As we know, the penny has officially been retired. 

The penny has been around for over 230 years and was a staple of the United States. Getting rid of the penny could sound like a good idea, but there are also reasons why it is a bad idea.

According to ABC News, President Donald Trump stated that it costs more to make the penny than the penny actually costs.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies, which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is wasteful!” Trump said. Trump ordered the Treasury to stop making more cents.

According to the Omaha World Herald, the cost to make a penny was $3.69.

Just think, for one singular penny to be made, was the price of a 20-oz bottle of soda at a gas station. In 2024, it cost $85.3 million to make pennies. These coins even became a superstition: “Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck.”

It’s crazy how something that costs so much to make gets dropped in the road, thrown into ponds, left behind, and generally overlooked by most.

The most prominent reason to keep the penny is its impact on lower-income families. Most of these families rely on cash just to make ends meet. Retiring the penny could negatively affect the less fortunate.

However, according to Fremont Bank, people with lower incomes shouldn’t be significantly affected by the loss of the penny.

So, penny for my thoughts?

At first, I didn’t agree with the idea of taking away the penny. It made no sense to take something so small and simple away. However, after further research, I’ve realized that NOT making more cents actually makes a lot of sense — common sense.

I am not sure that people will even notice. Maybe in the future, eliminating new pennies will make us value them more. Just like most things, people might not even miss it until it’s gone.