Enjoy life with senior discounts! Creative Commons License photo credit: Woody H1

Senior Discounts have proven to be one of the most popular subjects on this blog. Today I have a guest post, written by Ella Davidson of the charitable couponing site, Coupons.com. Coupons strives to provide consumers with money-saving options while helping to better the world.

Senior discounts usually start for those between the ages of 50 and 65 but the rules and age requirements are always changing. Some chain businesses offer discounts in one area but not others. If you’re not sure, ask because not all businesses will volunteer the information. Don’t be shy.

Saving money just makes cents! There are plenty of web sites that offer information about discounts for senior citizens but many of them charge a small fee so be sure to check for that. Some are associated with large organizations, are well known, and have many other perks for their members. Others offer access to information about discounts, but you won’t discover what they are until you pay for the privilege. Remember to do your homework.

The yearly expense is usually not that much, but it’s still a good idea to research before handing over your money. If you are at least 62, the federal government has a fantastic deal for you. For $10.00, you can get a lifetime pass to federal recreation sites. There is an additional $10.00 required for postage if the request is made by mail.

The entry fee is covered for vehicle charges or for up to four people when the charge is for each individual. This is a great way to show the grandchildren how beautiful America is. Grocery stores offer discounts that are age dependent as well as day dependent. Some offer a discount only the first specific day of the week during each month. Others offer an on-going discount on store brands only. The rules vary between states and areas within states.

Some of the stores that turn up on search engines consistently are: Albertsons, Bi-Lo, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Meijer, Piggly Wiggly, and Publix. Check with a manager before taking “No” for an answer because some desk clerks and cashiers are not always aware of these discounts. If you’re looking for discounts at major retailers, you’ll have to look harder. There are a few

bright spots. Bealls, Belk’s, Bon-Ton Department Stores, Kohl’s, and Rite Aid have some limited programs. Some of the smaller stores with senior discounts include the Banana Republic, Dress Barn, and Stein Mart. The Salvation Army Thrift Stores and Goodwill offer discounts, which is nice considering they are supposed to be in the business of helping people.

For the hungry senior citizen, there are plenty of places to choose from. From fast-food restaurants like Arby’s, Boston Market, Burger King, Captain D’s, Chick-Fil-A, CiCi’s Pizza, Hardee’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, McDonald’s, Sonic, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and White Castle to dessert places like Ben & Jerry’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Mrs. Fields, and TCBY, there are lots of delicious reasons to grab a bite. If you prefer a sit-down restaurant, try Applebee’s, Bennigan’s, Chili’s, Denny’s, Einstein’s Bagels, Fuddrucker’s, Golden Corral, IHOP, Shoney’s, Steak ‘n Shake, Sweet Tomatoes, Tea Room Café, Village Inn, or the Waffle House.

For the adventuresome, many airlines, hotels, car and motor home rentals, bus and train companies, cruise lines, and airlines offer some pretty generous discounts. They know you don’t “need” to take that vacation, so they’re willing to go the extra mile to get your business. Just remember that the discounts are often off the full listed price. There may be package deals that often even greater discounts. In fact, considering the price of assisted living, you might discover that living on a cruise ship offers the same support, at a similar cost, with much better food and scenery.

Some insurance companies offer senior discounts. Insurance companies believe older people drive more safely. Banks offer some reduced fees and things like free checks for their older customers. And don’t forget about the inexpensive, generic prescriptions offered by many pharmacies although those are not usually restricted to seniors.

Cell phone companies have special programs for seniors. The presumption is that you don’t mind limiting your talk time to 300 minutes a month and using a very limited phone. Such plans don’t realize that seniors are getting more technology savvy all the time. Hopefully, the future will allow senior discounts for the more comprehensive plans.

Local companies offer senior citizen discounts. Companies that specialize in home improvements are very common. You might try checking with your local Chamber of Commerce. In the end, it comes down to being willing to ask if a discount is available. Check with the manager, so you’re sure you get the right answer. You’ll never know until you ask. And if you’re afraid you’ll forget, paper clip a note reminding you to your money or credit card. That way, you can’t forget.

Resources for more Senior Discount Information:

http://www.aarp.org/

http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm

http://www.bradsdeals.com/blog/2011/06/28/stores-with-senior-discounts/

http://www.seniordiscounts.com/business-faq.aspx

Save Money - Dine Out with Restaurant Coupons

If you don’t use restaurant coupons when you’re dining out, you’re wasting money. My family is big on eating out at least once per weekend and we never go without some sort of discount coupon. If fact, before we go, my daughters and I compare notes on which coupons we have and which is the best deal.

Now that my taxes are done and I’ve decided to turn of the TV because I can’t listen to anymore terrible news about Japan, I’ve decided to revisit Senior Discounts and see what new offers there are out there.

Chick-fil-A, offers fast food chicken and many offer a senior discount as well. My granddaughter loves this place and always asks to eat there if given a choice. I don’t care for fast food but I have to admire Chick-fil-A, which closes on Sundays because the owners are Christian and because I really love their commercials with the cows saying “Eat Mor Chiken.” This ad campaign has won many awards and I figure, if you have to look at advertising, it should be cute and entertaining.

One of the Chick-fil-A restaurants in Fort Worth, Texas will be the first

restaurant in the area to get its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and it’s only the second restaurant in Texas to seek this energy efficient designation.

Many locations also give a 10% senior discount or a free small drink to customers so, combined with everything else, there are many reasons to visit if my granddaughter asks to go.

Another fast food type place offering a senior discount at many locations is Schlotzky’s deli sandwiches. This is one of the only fast food type eating places where I actually like to eat. Many offer a 10% discount to those over age 60. At our area Schlotzky’s, we get a 20% discount using a special card we get from the local newspaper. The Star Telegram offers a “press pass” to subscribers if they subscribe for 6 months or a year at a time, which offers discounts on dozens of area restaurants and attractions.

The only recent news I have on Schozkey’s is that they now offer Cinnabon’s in many locations. I don’t eat these but I love to smell them!

While you’re eating, leave your car at a Jiffy Lube Service Center where many locations offer a 10% discount on parts and services to those over age 55. Discounts may vary by location so check in your local area.

You can also get a hair cut at SuperCuts while you wait for your car. With 20,000 locations in the US, you’re sure to find one near you. Many offer a $2 senior discount on hair cuts for those over age 60.

Have you finished your taxes? Find out how to get senior discounts and help preparing your taxes this year at Senior Discounts.com

Speaking of taxes, many states offer property tax exemptions for seniors, veterans or for homesteading. Here in Texas, we get a discount on our primary residence and also, when we reach 65, our tax level is locked in from future raises. Click here for more tips on property tax discounts from Senior Discounts.com

If any of your favorite haunts offer a senior discount, I’d love for you to post it in the comment section.

Free Senior Discount Newsletters

More Senior Discounts

Group buying websites have exploded this past year, with sites like Groupon, Eversave and Living Social gaining in popularity. The idea behind group buying sites is that different businesses offer daily deals in your city, such as $50 worth of food at a restaurant for $25 or unlimited yoga classes for one month for $20. When and if enough people buy the deal, it “goes through” and everybody gets a coupon to print out.

The daily deals are all different so you never know what will pop up. You sign up for free with the various websites and they email you the deal of the day. If you want it, all you do is click and buy. Some of the daily deals are also Online stores, for instance I got $30 worth of tea for $10 from a site where I just ordered the tea and used my coupon code.

More and more people are using clipping coupons these days and group buying websites are just an updated extension of old fashioned coupons.

I’ve gotten the aforementioned yoga classes, several restaurant deals, $25 worth of popcorn for $15 at the Popcorn Factory and various other things. I’m lucky that I live near 2 large cities so there are plenty of deals for our area. If you live in a smaller area, group buying may not be available yet. But they are constantly adding new cities and areas to Groupon and Eversave.

I’ve signed up for several of the group buying sites, although Groupon is the one I buy the most from. Here’s a run down on them:

Eversave - Get $5 credit just for signing up. Gave a $10 credit for the holidays too. Also offers a related coupon website for checking out coupons and printing them. Eversave offers more than one deal a day and you also have more than one day to get the “daily deal.”

Eversave tends to have more Online deals than Groupon. Today I got $30 worth of

Groupon - Groupon was the first and is currently the largest group buying website and is in 91 cities and 23 different countries. Recent deals include massages, tickets to college football games, lots of restaurant deals. Besides the daily deal for your city, there are also deals for nearby cities and, while most expire in 24 hours, they are beginning to add new ones with a few days to purchase.

Seize the Deal - Some of their recent daily group buys include massages, tickets to the Nutcracker ballet, restaurant deals and tickets to the Texas Motor Speedway. Some of their deals are up for several days before closing. I haven’t purchased anything from this one yet but I like seeing what they offer every day.

Urban Dealight - is newer on the group buying scene. I haven’t bought anything from them yet either. Their deals seem to be fewer and farther between at this point but they will probably grow over time.

Living Social is in 89 cities. This one is new to me and I haven’t purchased anything here yet.

Dealster is in 50 cities in the US. I just recently signed up for this group buying site but some recent deals are as much as 95% off what you’re purchasing.

With each of these sites, when you click on the daily deal, it gives you a link to the website and describes in detail just what the deal covers. You also have an account so all of the daily deals are stored there and you can either print them out and mark them as used or keep them until you’d like to use them. You can also purchase them as a gift for a friend.

These days, I like to save money any way I can and I always love a good deal. Group buying sites are here to stay and offering more and more great deals all the time.

I recently discovered Groupon and it’s a great way to save money on restaurants, entertainment, spa treatments and more. How does Groupon work? You sign up for free for the city or cities of your choice and then each day one business offers a special deal which saves you anywhere from 50% to 90% for dinners, yoga classes, massages, bowling, or just about any service or business you can imagine. The deal is emailed directly to you each day.

If you want the Groupon deal, you can purchase a printable coupon and off you go.

The idea behind Groupon is that if lots of people group together and take a deal, it makes it worthwhile for the business to offer it.

Groupon.com is not specifically a senior discount site but it sure helps seniors stretch their dollars. Yesterday I bought a Groupon certificate for a local restaurant. The deal was $25 worth for $12. So the next time we visit Habenaro’s Mexican Restaurant, our first $25 is already paid for with more than a 50% discount.

The only drawback to Groupon is that you have to live near a major city but more cities are being offered all the time. Plus, think of Groupon next time you travel. You always have several months to use the deal after you buy it. You can also buy Groupon coupons to give as gift certificates so if you have a friend or relative in a major city, sign up for their city and view the deals!

Visit Groupon today and save.

Want to go organic but don’t like the high prices? You can get organic food coupons for many of your favorite products to help save you money. If you know where to look, you can find coupons for organic milk and yogurt, organic meat, organic baby foods and more.

Organic food coupons.com offers links to printable coupons for everything from organic dairy products to organic pet food. The website also has a handy listing of local supermarkets so you can browse their ads for organic foods. Chose an item, like organic free range eggs, and get a list of website to find coupons.

MyGroceryDeals.com is another site where you can find organic food coupons and it also compares in store sales at supermarkets in your zip code. If you search for “organic food” and then go to “category,” it gives you choices such as bakery, fruits and veggies and juices. You can also clip and print coupons on this site.

Another way to find organic food coupons is to visit the site of the company which sells organic foods and see if they have printable coupons. For instance, Laura’s Lean Meat offers a $1 off coupon for organic meat and Stoney Field where you can get coupons for their organic yogurt, milk and ice cream.

Organic Valley organic milk also offers coupons on their website for their organic milk, half and half, cottage cheese, butter and more. Print them out and take them to the store with you to save big on these organic products.

Most of these sites require registration, but it’s free. You can sign up for newsletters and email info too if you’d like and many of the articles are very informative.

Coupons.com sometimes lists coupons for organic foods too. Print out several if it’s a product you like. Recently, they had a $1 coupon for Muir Glen organic tomato paste. Since one can costs $1.79, I got more than 50% off the can.

Compare prices on your favorite organic products at The Find.com. I just recently discovered this fantastic, money saving website. You can put in any search term you want, for instance Organic foods which found 8,651 stores with 242,098 organic food offerings. You can compare prices, whether or not coupons are offered, or if the item is on sale or has free shipping.

The Find also offers lots of money saving articles on many different topics as well.

Other places to save on organic foods without a coupon:

Costco - Costco is carrying a wider variety of organic products these days. Be sure to break down the price per unit to see if you’re really saving money, however. Just because it’s at Costco, doesn’t necessarily make it cheaper. If you can’t use a huge bin or organic lettuce and throw 2/3 of it away, are you really saving money? On the other hand, if you can freeze or preserve the leftovers, and you can use it all in a green smoothie, for instance, you would save money on that tub of spinach.

Walmart too is starting to carry more organic options. However, be sure to check for freshness. I’ve seen organic grapes and other produce at Walmart for a good price but because not many people are buying them, half the bag is inedible.

Eating organic foods is better for your health and the environment at a whole and now you know it’s possible to get more of these nutritious foods into your diet and save money with organic food coupons.

As I find more websites offering Organic coupons, I’ll add those too so check back frequently. If you have a good source for organic food coupons or can thing of other great ways to save money and eat organic, please leave a comment and we’ll check it out.

Joan’s Boomer Blog - More Coupon Sites for Deals and Freebies

I love getting freebies and using money saving coupons. Coupon sites are growing in popularity and I’ve found some new ones through reading ShopSmart magazine. Put out by Consumer Reports, ShopSmart contains no advertising so there is no conflict of interest in the products and tips they offer to help save you money.

In a recent article, ShopSmart offered these freebie and coupon savings sites. Although these aren’t strictly for seniors, seniors can certainly benefit from these money saving websites.

Coupon Savings.com

Coupons.com

Grocery Smarts.com

Beauty Product Freebies and Coupons:

These money saving coupon sites let you know when department stores are having product giveaway days - such as free gift with purchase. Search by brand name or retailer. You can also subscribe to these great websites so you can get updated on new deals and freebies.

GWP Addict.com - Keeps you up to date on best shopping days for freebies with products like Clinique. Also a coupon page for instore or online coupons, grouped by when they expire so you aren’t trying coupons that are out of date already.

My Gift with Purchase.com

To get coupons for beauty products, lotions and body care products, also sign up with company websites. Ulta.com has a free membership card where you can accumulate points toward gifts, plus they email you discount coupons for online or in store shopping. Other companies like Aveda and Oil of Olay also offer discount coupons for signing up at their website.

Forums where coupons savings shoppers swap tips:

A Full Cup.com

Moms View.com

Slick Deals.com

Some recommendations when using freebie and coupon sites:

Print only from reputable coupon sites. Make sure coupons contain bar codes and expiration dates.

It might be helpful to set up a separate email address just for all your coupons site sign-ups. This will help you avoid spam and keep all our coupons and newsletters in one place. I’ve had to create new email addresses over the years when old ones got too spam filled. I use these older ones for my coupon site sign-ups.

Have Fun and Earn Prizes with SwagBucks!

Want to have some fun and win some prizes? Swagbucks is almost a phenomenon these days. Sign up is totally free and everything you do helps you to win Swagbucks prizes. I recently installed the Swagbucks tool bar so it comes up each day. I can use the Swagbucks search tool, check the blog for the daily prize code, or shop using the stores on Swagbucks. Just about everything you do can earn you come bucks, which you can then spend on free prizes.

What Kind of Prizes can I win with Swagbucks?

One recent special offer was a $5 Amazon gift card for 450 Swagbucks. This was marked down from 1,000 Swagbucks and thousands of people took advantage of this one. Every day there are some special offers or you can just visit the Swagbucks store to see prizes like:

• Gift Cards for various online stores
• Tee shirts, hats and other fashion gear
• Magazine subscriptions
• Books
• Gift sets
• Video games
• Music

Here’s a great way to save money when dining out. With just 400 Swagbucks you can purchase a gift card for a $25 e-card for Restaurants.com. At Restaurants.com you can then buy $25 gift cards for various restaurants for just $15 - which would be free if you used your Swagbucks card.

There are 43 great gift card choices, including Starbucks, Target, Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Ticket Master, Lowes, Paypal and many many more. You’re sure to find a gift card that you can use yourself or give as a gift.

You can also get Swagbucks widgets for your blog or website. There’s a group on Facebook to keep you up to date as well.

Another way to save with Swagbucks is to sign up for their free newsletter which lists the latest offers for your favorite stores or the latest Swagbucks news.

Sign up for SwagBucks today. Have some fun and win some prizes, all for just searching or shopping at stores you’d ordinarily use anyway.

Free Newsletters for Senior Discounts, Coupons, Freebies and Samples

‘ve scoured the internet for Senior Discounts and I came up with a list of websites which offer free daily or weekly email newsletters listing new discounts, coupons, freebies and samples. Many of these discounts aren’t just for senior citizens either. Anyone with a little time can save big on the many discount and coupon offers out there.

If you sign up for the free newsletters, you get a summary of new coupons and discounts and also, having  link handy in your inbox helps you remember who has the great money savers you are looking for. I can tall you that, with age, memory is the first thing to go-lol.

Here is a great list of online discount and coupon websites that offer free registration and a free newsletter, along with a summery of what they offer.

SeniorDiscounts.com offers a weekly newsletter with “hundreds of senior discounts,” opportunities to enter contests and more info on how to locate senior discounts. On their homepage is a list of featured discounts. There is also a paid subscription to this site but you don’t have to join to gain benefits. You can also submit any discounts you find to this website too.

These sites also have free newsletters with coupons and freebies and they aren’t just for seniors. You can save a lot of money each week with these great newsletters though.

CouponSurfers - Emails you a newsletter with about 10 of the weeks’ new printable coupons. They list nearly 300 printable coupons on their website.

Coupon websites abound on the Internet. Many have free newsletters or you can save the listing in a file and check them weekly for the best deals. You don’t have to be a senior to get these great discounts!

Printable Coupons.blogspot.com offers grocery, restaurant, retail, pet food coupons and more.

StartSampling.com offers printable coupons and samples and freebies. The only catch to the freebies is that you have to give your name and address so they can mail them to you. This can be good or bad. They can mail you samples and coupons if you don’t mind getting a little more “junk” mail.  I’ve gotten free magazine subscriptions through this website, including Parents Magazine for my daughter and Better Homes and Gardens for me - as well as lots of free samples.

CouponCabin.com offers a weekly newsletter with coupons to your inbox, plus a listing of coupons you can use on the internet. Great listing of printable coupons.

ValPak.com You may be familiar with the Val-Pak that is mailed out to you with great discount coupons but they also have an online version. You can sign up for their free newsletter, tailored to your zip code, with great weekly deals.

Costco If you’re a member of Costco, you can sign up for their free newsletter and find out about their latest coupons and sales.

My Grocery Deals.com newsletter with links to printable coupons. You can also put in your zip code and get deals just for your area.

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter for your favorite grocery store. I go to Kroger all the time and they offer a free newsletter and printable digital coupons on their website. You can fine tune it for your zip code too. Kroger stores also include Fred Meyer.

Another great tip for saving on groceries - take your weekly newspaper coupons and match them up to the sales at your favorite store. Most of the time, Kroger and Albertsons, for instance, will match their weekly sales to the weekly newspaper coupons, which doubles your savings.

Don’t forget newsletters for products you like also. I love Betty Crocker products so I signed up for the newsletter, which offers free recipes and over $16 in coupons in the last issue.

Here’s another hint for shopping on the Internet. If you want to purchase something, do a search for “product name and Promo code” to see what comes up. When I was purchasing domain names for my websites, I put in “GoDaddy promo code” and came up with a discount that brought my domain name down from $9.99 to $7.69 each. This works for just about any product if the coupon is out there somewhere.

If there is a store you frequent, sign up for their membership club or any newsletters they have. I love hobbies so I get an email newsletter from Joann’s and Hobby Lobby each week with printable coupons and all their latest sales.

You can also set up Google alerts to be delivered once a day to your inbox, keywords like senior discounts and you get a listing each day of blogs, websites and others which mention senior discount. I have alerts set up for baby boomer, RV Travel and Knitting, as well as Senior Discounts, which keeps me current on what’s being written on these topics each day.

Keep checking back for more senior discounts as I find them!

Where to Find Great Senior Travel Discounts
Among baby boomers and seniors, travel is often a number one priority in retirement. Finding travel senior discounts can a great way to save money and, lets face it, saving money is fun too! Here are some great senior travel discounts to help you save money:

Senior Travel Tips and Discounts

Senior Discounts on Transportation

When you begin planning your trip, how to get there is the first thing on the list. These places offer senior discounts:

Greyhound Senior Discounts - Traveling by Greyhound bus allows you to really see the countryside and leave the driving to someone else - Plus it saves money over flying. Greyhound offers discounts for seniors of 5% on fares for those age 62 and older.

Amtrak offers a 15% discount for those age 62 and older. For those age 60 and older, Amtrak offers a 10% discount.

Hotels offering Senior Travel Discounts

Best Western offers a 10% discount for those over age 55, plus extras like early or late check-in, free room upgrades or complimentary continental breakfast.

Choice Hotels offers a 10% discount to seniors over age 50 and a 20-30% discount for those over age 60 with advance reservations.

Hyatt Hotels offer up to a 50% discount for seniors over age 62.

Marriot Hotels offer a 15% discount for over age 62, available for hotels worldwide.

Other Travel deals for Seniors

National Parks Senior Pass This pass is for seniors over age 62 and costs $10, which gives free or reduced rates at National Parks. The pass is valid for the lifetime of the cardholder so it’s well worth the $10!

Check out special seniors only tours like this Younger Next Year Boomer Ski Retreat or these Spring Training Travel Packages for Seniors. Besides the advantage of traveling with other seniors, great travel rates are built into these all-inclusive packages.

Travel specialists like VacationsToGo offer senior travel discounts on cruises and tours.

Check out Exploritas, formerly Elderhostel, which offers not-for-profit travel for learning and adventure for those over age 50. Over 8,000 different tours available in all 50 states and 90 different countries.

As always, if you are retired military, a member of AAA or other groups, be sure to check those discounts too when you travel. Sometimes the way to get a great deal is to ASK for it! One way to keep up with new discounts is to sign up for newsletters offered by sites like these:

AAA offers a newletter on discounts available

AARP members get discounts on travel items like airport parking, rental cars, at hotels and more.

Orbitz and others. Besides a newsletter, Orbitz offers many travel discount coupons to use when planning a trip through their website.

Be aware that sometimes the best senior travel discounts are available only on the website and sometimes, it’s best to call the hotel or place you’d like the discount to see what’s available. If you don’t see the discount on their site, call and ask.

If you’re traveling outside the continental US, make sure the senior discounts still apply. Also ask about possible restrictions. Sometimes better deals are available if staying during the weekdays as opposed to weekends, for instance.

This is just the tip of the iceburg in senior travel discounts. As I find more great discount sites, I will post them so keep checking back.