How to Make Change Without a Calculator

Cashiers often groan when a customer wants to use cash rather than a credit card. These tips will keep you on top of the change game.

As kids, we learned how to count cash playing Monopoly. I loved being the banker, although that job usually went to one of my parents. Having a stack of money was fun even if it was only play money. If you didn't grow up using pretend or real cash, it might seem a challenge to run a cash register. 

First Organize the Cash Drawer

One basic for cashiers and bank tellers is to organize the cash drawer. Working at banks from an early age, we were trained to put  the bills all facing the same direction and face up. We were also taught to unfold the dog-eared edges of each bill before counting them out. This simple practice can help to eliminate errors when giving back change.

Yesterday at the bank, I wasn't surprised to receive a wad of bills back from the teller with the bills every which way but organized. The first thing I did before counting my money was to turn all the bills to face in the same direction with all the faces up.

We were taught to count the money onto the counter in plain sight of the customer and not count it from one hand into our other hand. Then we were told to pick up the bills and count it out again into the customer's hand, small change first.

This double counting eliminated many potential errors and out-of-balance cash register drawers from the days of my first job as a dime store clerk to the years of handling hundreds of thousands of dollars of real cash at a commercial bank.

Counting bills is easy if you grew up chanting, "Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, forty. . ." like I did. If you didn't share that experience, try practicing with your kids. They'll love the sing song version of learning to count by fives.

Counting by tens was fun too. Count them out loud: ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety. Counting by twenties is next: twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, one hundred. Doing this, or teaching your kids this, will aid in learning math skills. My five-year old often put coins together and asked me to change them for "green."

How many twenties make one hundred? Count it out. There's five twenties in one hundred dollars; so five times twenty equals one hundred. It's about multiplication as well as addition. Experience adds to the ease and comfort of correctly counting back money.

Can I give you the small change?

What happens when the customer wants to give you some odd change after the sale has been rung? Here's an example.

The total sale is for $13.57 cents. The customer gives you a twenty dollar bill. After you ring the cash in, they say, "Can I give you the seven cents?" Your cash register has already told you to give the customer back six dollars and forty-three cents. ($6.43).

The easy way to figure out the change due is to start off with the even numbers. Take away (subtract) the seven cents ($.07) from the original amount due. $13.57 less .07 equals $13.50.

Place the seven cents on the ledge of the register drawer and count out the change from $13.50. Pulling one quarter from the drawer, count it into your hand and say to yourself, "Thirteen-fifty (and 25 cents)  is $13.75. With another quarter it's $14.00. Pull a one dollar bill out and count to yourself. "And one dollar makes $15.00."

Pull a five dollar bill out and mentally say, "And five makes twenty dollars." Five, ten, fifteen, twenty. That's when that chant can be helpful.

Then, count the change back to the customer repeating the revised amount of the sale after the pennies. "That's thirteen-fifty, (hand them the first quarter), thirteen seventy-five. Now the second quarter and say, "And fourteen."

Place the one dollar bill on top of the change and say, "And one makes fifteen." Then add the five to the stack and say, "And five makes twenty."

Smile, thank them for the purchase and wish them a pleasant day.

Can I Give You the Odd Change? Example 2

Suppose the total sale is twenty-three dollars and eighty-nine cents ($23.89). They've already given you a one hundred dollar bill and you entered it into the register when the customer hands you the four dollars and four pennies.

"I have too many ones," the customer explains, digging around in her change purse. "I don't want more ones."

There's no need to freak out. First, place the four dollars and four pennies on the ledge above the cash drawer.

1. Subtract the four cents from the total amount they owe. $23.89 less four cents is $23.85.
2. Take a nickel out of your register and say to yourself, "$23.85 and five cents is $23.90." Pull out a dime and say "that makes $24.00."
3. They've already given you the four, one dollar bills and the hundred dollar bill ($104.04) which you've also placed in sight on the ledge of your register.
4. Subtract the four dollars from the new amount due ($24.00 minus $4.00 = $20.00)

The rest is easy. Pull out twenties as you count to yourself. . .twenty, forty, sixty, eighty and one-hundred. You've counted it out into your hand, now count it back to the customer.

"Ma'am, that's $23.89 less four oh four. That would be $23.85, plus five cents is $23.90, plus a dime is $24.00, less the four is $20.00." Place the fifteen cents in their hand and count out the twenties one at a time like so, "twenty dollars, (as you put each twenty down) forty, sixty, eighty and one-hundred."

To Recap

Sales amount = $23.89. The customer gave you $104.04.

Deduct the pennies they paid from the original sale.

$23.89

-0.04

$23.85

Leaves $23.85 due from the customer.

Use the four one-dollar bills for the $3.85 which gives them 15 cents change.

$4.00

-3.85

$0.15

The customer now owes only $20.00. ($100 - $20 = $80.00 change)

The customer gets back $80.15

There was a day when cash was king. Although many people choose to use credit and debit cards today, some people will always carry cash. And remember, like it says on the money, "This note is legal tender for all debts both private and public." So until they outlaw cash, keep your chin up and count out the change. Count your blessings. It could be worse. You could have a job shoveling fish guts.

Delicious Baked Lasagna

The Secret's in the Sauce

The basis of a good lasagna casserole is the Marinara sauce. It's important to let the sauce simmer long enough to develop a good flavor while finding the proper balance of spices, type of sausage, meat and other ingredients. The sauce can be used for spaghetti, manicotti, ziti, rotini, rigatoni or even on French bread.

If you watched The Godfather, you saw Clemenza cooking spaghetti for twenty guys. His secret ingredient was a little sugar and a splash of wine while it simmered.

Prepare Ahead of Time, Bake Later

Making lasagna at home can take a little time, but the end result is worth the effort. Usually, I make lasagna to serve on Christmas Eve or on the day before Thanksgiving, since that's when most guests visit our house. The casserole can be made ahead of time, refrigerated, and baked on the day it's to be served, making it the ideal meal for a family gathering.

It can also be frozen for later use; however, I would recommend using a metal baking pan rather than a glass pan when freezing the casserole. It's possible to line the pan completely with aluminum foil so that the foil package can be taken out of the pan to conserve freezer space and free up the use of your baking pan.

Marinara Sauce Ingredients

        • 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon onion, minced, fresh or dried
• 4 cans tomato sauce, 16 ounce
• 1 can tomato paste, 12 ounce
• 1 pound ground sirloin, or ground chuck
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage, ground or links cut up
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions for Making the Sauce

1. Start with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot.
2. Add the garlic and minced onions and cook until they become transparent.
3. Add the ground beef and cook until it's brown. Spoon the cooked beef onto a separate dish and drain off any excess grease.
4. Using the same pan, cook the mild Italian sausage until browned and drain off excess fat.
5. Return the cooked ground beef to the pan.
6. Add the four cans of tomato sauce.
7. Add the tomato paste.
8. Add one or two teaspoons of granulated sugar along with the remaining spices.
9. Cover the mixture and simmer over low heat stirring occasionally for one hour or longer.

While this is simmering, prepare the other ingredients that will be layered in a casserole dish.

Ingredients for the Three Cheese Mixture

1. 1/2 pound (8-ounce) whole milk mozzarella or use pre-shredded mozzarella cheese
2. 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
3. 2 eggs, scrambled
4. 1 (15-ounce) carton of ricotta cheese
5. 1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)

Instructions for Making the Cheese Mixture

Stir together the ingredients for the three-cheese mixture while the sauce is simmering.
1. Shred the block mozzarella cheese or use ready-prepared shredded cheese.
2. Scramble two eggs in a medium sized bowl.
3. Add the ricotta cheese.
4. Stir in the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
5. Add the parsley if desired.
6. Cover the mixture with cellophane wrap and refrigerate it while you cook the lasagna noodles.

. Fill a large pan with water.
2. Bring to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Add the noodles slowly to keep the water boiling.
4. Cook the noodles until tender, following the package directions.
5. To make handling the cooked noodles easier, cook them 3 minutes less than the instructions say.
6. Drain the pan and arrange the noodles on a lightly greased cookie sheet for ease in layering.
If you prefer, you can use ready-to-bake lasagna noodles that don't require boiling before use.

Instructions for Preparing the Casserole

1. Start by spooning a thin layer of sauce into an oven-proof casserole dish. Make sure there's enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
2. Place a layer of noodles across the top of the sauce slightly overlapping the edges.
3. Next, spoon a layer of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Smooth the cheese to evenly cover the noodles.
4. Repeat from step one by putting sauce on top of the noodles and continue to layer the noodles, cheese, and sauce ending with a layer of sauce.

Instructions for Baking the Casserole

1. Cover the casserole with a layer of aluminum foil with small holes poked in the top to allow steam to escape.
2. Place the casserole on a foil-lined cookie sheet to keep the oven clean in case it spills over.
3. Bake the casserole in a 350 degree (f) oven for around 45 to 55 minutes until it starts to bubble all the way through.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven.
5. After baking, remove the dish from the oven and allow the lasagna to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting to serve. Use a serrated knife and a spatula to dish out individual servings.
This dish can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for cooking later.

Before baking, cover the lasagna tightly with a cellophane wrap and refrigerate overnight. Cooking time is slightly longer if the lasagna has been refrigerated.

Leftovers are great warmed up the next day.

Quick Meals in Less Than 20 Minutes

Making a large batch of sauce takes care of several pasta-based meals. Freeze any remaining sauce in family-sized portions, usually about two cups per container. After the sauce cools, ladle it into the containers, remove the excess air and store them in the freezer until needed.

A homemade meal can be prepared as quickly as you can boil the water and cook any type of pasta you like such as spaghetti, rotini, elbows, or shells. Turn the frozen sauce out into a microwave-safe dish and cover the dish with wax paper.

While the pasta is boiling, microwave the sauce one minute at a time, stirring between times until it reaches the temperature desired. Served with a side vegetable or salad and garlic bread and you have an easy, delicious meal.

Broccoli Ham Quiche - Great for Any Meal

Making a quiche is simple even for novice bakers. In a matter of minutes, you can put together this hearty meal that turns out great whether you use a ready made pie crust or make one from scratch. 

Most people believe that quiche is a French creation but the dish actually originated in Germany. The word quiche (pronounced keesch) comes from the word kuchen which means cake. According to the French Training Site, quiche is "a delicious egg pie with a nice buttery crust."

The beauty of this dish is that you can alter the ingredients to suit your personal tastes and dietary needs. Quiche can be enjoyed as an appetizer or as an entree for a meal. It can be made with different types of cheese using either whole milk, reduced fat milk or cream. Adding meat is optional. They're really delicious when made with cooked shrimp, chopped turkey, leftover chicken, spicy sausage or served plain made with only eggs and cheese.

Ingredients for a Homemade Crust:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of solid shortening or butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 - 3 Tablespoons of water

Making a pie crust is the first step. A fresh crust has only four minimal ingredients: flour, butter, salt and water.

For a one crust pie combine one cup of sifted flour and one quarter teaspoon salt with one third cup of butter or shortening in a medium sized bowl.

Using two knives in a crisscross fashion cut the shortening into the flour until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the cold water a little at a time to form a dough ball.

Refrigerating the dough for a few minutes makes it easier to roll out.

On a floured surface, carefully roll out the dough until it is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a nine inch pie pan.

A clean, dry, well-floured surface works best.

If the dough starts to stick, sprinkle a little more flour on both the surface and the rolling pin.

Transferring the rolled out dough to a pie pan can be tricky.

Start by rolling up one side and fold it over on itself. If it tries to stick to the surface, run a spatula underneath to free the edge. A little sprinkle of flour helps to loosen the edges.

Move the crust and position it in the ovenproof pie dish and begin to unroll it. Center the dough so that all edges have a bit of an overlap.

Trim off the excess from around the edge with a knife or kitchen shears. Fold under the excess and you're ready to flute the rim of the crust.

The fluted edge of the pie crust edge is formed by using two fingers of one hand and pushing a finger from the other hand between those two fingers, pressing gently to form a ridge between the first two fingers.

• One cup of shredded cheese.

Almost all types of cheese will work in a quiche. For this pie, I used a ready-made shredded blend of four kinds: Monterey Jack, cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero natural cheeses.

• One cup of milk

This time I was out of milk so I used evaporated milk. You can use half and half or 2% milk or skim if you're counting calories.

• Broccoli Florets

I trimmed these really small so they would submerge in the liquid as I didn't pre-cook them.

• 3 Large eggs - lightly scrambled
• 1 - 2 cups of cubed ham chunks

You can substitute diced deli ham, leftover baked ham, cooked sausage, shrimp, shredded pork roast, etc. or leave out the meat entirely if you wish. Just add a bit more cheese.

• 1 tsp. dry mustard (optional) and salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Assembling the Pie:

1. Arrange the trimmed broccoli florets around with the stems down if possible for an attractive finish.
2. Distribute the ham chunks over the bottom of the crust
3. Cover with a layer of cheese.

Scramble the eggs, add the flour and seasonings and mix it all together. Add the cup of milk and pour the mix over the ingredients in the crust.

Taking care not to overfill the dish, pour in the liquid until the bottom edge of the fluting on the crust is reached. Carefully transfer the filled pie crust to a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil.

Place the cookie sheet and pie dish into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to an hour. Jiggling the cookie sheet will let you know if the center is set and ready to take out of the oven.

Allow the baked quiche to cool for at least ten minutes during which the top will settle down a bit. Cutting too soon will result in the slices being too loose and mushy.

The leftovers can be refrigerated and warmed up for another meal.

Wrapping the outer crust with a strip of aluminum foil keeps the crust from getting burned during the long cooking time. I make a long two-inch wide strip of aluminum foil and wrap it around the edge of the pie crust before filling it.

This pie is ready to slice and serve with your favorite side dish like salad or fruit. It stands alone as a meal for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or late-night snack or can be used in smaller portions as an appetizer.

Here's hoping you'll give this recipe a try. Let me know how you liked your own version of ingredients. Thanks for stopping in to take a look.