Find your extra $90!
The $90 hidden in your home right now!
✔ CHECK OUT THESE COIN HOT SPOTS!
Sure, you know to check under your couch cushions for lost change, but there is likely money hiding in tons of other spots around your house! “Coins turn up all over the place,” says Lisa Rowan of the popular finance blog The Penny Hoarder. “Use a flashlight and look between and under your washer and dryer to see if any coins have fallen out of pockets while you were switching laundry loads—and look under furniture, too! Check your car’s cupholders, glove box and even under the floor mats to conjure up coins. I also check in all my handbags and coat pockets in my closet— there are usually coins rolling around in there, too.” Another spot not to miss? The family “junk drawer”—coins tend to gather there just as quickly as pens and loose buttons do!
✔ TURN COINS INTO CASH!
Want to convert your coins to paper cash? First, check your local banks—many offer fee-free coin-counting machines that let you trade your coins for bills. Another option: Hit up a Coinstar kiosk! The machines will take a 10.9% fee if you want to exchange coins for paper money— but you can skip the fee entirely! The secret? Simply select the “egift Card” option. “The machines offer a ton of gift card options, so it’s easy to find a retailer you regularly shop at,” Rowan says. “I always pick Amazon since I can get almost anything from there!” Also smart: Sign up for a free Mycoinster account at Coinstar.com, and you’ll get alerted to special promotions that’ll put bonus dollars on your gift cards!
✔ BONUS: “FIND” CHANGE WITH YOUR DEBIT CARD!
“I’m a big fan of saving pennies virtually when I use my debit card,” Rowan says. “Free apps like Digit and Acorns collect ‘leftover change’ from credit or debit transactions—say, the extra 12 cents from the $8.88 bargain you got at Walmart—and save it for you. I use Bank of America, so I use its ‘Keep the Change’ savings program that does the same thing each time I make a debit purchase. It rounds up to the next dollar and puts the change in my savings account, and I can see my progress every time I log in. Since I enrolled a few years ago, I’ve saved $1,475 without thinking about it—way better than having that 12 cents rolling around in my pocket!”
Love it when you find loose change? Experts say you likely have $90 in coins hiding in your home right now! From coat pockets to couch cushions, here’s where to find your hidden money!