Little Changes, Big Rewards – Pinching Pennies

Saving your change can add up to more than you’d probably think.  If you’re like us, then you probably just let your extra loose change fall where it may and treat them like, well, pennies.  Well, stop!  Every penny counts and it’s a serious offense to keep ignoring them as if they could never add up to folding money.  Change quickly and easily adds up to folding money without any effort on your part, so you should start taking that into consideration.

1. Find a jar, have your child decorate one, grab an extra cup from the cupboard and start stashing your change in one place to keep things tidy and organized.
2. Don’t bother counting it (unless you really want to) and just let the coins collect.  The more coins you have, the more money you have, too!
3. Pick up the penny you see on the street, add extra change you know you won’t need even if it’s not a coin.  It all adds up in the long run.
4. When it’s overflowing, when you think you need it the most, or when you need to check to see how far you are from your goal, go ahead and cash it in.
5. Spend it, save it, give it away.  It’s your hard earned cash, so go ahead and do what you will with it.  You’d be surprised at how much a few coins can add up to.

I learned my lesson when my husband and I moved and took our coin jar to a coinstar to get it turned into cash.  Granted, it’s super convenient, and if you’re willing to get your coins in gift card form, it’s totally free, but if you get it transferred to cash, there’s a fee.  At the end of it all, we still walked away with almost $200, even after the fees.  However, I also came to the realization that investing our $20 fee in a coin sorter could save us more in the long run.  It’s all up to you!