I have a special category in my budgeting process for "found" money.

I put "found" in quotation marks, because this money isn't exactly just found, just laying around waiting for me to pick it up off the sidewalk. So far this calendar year, this category has included the following:

* Gifts under $100, in cash (or check). I'm 30 years old and my father is still uncomfortable picking out gifts for his little girl, so he gives money.

* Rebates from long-ago purchases that I'd completely forgotten about.

* Emptying the countertop change jar, every other month or so. This is the jar into which we empty our pockets daily, and comes to about $25 every two months.

* Income from focus-group work that I do on the side, answering questions about my shaving habits or shopping habits or whatnot. I got on a mailing list a few years ago and tend to get called once or twice a year, about $75 each time.

All this "found" money goes into a separate account, for purchases that are slightly more frivolous and less budgeted than usual. The steam cleaner from a few posts back, for example. I guess you could say it's my pin money, since as a stay-at-home Mom I don't tend to get much budgeted for extras.

So where do you get your found money? How do you account for it, and are there less restrictions than usual?