There must be something wrong with me when I read a statement like, "the current average of just under 6 years," and immediately wonder how many of those troubled $1 bills owe their limited longevity to unplanned trips through a washing machine?

I would actually hate to go over to $1 coins, namely because our wallets/purses aren't set up to handle that. Most men's wallets have no coin pocket, and a lot of men just dump out their change on the dresser or into a jar when they get home. It stops being "money" as soon as it becomes this loose, annoying thing in their pocket. If we converted dollars to coins, then we'd be talking actual money!