Keep the Change

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Almost every time you buy something you will have some amount of change, especially in the form of coins. I see many people simply discard the change by putting it in the tip jar, leaving it on the counter, or simply not asking for it. I guess people just see it as a pain to carry around and not very valuable since they don't want to count out change to make a purchase. But in reality, change really adds up if you just hold on to it and find the right time to spend it.

I keep a small amount of change in my car, and when that fills up to much I keep the rest in a bag at my house. Every so often I use it to make a small purchase, like at a fast food restaurant or a few bucks of gas. When doing so I make sure not to use change at a peak time when making the cashier count it all out would hold the line up. Instead I use it when the line is short and it's convenient. A couple weeks ago I had enough quarters for $16 in gasoline, and just yesterday I got a $5 meal at Mcdonald's for my spare nickels and dimes.

One thing I do not recommend is using Coinstar machines. These machines will convert your change to dollars, but they take a hefty 10% cut of the money, which, in my opinion, is not worth the small amount of time I save when using them.

By holding onto your change and keeping it organized you will find that you can occasionally treat yourself to something without spending any "real" money, that is, the cash you actually count when looking at your wallet.