Every year, more than $10 billion in loose change can be found under sofa cushions and on street corners.The average American takes more than $600 in change every year through regular transactions, but most people don't think to pick up a stray nickel or dime.It is possible to add a significant boost to your savings by collecting loose change.There are some tips in this article for how to make more money.
Step 1: Start collecting at home.
Your home has a lot of loose change, so you should take care of it first.The area underneath a sofa cushion is a great place to start, but look in any high traffic areas, such as entryways, hallways and the kitchen.The laundry room is a good place to look for loose change in the washer or dryer.
Step 2: Take a look at your closet.
Check your pants, skirts, and shorts that you haven't worn in awhile to see if there is any change left in your pockets.Be sure to check your purses for extra change.To make sure you haven't missed a spot, go through every compartment in the purse.
Step 3: Clean all the nooks andTrademarkias.
Change in places you hadn't looked before will be revealed by a deep clean of your home.If you want to vacuum the floor underneath, you should pull out furniture from the walls.
Step 4: Find your car.
You are most likely to have loose change in your car.Change can be found under your seat or in the side compartment of your car if you have ever used a drive-up bank.Check under the floor mats and in the pockets behind the seats.If you need spare change for metered parking, keep it in your car.
Step 5: A central collection spot is needed.
Change needs to be kept in a central place so that it doesn't get lost again.If you are a kid or child at heart, you can use a jar, a small box, or a grown up piggy bank.You won't forget to use the bank if you put it in a convenient location, like by the front door or hallway that you walk down frequently.Encourage your children to cash in on the fun by giving them a piggy bank.Encourage them to save half of the money for the toy they want in loose change so they have a goal to work toward.They can learn a lot from collecting change around the house.
Step 6: There is a crowd.
If you want to find change in public, look in a crowded space like an airport, subway station, or train station.People don't bother to stop and pick up change because they are too busy to notice it's gone.In American airports, more than $675,000 in loose change was left last year.The security areas of airports should be paid attention to.Many passengers don't remember the change from the security bins, even though they are required to empty their pockets.
Step 7: Follow the foot traffic.
There is a lot of pedestrians at these places.If you live near a popular bar area, you might consider taking a walk on an early Sunday morning to see if the ground has changed since the night before.Change can be found on the ground or under the rows of seats if you visit ballparks, concert venues and movie theaters.If you are looking for change on the sidewalks, be sure to check the gutter as well.
Step 8: Where do you use change?
How many times a day do you use physical change?It's most likely used at vending machines, ATMs, laundromats, food carts, parking meters, and at a cash register.Look at the ground around these places to see if there is any change.If there are any stray coins at the vending machines, you can check the returned change slot.It is possible to get out of your car while you are waiting to look for change.Many customers drop change when the cashier hands it to them through the window, so this is a good place to check.You should only pick up change on the ground at the cash register.Many businesses leave out jars or dishes for charity collections.Change can't be taken in these receptacles.
Step 9: Look at the barriers.
Stray bills and loose change are often pushed around until they hit a fence when there is bad weather.If money has been pushed against them, check the ground near the fence.
Step 10: You should get in the weeds.
If you are walking around a park or public garden, look around for weeds or tall grass.Change is often not noticed for a long time.It's a good idea to take the time to look here.
Step 11: The vending machines have a coin return slot.
When someone puts a dollar into a vending machine and buys something, the cost won't come to a dime, leaving the change in the slot.Some people just walk away without realizing they have money in there.
Step 12: Be aware of your surroundings.
Picking up change is a great idea, but you need to use common sense when collecting it in public.It's not a good idea to stop in the middle of the street in Times Square if you're going to get hurt.If you pick up change from the pavement, make sure it is a coin and not a broken piece of glass.It's not worth a nickel to get a cut on your hand.When looking for change, make sure you don't loiter or enter private property.
Step 13: You can take it to a kiosk.
The most convenient method for cashing in your change is to simply take your jar of coins to a machine that will sort the change for you and distribute your cash.Most of the time, these machines are found in grocery stores, malls and other retail locations.You simply pour the coins from your jar into the machine and it will convert them into cash.Kiosks like Coinstar take a significant cut of your cash in service fees, which is 9 cents to every dollar you have collected.
Step 14: Put your coins in your bank account.
Some banks will give you cash for loose change, but you have to sort the change into different categories before they do this.You can get these tubes from your bank, but you will have to roll them yourself.Be sure to check with your bank to make sure they can cash your rolled coins.Some banks do not accept cash.Banks that accept rolled coins will charge a fee to cash them.
Step 15: Purchase a coin sorting machine.
You can buy your own coin sorting machine, which costs between $25-$35, if you don't want to sort all the coins yourself.You can take your coins to the bank with the help of these machines.When you are first starting to collect coins, you might not want to invest in this kind of machine.It won't be worth anything if you only collect fifteen dollars in one year.