AARP Rewards Online Community Smart Saver Contest

[AARPTeri]

Share your best savings strategies—and what you’re saving for!

Join the AARP Rewards Community Smart Saver Contest here in the AARP Rewards Connect forum and inspire others with your favorite money-smart tips. Whether it’s a clever budgeting trick, a savvy shopping habit, or a small daily habit that adds up over time, we want to hear about it.

If you’re using the AARP Rewards program to help you save and achieve your savings goals, please share that in your post too!

By sharing your savings strategy in this thread, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of six $100 gift cards.

How to Enter

Reply to this post and share one or more of your best money-saving tips, stories, or strategies during the Contest Entry Period of March 23, 2026, through April 19, 2026, by 11:59 PM ET on April 19, 2026. See link to Official Rules below.

Let’s help each other save smarter. Post your tip and join the conversation!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 or older. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited. Official Rules: https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Online-Community-Smart-Saver-Contest... 

[dianahunter]

GREAT idea! Makes saving automatic and painless. Out of sight, out of mind.

[karenc390368]

  I find the more organized I am, the more I save.  When I'm not organized, I would buy something ( like a certain spice), and then the next time I saw it, I would buy it again.  When you are organized, before I go grocery shopping, I look in the spice rack, see that I have everything, and I don't buy any more spices.

[ronvogel]

 I use a lot of gift cards to pay for things, and those gift cards are either purchased at a discount, or gotten for free.  I use cash back program for online shopping, reward credit cards, connections I've built with private individuals, programs like AARP Rewards, etc.... to acquire these gift cards.

 I also only use credit cards that provide me with rewards for my other purchases whenever possible.  Of course, the one thing to make sure of is that you always then pay the credit card bills on time to avoid any interest (which would wipe out the savings).

 I also make heavy use of frequent flier miles and frequent hotel stay programs to get additional free components of my trips.

[kf2304]

   I go to dollar store to get my cards and paper/party products and balloons. These things, when planning any kind of party, are way cheaper at dollar store, and can save you a lot of money.

[RT354122]

I joined my closet grocery store's reward program and every Wednesday, I go in and clip digital coupons for that week sales as well as checking the other areas, like frozen, for the random coupons that Kroger has available. AARP Rewards used to have Kroger rewards, I still look for those and hope you bring them back!!!!!!

[ChristinaS725030]

I  I have been using coupons since I went grocery shopping as a teen with my family. My mom who immigrated from Italy taught me how to "save money."  She always bought groceries on sale and was very disciplined to only buy what she needed and used clipped paper coupons her whole life. We never went to the store without a list, coupons and a discipline to look for the best deals. 

Today things have moved away from paper coupons and savings to digital deals and electronically clipped coupons. 

For anyone new to couponing, I highly recommend the Krazy Coupon Lady, KCL- https://thekrazycouponlady.com/

🛒 Grocery Store Savings

1. Stop paying full price 

• Use store loyalty programs (almost every  grocery store chain has one) Download the store app or go to their website and create an account to download coupons each week.
• Check weekly ads before shopping and plan meals around them
• Look for digital coupons in apps like Flipp or Ibotta, download the app on your smart phone.

2. Switch brands intentionally using store brands for extra savings

• Store brands are often made by the same manufacturers as name brands.
• Compare unit prices (price per ounce/pound), not just sticker price

3. Time your shopping

• Early morning = markdowns on meat/bakery often seen at stores like LIDL
• End of season = clearance on seasonal items at grocery stores such as Aldi, Shop Rite. Check your local grocery store and ask the personnel they can help you if you ASK.

4. Don’t shop hungry or without a list

• This alone can cut 10–20% off your bill
• Only shop the store periphery, outer aisles as most processed food is in the middle of the store.
•  

  💊 Pharmacy Savings

  1. Always compare prices

  • Pharmacy prices vary wildly in price,  CVS, Walgreens,  Ask your pharmacist if there are manufacturer coupons online for a medication. YOU need to ask - they do not offer this service for free without asking. 
  • Use GoodRx to check discounts instantly, cards for this are free. https://www.goodrx.com/

  2. Ask for generics if you tolerate the medication and your prescriber agrees

  • Same active ingredients, often 80–90% cheaper= SAVE MONEY!!

  3. Use membership programs

  • Stores like CVS and Walgreens offer reward programs and subscription discounts

  4. Buy OTC meds in bulk

  • Especially pain relievers, allergy meds, vitamins often much cheaper at Dollar General, Dollar Tree or if on sale with stacking coupons and offers such as at CVS with Extra Bucks Rewards.  

📦 Amazon Savings

1. Track prices before buying

• Use tools like CamelCamelCamel to see price history

2. Subscribe & Save (but audit it!)

• Good for essentials (paper towels, vitamins)
• Check each delivery—prices can change

3. Check “Used” or “Warehouse Deals”

• Often just open-box items with big discounts

4. Stack deals

• Coupons (checkbox on product pages)
• Lightning deals + promo codes

5. Don’t trust fake urgency

• “Only 3 left!” is often just marketing and not the true case. 

For catalog ordering such as catalogs, Collections, Inc, LTD Commodities, or Miles Kimball, add items to your cart and leave there. They will then email you that you left items in your cart and will give you coupons or free shipping as an incentive to place your order. IT WORKS EVERY TIME.. MY SECRET.   YOU do need to create an account and provide your email address. 

Enjoy the savings. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Saving $$ is my Part Time JOB.

SUPER SAVER 13

[rdklkk]

My husband and I go through our wallets several times a week. We pull out all $1 bills that have a serial number starting with one of our initials (first, middle, last name). They go in a special jar. We either take them to the bank when we reach $100 or use them on vacation to buy quick meals on the road.

[SereneSeagull]

That sounds fun @rdklkk 

[MariaK113398]

I use LED bulbs in all my lights, I pay bills online to save on stamps and I replaced my old AC, furnace and water heater in the last few years to more energy efficient models.

I do not subscribe to premium cable channels, instead I have watched a lot of their shows by getting the DVD's from the library for free. I only have one streaming service since there is so much free streaming available, my favorite is Tubi TV. I get most of my books from the library and go to their book sale every year.

I live less than 10 minutes from 3 large regional grocery stores, I use their digital coupons and shop the managers specials that they offer. I look at the online flyers for all 3 stores and plan my weekly  shopping. I like to cook and bake so I do a lot of that and I taught myself to make pizza. My car is old but still runs  and looks great and has very low mileage. My hair is pretty short so I color it myself. I do some of my own yardwork but get help with the  bigger stuff. I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger, shopped too much, etc. I only shop now when I need something, never when I am "bored".

I am still working part time  but hopefully I will be able to retire later this year after 49 years at the same job. My parents were my role models my whole life, they never had it easy and worked difficult factory jobs but they sacrificed a lot so I could go to college. 

Last but not least the gift cards I get from AARP Rewards are a great help, I have been doing the Rewards program for almost 5 years  and it adds up and helps out a lot.