I save all of our spare change for our Disney fund. Instead of rolling it and taking it to the bank, I take it to my local CoinStar machine (they DO NOT charge a fee if you get a gift certificate and have at least $5 in change) and cash it in for a gift card. I then take cash out of our budget and put that into the Disney fund.
For example…. I might need to buy something at Lowe’s, so I take our spare change to a CoinStar machine and get a Lowe’s gift certificate. I use the gift certificate at Lowe’s and put that cash I was planning on spending into the Disney Fund.
Not all CoinStar machines offer the same gift certificates, so make sure you check your local machine online to see which gift cards they do offer.
Want to find out how to find even more money in your budget? Be sure to check out all the articles in the your fund series.
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Do they charge a percentage?
no they do not but it has to be at least 5 dollars in cash or change. I get starbucks and amazon ones all the time. And if for some reason there is an error the will let you get the cash without the fee. The one near me was broken for months, so i just kept getting cash instead of the gift cards without the fee it was great wihile it lasted lol
If you aren’t getting a gift card, they do.
Awesome! I didn’t realize the one closest to us has gift cards until you posted the link to check. What is the yellow emblem next to Starbucks on the bottom that starts with an r and ends with y? It’s on the one closest to us but I don’t know what it is.
Some banks, if you’re a ‘member’ (for lack of a better word) will cash in your change for you, free of charge. We do that all the time, and then just buy a Disney gift card at the grocery store. :)
I just did this 2 weeks ago! It is really great!
I do this alot. As soon as my change jar is full I take it to Coinstar and cash it in for an Amazon gift card!
I saw they charge a counting fee!!
Only if you get a cash voucher. They do not charge for gift cards.
Why wouldn’t you just take that spare change and deposit it in the Disney Fund?
This is for spare change that I need to turn into dollars! I do this when I have $100 or so in change. That is a lot of change to roll!
There are home coin collecting banks that roll your change as you deposit in the machine. Here is one on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Brookstone-Motorized-Electric-Coin-Sorter/dp/B002BRU5F0/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1301467487&sr=8-10
I am sure if you shop around you can find one cheaper than this. Would be less hassle than having to take the coins somewhere to be counted and then converted to gift cards. Could have the coins automaticallly rolled as you save at home and when the rolls are full take to the bank and have them deposit the into your account. Hope this is helpful.
Thanks for posting! I did not know about the certificate option. This is great for our “Couponing to a Remodeled Kitchen/House”, especially since Lowe’s is one of the companies offered.
One interesting thing.. according to the Coinstar website, my local Walmart is cash/charity only, but the other regular grocery stores have cash/charity/ecertificate/gift card. I would have assumed the Walmart machines would have the certificates or cards available. Glad I checked first!
I’m glad you have one that does it all! :)
@Kristin, our bank does this at certain branches, money goes right into your account, but not all coinstars are doing this in banks.
@Shawna, a lotta coins = a lotta time wasted that could be finding more savings :) I hate rolling coins unless I have help.
I looked into it at our bank and they said it had to be rolled. :(
I did not know that. Will have to check my out.
I do this too! My husband has gotten a printed certificate for itunes in his stocking the last 3 Christmases thanks to coinstar!
Does anyone know if you can use Disney Gift Cards that you get through coin star to put a deposit down on a trip?
I never knew about the gift cards! I am going to check mine out – hopefully mine offers a Disney gift card for our trip coming up soon! Love your website!
Congratulations! You won a $5 Amazon gift card. :)
Who did?
Hi Kristin!
Who won this card? How does the winner claim it?
Thanks!
Shera
All my stores only say cash, charity or e-certificate. How does the e certificate work to get Disney cards?
Another way to save money is to check out if you are a member of a credit union. I take all of my change there and it will count it. On the receipt, it will show the breakdown and how much I saved by using their service.