It could be cost-saving and practical for the United States to upgrade our currency and adjust our usage of coins.
• Plastic Bills
Many countries around the globe have successfully upgraded their currency to polymer or plastic based bills that are more durable and therefore save money. Such bills can also be more difficult to counterfeit using modern measures.
• Switch completely to one dollar coins
Coins last much longer than bills. They can also be used in vending machines with greater ease.
• Retire the 1¢ Coin
1¢ coins cost more to make than they're worth. Retire the denomination and round up or down to the nearest nickel for cash transactions. Non-cash sales could still be calculated to the cent. Retiring the penny has been cost saving for other countries.