Paid in full.

COLUMN: IN OUR OPINION

There's pride in paying off the mortgage. Thomas Daigle began preparing for that moment as soon as he and his wife, Sandra, moved into their home 35 years ago.

He began socking away pennies, rolling them 50 at a time, patiently looking ahead to when he could haul them all to the bank to make that final payment.

The day arrived in April, and Mr. Daigle presented more than 62,000 rolled pennies to the Milford Federal Savings and Loan Association.

Now they're free and clear on their home - and their home is free and clear of all those pennies.

Money being money, the bank didn't mind the hefty deposit, which Mr. Daigle had warned them about ahead of time

We might not think much of the lowly penny, but they count up in everything we buy, of course. Your morning coffee? About 200 pennies down the drain. A parking ticket? Perhaps 1,500 pennies, steered out of your pocket. A $150,000 home? That's a pretty...