AARP Rewards Online Community Smart Saver Contest

Once I use my monthly income to pay off that month’s bills (and avoid paying late fees or credit card interest) and have maintained an adequate emergency fund account (see AARP tips for building an emergency fund), I take the excess and purchase either a top-rated high interest CD or a top rated high dividend ETF with low business fees (depending on your investing risk tolerance), instead of parking my surplus funds in a very low interest savings account. I either use the interest or dividends to put toward a gift for myself or save toward a higher end reward.

I I truly dislike paying full price. As an 18yr old I started with using coupons and rebates. Then I signed up for contests and I kept some things I won, used some as gifts, and sold other items. I hung onto the gift cards that I kept until there was a sale. If it was an online purchase I'd put it in my cart and "sit on it" for a bit. Sometimes I'd get a coupon offer in my email. And I'd sign up an account or download their app. When the time was right, I'd use a coupon, my gift cards, any rewards from their app, and purchase a discounted gift card if their was a balance. Then, I'd scan my receipt on both Fetch and Swagbucks to earn points toward future gift cards. I'd let those points build up until they had a "point sale" on a gift card and grab them when they took the least amount of points. If I ended up buying a discounted gift card, I'd always use a credit card that gave me points toward my purchase. I miss the days when local stores offered triple coupon days but I've learned to adapt with the current times. I do avoid delivery services and all their fees and tips though.

My money saving tip is using cash. I then put all the change given back into a money jar.

One of the most expensive services for family members is getting your hair cut. One reason for this is the need to have this repeated often. Most people think this is not something that is easy to do. However, it is easier than most think. There are online videos with instructions (including gender, type of hair, etc.). As long as you don't cut off too much hair (in case you make a mistake), it is worth a try to cut your or your family member's hair. As you gain skill, your family can obtain significant savings over time. 

There is abundance in your community!

A resouce that I discovered during the pandemic is Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook.

Items are offered freely, no strings attached, and the item owner will select a recipient.

Asking posts are also welcome in these groups.

Items can range from furniture, clothing, ho.e decor, food, pet items, cleaning supplies, and even services!

Do a goole search for Buy Nothing + (name of your city/state).

Happy sharing/saving!

Switch to Tea for your health.Go to Republic of Tea website  and peruse the teas that may help you feel better. Research the ingredients in the tea. Buy them in bulk tea bags.Sign up for the Prime Citizen Loyalty Program.

I subscribe to my grocery stores reward programs for discounts and savings. I also use my credit cards that give rewards to purchase things I would normally pay cash for, then use the cash not used to pay the credit card off every month. Take advantage of the rewards offered in life!!

I annually make a claim on my heath insurance (Aetna) Health Fund account to claim reimbursement of my Medicare premium for the previous year. I do this early in the year when I get my Social Security statement. I then put that claim refund into my high yield savings account.

My health insurance states that you must use all Health Fund benefits plus $5,000.00 annually before a claim on the actual insurance is paid. So, I just keep my Health Fund low (there is always an automatic annual re-load of $1000.00 in the account for more current expenses). There is also a cap on the Health Fund that it cannot have more than $5000.00 in the fund or you will not get the annual $1000.00 deposit.

Check your health insurance to see if yours allows for Medicare premium reimbursement.

I use rewards credit cards and pay them off each month. I use grocery store app to get digital coupons and freebies with their rewards points program. They give a coupon for free items each weekend. I purchase clearance items and sale items at the store and online retailers. I use apps to take pictures of my receipts and get free visa cards, so far $100.