Better tip material - there is a $2 bill in the US, seldom seen in circulation because there isn't an extra drawer for it in most cash registers, but nevertheless available brand new, for the asking, at face value, from almost any US bank.
Makes a wonderful tip - $1 tip, you're a cheapskate, $5, you have to ask for change - but you should see the smiles on their faces when you hand them a brand new "two-spot" as a tip. They usually pass them along to their children, and your bags, etc, will get extra special handling.
I once got a cola drink and a donut on a train from Brighton to London with a US $2 bill - I didn't have any Sterling (yet) and the attendant rather curtly told me she only took Pounds, didn't want any dollars, thank you very much sir. I said that if I could show her a dollar currency item that she had never seen before, would she trade? Her face said she had seen it all, but when I showed her the $2 bill, we had a deal. She was pleased and so was I.
There are also some new $1 coins, gold colored, just released, which might be useful, but I tend to like folding money better than coins.
Best Regards,
Echo Mike