If my purchase at the store totals $4.97 and I pay with a $5 bill, I get 3 coins back. If I give the cashier a $5 bill plus two pennies, I get 1 coin back.

How can I use this transaction to consolidate my change into the fewest coins possible? When should I give the cashier a few extra coins and when should I take the change I would normally receive? Which totals result in lots of coins in change and which totals results in fewer coins?