How Far Would You Go for a $20?

That's exactly the question Steve Grant and Richard Cook sought to answer when they created the website PlentyOfTwenties.com.The duo play hide and seek with $20 bills; they hide, you seek. There is no catch, and no scavenger hunt involved. You check the website for the exact location (including city and town) of where the bill is hiding, and if you are the first one to it, you get to keep it and spend it however you choose! As soon as a person reports finding it, the site will mark that particular $20 as "Found." That's it.

The real fun is of course, is the thrill of being the first to act on a tip, and the quickest person to nab that bill. Looking at the pictures of past winners holding up their twenties with big grins on their faces, one can't help but get excited that they might be the next lucky winner.

Over $3,000 have already been given away.  According to the Boston Herald, only a single bill has gone unclaimed, a dollar tucked near a Ronald McDonald statue at an undisclosed McDonald’s restaurant. Email list members, FaceBook fans ("Facebook Fridays"), and Twitter followers (@Plentyof20s ("Twitter Tuesdays")) get earlier tip-offs than the general website followers from time to time, so if you are interested in getting a leg-up on the rest of the competition, try joining one of these groups. A new free iPhone app marks the location of a new $20 with a GPS map, and an Android app is on the way.

Not only are Grant and Cook giving away money for free, which is a charitable gesture in and of itself, they promote local businesses, cultural sites in New England, and encourage charity. Often bills are hidden in local restaurant or retailers, with the hope of increasing foot traffic and online publicity for that particular business (Note: no purchase is required to obtain the bill).

 Past locations of significant historical or cultural significance have included the Boston Museum of Science, the batting helmet of a Ted Williams statue in Fenway Park, and in front of Sen. John Kerry's home. The founders also encourage winners to spend their newly found twenties on charities and donate $2 of every sponsored $20 to one of 5 charities (including the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, or Neighborhood Legal Services for low-income residents).  One winner used her money to pay other people's parking meters as they were about to expire.

Be a part of the social experiment by checking out PlentyOfTwenties.com, or sponsor your own $20 hunt in honor of a friend's birthday or anniversay.  :)