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Retired Community Manager

ATM Smart Savings Sweepstakes

We know that saving, especially for retirement, isn’t easy! That’s why the editors of AARP The Magazine created a digital magazine all about savings and retirement. AARP The Magazine’s Special Money & Retirement digital issue is here to help you better save for what lies ahead.  Post your favorite savings tip in the discussion below. Just by posting you’ll be entered for a chance to win the grand prize of $1,000!

 

How to download the special Money and Retirement digital issue:

 

It’s easy to download the digital magazine! Click here  to read the special Money & Retirement digital issue.

 

Enter the sweepstakes in 2 easy steps:

1. Sign in or register on AARP.org

2. Post to the “AARP Smart Savings Sweepstakes” discussion board.

 

That’s it. You’ve entered the sweepstakes.

 

Contest ends October  1, 2016. See Official Rules and Terms of Service. Be sure to tell us what you think about the new digital magazine by completing our short survey here.

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Contributor

Dont spend it if you dont have it
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Contributor

Support companies you believe in & whose goods & services are just as much about you & our world's well being, as they are in their own profits, I even rry to buy stock & invest in them (as part of my IRA retirement account, etc.)

 

Point is, as we vote with our dollars, as such, we help them succeed & lower costs for us, get products & services that we like, want & can trust, PLUS, perpetuate the benefit to them, that they can share with us in via better, more economical products & as investor/partners in mutual success!

 

Win/Win/Win/Win situations for consumers, investors, employees & companies CAN & WILL happen, if we, as consumers quit feeding those who don't care if we live or die ... happily/healthily or not!!

 

We need to demand better & accept NO LESS.  Too many companies manipulate us into believing we can't afford to be "well" ... with no concern about us if their actions are a cancer to us & our world(s).  It's THAT we can't afford! ... & we can totally stop that crap just by PAYING ATTENTION instead of paying those disrespect us.

 

I'll shut-up now ... 😉

 

Jim, In Pittsburgh  🙂

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Contributor

I think no matter what age we are that we should always put money into a savings for the future.

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Contributor

Everything adds up -- coupons, repurposing, sharing with a neighbor or family or friend, etc. If we want to outlast inflation on a fixed budget, we have to look for EVERY POSSIBLE WAY to save. All good tips below.
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Super Contributor

You'll be amazed at how much produce you can harvest when you plant a small garden.  I have 2 raised beds: 12'X4' that take up very little space, yet produces more than enough vegtables for my husband and me.  Grow salad crops first (lettuce, radish, scallions), then, when they're finished, around the end of April, replace with peppers and cherry tomatoes.  Grow you green beans and cucumbers up, not out, by stringing wires between two poles for them to climb. You can also grow potatoes in a bushel basket.  By adding a little organic fertilizer to your soil, one or two plants each are all you'll need to fill your baskets with healthy, all natural produce.  I scatter a few flower seeds like marigold and zinnia in the corners of my raised beds.  They not only repel the bad insects, they provide food for honey bees and hummingbirds.  The cost of store produce can be expensive, plus you really don't know what kind of pesticides have been used on them.  Finally, weeding the garden is a great way to get in some much needed exercise.  Try it - you'll be so proud to know that what you're eating is something you've raised yourself!  

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Periodic Contributor

Don't spend coins. Every time you receive coins, add them to piggy bank. When it is full, deposit the collection to your retirement account. Start another piggy bank.

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Periodic Contributor

I save loose change.  While out walking Im always looking at the ground for change. Especially outside fast food drive thrus.  People always dropping coins.  Laundry mats, fast food parking lots, mall parking lots, shopping centers, etc.  Just be carefull of traffic in these areas. Amazing how change adds up.

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Newbie

my kids are always teasing me about coupons, saying  "did you get that on sale mom", redeeming my freebies that come in the mail, etc...but when they need something, especially quality products for gifts, or home, what's their favorite line???? MOOOOMMM, do you have......... and of course i do!  I follow my own star!!

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Contributor

The very best financial thing I ever did was to increase the balance I had in my checking account to have enough to pay all bills that would be due the next month. It took years, especially for large ticket items like my house payment. But, each month, I set aside $1, $2, and more into every category. I never again had to run to the bank to deposit a paycheck, and I never had overdraft fees.

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Contributor

educate yourself to your bank's or credit union's financial benefits and take advantage of as many as possible-they do add up

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Periodic Contributor

I pay with cash and do without if I do not have enough.

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Newbie

I am now 69 and retired at 62, and the smartest things I did when I worked was to max out on my 403b the last five years of working and start a Roth account with what I could spare. The other thing I did was to buy Costco stock, although last year I sold it to buy mutual funds. The jury is still out on the mutual funds. Another thing I did was to establish a Schwab investor checking account with an atm card. The account earns a small amount of interest, but even that is a bonus. All fees--and I mean all fees including foreign travel are returned at the end of the month. If you are working, start an ira with whatever you can spare and at the end of the year if you think you can, put money into a roth account. Remember, you can always borrow against the ira at a low interest rate, I did with my 403b and it helped buy a rental condo in a ski area. I sold the condo when I retired and even with the capital gains, I made a profit of double the original sales price--although I was lucky to have sold when the market was high.

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Contributor

Automate savings by setting up a scheduled deposit/transfer to savings each month.  Even a little bit adds up. 

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Newbie

Start saving early- let the power of compounding help you meet your goals

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Periodic Contributor

Yup, I couldn't believe the saving per month by clipping couppons. My husband and I are on a "fixed budget" and this really helps alot.

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Contributor

I like how you give advice on scams.  I know too many older indiviudals who get scammed out of their retirement money.

 

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Periodic Contributor

My favorite savings tip is coupons. I use them all the time. Check online and you can get free coupons. Just print and take to your favorite store.
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Newbie

I started portal shopping and have earned a lot of cash back, which I then put into my high interest savings account. I was going to buy the stuff anyway, and now get anywhere from 2-15% back. Also, make sure and use your favorite points or cash back credit card, and always pay it off each month!
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Contributor

If there aren't any of your bank ATMs close by and you need some cash, plan ahead and get some at the grocery store. Use you debit card and get cash back. No fee.

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Contributor

It's never to early to start saving for retirement; we need to convince young people of that.

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Newbie

As a diabetic who must be conscious of my cholesterol, I shop at Winco here in Boise, as they already have the best prices on meats. 

I look for deals on pork and beef roasts, as the less meat is handled by the butcher, the cheaper it tends to be.

I buy several pork loins, and beef roasts with as little fat on them as possible, and cut them at home myself. I trim off all the fat, cut chops or steaks, meat for stir fry or stew, and I invested in an electric grinder so I can make my own sausage (spiced any way I want), and burger that is 2-3% lean, at roughly 25-50% the cost of buying the individual meats from the store.

Of course I have to replace the missing fat with olive oil when cooking, but it's a small price to pay to eat healthy without crippling my fixed income!

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Newbie

Learn to avoid impulse buys.

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Regular Contributor

Join in the AARP auctions and win great prizes! I got lucky in the first two weeks, had two great nights out thanks to AARP & Restaurant.com and still have another $125 to play with 🙂

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Contributor

I always use coupons, buy only what's on sale and only items on my list unless certain things are on clearance and it's stuff that won't spoil. I save lots of money that way and some times some of the grocery money put aside for that month will roll over to the next month.

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Newbie

I got rid of all unnecessary expenses--I have no home phone, no TV subscriptions (cable, fios, etc.) and have a direct deposit set up for savings, so I don't even miss it.

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Contributor

There are many ways to save with credit card points and cash back sites like Ebates.  

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Contributor

First, a budget is invaluable - track EVERY penny so you can see where your money really goes and which spending categories to cut back on. Second, as soon as I receive my check, my Roth IRA is the first "bill" I pay. Third, check to see if your bank or credit union has an interest-bearing free checking account - if they do, take advantage and transfer the interest at the end of the month into savings. Lastly, check ito see if they will round-up each debit card purchase to the next dollar and transfer the difference into savings. I've been doing the "rounding up transfer" for about a year through my credit union and, although it's not a huge amount each month, every dollar helps. I don't even notice any difference because I've always rounded up any spending in my mind (easier math!).

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Contributor

Be Regular, regardless of the amount saved!

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Newbie

Use just one credit card for all puchases and pay it off every month.  Make sure it has a rewards program that won't have points that expire.  Travel for little or free...

 

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Contributor

Put an end to impulsive buying at the Store by taking what i call a Bonus Excercise lap. During that time, make sure you Really Need everything you have in your Cart!!! Has saved me a lot of $$!!!

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