View Full Version : Supplemental savings for hike
gracebowen
04-26-2019, 01:56
I've been saving change for a few months now.
I decided to count the quarters only.
$200.
I think it's been 4 maybe 6 months.
Feral Bill
04-26-2019, 01:58
I hope you are putting aside some folding money, as well.
Traffic Jam
04-26-2019, 21:30
That’s great! I’m a compulsive change collector also and love seeing those mason jars fill up. I will stop traffic to pick up a penny. :)
MuddyWaters
04-26-2019, 21:48
When i was single about 25 yrs ago, and still mostly paying cash for everyday purchases, i had an old 28 qt igloo under desk in bedroom that i tossed change in everyday. Once every couple years id roll it, pick out old coins, and cash it in at bank. When that ice chest was maybe 30-40% full once, i figured i had 300 or so. Mostly pennies it looked. When it was counted i had $890 , $300 in just pennies.
The next time i took a change in a few yrs later, bank wouldnt take it. ***? i still have $55 in pennies in box in garage from that. I was able to spend rest. Then the machines at grocery stores appeared. I not giving them 10%. Now, i put what little change i get into coinholders in truck, and pay with it when go thru drivethrus. Freaks my kids out for some reason to actually spend change..they act like thats taboo. Like change isnt spendable, you must cash it in first for paper....
Told them my grandma lived thru the depression, didnt trust banks or paper. She saved dimes her whole life. Silver dimes until they quit making them . She bought a refigerator, washer, dryer in 1970s with dimes. When she died in 1980, there was money sewn into drapes and clothes. And $10,000 in silver dimes., face value.in boxes in closet
4eyedbuzzard
04-26-2019, 22:46
I've been saving change for a few months now.
I decided to count the quarters only.
$200.
I think it's been 4 maybe 6 months.
I hope you are putting aside some folding money, as well.
Yeah, $200 in quarters is about 11 pounds. You could buy an ultralight pack to replace one that isn't and lighten your base weight by 12 pounds or more. ;)
gracebowen
04-26-2019, 23:02
I don't have any paper money put aside yet. I should get pain and suffering from an accident prior to my hike.
If that fails to arrive on time I will use half of my tax return.
I also have a 10 percent disability rating and will have that money every month.
gracebowen
04-26-2019, 23:03
I won't pay a machine to count for me either.
In about a year from now I will probably make people at the self checkout mad at me by taking so long to pay.
Slow Trek
04-26-2019, 23:24
Pretty sure you can buy an inexpensive device to sort coins and put them in rolls banks will accept. I believe I saw them at Office Depot. Lucky for me my small town bank still takes ziplock bags of change. There must be a way,gumball machine company has to do something with all those quarters...
MuddyWaters
04-26-2019, 23:57
Pretty sure you can buy an inexpensive device to sort coins and put them in rolls banks will accept. I believe I saw them at Office Depot. Lucky for me my small town bank still takes ziplock bags of change. There must be a way,gumball machine company has to do something with all those quarters...
Banks have automatic sorting and rolling machines. I worked as a bank runner in high school ( ferry checks and documents between branches) and did coin wrapping too . Had to unload armored cars, sacks of coins are heavy as hell.
Dump trays of coins in machine that sorted and rolled them. Our machine was in vault, id sit on pile of $50,000 in pennies in sacks.
But they quit doing that for you, sone charge you for in-person transactions now. They have 1 teller. Everything is electronic. Banks want tangible money eliminated.
I would roll my change, but count it first, and pick out all old coins. Time consuming . Its easier to use coin tubes, the cheap toy machines break and jam.
MW, I love your story about your grandmother and the coins. I witnessed the same behavior with my grandparents. As a kid I kept every coin I found...on the street, every pay phone(what are those), arcade games, any coin return was my piggy bank.
I used to run pizza stores where we accumulated a lot of coin money. The bank we deposited into began limiting us on amounts of coin we brought in. Major international pizza chain into one of our largest banks. Very frustrating.
Now my bank, which is a major national one, doesn't accept coin exchange over $100 without a transaction fee.
All that to say, keep saving that govt minted money and build up those hiking reserves! Money, even in coin form is worth something to everyone.
Siestita
04-28-2019, 07:14
The credit union to which I belong will accept deposits from members via a coin counting machine. No fee is charged for that convenient service.
Siestita
04-28-2019, 07:23
delete duplicate post
letstieoneon
04-28-2019, 08:14
I won't pay a machine to count for me either.
In about a year from now I will probably make people at the self checkout mad at me by taking so long to pay.
The machines I use in the grocery store allow me to get an Amazon credit with no fees. So if you shop at Amazon its a better deal. The receipt has a code that you enter into your account online.....
The credit union to which I belong will accept deposits from members via a coin counting machine. No fee is charged for that convenient service.
We have a smaller bank chain here that does the same, so there may be others out there.
The credit union to which I belong will accept deposits from members via a coin counting machine. No fee is charged for that convenient service.
I use a 5 gallon water bottle container my biggest exchange of of coin it was almost half full $800 + . I have a pocket on my lunch box I empty my change into then empty once a week into bottle probably quarter way up now. I too belong to the credit union.
bighammer
04-28-2019, 15:59
I'm bad about spending my change, so I empty my pockets in a jar in the kitchen. When it would get full, I dumped it in a bucket in the basement. A few winters ago, I sat and watched a few of the college bowl games. I cut some aluminum tubing on my lathe just the right length for quarters, dimes, and nickels. Then it was just a matter of sorting, filling a tube, and dropping them into coin rolls. If I remember right, my time and a pair of nearly full 5 gallon buckets netted me about $4000 in rolled change. :banana
LucyInColor
04-28-2019, 16:02
My bank counts coins for free for account holders. It's amazing how much pocket change adds up to! I use cash much less than I used to & my new source of fun money is "eBay money." Whatever junk I unload on eBay collects in my PayPal account & is mine to spend however I see fit. This year it bought me a new backpack, pad & some organic freeze dried food.
bighammer
04-28-2019, 16:14
I haven't cashed them in yet. I have a large safe with mostly photos and important documents, and it felt good to finally put some MONEY in it again. Years ago, my nephew borrowed some money to buy a used truck. He paid me back with an envelope full of hundreds. It was kind of nice to not have to use an ATM for a couple years, but it's long gone now.
One Half
04-28-2019, 18:16
Banks will take rolled change from account holders as deposits. They may make you write your account number on each roll in case of shortages.
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MuddyWaters
04-28-2019, 18:59
I'm bad about spending my change, so I empty my pockets in a jar in the kitchen. When it would get full, I dumped it in a bucket in the basement. A few winters ago, I sat and watched a few of the college bowl games. I cut some aluminum tubing on my lathe just the right length for quarters, dimes, and nickels. Then it was just a matter of sorting, filling a tube, and dropping them into coin rolls. If I remember right, my time and a pair of nearly full 5 gallon buckets netted me about $4000 in rolled change. :banana
They sell plastic tube with funnel top at walmart for doing this for couple dollars They have overflow slot that determines correct fill by height. When coins are worn, it can end up off by 1 if depend on it. So if care....you gotta count.
Financial institutions still exist that count loose change for no fee. Check out lists on line. As said Coin Star charges no fee when receiving a credit that can be applied in quite a few places. Use your credit there and apply the cash or credit card you would have used towards the hike. I may be incorrect but CS credit could be used at WalMart for resupply or other items.
Even when banks limit the amt of rolled change just go to different branches or over several days to the same branch to swap out the heavy for the paper presidents.
years ago, one of the girls in our running group was always finding coins along our route. She always stopped to pick up any and all coins she spotted. One day I epoxied a quarter to the asphalt in an intersection where I knew she could not miss it. The next morning she about went crazy trying to get that quarter! Kicking, pulling, prying, would not dislodge it. Of course, we were all doubled over in laughter! The next day it was gone. I think she went home and got a chisel and hammer to get that quarter!
MuddyWaters
04-28-2019, 22:27
years ago, one of the girls in our running group was always finding coins along our route. She always stopped to pick up any and all coins she spotted. One day I epoxied a quarter to the asphalt in an intersection where I knew she could not miss it. The next morning she about went crazy trying to get that quarter! Kicking, pulling, prying, would not dislodge it. Of course, we were all doubled over in laughter! The next day it was gone. I think she went home and got a chisel and hammer to get that quarter!
Jokester classmate of mine growing up would superglue coins to floor at school to watch kids try to pick up.
He also made fake spilt milk carton with the little milk carton and plaster, fake dog poop, etc. He was a little odd, but was always coming up with weird stuff....long before you could just google it.
He was convinced teacher didnt actually read all reports turned in, so he once buried a line in report asking teacher to call him Englebert Humperdink at roll call monday. When teacher called roll...."Englebert Humperdink"....."you got an F on your report".
I use a cashback rewards card for everything, including every bill that will take it. I don't have a car payment right now, so pretty much all expenses except my mortgage.
I pay it off weekly, have never paid a cent of interest, and transfer the rewards to savings every time they break the $50 minimum. My "real" extra money comes from working overtime and holidays, but my bank typically paying me $250+ per year just to use their credit card is nice, too.
If one has a bunch of coin and shops at a Walmart with self-checkout stations, paying with some of your coin a few dollars at a time is a good way to whittle down change, if your bank won't accept it. Of course it might take a while for hundreds in cents, but it's a fee-free way to cash them in.
gracebowen
04-29-2019, 21:55
If one has a bunch of coin and shops at a Walmart with self-checkout stations, paying with some of your coin a few dollars at a time is a good way to whittle down change, if your bank won't accept it. Of course it might take a while for hundreds in cents, but it's a fee-free way to cash them in.
That's my current plan.
atraildreamer
04-29-2019, 21:57
Try unloading the rolled quarters at a local laundromat.
When I was delivering the local newspaper, I would take all my collection change to a local mom & pop grocery. They were happy to get it.
Some places have the counting/rolling machines and may be willing to process it for free if they can buy it from you.
MtDoraDave
05-01-2019, 06:57
I hand roll my nickels, dimes, and quarters. The pennies; I'll gladly give 10% to the machine at the grocery store rather than spend an hour of my time for a few dollars worth of pennies. Time is precious and I have lots of other things I can be doing with it other than spend it rolling pennies.
My "piggy bank" had about $280 in nickels, dimes, and quarters last time I rolled it (money for a section hike), the pennies are still in a large tumbler waiting for me to remember to take to a coinstar machine.
I also take a portion of each paycheck and put it into a savings account for hiking / gear. It's fun to watch it grow. Recently, that has bought my new ULA Circuit and my 10 degree EE quilt - which has my total pack weight (including 4 days of food and 1 liter of water) down to about 24 lbs.