Web Site Hides Free Money Around Boston
BOSTON (CBS) - If you can use an extra $20 (and who can't?), a trip to the ATM is a sure thing.
But it's a lot less fun than hunting through the city of Boston to find the cash.
Best friends since pre-school, Steven Grant and Richard Cook founded www.plentyoftwenties.com in late September.
Since then, the Wakefield natives have hidden $720 of their own money.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports
One $20 bill, every day, is free to the person who finds it fastest, after its location is posted on their web site.
Why on earth do they do this?
"Honestly it's fun," explained co-founder Steven Grant, who is a lawyer in private practice when he's not hiding his money in envelopes.
"At least for now we can afford it, and it's worth it for the enjoyment we get out of it."
"The response has been really positive; everyone really seems to like it," said Grant's partner Richard Cook, a psychiatrist.
The site itself grew out of the guys' ongoing debate about just how much someone would go through to get free money.
They post the exact location of the envelope, along with a photo, on their site, so there's really no sleuthing involved.
People who want the money just have to go get it.
Their site gets up to 500 hits a day.
Some hard-core fans have bookmarked it and check it religiously since the guys never say what time they are going to post the daily location.
Sometimes it's before breakfast, other times it's late at night.
In many cases, it's getting to the point where a finder will claim the cash within minutes of the posting.
Monday night's $20 was tucked away at Fenway's ticket office, in honor of Theo Epstein's last day.
Once someone finds it, it'll be up to them to send in a photo and a note which will get posted on the site.
The guys gently suggest the finder spend the money at a local business; think of it as a grassroots stimulus package.
"We'd like to see this go on indefinitely, forever, we'd like to see it get bigger and bigger," said Cook.
The duo has gotten offers from businesses who want to sponsor a hidden $20 as a promotion.
They say that day may eventually come, but for right now, they're footing the bill, and having fun doing it.
