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... 

[SereneSeagull]

Could so identify with the birthday rewards.  You can get a week’s worth of food with those!  Fun to do!

[ssefscik]

iI was one of those "crazy" coupon ladies years ago.  In the past several years, there are few paper coupons.  Some companies use emails to send coupons you can print out and use.  A few include frozen pizza companies, some chicken companies and an occasional butter/margarine company.

[SereneSeagull]

I thought there have been fewer printed coupons, interesting you say that.  Yes.

[CarolynP242490]

Dollar General often have gift cards on sale 15-20% off. Especially around Christmas. I purchase the cards throughout the year for Christmas gifts. This is a way for me to have a readily available gift at anytime for birthdays, graduations, travel, etc. and for myself! 

[SereneSeagull]

Really good idea!  

[Davidcbarnett]

File this under frugal. We started cutting in half tubes of toothpaste, hair cream, sunscreen, moisturizer etc. when they seemed empty. To our surprise, these often still contained several days worth of product inside the tubes, even though we'd squeezed those tubes to the point we were (mistakingly) certain they were empty. Given the cost of some of these products, getting three to seven more days of use out of them starts to save some serious money if you do this over a year. We realized we needed one or two fewer tubes of toothpaste, two fewer tubes of expensive hair cream, three fewer tubes of sunscreen, etc. While this isn't going to save anyone hundreds of dollars a year, it will save several tens of dollars a year (or more if you happen to use a lot of products packaged in tubes or expensive product). 

Once cut, we first scrape out the product from the bottom. If there is more there than we need to immediately use, we use a knife to "squeegee" it out and put in the top. Then, we slide the top inside the now clean bottom to keep the product from drying out. As we use the product in the top, we may cut another inch off to make it easier to access the remaining product inside. 

As a side benefit, given these plastic tubes are not really recyclable, using every bit of product inside slows its move into the waste stream. If you can then buy even one less tube of that product a year, you have prevented one less plastic tube from going to a landfill. So, its also a semi-green tip!

[SereneSeagull]

So you still have toothpaste in the tube?
   They make these clamps that go on the tubes that serve that same purpose.  I spend 98 cents on toothpaste, if I went to the trouble of cutting into the tube, I’d get migraines, lol!

But that’s great it works for you you.  Those clamps work fine for getting it all out.  I’m assuming you’ve tried those though, and reverted to cutting the tube open instead .?

[Davidcbarnett]

We were using CLAMPS. But, when I cut into the tube after it seemed empty, there was another six days for my husband and I to brush our teeth three times a day! We were shocked as we had expected maybe one brushing worth. We spend more than 98 cents on toothpaste but I am glad you find such affordable products that you like. It took maybe four seconds to the tube in half and five seconds to scape out remaining toothpaste in the top. We are not talking a huge time investment here. 

[SereneSeagull]

Wow, @Davidcbarnett so even with the clamps there was enough, wow.  Nice.  Some of them are expensive for sure.  

[BertyBGone]

Interesting ~ toothpaste clamps!  Do you just keep moving the clamp up the tube till you get to the top?  I'll have to look into this.  Thanks for the info!

[SereneSeagull]

Yes.  They look like sliding barrettes but I’ve seen different ones.

[Davidcbarnett]

 I recommend against the kind with the key that you crank. I tried three kinds and each one broke up the tube so I ended up moving it to a little tupperware container and using a tiny spatula to take out what I needed. All were wastes of money. We now use the cheap plastic ones that slide up the tube as it empties. I got them for free at a conference from a vendor in our exhibit area. The price was great and they have worked great for years. I fear dropping one on our hard ceramic tile bathroom floor and breaking it as I don't know where to get another one like this!

[SereneSeagull]

Yeah @Davidcbarnett  the cheap plastic ones that move up much better in my opinion as well.  Your description of putting the paste from your broken up tube into a Tupperware container and using a tiny spatula to apply will be with me for a while.  That made me laugh.  How frustrating to have to deal with a tube  of toothpaste that won’t behave in a turn key clamp, where you had to plop it in a bowl.  Loved the visual that gave me 👍😊

[hicks4000]

I do this too. Amazing how much product is left in these.

[delski1racing]

I use "GasBuddy.com" to find the lowest priced gasoline. COSTCO is one of the cheapest, BUT the lines are a mile long.

[SereneSeagull]

These days, @delski1racing , that’s a good reminder.  Thanks.

[petunia25]

Save coins in a jar, get free citrus from neighbors, utilize grocery store coupons, as a treat = eat out during happy hour, buy from thrift stores. 

[EiM243648]

I use the Fetch Rewards app to earn points just by scanning receipts from grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and retailers.  It’s an easy way to turn everyday purchases into little rewards.  I also use the Libby app to download books directly onto my iPad, which helps me keep up my reading habit without spending any money. Together, they make daily routines a bit more rewarding and enjoyable.  

I contribute to my HSA every year and invest the funds.  When I use that money for qualified medical expenses, the withdrawals are tax free.

 
Recently I wanted to replace a wreath on my front door that was starting to look worn out, so l began searching for a replacement.  I needed a thin one that would fit between my front door and storm door, but I couldn’t find anything I liked.  Instead, I decided to refresh my old wreath by dyeing the silk flowers and adding a new bow.  I went to Michaels with a 40% off coupon and picked up dye and ribbon for just $6.  I also used a $10 AARP gift card I had won through an instant win, so the project ended up costing me nothing- and I even have some money left over for my next trip to Michaels.  In the end my wreath looks brand new.

[SereneSeagull]

Love the Libby App with my library acces @EiM243648 

[drlot55]

I love a locally made rustic sourdough bread that is very pricey. When I go to the store, I look at the “sell by” dates on the loaves in the bread department and make a note to go back early on the date when most of them will end up in the 50% off bin. This week I snagged a sliced sourdough boule and a sliced whole wheat sandwich loaf! I keep some in my bread box and wrap packets of the rest and freeze until I am ready to eat them. Half price and no waste! 💪

[MariaK113398]

I do the same thing. I toast most of my bread so the 50% off section works great for me.

[SereneSeagull]

Great way to get excellent bread at a great price, @drlot55   Years ago my grocery store deli would sell “scraps” of deli cheese and meat and sell them at a good price.  I haven’t seen any that do that any more.  But with your bread savings and my old deli we could’ve made some good eats!

[jz5892]

Growing my own citrus gives me so much healthy orange and tangerine juice!

[SereneSeagull]

That’s the freshest!  So good!

[e659082t]

I save loose change every month in a jar and invest it 

[SereneSeagull]

It does add up.  Just rolled a bunch myself and couldn’t believe how fast it grew.

[ej64073754]

Take advantage of AARP's 50% off Walmart+ membership: only $49 a year. With it, you get 10 cents off a gallon at Murphy's gas stations. Before filling up, log into Walmart, select "services," then "gas savings." You'll get a code to type in at the pump that automatically takes 10 cents off a gallon. Within 4 months this will have paid off your membership cost. In addition, you get free shipping on online orders, AND FREE Paramount+ or Peacock streaming. (If you're paying for either of those, cancel and pocket those saving too.) For those who like to order groceries from Walmart on-line, you'll also get free delivery of groceries if the purchase is over $50 - easy to do in this day and age. It's a win-win.

[r429071v]

The 50% off Walmart membership is good but it is almost $10.00 more for the delivery every time they deliver to you. Is that a tip? It's much cheaper to do my own shopping somewhere else the way Walmart keeps raising their prices. And so many of the items are OUT OF STOCK that I have go to another grocery store anyway. 

[lori615]

I have Walmart+ plus and there is no minimum order amount for free delivery

[SereneSeagull]

Good luck!