time we avoid spending the extra nickel.
10 people like this
11 responses
@porwest (78761)
• United States
16 Jul 22
@RubyHawk I tend to use plastic more often than not too. But even there I have a "system" that does essentially the same thing. I always round up the charge and so there is essentially a "coin jar" in my checking account. If the charge on the card is $9.39 when I pay the bill I account for a $10 deduction from my checking account, pay the $9.39 and save 61 cents. According to my checking account I still spent $10.
It takes a bit more work—but I track this using the receipts.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (57647)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Jul 22
That is so true, isn't it?
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (57647)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Jul 22
@porwest The smart ones, do.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
8 Aug 22
@kaylachan It is what separates the rich from the poor honestly. Some people fail to recognize that.
@lovebuglena (43074)
• Staten Island, New York
26 Jul 22
Why did I think the phrase was "If I had a dime..."? 
But those nickels do add up. So do the pennies. It will just take longer.
But those nickels do add up. So do the pennies. It will just take longer.1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43074)
• Staten Island, New York
27 Jul 22
@porwest oh yeah. Dime and time rhyme. And rhyme rhymes with them lol.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156159)
• United States
9 Aug 22
@porwest Yeah, when on vacation we eat well; and I have to buy my magnet souvenirs and hubs buys tiles and T-shirts he never wears.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
9 Aug 22
@LindaOHio See now, I always wear my T-shirts, and usually only ever buy or wear T-shirts that are souvenir ones. I wear T-shirts all the time though. My wife likes the magnets so she can stick honey-do lists to the fridge. lol
1 person likes this
@ihasaquestion (8274)
•
14 Jul 22
I guess it's most people's habit to say something like that..
1 person likes this
@ihasaquestion (8274)
•
10 Aug 22
@porwest Yes, but unfortunately that's not always the case, sadly.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (215407)
• Chile
14 Jul 22
I have found it very difficult to avoid spending too much now that I ask for my groceries online.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (215407)
• Chile
16 Jul 22
@porwest Basically it is that I´m tempted.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jul 22
This was just too deep of a philosophical conversation this early in the morning for my brain to comprehend. But then again, if I had a nickel for every time I’ve said that my brain cannot comprehend something, I’d have 42 cents.
@MarshaMusselman (38652)
• Midland, Michigan
14 Jul 22
I've never heard the saying, 'it's only a nickel more' before. If you want to get rich on nickels then keep a roll handy and everyone your do it say something you don't want to say or do out the nickel in the piggy bank.
Years ago I was in a Bible college and they tried to help people quit swearing so we had to put a dime into a jar anytime we sweared. It did help a lot of people.
@porwest (78761)
• United States
17 Jul 22
You must be referring to the old wives tale of the penny heads up is good luck and the penny tails up is bad luck—I have never followed this and every penny gets picked up heads up or tails up. The only thing it has gotten me besides more pennies is a bad back from all that bending down.
@Deepizzaguy (94512)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
14 Jul 22
That is one of my wishes to have a nickel for some event that happened, I would a rich person myself.
1 person likes this
