Article: For quick counting, the first thing you should do is create a stack of all of your 1s, all of your 5s, all of your 10s, all of your 20s, and so on. Gather all of your bills into one big stack and then go through it one bill at a time and put each one in the stack with its respective denomination. Do this while or after you separate your bills into different stacks. This may make counting faster and easier, and also keeps your money more organized. Pick up one stack and hold it in your nondominant hand. Grab the top bill with your dominant thumb and pointer finger to make sure it's only 1 bill. Then place the bill down on a flat surface in front of you while you count it. Continue to grab and move the bills one at a time while counting by the denomination. For example, if you're counting a stack of 5 dollar bills, think or say "5, 10, 15, 20," as you grab and place the first 4 bills onto the flat surface. Secure and set aside each stack of 50 bills of the same denomination. This is easy if you're counting 1s, because you'll just stop once you've reached 50. It's helpful to know the monetary value of 50 of each denomination beforehand so that you know when to stop. If you're counting 5 dollar bills, stop when you get to $250. If you're counting 10 dollar bills, stop when you get to $500. If you're counting 20 dollar bills, stop when you get to $1,000. Continue banding each stack of 50 bills and setting them aside. Once you're out of bills, add each stack together starting with the higher denominations and then add any leftover bills afterward. It may be easier and faster to use a calculator at this point. For example, if you have 3 stacks of 20s, 2 stacks of 10s, 5 stacks of 5s and 23 loose 1 dollar bills, your math would look like this: 1,000 + 1,000 + 1,000 + 500 + 500 + 250 + 250 + 250 + 250 + 250 + 23 = 5,273.

What is a summary?
Separate your stacks by denomination. Adjust the bills so that they're all facing the same direction. Count each bill as you pass it from one hand to the other. Wrap a rubber band around a stack once you reach 50 bills. Add up all banded stacks and leftover bills.