If you don't know where to look, coinstar helps you find your loose change, before they rip you off on their fees, that is: http://www.changeforourearth.com/html/mc_mineforchange.html
Boy, I never thought of looking in my pockets or my wife's handbag. It took a real genius to figure that one out.
Not so fast... I have a system that should B trademark. Coins in right pocket have passed examine , no error's , wheats foriegn, go in the bank jar... Change recieved from stores are placed in the left pocket awaiting the loupe. The wife want let me near her purse, but she knows to look at reed edge and spot the silver and she saves cents so I can dig for wheats. Wonder what so important I'm not allowed to look in her purse? OzarkTravler
My wife's the same way , probably affraid I'll buy another coin or bass guitar , never can have enough of either . Wonder what they do have in there , though . rzage
That's about the same system I use. My wife is also the same, she gets violent when I try to look through her change and bills!! It must be a non collecting spouse thing.
It's a sad commentary on America when Americans are too lazy to sort their own change and are willing to pay someone else almost 9% to do it for them. "Bob, have you sorted that bucket full of change yet?" "No, Ed. I never found the time so I took it to my nearest CoinStar machine and let them do it for me. I got a voucher for $182!!!!! Wooo Hooo!!!! Did you watch American Idol last night? I thought it was great." Meanwhile CoinStar laughs all the way to the bank with Bob's $18 in fees.
I am fortunate enough to have accounts at a couple banks that are glad to count my change for free. At one bank though, I have to remember to pull the halves. They have a tendency to clog thier machine, oops.
CoinStar and the like is the main reason now that the US will never go to Coins instead of paper dollars (1's 2's and maybe 5's), like other countries have --- the merchants are starting to refuse large amounts of coins and the coinstar machines generally take up to 10 percent of your money. So it's not really going to take. Sort of like the metric system never "taking" here in the US.
I can't really relate to your Coinstar stories since the local grocery chain here has Coinstar machines with Zero fees. I suppose the stores must pay the fees and pass them along.