# What to do with Mexican coins ?



## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I have a decent sized jar of assorted Mexican coins.
Every now and then I go through the jar and pull out 5 peso coins for tips and such.
But it looks like the jar is refilling faster than I can empty it.
I can ask at the bank the next time I am in there but I was wondering if anyone here has ever seen a coin sorting machine or those sleeves you might use in the US for coins ?


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Small businesses like market vendors, tienditas and other small stores always seem to be short of change – maybe some in your neighbourhood would be glad to take some coins and give you bills in exchange


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I used to have that problem in the US - it came from emptying my pants pockets into a dish when I took off a pair, and not seeding my pockets when I put on a clean pair.

But if instead of emptying your pockets into your bowl, you put whatever coins you have on the dresser and sweep them back into your pockets when you put on a clean pair of pants you won't have the problem.

I don't think Mexico uses rolls for coins, what I see all the time is coins being handed to cashiers in plastic baggies. 

I have also been handed stacks of coins (say, 10) where someone has used clear scotch tape to tape together a stack of 1-peso coins, but that's just annoying.

So I'd sort them into plastic baggies, all one type of coin in a given bag. Count out twenty coins in a bag (25 for the 2-peso coins) so each bag matches a bill. Try with street vendors or the service desk at Chedraui. Or just use a bag to pay for something, instead of a bill. The cashiers will probably happily count the coins in the bag without removing them from the bag and dump the bag in their till.

It seems a constant thing that when a person opens up a register the manager supplies that register with almost nothing in the way of change, they sometimes start with a completely empty drawer. Also happens when a bus starts a new shift. Those are the best times to cash in your baggies.

I have wondered if banks charge extra for bags of coins (e.g. 55 pesos for a bag of 50 x 1 peso). Or whether nobody trusts the cashiers enough to seed their till. It seems such a constant thing in Mexico that cash drawers are always short of change and you constantly get asked if you have 3 pesos or whatever. And they think nothing of short-changing you 1 peso because they don't have any 1-peso coins in their register.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

Well in a world where a bag of dirt (maybe 25 kg) costs 25 pesos these days - 45 pesos if I want a bag with leaves (for planting) - I have wrapped enough coins, using wrapping tape to buy quite a bit of dirt. What is the shelf life fo covid on surfaces ?? There are still a ton of coins left in the jar.

I was reminded of when I was a kid growing up. On haloween the 'rich' neighborhoods didn't answer their doors when you rang the bell. Rather they had a bucket of coins near the door with a sign : ' take some and leave some for others'....


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## Firstlast (Jan 11, 2021)

Daily, at the end of the day, I put my MX coins in a container. When enough coins accumulate that I can exchange them for cash (20, 50,100) from my pocket, cash accumulates in the coin box, and the few coins I have accumulated I use for purchases. The result is that cash accumulates, and there is minimal coinage. I even exchange lower denomination cash for a higher denomination from my pocket. (2×20 + 10 peso coinage = 50) On some occasions I have manage to save 2500 MXN mainly cash in the coin box.


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