the 35-year-old Chantal Llamas from Sydney to teach at various high schools in Australia, where she tries to teach the young pupils to become more responsible about their economy.
It was during one of these lessons that a student gave her the best saving trick she had ever gotten though.
– I told them about the various tricks I use to save money, and so I asked them if they had any tricks. It was then that a student told me about the coke bottle challenge, says Chantal Llamas in the news.com.au.
– I didn’t believe in, that you just by filling a bottle of 600 milliliters could get the $ 1000 (australian dollars, equivalent to 4423 Danish kroner, ed.) or anything near it. I told my husband about it and he said, ‘well, let us try it, how hard can it be?’ says the 35-year-old australian mother.
as colaflasken was filled up, it was almost an obsession for Chantal Llamas and her husband, 32-year-old Daniel, to collect as many $ 2 coins in, they could come to.
– My husband could find to buy a small coffee instead of a big, so he got change back on a 5 dollar bill. And if I got 1 dollar coins, I asked them always about the to exchange to a 2 dollar coin (equivalent to about 9 Danish kroner, ed.). They must have thought that it was crazy, tells Chantal Llamas.
After nine months of strenuous collection of 2 dollar coins so the bottle is like this. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix
It went up quickly for forældreparret, how little, the small coins are actually filled in colaflasken, but after nine months they were in goal. In the bottle they had total 880 dollars in 2 dollar coins, so now it was time to go on the net and search for the journey they felt they had earned the right to.
They found a couple of cheap round-trip tickets for two adults to 900 australian dollars to Hawaii, and their 2-year-old son, Zachary, to fly free with. Coke bottle-the trick ended up thus to finance their very first familierejse – eight days in Hawaii.
Small Zacharys first trip out of Australia went to Hawaii with mother and father. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix
– I would definitely recommend this to others. It’s fun to try to save up with a goal, says Chantal Llamas in the news.com.the au, and continues:
– It is so easy. Even if you are lousy at saving up, or do not have a large income, it is straightforward. You miss not really a 2 dollar coin. They are just thrown in the bottom of the bag or on the floor of the car.
Chantal Llamas now hopes that her story can inspire others to try the coke bottle sparetricket.
– It may take longer for some than others, but when it is filled, is it all worth it, she says.
