In times of need...
You know that jar or bottle in the corner of the room where you sometimes put your loose change? Well I?ve got one and as it?s a time of financial need I went off to the bank and got £53.04, 6 Eurocents, a US quarter, a Deutsche Mark, and 10 Canadian cents. Obviously it?s quite interesting to have the other coins but fifty-odd quid is also nice and will certainly come in more handy.
The good thing was that the bank, HSBC (Westwood Cross branch), has now got a coin sorting self-service machine, and all you need to do it put your card in, tip your coins into the tray, and it sorts them all out and puts it directly into your back account. I remember the real hassle of sorting the coins out by hand, bagging them up, and still being left with random coins and hands that smelt of copper, so this is a great solution.
It even does a breakdown for you so I can tell you that I had:
- GBP 0.01 = 593 (5.93)
- GBP 0.02 = 408 (£8.16)
- GBP 0.05 = 303 (£15.15)
- GBP 0.10 = 97 (£9.70)
- GBP 0.20 = 38 (£7.60)
- GBP 0.50 = 1 (£0.50)
- GBP 1.00 = 6 (£6.00)
So the money is in the bank, I have some more cash until payday, and I can start putting my spare cash back in the bottle.
It?s a great practice. We have the coin machines here, but they give you the money instantly rather than put it in your bank account. I think depositing it in the account might be a wiser choice!
Randy and I have mason jars full of coins. We fill them all year, then use the money when we go on vacation. We get anywhere from $250- $500+ by doing this. And, as you say, it?s good to have in a pinch in the meantime.