It’s easy to overlook spare change. A few coins sitting in the car, a jar on the kitchen counter, or loose change tucked into a drawer may seem too small to matter. Yet Americans throw away an estimated $62 million worth of coins each year, according to recycling and waste management company Covanta Holding Corporation.
Those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters can add up if you give them a purpose. You don’t need a huge income or a complicated financial plan to get started. A few small habits can turn leftover change into savings, investments, debt payments, or even money for something fun.
Here are 15 ways to put that spare change to better use.
Use Round-Up Savings Apps
Round-up apps such as Acorns and Chime can save a little money every time you make a purchase. They round a transaction up to the nearest dollar and move the difference into a savings or investment account.
Spend $4.75 on coffee, for example, and 25 cents can be moved into your account. Do that regularly and those tiny amounts can become a useful balance over time.
Acorns says customers who consistently use round-ups save an average of $166 per month. Your results will vary, but the idea is straightforward: small amounts become easier to save when they happen automatically.
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Start a Digital Spare Change Jar
You can also create a virtual version of the coin jar sitting on your dresser. Apps such as Qapital let users create automatic savings rules that move small amounts of money into a savings account.
You could set money aside for an emergency fund, vacation, holiday shopping, or a large purchase. Since the transfers happen automatically, you don’t have to make the decision every time you spend money.
Use Coinstar Machines for Cash or Crypto
Have a container overflowing with coins? A Coinstar kiosk can turn that loose change into cash without requiring you to count and roll every coin yourself.
There is a fee for many cash transactions, but some kiosks offer other options, including gift cards and cryptocurrency. Coinstar says customers exchange about $2.7 billion through its machines each year.
Before using one, check the available options and fees at your local kiosk. If you have a large amount of change, the convenience may be worth the cost.
Related: 15 Money Lessons That Many Adults Learned the Hard Way
Invest Your Spare Change
You don’t need hundreds of dollars to begin investing. Apps such as Robinhood and Stash allow users to buy fractional shares, which means even small amounts can be put toward investments.
You could direct the money from round-ups into an investment account rather than letting it disappear into everyday spending. Over time, those contributions may give you a simple way to build an investment habit.
Investing still carries risk, so spare change shouldn’t be treated as guaranteed money. Start with an amount you’re comfortable leaving invested.
Open a High-Yield Savings Account
A regular savings account may earn very little interest, while high-yield savings accounts can offer considerably better rates. Accounts from banks such as Ally or CIT Bank have at times offered rates above 4% APY, although rates can change.
Once you’ve collected your spare change, putting it into a high-yield account gives that money a chance to earn interest.
Even small deposits can add up after months or years, especially when interest is added to the balance and begins earning interest itself.
Related: 12 Common Household Purchases That End Up Being Wasted Money
Turn Saving Into a Game
Saving money can feel much easier if there’s a little entertainment involved. Long Game, for example, has used games and prizes to encourage users to save.
The idea is simple: instead of treating every deposit like another financial chore, you get a small reward for staying consistent.
If games or challenges keep you motivated, this can be a fun way to make saving a regular habit.
Try a Cash-Only Challenge
Give yourself a cash-only month and use physical bills and coins for your everyday purchases.
At the end of the month, collect whatever coins remain and deposit them into savings. You may also become more aware of your spending because handing over physical cash feels different from tapping a card.
It’s a simple experiment that can show you how much loose change you generate during an ordinary month.
Related: 13 Household Bills That Can Save You Money When Paid Annually
Create a Spare-Change Splurge Fund
Saving doesn’t always have to be about bills or emergencies. Your coin jar can also become a guilt-free fund for something you enjoy.
Put the money toward concert tickets, a favorite coffee shop, dinner out, a spa visit, or another small treat. Since the money comes from spare change, you can enjoy the purchase without pulling as much from your regular spending budget.
The key is giving the money a purpose instead of letting it disappear.
Put Small Amounts Toward Your Debt
Loose change can also go toward credit card balances, personal loans, or other debts.
Some financial apps let users make extra payments or automate transfers toward debt. Even small additional payments can reduce the amount of interest you pay over time, particularly if they help you pay off a balance sooner.
Before using an app for debt payments, check its current fees, features, and terms.
Build an Emergency Cushion
Unexpected expenses have a way of showing up at inconvenient times. A flat tire, broken appliance, medical bill, or sudden repair can put a dent in your budget.
Your spare-change savings can become the starting point for an emergency fund. You won’t build three to six months of living expenses overnight, but regular small deposits can get the fund moving.
Once the habit is in place, you can increase your contributions whenever your budget allows.
Turn Rewards Into More Savings
Store loyalty programs can give your everyday purchases another source of savings. Programs such as Target REDcard and Starbucks Rewards offer discounts, points, or other benefits based on eligible purchases.
Rather than treating rewards as extra spending money, you could direct the value you receive toward your savings goals.
Check each program’s current rules before signing up, since rewards, expiration dates, and eligible purchases can change.
Try a Cash-Back Challenge
Cash-back services such as Rakuten and Ibotta can return part of your spending on eligible purchases.
The trick is to use these services for things you were already planning to buy. Buying something you don’t need just because it offers cash back defeats the purpose.
Ibotta users have reported average savings of around $10 to $20 per month, showing how smaller rebates can accumulate with regular use.
Roll Your Coins Yourself
If you have a large collection of coins and want to avoid Coinstar fees, rolling them at home can be a practical option.
According to Bankrate, many banks accept rolled coins and may exchange them for cash or deposit the amount into your account without charging a fee.
You’ll have to sort, count, and roll the coins yourself, but that extra work can keep more of the money in your pocket.
Turn Unused Gift Cards Into Cash
An unused gift card is money that isn’t doing much for you. If you have cards sitting in a drawer for stores you rarely visit, you may be able to sell them through services such as CardCash or Raise.
The amount you receive will usually be less than the card’s full face value, but getting some cash back can be better than allowing the card to sit unused.
According to MarketWatch, billions of dollars in gift card balances go unused each year. Turning unwanted cards into cash can put some of that forgotten value back into your budget.
Donate Your Spare Coins
Sometimes the best use for a few extra coins is helping someone else.
You can donate loose change at checkout counters, charity collection boxes, or through charitable apps such as Charity Miles. Small donations may seem insignificant on their own, but thousands of people making small contributions can provide meaningful support.
Americans donated $484.85 billion to charitable organizations in 2021, according to Giving USA.
Whether you save your coins, invest them, use them to pay debt, or give them away, the bigger idea is the same: spare change doesn’t have to stay spare. Give those little amounts a destination, and they can become much more useful over time.
