...because my wallet is overflowing with cash

Dear reader, do not be confused by my title. I am not implying that by moving to Honduras I am raking in the big bucks (I make around 500 dollars a month) nor that as an American in a third-world country I am comparatively wealthy. I truly don't think that's so, if only because I am a rather recent college graduate who's never earned a salary. I just want to paint a picture of the way money works down here.

The current Lempiras:Dollars ratio is around 18:1, but I invariably round it to 20:1, making one lempira around 5 cents. Lempiras are further divided into centavos (100 per lempira, or "limp" as we lovingly refer to them).

As far as I know, there are 4 denominations of coins: 5, 10, 20, and 50 centavos (maybe there are 1 c. coins, but given that even 5 c. coins are worth 1/4 penny, I'm guessing the need for 1/20 penny coins isn't too high). I know the sizes of US coins aren't totally sensical (dimes are the smallest, where every other size increases with value - dollar coins have gone all over the place, but they've been a joke anyway so they don't count), but at least the colors follow some order: lowly pennies are copper and everything higher is more valuable...silver colored metal! (It makes more sense when you take the old materials into account.) But check this:

5c. coin: around the size of a nickel, golden in color
10c. coin: larger than a quarter, also golden (I'm now realizing that the colors follow a coherent pattern, unlike what I set up in the last paragraph)
20c. coin (worth a penny): size of a dime, silver in color
50c. coin: around the size of a quarter (between the 5c. and 10c. coin), also silver

The sizes are all over the place! And while the smaller denominations are one color and the higher ones are another, you'd maybe associate the golden color with being more valuable than the silver color. But maybe not. I haven't used a single coin yet as it is anyway; I've only gotten them in change. Sometimes they won't even bother with them in giving you change and will round up to the nearest Lempira if they'd owe you 60 c. or something. I say good on 'em. (I also think the U.S. should abolish the penny, but whatever.)

What I really wanted to talk about was the bills. I carry so many bills in my wallet I'm like George Costanza even without any receipts even adding to the wallet's girth. At least I carry my money in my pockets, unlike my female compatriots using their bras as purses. (Though maybe extra bills isn't all that unwelcome there then? I'm sorry, I'll stop.)

Here's why: bills come in denominations of L.500 ($25), L.100 ($5), L.50($2.50), L.20 ($1.00), L.10 ($0.50), L.5 ($0.25), L.2 ($0.10), and L.1 ($0.05). That means apart from the equivalent of U.S. pennies, I'm carrying all of my change around in paper form in my wallet! That adds up quickly. And given that you can't even count on an establishment having enough change to break your L.500 bill (that's right, many places don't have $25 in change!), you don't want to be carrying those around much to save room. As I write this, I have in physical money four 100 notes, three 20's, one 5, four 2's, and ten 1's. That's 22 notes, totaling the equivalent of 32 U.S. dollars, which would be 4 bills in the states. I admit, I could have made some better use of small bills in getting change in a transaction or two, but this happens. Regularly. I've had to rethink my wallet organization, and I've decided a bifold may be a worthy investment in lieu of my current trifold (it stands to lose its shape already due to keeping fewer cards in it)...and you all care about these minor developments in my money storage.

Anyway, I thought I'd get something a bit different in here for you. Be sure to check my last post for links to pictures!