No need for coins

[Drake3287]

That "cashless society" post reminded me of this.

I just returned from vacation to the USVI which doesn't have sales tax and noticed that almost everything you can buy there including restaurant menu items is in full dollar amounts. It wasn't until I was figuring out a restaurant credit card charge that I noticed everything is even dollar's.

Almost no need for coins. Usually when I'm on vacation I end up with a pocket full of change I empty out every night. Certainly makes things simpler.

Now I'm home back to my usual 8.25%!

[TexasHusker]

That "cashless society" post reminded me of this.

I just returned from vacation to the USVI which doesn't have sales tax and noticed that almost everything you can buy there including restaurant menu items is in full dollar amounts. It wasn't until I was figuring out a restaurant credit card charge that I noticed everything is even dollar's.

Almost no need for coins. Usually when I'm on vacation I end up with a pocket full of change I empty out every night. Certainly makes things simpler.

Now I'm home back to my usual 8.25%!

We were in st Thomas in July and loved it! I'd love to hear about your vacation.

[disneysteve]

My wife carries a change purse and then always complains that her pocketbook is too heavy. I don't know why she insists on carrying it. Whenever I have change, I dump it in a bank on my dresser when I get home. When the bank is full, I go to the Coinstar machine and get it converted to an Amazon giftcard. I never intentionally carry change. The only exception is that I do keep a stash of quarters in the little drawer in each car to use for parking meters.

[james.hendrickson]

People forget that coins have value. Here is how you can save your change. At the end of the day you can take the coins of your wallet and put them in a jar. Then whenever the jar gets full, take them to the bank.

There are a couple of things that go into this coin saving model:

1. Set a goal for your savings. $50 or $100 dollars, or enough cash to reach some modest achievable goal is a good first start.

2. Take the coins to a bank account that you DON'T have electronic access to. If you are having a hard time saving, you'll want to organize your affairs so that you can't easily get at your cash. So, don't give yourself electronic access to the account - make it so that you have to physically show up at the bank.

3. When you have reached your goal, take the money out of the bank and reward yourself.

A lot of people assume that saving is just about projections of compound interest. Its not, its about human behavior. So you'll need to be sure your saving provides you emotional satisfaction, otherwise you won't save.

[bjl584]

I don't carry change. I end up with it. It goes into a jar.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I toss my quarters in my glove compartment box of my truck to use to feed parking meters just like disneysteve. With the lesser value coins I keep in my truck as well but use it to pay for gasoline such as $30.33. Coins are kind of a PITA, but it does add up over time.

[DaveInPgh]

I hate coins which is why I keep some in my car and my desk drawer at work. I typically get rid of two quarters each day I park for work. Having them handy in the car makes things a little smoother with the parking attendant.

I also get rid of 6 cents when I go to the 7-11 near work and buy a Big Gulp. That particular location has a minimum purchase of $5 for debit or credit cards, and I try to avoid walking out of there with 94 cents.

I did the bank thing for years and my DD and I recently got rid of our change at Coinstar. Things worked out great for my Lowes gift card, but not so well for the restaurant gift card my daughter chose. No one at the restaurant knew how to get the register to take it, so I ended up using Visa for that meal. We are going to try another location, although there really aren't any convenient to our home. She specifically chose that restaurant because she wanted to treat for lunch when we went on vacation last month.

[phantom]

I keep change in the change pocket of my purse. Then people wonder why my purse feels like a brick. I don't carry much cash in general, but I like having coins for some reason.

When I was a kid, I had a coin sorter, and I would roll all of my coins and take them to the bank. I had fun with it, and I found it fascinating how similarly sized stacks could have such drastically different values. Unfortunately, it never worked all that well, and my mom and my husband strongly suggested I throw it out when I got married and moved out of my parents' house. Dumping coins in the coin counter at the bank is certainly much faster and easier, but I still miss rolling coins a bit.

I had an odd experience with coins the other day. I was taking a break at work, walking around the parking lot, when I spotted a penny on the ground. When I stooped to pick it up, I spotted another and another and then several more. So, I kept picking up pennies till I had about ten. I didn't see any other coins, just pennies. I felt a tad ridiculous picking up so many pennies. I was happy to pick up one penny, and seeing another made me happy. But, somewhere around 3 or 4, I started to feel ridiculous stooped down in the middle of the parking lot picking up pennies. But, I felt committed to picking them all up and kept going.

[GoodSteward]

I don't collect much change since I don't carry much cash. My mom collects a lot and puts it in the ashtray of her car. She has had it stolen twice in all the time I've known of her to do it(a couple decades).