AARP Rewards Online Community Smart Saver Contest

grocery shopping

1) get store discount card. See if there’s  Senior’s discount day.

2) group items in shopping list by products:  Bakery, Meat, Dairy, cleaning.

saves time when you get to the grocery aisles.

3) enter essentials first, then see circular for sales items, especially for canned goods.

4) don’t buy snack size items, buy large sizes, then put small amounts in baggies.

5) everyone has some medical problems.READ THE FOOD LABELS. I need low Saturated Fats, Salt,sugar.

6) try not to Impulse Buy.

7) Pandemic taught me: You can’t have too much toilet  paper!  Or Paper Towels.Buy more whenever they’re on sale

 😎 Reward yourself with Dark Chocolate, IF it’s on sale.      Sam

My tips and strategies honestly run the gamut. In one basket, there are the strategies that are more gig-like (requiring, of course, time and other steps): doing AARP activities to earn points with the chance for winning something; doing surveys with a couple companies that pay in points or gift cards or sometimes in free products to test; focus groups; and clinical trials.

I do not feel, however, that sweepstakes are generally worth my time given the tens of thousands who do them almost full-time. Even when I was doing them let's say two or three hours several days a week, the payoff was negligible, definitely not enough to justify the time and hassle.

When it is safe to do so, I dumpster-dive at my apartment and workplace. Since I work in a school, I can sometimes find still-packaged food that are thrown away, plus a good supply of pencils, folders, notebooks, and pens, etc. that they discard even when still useful. Sometimes the same goes for faculty and staff--freebies over the years from my colleagues have included plants, books, lotions, boxes of tea, peanuts and other foods, and school-branded clothing.

I seldom buy any "new" clothes or accessories, except for suits/business formal, as there are half-a-dozen local thrift shops where I can also find still-tagged, brand-new stuff, if I put in the time. I've found tagged designer jeans that cost $75 for less than $10.

Like others have suggested, I also try to use my car efficiently. It's older, but a hybrid. Not only do I go to work in it, I take my teen to school and combine as many trips as possible. 

I also make use of my (free) local library and use rewards programs at several stores. I know I am trading my privacy and shopping habits for the latter, though, so I try to do it sparingly. You can create a "junk" e-mail account [and/or social media handles] through gmail, yahoo, etc. to receive these offers or surveys, etc. so they don't clog up your personal accounts. With the library, I can sometimes get free books or magazines, plus a number of free (introductory) classes, like yoga, meditation, and writing classes or clubs.

I also try to be mindful of others in my position or worse and if I have toys, books, clothing, extra food, and the like, and I give away many items every month at work or by donating back to the thrift shops.

All these strategies have helped my family and me--and, I like to think, my community and the environment--over the years, and that all feels good!

Save my change, take it to the bank and deposit into a vacation fund, gift fund or other expenses.

I take the free bus whenever I can around four different towns in my area.  I take my own bags to the grocery stores and use coupons  Try to get as many freebies as possible on AARP Rewards.

So i discovered hostels a few yrs back. Incredible savings. You can share a room or not. You can meet  people  from all other or not. Great  culture  experience and helped break the alone feeling  traveling  solo. 

Saved 30.00 on Electric bill a month

If you use dishwasher after  9.

Also disconnect charges plug in wall and not being used

 I track all my expenses including small purchases, and record them on a monthly budget sheet.  This allows me to monitor to see how much I spend, and to cut costs when necessary.  This is one way it helps me toward achieving my goal in life, and cuts down on stress.

Smart Saver Contest

I save money so I can afford to take vacations.

1. My healthcare provider is a senior practice that doesn't charge a copay for visits. 

2. My insurer offers benefits when I meet certain health milestones: mammogram, annual visit, volunteering, colonoscopy, etc. I accumulate credits and use them to buy gift cards for gas, restaurants & more.

3. I use a rebate app where I buy sponsored products, photograph my receipts, and earn cash back and bonuses. It's nickels and dimes at a time, but over the past 7 years I've cashed out $1,500.

4. I maximize coupons. I removed my grocer's shopping app, so they started sending me paper coupons based on products I actually buy. In the store I still go online to access other digital coupons.

5. I use AARP Rewards to buy and sometimes win gift cards.

6. I have used AARP travel for hotel discounts.

7. I save gas by not driving unless I have to. If I need to go downtown, I take a bus. I can use the same transit app in Vegas and other cities to save money while on vacation. 

8. I give my grandchildren cash instead of shopping for gifts. It saves time, gas, shipping costs, and other fees. They also prefer cash because they can buy what they really want.

I use reward apps and buy only things I normally want. We signed up for the rewards program at our grocery store. I use discounted AARP gift cards when I remember to purchase in advance of a trip or making a reservation. I try to make the most of the rewards on my credit cards for groceries, gas and utilities. Subscriptions are tricky and I need to evaluate those I have to make sure it’s worth the savings and the timing.

Progress in my genealogy hobby by taking trips to local cemeteries for photos of markers, to help others by being their eyes and legs, and having other precipitate the gesture in kind.  Reduces expense of long distant trips for the same information.