Making Money

20 Great Places to Find Coins

July 23, 2021 By Jeffrey Strain 71 Comments

I like to walk and when I walk, I am always on the lookout for coins. I don’t really consciously do this — it has become a habit over the years. What I do know is that most years I add over $100 to my savings (you would need to keep way more than $10,000 in your local bank to earn the same amount in interest) simply by keeping my eyes open and knowing where to look.

Here’s the funny thing about finding coins. If you are doing this to try and make extra money, it’s not likely to work. While it may be hard to understand, finding coins really isn’t about the money although it never hurts to add what you do find to your savings.

I have had friends in the past that have heard about how I am able to find money and decide they are going to try it too. Invariably, they come back in a week’s time saying they haven’t found anything. The truth is, you won’t find anything most days. That being said, if you are not looking, the days that you do find money you probably wouldn’t had you not been looking. The people that are successful at it view it more as a game and treat it as such. Here are some of my favorite places to find coins in no particular order:

Car Washes

Coins come out of pockets at car washes and a fair share of them end up on the ground where they can be found. Pay special attention to the areas around the vacuum stations. It seems that a lot of people that are cleaning out their cars don’t think that the change is worth keeping and throw it out with the rest of the trash they find under their car seats and car mats.

Homeless Camps

For some reason, homeless people aren’t great at keeping track of their coins. I’ve been walking around several of these camps, and in a lot of cases, I’ll find several pennies. This might be because homeless people aren’t good at tracking they money, but it may also be that they have a lot of coins.

Highway Rest Stops

People that have been on long road trips have made numerous stops and gathered up a pile of change in their car and pockets. They are tired and not paying as close attention as they might at other times and it seems a fair amount of those coins end up slipping out of the car and staying in the rest area. It’s also a great place to check vending machines.

Melting Snow

If you live in an area of the country where it snows, you’ll love spring if you become a coin hunter. When people drop coins in the winter, they often find it too cumbersome to pick up the coin, or the coin falls into the snow where it’s difficult to find. That leaves an accumulation of coins that appear in the Spring when the snow begins to melt off.

Fast Food Dive-Up Windows

When people hand over money to people at the drive up windows and receive their change, the exchange of coins doesn’t always go perfectly and a coin may fall from time to time. Many people aren’t willing to make the effort to open their car door and search around for where the coin ultimately landed. That means that a quick glance in the area of fast food drive-up windows can put a few coins into your pocket.

Self Pay Parking Machines

Much like the fast food dive up window, I always pay special attention when I walk past a parking lot that has a self pay machine as the person is exiting. People are leaning out the window putting coins into the machine and sometimes a coin drops. Most of the time when this happens, the person isn’t going to get out of their car and look underneath it for the coin. Instead, they will write it off as a loss and just leave. When this happens and the timing is right, that coin will become yours.

Bars, Waiting Rooms, Transit Areas, Etc

It seems that there are a decent number of people that wear pants that simply don’t hold their coins in too well. If you scan around bars, waiting rooms, transit areas and the like, there is a good chance that you will be able to add a few coins to your findings. This is especially true if they have sitting areas with couches or the like where coins can hide.

Your Own Home

I don’t actually count the money that I find in my home toward the total amount of money I find each year since I consider it already to be mine, but that being said, you probably have a decent amount of coins lying around your house that you don’t know about or have forgotten. Decide to do a Spring cleaning and you’re likely to end the day with more money than when you started. Check pant and coat pockets from time to time and you’ll likely find a forgotten bill or change.

At the Beach

There is a reason that you see people on the beach with metal detectors scanning the sand. People go to the beach and coins get dropped because bathing suits don’t have pockets when people are changing. Those coins often get covered in sand so that the person that lost them doesn’t even notice they are gone. While it can be more difficult to spot these coins, they are definitely there for those who have a keen eye. Using detectors at the beach is also a good option, as once coins or jewelry are buried in the sand then can nearly impossible to spot.

You can get a good entry level detector for between $75 and $300 dollars on Amazon.com. The Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV is a good example.

At Parks

Parks are popular during the summer months so that can be a great time to keep your eyes open in the parks. With all the commotion and large number of people, a few coins always seem to get left behind. This is also true after any holiday weekends or events.

Wherever crowds have gathered

If there is a crowd, there is a good chance that coins can be found, especially directly after the crowd begins to dissipate. Places where money transactions take place outside like art fairs, Saturday markets and other community events are also prime locations to find a few extra coins lying around on the ground.

Copy Machines

This isn’t as good of a place to find coins as it used to be when nobody had a home computer and printer in their house, but it is still a place to check the coin slot or credit count when you walk past them. It seems that a fair number of those that use copy machines are in a hurry and simply forget the extra money they have put into the machine.

Telephones

Much like the copy machine, this used to be a great place to find coins, but with everyone now carrying around a cell phone it’s becoming more difficult to find coins around phone booths. Still, it’s worth a look since money does drop and people do forget the coins they are feeding into the phone from time to time.

Coinstar Machines

When people put their money into change counting machines, there are often a few coins that get spit out into the coin slot because the machine couldn’t decipher the coin properly. Some people don’t realize this or forget and leave the coins there so it’s always worthwhile checking when you pass them.

Sidewalks

When people walk, most of them don’t look at the sidewalk. It’s surprising the number of people that walk right on by money simply because they never have seen it. If you keep your eyes on the sidewalk whenever you happen to take a walk, you are sure to find some coins.

Gutters

When you are walking on the sidewalk, stay to the street side. While you may find a few coins on the sidewalk, you’re likely to find even more in the gutter beside the sidewalk during your travels since people are even less likely to be looking there when they walk.

Intersections / Crosswalks

I’m always on the lookout for money when crossing the street. For some reason, coins seem to gather there more than on the sidewalks and gutters along the main portion of the street. This is often because people are, very reasonably, watching traffic and not on the look out for extra money.

Train / Subway Stations

Public transportation stations are a good place to find fallen coins. People are taking out money to buy tickets, sitting and standing quite a bit and invariable a coin drops to the ground here and there.

Stores

People are at stores to buy things so they are taking money out of their pockets to pay for items they want. Coins get dropped and not all of them get found. Keep your eyes open along the sides and corners and you will find a stray coin from time to time. This is especially the case in front of cashiers stations in most stores.

Parking Lots

If I have an opportunity to cut through a parking lot, I don’t do it to save time or distance, but to look for coins. I tend to park as far away as I can from the store to let me walk across parking lots when I go shopping. Parking lots are one of the better places to find coins.

Around Vending Machines

If there are vending machines, there is a good chance that there is a lost coin around. This is especially true in winter when it’s cold outside and people are wearing gloves (I find far more coins in winter around vending machines than I do in summer). They don’t have a feel for the coins and are more likely to drop one without noticing. Of course, don’t forget to check the coin slots as well.

For more places to find coins, or even how to make more money with the coins you find check out these articles.

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What Life After Unemployment Should Look Like

June 28, 2021 By Melissa Batai Leave a Comment

If you’ve lost your job in the last 15 months, you’re not alone. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates, “some 29.7 million people in May [2021], including 7.0 million children, lived in a family where at least one adult did not have paid work in the last week because of unemployment or the pandemic.” Furthermore, they state the current unemployment rate is at nearly 6%, but before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was only 3.5%. While the United States has recovered jobs, we have not recovered enough of them. If you’re unemployed, here’s what the life of unemployment should look like to help you survive.

How to Manage Your Money After Unemployment Runs Out

The first step to take after your unemployment runs out is to determine what other aid is available.

Secure Other Governmental Assistance Available

Thanks to the pandemic, more safety nets are in place for the unemployed. Unlike more peaceful times in the United States’ history, now when your unemployment ends, there may be other options available thanks to numerous stimulus bills passed during the pandemic.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation

A few weeks before your unemployment runs out, check with your local unemployment agency. You should be eligible for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). The agency should tell you about this benefit automatically, but if they don’t, make sure you ask so you can apply.

Extended Benefits

After traditional unemployment and PEUC run out, you may then be eligible for Extended Benefits (EB). This unemployment is triggered automatically when a state reaches a predetermined number of unemployed people in the state. So, whether or not your state offers this depends on how many people are unemployed in your state.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

Finally, after you’ve exhausted all of the options given above, you may qualify for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

Take Steps to Preserve Your Finances

While you’re on unemployment, before your benefits run out, make sure to put yourself in a better financial position. When your unemployment benefits do run out, you want to be in the most secure financial position.

Slash Household Expenses

If you haven’t already done so, slash your household expenses. Eliminate every expense that isn’t a necessity. Yes, doing without small pleasures in life is difficult, but by doing so now, you will be in a better financial position when you are employed again. Eliminate cable, your gym membership, any extracurriculars for the kids, expensive foods you may buy at the grocery store, etc.

Contact Your Creditors

Contact all of your creditors. During the pandemic, many mortgage lenders are working with the unemployed. Contact your credit card companies and car loan providers. Luckily, student loan payments are currently paused, but if they begin again, as they’re scheduled to do in September 2021, put yours on deferment so you won’t be responsible for payments until you’re hopefully employed again.

Get Private Assistance

Life of Unemployment — Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

In addition, utilize any private assistance available. Go to the food bank to get your food. See if your local church can offer any assistance. Tap into private sources so you can make any money you do have last as long as possible.

How to Find or Create a Job

Two things tend to happen when you’re unemployed for a long time. First, you feel desperate and apply to any job opening you find, whether or not it is a good fit for you. Second, you may feel so depressed that you find applying for jobs difficult to do, so you avoid it.

Instead, take a different approach.

Only Apply for Jobs that Match Your Qualifications

When searching for a job, only apply for those jobs that match your qualifications. This makes your job search more productive and actually increases your chances of finding a job.

Talk to Family and Friends

While you may feel embarrassed or ashamed that you’re unemployed and try to keep it a secret, take a different approach. Let everyone in your life know that you’re unemployed and searching for a job. You never know who knows someone who may have a job to offer you.

Other Ways to Increase Your Chances of Employment

Also, take these other steps to help increase your chances of employment.

Be Flexible

While you may want to continue living in your current town, if you want to be employed sooner rather than later, be flexible. You might need to move across the country for a new job. If you’re willing to do that, you might be employed sooner. Likewise, you should be flexible with your salary requirements. When the pandemic is over, there will be time to find a job in your desired location at the salary you would like.

Create Your Own Gig

Depending on your skills, you may be able to create your own job. If you have experience with bookkeeping, you may be able to begin doing that privately from home. If you have experience writing, you could become a freelance writer. Another option is to become a tutor in areas that you excel in such as mathematics.

Revamp Your Resume

Have a few friends in the same field as you look over your resume. Is there any way you should change it to make it stronger and more appealing?

Practice Interviewing

Likewise, meet with a mentor or professional friend and practice interviewing. Not only does this make you more comfortable when you have an interview, but your mentor can also give you honest feedback about your interviewing style. In addition, he can give you suggestions for improving how you present at an interview.

Go Back to School

Sometimes going back to school is an option. You can gain additional skills for your career or change career fields completely. However, generally use this option as a last resort because school takes a significant amount of time and money to complete.

Final Thoughts

Being unemployed can be scary and stressful. However, know that you’re not alone. Millions of Americans are currently in the same situation. The life of unemployment should look like this to give yourself the best chance of landing on your feet and reentering the workforce sooner rather than later.

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Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.

What is the Minimum Wage in Minnesota?

June 28, 2021 By Lindsey Boycott Leave a Comment

The minimum wage in Minnesota increased this January 2021, and there are plans for that trend to continue. The North Star State is also doing a few things differently with its hourly remuneration, including considerations for business size, regional area, worker’s age, and experience. It’s a midwestern minimum wage trendsetter with flexible legislation that benefits both business and worker.

US-Turkey Capital Sets Multiple Minimum Wages

According to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, the state is first-rate in thanksgiving bird production. It turns out that there are more turkeys raised in a year than there are people in California. While that title is hard to top, minimum wage legislators made their mark with a unique approach that attempted to balance employer and employee interests.

For a business classified as a small employer, the minimum wage currently sits at $8.21 an hour. To fit this category, an enterprise must have annual gross revenue of $500,000 or less. Any employer bigger than that must pay a minimum wage of $10.08. The Department of Labor and Industry estimates that it will affect an estimated 206,000 jobs – or 8.5 percent of total employment.

Minneapolis and St. Paul Strike Out on their Own

Two of Minnesota’s most populous cities have chosen to make their own minimum wage rules. In 2017, Minneapolis’s city council voted to increase the minimum wage every year until it reaches $15/hr in 2022. Like its state counterpart, the city also has a separate rate for small businesses with less than 100 workers. In this case, employers can expect incremental increases until reaching the mandated $14.50 an hour by 2024. Future upticks will be indexed to inflation.

Minneapolis’ minimum wage decision proved to be a controversial one. The city follows a handful of other U.S. cities, such as Seattle and San Francisco, who also raised their minimum wages. Not surprisingly, Minneapolis-based manufacturing supplies company Graco Ltd. took issue with its local government pushing the boundaries of its authority. The business launched a suit to prevent the pay hike but lost that battle when Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously voted to uphold the minimum wage law in 2020.

St. Paul has a different set of rules but is similar in spirit to the state’s capital. The city takes it further by breaking employers into three categories — micro-business, small business, or a large business. Despite the difference, all roads still lead to a minimum wage standard of $15.

Minnesota Minimum Wage for Youth, Trainees, and Tipped Employees

Like many other states, Minnesota has a different hourly wage for youth under 18 years of age — this is $8.21 an hour. Additionally, there is a 90-day training wage for employees under 20 years old that sits at $8.21 an hour. These are also set to increase in step with the standard minimum wage as long as economic conditions remain favorable. As far as tipped employees go, Minnesota breaks from other states and doesn’t allow employers to pay a lower wage to those who receive gratuities. A worker must receive minimum pay along with whatever tips they might earn.

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What is the Minimum Wage in Louisiana?

June 24, 2021 By Tamila McDonald Leave a Comment

If you are about to join the workforce for the first time or simply need an entry-level position, it’s crucial to understand the minimum wage. It gives you an opportunity to assess whether a prospect will meet your needs and feels fair based on the work involved. If you’re curious about the minimum wage in Louisiana, here’s what you need to know.

What Is a Minimum Wage?

A minimum wage is a dollar amount. It’s the lowest pay rate a company can offer a covered nonexempt employee per hour of work.

The majority of the workforce is classified as nonexempt. However, there are exceptions for full-time students, full-time students, young workers, and disabled workers, depending on the nature of employment arrangements.

There is a federal minimum wage that states and cities have to either meet or exceed. No state or city laws can force a lower minimum wage, though they can create regulations that make a higher rate mandatory.

The last federal minimum wage increase happened in July 2009. At that point, the minimum wage was set to $7.25 per hour for non-tipped workers and $2.13 an hour for tipped workers. However, tipped workers still need to earn at least $7.25 per hour. If the value of their tips doesn’t make up the difference, the employer has to cover the gap.

In essence, the federal minimum wage is a baseline. States and cities can follow that rule – either through legislation or by default – or they can enact a minimum wage that goes above that mark.

What Is the Minimum Wage in Louisiana?

In Louisiana, there are no minimum wage laws at the state level. As a result, the minimum wage defaults to the federal minimum wage, making it $7.25 per hour for non-tipped workers and $2.13 per hour for tipped workers, suggesting their tips make up the difference, bringing them to the equivalent of $7.254 per hour.

Is the Louisiana Minimum Wage a Living Wage?

In the simplest sense, a living wage is an amount of income that is sufficient to support a household. Typically, the estimates are based on having full-time hours, which is considered to be 40 hours per week or 2080 hours over the course of a year. A living wage does vary depending on family size.

For single adults without children, the living wage is considered to be $14.06 per hour. For two adults – with only one working – with two children, the living wage is $32.16 per hour. If both adults in that household work, they each would need to make $19.99 per hour to collectively hit a living wage.

In all cases, the living wage is far below Louisiana’s minimum wage. Additionally, aside from single adults without children, the minimum wage wouldn’t even get your household above the poverty level.

Do you have any opinions about the minimum wage in Louisiana? Do you think it’s fair? Or is it too low? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started. Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.

What is the Minimum Wage in Michigan?

June 22, 2021 By Lindsey Boycott Leave a Comment

The minimum wage in Michigan currently sits at $9.65/hr, which runs $2.40 higher than the federal rate. That number has been steadily rising but recently hit a bump in the road.

Michigan’s Then and Now

Michigan was once home to both the American dream and automobile. Since its illustrious beginnings, the state has encountered its fair share of challenges, but the minimum wage is rising again. The state legislated modest yearly wage increases in 2014 to bring the standard from $7.40 to $12.00 by 2030.

It’s an ambitious goal for Michigan as the state grapples with one financial crisis after another, the most recent being Covid-19 restrictions that closed businesses and kept customers at home. The pandemic left its mark on the country’s landscape, but Michigan planned for just such an event.

Future of Minimum Wage in Michigan

Unemployment skyrocketed last year, with 2020’s second quarter hitting 20 percent, triggering a ‘failsafe’ provision. According to the Workforce Opportunity Wage Act of 2018, an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent or higher prevents the scheduled hourly rate increase for the following year. This legislative circuit breaker means the wage hike to $9.87 suggested this year will not be seen until January 2022, provided the economy sufficiently recovers.

Michigan Workers – Same but Different

Like other states, Michigan’s minimum wage differentiates between certain kinds of workers. Those working in tipped professions make $3.67, which works out to be 38 percent of the full rate. There are rules about how businesses can pay service employees, but the gist is that tips and hourly pay must meet the total minimum wage threshold. This rate will rise as its counterpart rises.

The state further separates workers by age. Youth workers up to 17 years of age are paid only 85 percent of the standard minimum wage. Additionally, employees between 18 – 19 years old can be classified as ‘trainees’ and given a subminimum compensation. This trainee grouping can translate into $4.25 an hour for workers during the first 90 days.

There are also differing pay structures for employees with disabilities, apprentices, and ‘learners.’ If an employer is trying to pay someone subminimum wages, there are usually specific conditions for these rates to apply.

Need Help with Your Minimum Wage Questions?

If you’re unsure that your employer is paying you a fair wage, Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity might be the best place to start. There, you can get a good overview from their minimum wage brochure attachment, a more detailed look at the laws on the site, or fill out a wage and benefit claim form.

Additionally, Michigan’s Helping Hand site has several resources for jobs and training, unemployment, health, family support, and other programs that can help if you’re in a bind. It’s designed to reduce barriers and connect residents with the services they need without unnecessary complexity.

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What is the Minimum Wage in Massachusetts?

June 21, 2021 By Lindsey Boycott Leave a Comment

Massachusetts’ minimum wage is climbing. It currently sits at $13.50 but will be moving again next year. It’s an important step in the right direction, but will it be enough?

Minimum Wage on the Rise

In the blue hills of this great state, those working in minimum wage positions received a 75 cent raise to $13.50 on January 1. It’s the third year in a row that hourly rates bumped up, but it won’t be until 2023 that the state crosses its $15 finish line. It’s a positive step in the right direction, but according to MIT’s wage calculation, one adult with no partner or children needs $17.74 to meet their basic needs. One adult with one child would need $36.88. The numbers don’t always tell the whole story, however.

Service Workers Considered Differently

Interestingly, there is another minimum wage to consider. Service employees currently make $5.55 an hour if they receive over $20 in gratuities a month. However, in fields like the hospitality industry, workers don’t need to worry about the disparity. Instead, employers must ensure their staff receives at least $13.50/hr via an hourly rate and tips.

If employers cannot achieve this, the business must pay staff the difference to bring the hourly rate to the minimum wage in Massachusetts. It’s also important to note there are regulations about handling tips. Gratuities must either be retained by the worker or managed through a valid tip pool as defined by MGL c.149-152A. This wage will also increase on January 1 for the next two years, $6.15 and $6.75, respectively.

Ways to Stretch Your Dollar

Despite the difference between the current hourly wage and your actual living costs, you can always get creative when you’re trying to make ends meet. One of the easiest ways to get started is to track your expenses. While it sounds obvious, you might be surprised to learn that you spent $400 a year on streaming services. Get a free money tracking app like Simplifi to help you whip those dollars into shape. See other money tracking below.

App	Fees and Minimum	Best for:
Personal Capital	Free	Monitoring wealth and spending
Simplifi	Free	Personal budgeting
YNAB	$84 a year or $11.99 a month (after a 34-day free trial), free for students for 12 months.	Personal budgeting

If you’re more of a money mover and shaker, a side gig is always an excellent way to bring in some extra bucks. You can sign up with the TaskRabbit app if you want to pick up odd jobs to get you by – think yard work and IKEA furniture assembly. However, if you’re looking for something a little more formal, look no further than remote and adaptable job specialist Flexjobs. Most jobs are geared towards less conventional employment arrangements and might be just what you’re looking for in a secondary hustle. Here are other job marketplaces as well.

Platforms	Best For:
Fiverr	Finding Freelancers
Bark	Finding Unique Freelancers
Appjobs	Gig Economy Professionals

How to Make a Difference

If you’re not satisfied with what your elected officials are doing on the minimum wage front, there are several ways to get your voice heard. For example, RaiseUp Massachusetts was launched in 2013 after individual coalitions lobbying for better wages banded together. They’ve succeeded in getting new legislation passed like increases in the minimum wage and paid sick time, but the work continues. Contact them if you want to get involved.

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