Finding Some Extra Jingle, Jingle For the Holidays

December 23, 2014

As I pulled into the unmanned toll booth on 90W in Chicago recently, I was glad to find I had quite a bit of change in the bottom of my purse since the toll was $1.90 and took coins only.  That got me thinking about all the loose change many people have in their pockets or car cup holders and all the extra coins sitting around in coffee cans, piggy banks, and like in my house – a huge plastic pretzel jar.  The average household has about $58 in loose change based on the typical amount of coins cashed in at Coinstar.

Well, we can create a little extra jingle for the holidays with all that sitting-around money.  Now, I don’t mean showing up at the department store register with your bagful of pennies to finish off your holiday shopping. But you can scrounge up all those quarters hiding in the sofa and cash them in at Coinstar.

Normally, I wouldn’t recommend using their coin kiosks since there is typically a 10.9% service fee if you just want to trade your coins in for paper money. However, you can cash in your coins for gift cards and then there is NO fee!  This way, if you are short on both gift ideas and spending money for your last minute holiday shopping this week, here’s the solution. Gift card options vary by location so you can go the the Coinstar website to find the nearest kiosk to you. My local grocery store has a kiosk in the entryway for which I can break my piggy bank for gift cards to Starbucks, Bass Pro Shop, Regal Cinema, Build a Bear, and several nearby restaurant chains.

You can also check with your local bank or credit union to see if they offer an option to deposit loose change at the teller counter without a fee. However, many financial institutions require customers to separate their coins and roll them before cashing them in. Whether you bring them to a Coinstar for a gift card or deposit them at your bank, find your extra jingle, jingle for the holidays and have a Merry Christmas!