PENNIES! What to do with them

[MHIROTSU]

In the old days, I used to take my pennies to the Stardust and they would "color me up"(?). Lately, I haven't seen any casino that will take the darn things.

First, note that I'm cheap. So, I'd like to use the money for a few dinners at Ellis Island, or the like.

Anybody have any great ideas on what to do with the large jar that is taking up space on my desk? I'm thinking of just dumping it in the next donation bucket I see. Coin Star (or whatever it's called) takes something like 8%, so I'd rather put it in the donation bucket (I'm sure the Salvation Army will take it during Christmas, and maybe they'll stop ringing that bell).

And I'm sure I just dropped more money into the donation jar at the local public library for their fund raiser. But, for some reason (I have no good explanation), I'm trying to penny-pinch my way with these pennies.

Mike

[arm53]

My bank always takes my change and deposits it when I save up enough to bother to go in. When in Vegas I hand the stuff to my wife. :D She stacks up quarters in pretty piles to pay for the meal at Ellis, or a deep fried twinkie. :o

Let's see SOF has coin in .25 and the Fitz has nickles.

[ChicChas]

Take 'em to your bank with a deposit slip. They'll run them through the coin counter and put the $$ in your account.

[Lori R]

Coinstar does take a commission but if your turn it into a gift card, it doesn't.
Everyone else is right--your bank will take them. Also, you can still get those paper rolls and roll your coins, if you like. That way, you know how much you have. You can get them at the bank for free.

LR

[legalois]

TD Bank bought out Commerce here on the East coast. Don't know if they're nationwide or not, but they have coin counters that will spit out a slip that you can take to the teller and either deposit it, or "color up."

I have one of those huge plastic pretzel containers. When it fills up, my grandson and I take it to the bank, count it out, and it goes into his college fund. He's 7. Before he was born, it used to go towards my vacation money.:(

[Lori R]

TD Bank bought out Commerce here on the East coast. Don't know if they're nationwide or not, but they have coin counters that will spit out a slip that you can take to the teller and either deposit it, or "color up."

I have one of those huge plastic pretzel containers. When it fills up, my grandson and I take it to the bank, count it out, and it goes into his college fund. He's 7. Before he was born, it used to go towards my vacation money.:(

My sister in NY has that as well. My B-I-L is a big Elvis fan and I got him a tall (about 2') plastic guitar shaped bank with Elvis on the side. It's pretty obnoxious. He likes it but he won't take it into the bank--makes my sister do it because he's embarassed. I go to three or four banks out here pretty regularly and, thus far, I havan't seen that service.

[ClintP]

In Las Vegas most of the casinos still have their coin counting machines in at the main cashier.

On both our trips in 2008 we changed coins at the casino cashier at Excalibur - go up and ask for a coin bucket, put coins in bucket, give back to cashier and he dumps it in the machine and it counts it out.

[LVloverNaNa]

At home I save all my change for LV. I make my own "piggy bank" from 2 liter soda (pop) bottles. The pocket change is for minor LV expenses as transportation, tips and Cocktails. I take it to my bank just prior to a LV trip.

When in LV I put by change in a zip-lock bag every night to start my next LV fund.

I usually accumulate $300-500 for each LV trip.

[Jacqui, Duskette8]

When we accumulate pennies during our LV trips we end up leaving them in the room when we leave. The casinos should never have stopped changing them. It's a pain!

[LVloverNaNa]

When in LV most of the change comes from redeeming tickets. Now I avoid much of the change by coloring up the tickets in the slot machines. When I'm ready to leave that casino I feed all the tickets into a penny or 2 cent machine then hit the cash out. Now instead of standing at the redemption machine feeding multiple tickets and getting a hand full of change with each ticket I only have to feed 1 ticket in and the most in change I'll have is 99 cents.

Hint: I have sometimes avoided the change completely. When coloring up my tickets at the slot machine I order a cocktail and play min. credits until I have even dollars or my cocktail for the road arrives. :rolleyes: Then I cash out and head to the redemption machine.

[Lori R]

When in LV most of the change comes from redeeming tickets. Now I avoid much of the change by coloring up the tickets in the slot machines. When I'm ready to leave that casino I feed all the tickets into a penny or 2 cent machine then hit the cash out. Now instead of standing at the redemption machine feeding multiple tickets and getting a hand full of change with each ticket I only have to feed 1 ticket in and the most in change I'll have is 99 cents.

Hint: I have sometimes avoided the change completely. When coloring up my tickets at the slot machine I order a cocktail and play min. credits until I have even dollars or my cocktail for the road arrives. :rolleyes: Then I cash out and head to the redemption machine.

I do that too. I try to minimize the change when cashing out.