Many people don’t carry cash anymore, and it’s increasingly less common for people to carry change as well. Additionally, getting coins can be a hassle during a coin shortage, but you’ll need them if your first apartment has coin-operated washers and dryers. Alternatively, if your apartment doesn’t have washers or dryers in your apartment building, you’ll need to go to a community laundromat, which are often coin-operated.
Some people avoid this issue by using a laundry service, but many people decide to save laundry money by doing it themselves. The thing is, that means having quarters on hand all the time. If you’re always searching for quarters for your laundry machines, then below, learn five places where you can easily get coins.
1. Visit your bank
An easy way you can get coins for your coin-operated washer and dryer is at your bank. If you live near your bank, you can stop by and ask to withdraw some of your money in coins from your checking account. You can also ask a bank teller to exchange the cash in your wallet for coins. 
If you want to spend as little time as possible at the bank, the best time to go is when there aren’t many people waiting in line. That likely means 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on weekdays. You can easily get a roll of quarters for $10 (i.e., 40 quarters). Getting quarters for $5 might be inconvenient for the bank teller, so stick with $10.
2. Get change after grocery shopping
You can always get some quarters at the grocery store so you have enough coins to pay for your apartment’s coin-operated washer and dryer. After you checkout, you can ask the cashier for some quarters, and if you pay in cash, you’ll automatically get change. Unfortunately, the cash register may be limited on quarters, so you may do best to ask for just a small number of quarters. To avoid any hassle, get quarters when there isn’t a long line of people behind you.
3. Find an arcade (or laundromat) near you
If you’re lucky to live near an open arcade, you can get some coins at the arcade’s change machine so you can have enough quarters to pay for your laundry. If an arcade also has a vending machine, you can put in a dollar, and some machines will give you your money back in quarters. Or you can find a laundromat near you and hope it has a change machine like in arcades – it’s rare but not out of the question.
4. Try a gas station or pharmacy
If your local gas station or pharmacy doesn’t have a long line, you can also ask someone behind the counter to exchange your dollar bills for a few quarters. Additionally, some gas stations may have an ATM where you can withdraw cash from your bank account. Then, you can use your withdrawn cash to ask for quarters.
5. Buy things with cash
If you’re scrounging for quarters for your apartment’s coin-operated washer and dryer, you can also get into the habit of using cash to purchase different things from various stores every once in a while. You can build up the change from your purchases and preserve the quarters for your laundry. Store all your other coins for safekeeping in a piggy bank.
Which one of these places is most convenient for you? Share your thoughts in the comments!
