Turn your pennies twice
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (353881)
Rockingham, Australia
February 19, 2025 8:42am CST
I wrote recently about a saying I hadn’t heard before. Our German friend used it. Translated from her native language, it was ‘making an elephant out of a mouse’.
Tonight, she used another one she’d translated and that we hadn’t heard before. We were talking bout being frugal and making every penny count. She said in Germany they would talk about ‘turning a penny twice’. I can imagine my family saying this as they were very careful with their money.
The photo shows our friend when we first met her over 20 years ago. It was one of her first encounters with a kangaroo.
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24 responses
@BarBaraPrz (49676)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
19 Feb
Making an elephant out of a mouse would be about the same as making a mountain out of a molehill...
But that turning a penny twice? I don't know... Canada stopped minting pennies in 2013, and I saw something about the US going that route, too. Do you still have pennies in Aus?
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (49676)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
20 Feb
@JudyEv You had 2cent pieces? 
What did you call them?
We always called the 1 cent pieces 'pennies', easier to say, and the 5 cent pieces we still call nickles and 10 cents are dimes, 25 cents are quarters.
What did you call them?
We always called the 1 cent pieces 'pennies', easier to say, and the 5 cent pieces we still call nickles and 10 cents are dimes, 25 cents are quarters.1 person likes this
@JudyEv (353881)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Feb
@BarBaraPrz We called them one cents and 2 cents. We don't have nicknames for any of the decimal currency coins but the former currency had some nicknames - crown as one - 2/6d I think. I can't remember them now. 
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@DaddyEvil (148738)
• United States
19 Feb
She looks like she was enjoying herself. 
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (148738)
• United States
20 Feb
@JudyEv Of course. They're beautiful animals.
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@RevivedWarrior (3727)
• India
19 Feb
It is definitely fun to learn about different cultures and different figures of speech. It is always interesting when sayings in one language when translated can have such vivid imagery. It can be funny at times. “Turning a penny twice” is a fun way to describe frugal living. It does paint picture of careful expenses. I definitely love how language connects to our personal memories. I can plan to adopt to adopt some of the expressions into my conversations. I would love to watch the faces of my friends. Well, enjoy the day!
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@allknowing (146112)
• India
20 Feb
We often say making a mountain out of a mole hill Not heard about the penny turning twice but something like every penny counts
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@allknowing (146112)
• India
20 Feb
@JudyEv Remember the expression 'Spend a penny?' (lol)
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@JudyEv (353881)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Feb
@allknowing Yes, that's a totally different meaning, isn't it?
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@rebelann (114002)
• El Paso, Texas
19 Feb
I haven't heard either of those. I have heard the saying about 'an elephant in the room' and as for pennies, I've heard 'a penny earned is a penny saved' ..... it's hard to say if anyone here says stuff like that because most of my neighbors are hispanic and many don't speak English.
3 people like this
@FourWalls (74865)
• United States
20 Feb
We say “making a mountain out of a molehill,” but the sentiment is the same. M
I’m ridiculously strange with what I’ll be “stingy” about when spending money, versus blowing it.
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@1creekgirl (43604)
• United States
19 Feb
That's good advice for everyone who wants to save money.
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@JordanLader (5957)
• Sparta, Tennessee
19 Feb
I can honestly say that I've never heard that one. The other one sounds vaguely familiar though. Making an elephant out of a mouse.
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@JordanLader (5957)
• Sparta, Tennessee
20 Feb
@JudyEv That's probably why it sounds familiar
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@Beestring (15387)
• Hong Kong
19 Feb
Very nice photo.
This is the first time I heard of this saying.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (47889)
• India
23 Feb
So this is that old a picture! Was this near your earlier residing place?
Some of the sayings across countries and even cultures are quite similar but modified or tweaked a bit as per cultural differences.
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (7360)
• United Kingdom
22 Feb
I’ve never heard that phrase, and it doesn’t really make sense to me.
“Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves” is a common saying here. I rarely spend money on frivolous things, so I think I fit into the “frugal” category. Some other people might call me “tight”.
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@Orson_Kart (7360)
• United Kingdom
23 Feb
@JudyEv You don’t hear the phrase “highly strung” much these days. It’s a funny old saying anyway.
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@JudyEv (353881)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Feb
@Orson_Kart Maybe it came from violin days. Too highly strung and something has to snap. 
@JudyEv (353881)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Feb
The saying probably doesn't really translate too well I guess. There are various sayings about 'them', 'you' and 'me' so they might be miserly, you're tight and I'm frugal. Not the best example but you probably get the picture. Another might be their child is a brat, yours is highly strung and mine is sensitive.
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@RebeccasFarm (94974)
• Arvada, Colorado
22 Feb
That's a lovely saying though here in the USA they are stopping production of the penny
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@MarieCoyle (43984)
•
20 Feb
This reminded me of one of my grandmothers, who taught us ''find a penny, pick it up, all day long, you'll have good luck'' and I remember that even now. I always pick up pennies when I see them, because of this saying, and my mind always goes to her saying that.
I find kangaroos fascinating, but of course they are not native to the US. I've only seen them in zoos.
Thanks for the penny memory, Judy.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (43984)
•
20 Feb
@JudyEv
Oh, I bet a lot of people have tried to pick up that coin!! How frustrating!
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