[STRETCH N | More Bang for Your Buck: Vacation Travel Money (NAPSA)—More and more Americansare looking for ways to stretch their family budget and plan cost-effective vacations. According to Coinstar, a worldwide leader in self-service coincounting and other consumerservices, the average U.S. household has $99 in spare change—a tidy sum that can help financea trip. Americans have $10.5 billion in loose change hidden in coin jars, dresser drawers, and wedged between sofa cushions. (Source: Coinstar Inc.) With gasoline and other travelrelated costs on the rise, spare change converted to useful cash could help put a dent in vacation costs. On average, people who accumulate change at home deposit about $5.50 per week into their container—and that can quickly add up, especially with a multi-person household. When looking for some extra cash for travel, a fast and easy wayis to bring yourcoin jar to the grocery store. Coinstar operates a network of more than 10,000 coincounting machines in supermarkets nationwide and accepts unsorted change, counting it at the rate of 600 coins per minute. At the end of the transaction, cus- tomers receive a printed voucher for the full amount of the transaction (less a service fee of 8.9 percent) that is redeemable for cash or store credit at the cash register or customerservice desk. For a store location nearest you, call 1-800-928-CASHorvisit www.findcoinstar.com.
