Sometimes doing the simplest things in life, such as paying bills in person, rolling coins and even avoiding vending machines has its benefits. The small things, including service charges at ATMs and supermarket coin counters and overpriced goods at vending machines, add up in the end.

AVOID ATM DEBIT/CREDIT CARD MACHINES

A typical withdrawal at an ATM can come with a service charge of $2 to $3 if the teller machine is not owned by your bank. These withdrawals can cost twenty, thirty, forty dollars or even more after the transactions accumulate. One simple solution to this is to visit your own branch of banking in person to avoid all these charges so you can avoid paying these machines.

PAY BILLS IN PERSON

Also, any transactions, such as paying bills or even transferring money, can cost more if done by a machine and not in person. Cell phone companies such as Metro PCS charge extra when you use their direct payment machines. It’s an extra charge of a few dollars depending on the due date of your bill. Depending on your cell phone carrier, this transaction charge can be avoided by paying in person.

SAY NO TO COINSTAR

The coin counting machine in your neighborhood supermarket is great; it counts your change and even turns your coins into green dollars. Coinstar is a device that is very futuristic, but it also has its faults. Many people do not realize that for every dollar the Coinstar machine counts, the user is charged 10 cents. That means if the machine counts up $10 of your change, you will only receive $9.

Also, because many people use the Coinstar machine throughout the day, it tends to die out a lot and overheat, which causes many problems for the users. If you’re in the middle of a transaction and the machine dies, there is no way of telling how much of your change it counted, so you will not receive an accurate pay statement. This is not a chance people should take because beyond charging a service fee, Coinstar can actually rob you of a small fortune in change.

VENDING MACHINE = MAJOR MONEY SUCKER

Vending machines are also good if you’re on the go and in a rush, but anyone who has used a vending machine has run into a share of problems. Not only are the items inside overpriced, but the machine could eat your money, your items can get stuck, or worse, you can get the wrong item. Using a vending machine can be a great experience, but on the same note, it can ruin your day if it makes a mistake.

Use common sense and avoid any machine that gives or takes money I know there are certain machines that we can not avoid, but there are some machines that we can.