While the move is on to become a cashless society, notes and coins are likely to be with us for some time yet. ‘Touch and go’ payments may be increasing, but for many small purchases most of us still rely on good old cash. And because it’s easier to hand over a note for each purchase than to scramble in our pockets or purses for the correct change, by the end of the week we often end up with a hefty pile of low value coins. These coins are such a pain that, according to one survey, 93% of respondents admitted to throwing away five cent pieces, with 29% even ditching ten cent pieces.

Okay, so tossing away a dollar’s worth of small change each week won’t put much of a dent in your future wealth, but at least consider dropping those coins into a donation box. Combined with thousands of other donations your spare change can make a real difference to the people that charities look after.

There are, however, other areas where we effectively throw away money, and in amounts that can really add up: