There are so many ways to save money, especially when living on a fixed income like Social Security. The last two weeks, Aging Gracefully has concentrated on ways to help make that dollar last longer and go further in purchasing groceries, auto upkeep, utilities, home remodeling, and maintenance/cleaning. Part 3 looks at ways to stretch each hard, earned dollar when trying to find ways to tend to a yard and raise a garden, as well as expand personal finance, and enjoy entertainment.
The August 2023 issue of AARP Bulletin provided various ways to save in the article, “99 Great Ways to Save,” written by Beth Braverman, David Schiff, and Amanda Gengler. Most people know that some of the best compost consists of coffee grounds, if you live near or visit a Starbucks, check to see if they participate in the “Grounds for Your Garden” program that provides packaged grounds for free. If they are not participants or if another brand of coffee shop or restaurant is near, ask them to save their coffee grounds.
Growing a garden requires seeds to plant, but there are many groceries that can be grown without seeds, such as scallions. Plant them, root-side-down, in some water and they will quickly sprout greens to be transplanted into soil within a week or two. Celery bottoms and potato pieces can also be used to grow more.
Living in a rural area is beneficial to those who would like to grow a garden. Braverman, Schiff, and Gengler, suggests finding a garden club because members often have tools and equipment they are willing to share, as well as extra compost, soil or seeds. To find a nearby club, go to the National Garden Clubs website, gardenclub.org, or put together a club of gardeners in your area. A garden club can be beneficial for neighborhood plant exchanges each spring or fall where everyone brings their extra plants or cuttings from their own yards.
During the spring and summer months, a lawnmower is important. Purchasing a battery-powered mower can be cheaper to run than a gas powered one, by saving money on gas and maintenance with no oil changes and few parts to break down. Even better is being sure to purchase other electric yard tools under the same brand name, that way the extra batteries can be used with one or all the tools.
Stretching those dollars is important, and personal finances are always on the forefront, especially during the golden years. There are ways to lower costs such as looking for cash-back cards that offer more than 1 percent on those items most often purchased. Requesting a lower interest rate is another way to improve personal finances. Many times, the card issuer will help by honoring a request for a lower rate, in fact, according to AARP, the average rate reduction was 6.3 percent.
It never hurts to ask, so when needing to wipe away those pesky late fees, give the card issuer a call to see if they will waive them. If possible, transferring high interest balances to a card that offers 12 to 15 months to pay the debt can be beneficial, but make sure you are able to pay them off in the time allowed. This can save lots of cash, but only if you take advantage of the opportunity and pay it; otherwise, the interest will be overwhelming on the balance and it defeats the purpose.
The whole idea of retirement is to enjoy it, but for many, a fixed income can hamper any entertainment from movie going to travel. With the internet, smart TVs, and ROKU, the ability to watch a vast variety of movies from new to old for free is available. Avoid a lot of the apps that require a monthly subscription because many are free with commercials, such as Freevee, Newsmax, Filmrise British TV, Tubi, and Sling (free streaming version). You don’t have to pay a fortune for it and some even have live streaming. Also, for movie theaters, check out the nights that they offer great deals like free popcorn nights, or discount nights, and seniors, don’t forget to ask about the discounts for Seniors, AARP, AMAC, or NRA members. There are a lot of discounts out there if you just look and ask for them.
Rather than paying for a subscription to audio books or books online, why not go to the library and ask about their online program like Libby. Those cost nothing, but you can read as many books as you want, as well as supporting your local library. Join the book club if they have one that meets each month, it’s a great way to get out and socialize with people who have the same interests as you. Books take up a lot of space, so check out one at the local library or download it and read it on a favorite handheld device.
A lot of places like concerts, zoos, parks, museums, etc., offer great discounts for groups, so pull together some friends along with their grandkids and arrange a group tour. It’s a lot less expensive and so much more fun with friends and family.
“Aging gracefully,” is important to everyone, especially seniors, so taking the time to connect with discounts, every discount, is important.