Boomer Discount Trips

As a boomer, I have the time and I want to save the money so I plan my trips. The first thing I do is check the gas prices at various points away from my home. I do this by typing the name of the state gas prices.com. For instance “southcarolinagasprices.com”

I then put the city that is close to where I normally stop and I see where the cheapest gas prices are located and what they are. I do this several days before the trip. They may not be the lowest gas prices on the particular day I go but they will be competitive. If where I am traveling to has cheaper gas prices than where I am departing from, then I don’t fill up until I get to the cheaper station. If where I am departing from has cheaper gas prices than where I am traveling to, then I fill up the car. In the winter, I take 1 bottle of water for each passenger, each way. In the summer I double that. If we get thirsty, we can drink the 13 cent bottle of water I purchased from Costco. If someone wants a cola soft drink, most fast food places will sell you a senior drink for less than normal and the prices are all over the board.

Something else I use is Priceline for hotels and the feature where you bid for a hotel. To use Priceline and bid for a hotel, you must understand how to use it or you may get burned. Let me repeat that; To use Priceline and bid for a hotel, you must understand how to use it or you may get burned. It is kind of like fire. It is very beneficial to use it but you have to be careful with it. Biddingfortravel.com is a great website to learn how to use Priceline. For me, a 3-1/2* hotel is what I prefer but I have stayed at a 3* hotel satisfactorily. I am going to talk about my greatly discounted hotel stay via Priceline in a later blog. More Boomer Discounts

For more tips on getting the best prices and good deals visit Discount Deal Guide

Originally posted 2010-12-29 04:24:06.

Surprising Age 55 Benefits

The benefits accompanying that 55th birthday are many, and some of these benefits may surprise you. Advantages of becoming a “senior” can include perks in just about every area of life: finances, health, transportation and travel, everyday purchases, fun, and even education. Here are a few of those perks that you may not know about:

· Reduced insurance premiums: Although many insurance companies view “getting on in years” as an insurance risk, at the age of 55 you qualify to take the AARP Driver Safety course, which can earn you a discount on your annual premiums. This discount is even mandated by law in some states. Contact the AARP or AAA (if you are a member) regarding this program.

· AARP Discounts: As a member of AARP (you can join at age 50), you can take advantage of many of the AARP Discounts that may surprise you including travel, games, eye wear, free movies, insurance, restaurants, entertainment and much more.

· Lower property taxes: Okay, this benefit does not apply to 55-year-olds; you are still far too young to enjoy it! The Senior Citizens’ Exemption actually applies to some lower-income individuals age 65 and over. If you are 65+ and your annual income is $29,000 or less, you may be able to shave up to 50% off of the property taxes you pay on your primary residence – whether levied by county, school district, or city.

· Free continuing education: Thanks to the Senior Citizens’ Higher Education Act, after age 55 you may be able to take credit-earning college courses without paying any tuition. This benefit is also income-based: your taxable income in the previous year cannot have exceeded $15,000 to get the free courses. Even those seniors with more income get some benefit, though: they can audit a credit-earning course – or take a non-credit course – free of tuition.

· Active Adult Community: At age 55 you legally qualify to live in a 55 plus community or active adult community.

· Senior Center: Many senior centers or as some of them are called “active adult centers” have age 55 requirements. Before you laugh, you should check out today’s senior centers in your neighborhood.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. There are also Silver Sneakers gym programs, prescription medication discounts, senior travel deals, and benefits at grocery stores, national parks, movie theaters, hotels, restaurants, and many other locations. These offers for 55+ customers may not be publicized, so you should check with the local Chamber of Commerce, or simply flash your ID at your favorite businesses and ask, and you may be amazed at how much you can save.

AARP Discounts
Senior Discounts
Age 55 Perks and Discounts

Originally posted 2020-09-20 09:44:23.

Ways for Baby Boomers to Save Money Buying

Daily Deals and Group Buying- 2 Excellent Ways for Baby Boomers to Save Money

In the last few years, “daily deals” and “group buying” sites such as Groupon and Living Social have become all the rage so much so that Groupon recently turned down an offer to be purchased by Google for approximately $6 Billion! That’s Billion with a B! The basic idea behind theses sites is that they offer a deal such as some Karate classes that retail for $50 and sell them for $25. Some other common deals include deals on massages, food, entertainment, hair salons, and the like. If enough people purchase the coupon (or Groupon in the case of Groupon.com) then it becomes valid and drives a surge of business to the retailer while offering the customer a stellar deal (minimum of 50% off). This encourages people to share the the deal with their friends which is why these sites have taken the internet and shopping world by storm.

What makes these sites so popular and fun is that it’s a mystery what the next daily deal will be. It’s also free to sign up to receive the daily deals so the sites grow pretty quickly. Buying the daily deal once you receive the email is as simple as a few clicks of the mouse. Sometimes the daily deals are for online stores where you use the coupon as a code in the shopping cart.

These sites have sort of changed the “Sunday Coupon” section as a way to buy. With more and more people on their smart phones accessing the internet, the popularity of finding businesses based on people buying coupons will only grow in the years to come.

1. Recently, someone purchased a little two day getaway on Living Social for half the price. What was awesome about this deal was that it included a lot of upgrades for the room, free breakfast, and a $50 room credit which paid for dinner at the resort’s fine dining establishment. Living Social has a weekly travel deal called “Living Social Escapes” which showcases regional vacation destinations based on where you’ve signed up for. This is a great way to find a killer deal on a last minute vacation and usually the deal will allow you to book the reservation after purchasing the coupon at a future date that’s convenient for you.

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:

2. Eversave – sign up and you’ll receive a $5 credit. Also offers a related coupon website for checking out coupons and printing them. Eversave has multiple offers per day and allows you to purchase the “daily deal” after the day it’s offered.

Eversave usually has more deals than Groupon offers.

3. Groupon – Groupon started the “group buying” craze back in 2008 when it launched. Currently in over 91 cites and 23 countries, it’s growing rapidly and has attracted plenty of venture capital money and potential takeover offers. While most deals are for food, salons, and sports events, there are usually deals for nearby cities as well so the potential offerings are getting more varied. They’re also in the process of adding multi-day deals for some “Groupons” (as the daily deals are called).

4. 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.

Living Social is the main competitor to Groupon in the group buying space. In 2010, they grew rapidly by hiring new staff members by the hundreds. These salespeople fan out over their respective cities and find local businesses and focus on fun and exciting deals. They don’t allow just any business so they have a much more selective process for choosing deals. They also have the “Living Social Escapes” which are weekly vacation deals. I’ve purchased one as stated earlier and they’re spectacular. The purchasing process is easy and the site is attractive.

The structure of these sites is pretty similar in that you receive an email then click to a page which details what exactly the coupon gives you, the cost, details, etc. Since you sign up for an account, you can store all your daily deal purchases in the site as well as choose when you’d like to use them. Printing them is a breeze with just a few clicks of your mouse. It’s also possible to purchase these daily deal coupons for friends and family as a gift.

Everyone is into saving money with the economy still in taters and unemployment being so high. Group buying sites are a great way to shop, explore new businesses, and find great deals on things you’d be buying anyway. Daily Deals are hot. This space will continue to evolve and has already changed online shopping forever.

Originally posted 2011-12-23 14:23:10.

Baby Boomers Getting a Restaurant Discount to Save $

Chilli’s, has run a $20 special that is a great deal. 2 people get 2 entrees, 1 appetizer and 1 dessert. My wife and I get the entrees, exchange the dessert for an appetizer and get the 2 appetizers to go for another meal! What a value that is.

Groupon.com and restaurant.com are two popular websites where you can BUY coupons that will reduce the price of your meal. All the restaurants have their own restrictions on these coupons which greatly differ. Here is how restaurant.com works; it is a lesson in funny math I think. You go on their website and buy a coupon. Say you buy a $10 off coupon for $5 and you must spend $20 in order to use the coupon. You save $5 on a $20 meal.

Frequently at other websites you will see a 50% or even an 80% off coupon for restaurant.com. Here is how that works as I have used 80% and probably would not settle for less. You buy a $10 off coupon for $1 instead of $5 and you must spend $20. You save $9 on a $20 meal. What if a restaurant offers “buy one, get one free” of same or lesser value with their own promotion? That is a better deal for the customer; I am not sure about the restaurant. restaurant.com is a good deal but it is kind of like taking an indirect route to get you where you need to go. I prefer the direct route as I don’t want to do an inordinate amount of math to figure out what to eat.

You can check your favorite restaurant web sites and some times they advertise special prices and you can usually provide an email address for specials and promotions. I know someone who only dines where he has a coupon to eat. The coupon determines where he will eat.

As I look around at the customers at many restaurants these days and since the economy has tanked over the past few years, I have noticed that the customers are much older than before the economic meltdown. They are Baby Boomers, over 55 ! They have terrific purchasing power I believe and are large in numbers. Hopefully that will mean better prices and better services for the older generations. Maybe the Early Bird Special will get more aggressively priced.

Boomers, check your restaurant receipt as many will give you a sandwich, an appetizer or a future discount for filling out their survey after your meal. I respect those surveys and companys because they are asking you for something of value for them and they are willing to give you something of value to you to help them. That says a lot about companies that want to really partner with the customer by putting their money where there mouth is, pardon the example. I prefer to eat where I want and get the best deal I can possibly get while dining there. Something I haven’t tried but hear works well is scoutmob.com I intend to try them and I will report. Scoutmob.com is an application on your mobile phone and by email. It sends you emails and coupons of promotions at local restaurants. It is not all over the United States as yet but it is growing. The coupons are FREE where as groupon.com and restaurant.com cost money. Another way to get free items is to join the restaurant site on facebook but my experience with a variety of restaurants has been disappointing. Initially, when you join, they send you a good coupon but the subsequent coupons were things like “Buy One Entree Get One Free” and then in mice type ” requires purchase of appetizer and desert.” Chilli’s, has run a $20 special that is a great deal. 2 people get 2 entrees, 1 appetizer and 1 dessert. My wife and I get the entrees, exchange the dessert for an appetizer and get the 2 appetizers to go for another meal! What a value that is. groupon.com and restaurant.com are two popular websites where you can BUY coupons that will reduce the price of your meal. All the restaurants have their own restrictions on these coupons which greatly differ. Here is how restaurant.com works; it is a lesson in funny math I think. You go on their website and buy a coupon. Say you buy a $10 off coupon for $5 and you must spend $20 in order to use the coupon. You save $5 on a $20 meal. Frequently at other websites you will see a 50% or even an 80% off coupon for restaurant.com. Here is how that works as I have used 80% and probably would not settle for less. You buy a $10 off coupon for $1 instead of $5 and you must spend $20. You save $9 on a $20 meal. What if a restaurant offers “buy one, get one free” of same or lesser value with their own promotion? That is a better deal for the customer; I am not sure about the restaurant. restaurant.com is a good deal but it is kind of like taking an indirect route to get you where you need to go. I prefer the direct route as I don’t want to do an inordinate amount of math to figure out what to eat.

Originally posted 2011-12-23 14:27:41.

Thrifty Boomers Pays Off

Baby Boomers watch their expenses carefully because this tough economy has zapped what ever retirement funds seniors have worked hard to accumulate and save, no one knows how much money they will need to retire comfortably and no one knows what physical impairment may keep them from earning an income and when that will come. Everyone wants to retire comfortably with out much worry about money or health. We are not cheap, we are just knowledgeable from years of living and watching others before us struggle with economic situations.

I get it but younger generations sometimes don’t understand and it might not be their fault. Some times you can’t understand, till you experience. Have you ever told a friend a story and they just smile and nod but they didn’t really buy into what you were telling them? I think this has happened to all of us. On a later occasion, has your friend then told you a story of something that happened to them that was quite dramatic and very similar what you told them on an earlier occasion? They may or may not even make the statement “you told me something like this happened to you but it did not sink in until it really happened to me?” Point is that sometimes, no matter the age, we don’t get the point until we experience it and it happens to us.

With age usually comes wisdom so we boomers don’t have to experience everything to make rational, logical decisions. I don’t have to jump off my roof to know I might get hurt. Boomers, those 50+, retirees, those about to retire have the time and wisdom to search for the discounts, boomer discounts, senior discounts, weekly specials, sales and deals.

Baby Boomers don’t necessarily buy cheap but many buy smart if they have been able to save money over the years. That might mean getting a name brand quality item for a great price. To save money, it usually means that they have sacrificed either time or money. Many have lived their whole lives buying low quality, inexpensive and now they can afford to step up a bit with better quality and discounts. It might be clothing, cars, housing, vacations or just gifts for the children and grandchildren.

For more tips on getting the best prices and good deals visit Discount Deal Guide

Originally posted 2011-01-03 20:38:38.

Baby Boomers (Seniors too!) Save Money

Boomer Place is adding more content to show Baby Boomers how and where to find the best price when you buy. Getting a good deal to save you money for a better life.

Watching your expenses carefully in this tough economy pays off saving your money for better things. Finding a job may be difficult but saving money is something we can do to improve our finances.

If you are young just starting out or older maybe wiser, getting a better price when you buy and finding the best deal to save money will pay off big time. We are here to help. Look for our new posts with tips to help you find better prices on things we Baby Boomers are buying.

Also check out our Boomers Discounts page

Originally posted 2011-12-23 14:43:14.