So I took all the loose change I had found when MissShoestring moved out, down to the Coinstar machine yesterday. I was very surprised to be able to get a Tesco voucher for £18.83 ! The machine even counted out of date £1 coins and 50Ps, which saved me a trip to the bank to exchange them.
With the voucher I was able to purchase 6x 550g Pilgrim's Choice mature cheddar cheese which was on special offer at £4.32 a kilogram; 4 packets of special offer ham; a packet of 6 tomatoes and a chocolate bar. I was especially pleased about the cheese, as this is a lovely quality cheddar and the special offer makes it cheaper than the usual cheap cheese. It was also great to effectively get those items for free, as MissShoestring and USAShoestring have been collecting small change for years without doing anything with it !
If you have any small change lying around now might be the time to check it for out of date coins !
Hi Mrs. Shoestring,
ReplyDeleteI've know you've mentioned Coinstar previously on your blog but I'm a bit sceptical to use them due to processing fees. On the icon for todays post the Coinstar machine says "No Fee", however, on their website it says,"We charge a 9.9% coin processing fee for cash transactions (but, fees may vary by location). There is a 7% charge for charity donations. The fee is deducted from the amount poured at the time of your transaction". Can you clarify this please? Kind regards, Julie (South Wales)
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI also don't normally use these machines but the one locally to us is situated in a supermarket and offers a voucher for that supermarket at no charge. If you want cash then they rake a cut. Normally I bag up all the loose change and exchange it at the bank but the last couple of times I've always been working at times when the banks are open so this is very convenient for me but I realise that it might not be the most worthwhile service for others. Thanks for your question !