We know that the pennies you get for change have almost no value and can rip your pockets and ruin your valet. Therefore, you are most probably going to lose them anyway. However, with a little bit of thought, you can make those pennies matter.
While saving up pocket change might be cumbersome for some, it is still money. A lot of people try to use it by carrying the change with them and then paying exact amounts in stores. However, carrying change around gives an extra challenge for anyone who doesn't use a change purse. It is incredibly easy to lose, it bulks up in your pocket when you have more than 5 or 6 coins, and paying with pocket change in stores can be genuinely annoying to some. So, what can you do?
[su_quote class="cust-pagination"] "Money is always there but the pockets change; it is not in the same pockets after a change, and that is all there is to say about money." - Gertrude Stein [/su_quote]
Get a saving jar
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Well, this one is the most obvious. Avoid any and all issues that come with carrying pennies around by simply dropping them in a jar as soon as you get home. This way, the coins will not be ripping your pockets, you will not be losing them, and you can avoid thinking about them until you fill the jar. When it's full, it is time to count them.
Since we are talking about DIY solutions and want to avoid buying items--- the point is to save money rather than to spend it---you can easily make yourself a coin sorting device with a bit of cardboard.
The good thing is that tutorials are ready to be seen on the Internet and are really easy to Google.
Set a goal for the money
While saving more money is a great idea, you might want to set yourself a goal when it comes to saving the change. The first thing you need to decide on is whether you are going to spend it once the pile of change becomes big enough, or you actually plan on putting it in the savings account.
There are cases of families saving up change to help pay for their children's college. Saving up approximately 40 dollars a month can add up over the course of 18 years (to a bit over 8500 dollars). And this is a goal achievable by only having a single person save money this way. Believe it or not, that is how much money you probably leave in stores when you refuse the change, drop on the street and decide it is not worth picking up or simply lose over the time. If two people were to save money together, they could save a smooth 1000 dollars each year. Now throw that money into an index fund and start seeing some real change to your account balance.
Or, you can simply decide to collect enough coins to afford yourself a great vacation.
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Roll the money yourself
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True, you can go to your local supermarket and simply dump the coins into the coin changing machine. It is definitely easier to do than to wrap the coins yourself. But remember, they do charge a percentage, and any bank will be more than glad to give you their coin wrappers if you just ask them. So, use your DIY coin sorting machine, roll the money yourself and take it to the bank.
It is true that, if you choose to be a bit lazy about it, you will be charged with a very small percentage of the machine. However, in the principle of this type of saving, the point is to avoid unnecessarily spending small amounts of money to enable it to add up and be used properly.
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You can also donate the money
Probably you do not feel like you really need a boost to your savings account. You might also believe that there is no reason to save up loose change. However, you could also consider doing some good with it.
Donating 500 dollars to a charity each year can make you feel good and actually make a big change in someone's life. You can take the rolled money to the bank to deposit and then write a check to your charity, or you can simply take the jar full of coins directly to the charity you wanted to donate. They are going to be grateful and generally do not mind counting the coins themselves.
Just remember to ask for a receipt.