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Every piece of US paper money in your wallet/purse is 6 inches long. Folded it in half, and you have a 3 inch measuring stick, and so on. I can't tell you the number of times I've used this trick at Home Depot to get a rough idea of the size of something.
By Irishwitch from Aurora, CO
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Out and about and need to measure something for just the right fit but no measuring tape handy? Use a dollar bill (any US paper money will do) to measure! Bills are just a little over 6 inches long. So measure using the bill and multiply by 6!
By Tahloolabelle from Ventura, CA
Not a bad idea! I usually end up measuring by the length of my hand from base to fingertip, which I know is 7 inches, and go from there. (02/18/2010)