Hey friends, and welcome! I am all about the easy and useful DIY projects this summer with a newborn hanging around. This one is no exception. This DIY money jar was inspired by the needs of my son who, at the age of 4, has decided to start saving all his money for large purchases. This includes any birthday money, Christmas money from grandparents, and he’s also started to earn money from chores to top up his spending money. And while this is amazing, there are also times when he really wants to spend his money on a bag of candy. So I wanted to create a few money jars for him- on a candy bag budget of course.
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Supplies for the DIY Money Jar
Large Pickle Jar & Lid
Con-tact Paper or Vinyl
Stickers, Ribbon, Jute Rope, Embellishments
Hammer
Flat Screwdriver
Metal File
Hot Glue or Superglue
How To Use A Money Jar
There are a few important factors in making a money jar work. I have taken some courses from Lou Clarke, the Piggy Bank Millionaire, on managing a cash system and utilizing piggy banks, or money jars, to the fullest. She’s often said that the key to making a piggy bank work is not being able to easily get at the money once you’ve put it in. That means using a vessel that you can’t see the change accumulating inside and something that is hard to pry open.
Hence the hot glue or super glue. You’re going to make a money slot in the pickle jar lid, but glue the lid to the jar so you can’t get into it easily. You’ll have to break the seal in order to access the money inside. This is good for a long-term savings money jar if you’re saving over the course of a year for a big purchase. Perhaps you tuck away all your extra cash and use only that for Christmas presents? For my son’s candy money jar, I won’t be gluing the lid on. I know this one will be accessed more frequently.
Now that we’ve gone over how to make your money jar more effective, let’s get into creating it.
Sep 1: Clean Your Pickle Jar Money Jar
Take the time to really clean out your pickle jar. I find sprinkling baking soda in it and letting it sit overnight helps to get the pickle smell out. Then let it soak in a mix of water and vinegar for a half-hour to really clean it well. The vinegar helps to loosen the labels and glue residue off too! Then it’s easier to scrape all the labels off. And let it completely dry.
Step 2: Apply Con-Tact Paper
For my own Money Jar, I used plain white contact paper. Contact paper is actually designed to be drawer liners. But the slight stickiness makes it great for craft projects too. And they have a lot of fun designs now too. I’m loving this Terrazzo pattern and trying to find an excuse to try it myself.
For my son’s money jar I used a removable vinyl- in purple of course! It’s thicker than the contact paper and was easier to work with. Measure the circumference of your money jar (all the way around) so you know how big of a piece to cut. Then measure the height of the flattest part of the jar. I tried to initially make the contact paper even cover the sloped neck of the jar, but didn’t like the crinkled results. So sticking to the flat sides works easier, and you are still covering up the majority of the money jar.
Once you have it measured out, cut the contact paper to size. Then carefully apply it to your jar. This takes some patience to keep the paper even. Smooth out any air bubbles as you go along applying it. This tool from cricut really helps or you can use a credit card. I find that leaving the backing on the vinyl, and peeling it off in sections as you apply the contact paper works best to get a smooth finish. And avoids getting dirt and dust specks on the back which can create raised bumps too.
You will also want to make a cover for your lid too! I laid the lid on the contact paper and traced around it. I then cut it out and applied it to the top of the lid. I did this before cutting the lid so I didn’t have to worry about trying to cut the money slot into the contact paper itself or try folding down edges.
Step 3: Create The Money Slot
This part is tricky. You need to slot to be wide enough for coins and folded up cash to fit in. The size that works for my Canadian money is
Step 4: Decorate To You Heart’s Content
Now you can decorate the outside of you money jar however you want! Add glitter, stickers, ribbon or rope.
Since the edges of the purple vinyl didn’t line up nicely like I hoped ( I went a little crooked) I cut out and used a strip of accent contact paper as a trim at the top and bottom. It went on really well. I used my thumb to smooth out the wrinkles in an upward motion since it is on a sloped part of the jar. I then used jute rope to cover up the rest of the clear glass.
For my own money jar, there was a fun decal made for me at Christmas that I used, along with jute rope.
Step 5: Glue The Lid On
This step is optional as I mentioned earlier, but it really will help you with saving your cash if you can’t take it out whenever you please. You’ll have to work at it and decided if it’s really worth the effort.
How did yours turn out?
I’ve made a few of these now, for myself and for the kiddos. I think they are fun and my son enjoys decorating his own.
Did you find this fun and useful? Will you be making use of your money jar? Leave a comment, then hop over to check out the other DIY post below by Erin at Practical Whimsy Designs!
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