#6204 10-02-2005 10:46 AM | Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 109 Gold Member (100+ posts) | OP  Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 109 | I happened across an article about Coinstar (see www.coinstar.com) in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago. Had never heard of this company but it turns out they have coin counting machines in many supermarkets across the nation. One option is to donate the value of your coins to one of the main charities that you can select from. If your charity isn't on the list (OCF isn't), you can simply cash out and send a check or get a money order directly from the store and write it to OCF. We happened to have a huge can of coins that we've been adding to for the past 10 years with no intention of ever rolling them. It was more to lighten the load from wallets or pockets. So this was a great way to get rid of a bunch of coins (turned out to be just under $175) and give the proceeds to a good cause. You just press a few buttons to start the process, throw your coins in a hopper (repeatedly in our case) and the machine sorts them and counts them and gives you a voucher at the end that you cash at the store.
Wife of Jerry - Dx. Jan '05. SCC BOT T1N2BM0 + Uvula T0N0M0. Stg IV, Surg on BOT and Uvula + Mod Rad Neck Diss.(15 rmvd, 4 w/cancer), IMRT 33x. Cmpltd 5/9/05.
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#6205 10-02-2005 03:25 PM | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 68 Supporting Member (50+ posts) | | Supporting Member (50+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 68 | I have seen Coinstar in the supermarket but I didnt know that you could donate to charity. I wonder if there is a way we could get OCF on the list.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma-intermediate grade. Removed 3/05. Additional surgery to get clean margins and selective neck dissection 4/05. 30 lymph nodes removed. All clear!!
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#6206 10-03-2005 05:13 PM | Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 | I stopped using them back in 1999 when my kids took their coins to the supermarket with me and I discovered from the receipt they charged almost 10%. I wanted the money back but they wouldn't give it back.  In your case, it probably would have taken at least thirty minutes or somewhere around $30-$40 an hour to pay someone else to do the deed. Now, if 100 people did that, it would be $3,000-$4,000 to pay someone to buy some more machines, new cars, home, etc. What would that extra cash do for OCF? Maybe a few more mailers, 1/10 of another PSA, another trip to NIH to compaign for early detection funding, 10 dinners with Jack Klugman or Lance Armstrong... Sorry, just the beancounter in me. I don't have a lot of extra cash since this horrible beast beat me down but I can still find time to spend helping someone. I would be glad to roll them for free if you could get them to me...  Ed
SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
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#6207 10-04-2005 05:41 AM | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 191 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 191 | My husband, also a "bean counter" was also put out that Coin Star took 10% of the take of the coins counted. I've found an alternative. My local bank, Wells Fargo, has coin counting machines and if you have an account with them, usually the tellers will be happy to dump the coins in the machine if they aren't unusually busy--for free.
If one chooses to donate, why not donate 100%?
Jen | | |
#6208 10-04-2005 08:19 AM | Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 | Yep, most banks have some larger branch that has their own coincounter--and no percent taken off the top!
SCC(T2N0M0) part.glossectomy & neck dissect 2/9/05 & 2/25/05.33 IMRT(66 Gy),2 Cisplatin ended 06/03/05.Stage I breast cancer treated 2/05-11/05.Surgery to remove esophageal stricture 07/06, still having dilatations to keep esophagus open.Dysphagia. "When you're going through hell, keep going"
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#6209 10-04-2005 09:20 AM | Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 | As Jen so succinctly said, "If one chooses to donate, why not donate 100%?". Yep, that's what I meant to say in my verbose explanation. 
SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
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#6210 10-04-2005 11:59 AM | Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 109 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 109 | That would definitely make more sense if your bank will do it. I have been banking online for years and haven't been inside a bank for years. Coinstar actually doesn't charge a fee to the main non-profit orgs that you can select from on their machines. When doing what I did, and choosing one not on the list, the non-profit can get reiumbursed for the fee, but it looks like it would be a hassle. Of course now, per the WSJ article, retail companies like amazon.com and several others have gotten in the Coinstar act and let customers cash out with gift certicates (with no fee). It was actually very convenient for someone like me who never enters a bank.
Wife of Jerry - Dx. Jan '05. SCC BOT T1N2BM0 + Uvula T0N0M0. Stg IV, Surg on BOT and Uvula + Mod Rad Neck Diss.(15 rmvd, 4 w/cancer), IMRT 33x. Cmpltd 5/9/05.
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