It's never too late to start saving money. A piggy bank can be a fun way to make sure your money is in one safe place. Buying a piggy bank is easy, but you can also make your own. There are several ways to make a piggy bank and you can use things you already have at home.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using Plastic Bottles
Step 1. Wash the plastic bottle with plain tap water
There is no standard for how big or small the piggy bank you make, but choose a bottle measuring 500–1,000 milliliters. Wash with water and let sit for 10 minutes to dry.
Leave the bottle cap in place. The bottle cap can be used as a pig's snout later
Step 2. Cut a hole for the coin 2.5 cm long with a cutter knife
Ask an adult to cut a coin hole in the center on the long side of the bottle. Make the coin hole slightly larger than the size of the largest coin that is likely to be placed in the piggy bank.
The coin hole must be at least 3 cm wide to fit rupiah coins
Step 3. Place all the legs on the bottom side of the bottle opposite to the position of the coin hole
Cut four cardboard egg holders using scissors. After that, ask an adult to use a low heat hot glue gun to glue it to the bottle, by gluing it around the edges of the egg carton. Finally, glue the cardboard legs into the four places on the bottom side of the bottle, opposite the coin holes.
When the piggy bank stands on its new legs, the coin hole should face up
Step 4. Decorate the piggy bank with the remaining ingredients
After the basic shape of the piggy bank is visible, it's time to decorate your creation. Make a tail by twisting the pink pipe cleaner in a spiral. Draw the nostrils on the pig's snout with a black marker. Cut two triangular shapes on paper or pink flannel and glue them as ears.
You can give your piggy bank eyes by attaching plastic eyes to its face using hot glue gun, or by drawing, cutting, and gluing the eye shapes yourself
Warning: The addition of these elements will require hot glue gun. So, make sure there is an adult to help you in this section.
Method 2 of 3: Making a Piggy Bank from Mason Jar
Step 1. Choose a 500 milliliter mason jar if you're just starting to save
For a bigger savings target, choose a mason jar of 2 or 4 liters. If you don't have a mason jar at home, buy one online or buy a jar at your local craft store. Whatever jar you buy, it should have a lid.
Use a jar of spaghetti sauce if you don't have a mason jar. Wash the jars thoroughly before turning them into piggy banks. You can wash it as usual
Step 2. Remove the label from the jar with soap and water
The piggy bank should be clean of labels before you start putting coins in it. To do this, first peel off as much of the label as possible by hand. After that, pour a few drops of soap on the sponge and wash the jars under running hot water. When water hits the label, rub the paper with a sponge to scrape the label clean.
Leave the jars for 15-20 minutes to dry. Once the jar is dry, you can use it as a piggy bank
Step 3. Cut a 2.5 cm long coin hole in the center of the jar lid
Use a knife cutter to make a wedge in the lid of the jar just enough to fit the largest coin inside. In order to fit the largest rupiah coins, the hole must be at least 3 cm.
If you feel horrified using a cutter knife, just buy a jar lid that has been given a hole. Covers like these are usually available at craft stores
Step 4. Attach the label to the side of the jar
Write “piggy bank” or whatever on the label of the jar and store it in a safe place. Best of all, by using clear jars, you can always see how much money you have saved without having to open them.
Keep the jar in a safe place, but make sure it's in an easy-to-reach place at home
Tip: Tape the lids of the jars to prevent people from opening them before they are full
Step 5. Decorate the jars as you wish
There are many ways to do this and it's up to you what kind of piggy bank you want to make. One idea is to wrap the jars with decorative, colorful tape called washi tape (patterned tape from Japan) around the jars, then add stickers to the parts of the jars that aren't covered. After that, take the embossed paint and write your name or other design on the jar.
- You can buy washi tape, stickers, and embossed paint at your local craft store or online.
- Add masking tape and stickers to the jars before you apply the embossed paint. After decorating, let the jars sit for 6 hours until they are completely dry.
Method 3 of 3: Making a Piggy Bank with Papier-Mâché
Step 1. Combine flour and glue in a saucepan
Take a small pot that can hold about 2 liters of water to bring to a boil. Then, take a medium-sized pot that can hold at least 4 liters of water with a diameter of about 20 cm. This pot will be where you mix the pasta. Stir 1 cup flour (250 ml) and 1 cup (250 ml) water into a mixing bowl. Bring 4 cups (1,000 ml) of water to a boil in a small saucepan on the stove and mix the flour with the water. Let it simmer for about 3 minutes, then refrigerate for 15 minutes. Ask an adult to accompany you when using the stove.
You can buy papier-mâché pasta mixes at arts and crafts stores, but making your own is pretty easy too. You can also save money at the same time
Step 2. Crumble the newsprint twice to prepare it for papier-mâché
Find some newsprint and a brown paper bag. Crush it into a solid ball, open it, then crush it again. This will help the glue penetrate the paper more thoroughly. When finished, tear the paper into small squares of approximately 2.5 cm.
You can also use brown paper umbrellas that you can buy at bookstores or on the internet
Step 3. Blow up the balloon
Blow up to the size of the piggy bank you want. Tie the blocks after they are the right size.
Color doesn't matter as the balloon will only provide structure to the papier-mâché above and the color won't show up
Step 4. Glue the papier-mâché on the balloon
Wet both sides of the paper with the flour paste you stirred earlier and spread it on the piggy bank. Apply enough paste to make the paper stick, but not so much that the paste drips off. Smooth the paper onto the piggy bank while applying the paste and covering the surface evenly. The paper will dry within 15 minutes. Add 3 layers of papier-mâché to the top of the piggy bank.
After you've added a few layers of papier-mâché, let the balloon sit for 2 days in a bright, well-ventilated place at home, until it's completely dry
Tip: The piggy bank will be stronger if you allow each layer of papier-mâché to dry before adding the next. This is why you should wait about 15 minutes before adding a new layer.
Step 5. Slice the coin hole 2.5 cm long
Ask an adult for help to use a cutter knife and make a coin hole at least 3 cm long so that all standard rupiah coins can fit into it. If you want to put a larger coin in your piggy bank, make a 4 cm long hole. Since papier-mâché can be very fragile, measure the pieces with a pen before you slice.
You can also use this hole to pull the balloon out of the piggy bank. Just throw the balloon away when you're done using it as a mold
Step 6. Attach the legs and nose
Cut 5 egg cartons with scissors. Have an adult help you use a low heat hot glue gun to stick it to the right place on the balloon. Align the edges of the egg carton with hot glue and attach the four to the sides of the papier-mâché balloon, opposite the position of the coin hole. Place the nose in the middle of whichever side you choose to be the face of the piggy bank.
Place the piggy bank on the legs to allow the glue to dry and let it rest for 30 minutes before starting to decorate
Step 7. Decorate the piggy bank with paint and accessories
Decorate the body of the piggy bank with spray paint or acrylic and coat the surface evenly. After that, create a tail by twisting the pink pipe cleaner in a spiral and ask an adult to help you glue it. You can also attach the pig's eye by gluing plastic eyes to its face or by drawing, cutting, and then gluing the eyes. The design is up to your taste.
- Another decorating idea is to draw nostrils on the pig's snout with black marker and cut two triangles out of pink paper or flannel and glue them as ears.
- If you don't want to use paint, just color the pig's body with a marker.
