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Living the Retired Life
Retiree Columnist Finds Ways for Senior Citizens to
Save in Tough Times
Today’s Letter is “C”. Can you say Cancel? Don’t
forget to ask for the astronaut room upgrade!
By Bill Kalmar, Retiree
 Aug.
26, 2010 - By
way of background, I am among the ranks of our nation’s retirees and
have been since 2003. It is a wonderful lifestyle and I can’t imagine
ever returning to the rat race of the employed. There are many perks
associated with being retired as most everyone who is in that category
will probably attest to.
Recently, AARP provided a list of “99 Great
Ways To Save” in one of their publications and it prompted me to respond
in kind with a column in Senior Journal entitled “How Seniors Can Cut
Back on Expenses in Current Economy Can Get a Little Ridiculous”. What
follows is my own money savings list for both seniors and the general
populace:
● If you have a cable TV system, it may be
prudent to compare prices with other carriers. Once you locate a
carrier with a lower price and with similar or superior services to your
carrier, do this – call your current carrier and inform them you are
contemplating canceling your service and transferring to “Bubba’s Cable
Service” for a lower price.
In most cases your carrier will match the
price. Unless unusual circumstances exist, you really don’t want to
transfer to another service because often it is cumbersome but if you
can lower the price with your current carrier, go for it!
● Trash pickup is another opportunity for
lowering your monthly outlay. Each time our rubbish collector hikes our
quarterly price, I call other companies, get a lower price and then have
my company match it. It has worked successfully for years.
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● I discovered some time ago that companies do
not routinely contact us about “deals” and “special offers” that are
available. Having understood that, I made a list of all our bills which
included utilities, insurance, both home, automobile and health and
many others too numerous to mention here. I then contacted all the
companies and asked if there were any discounts for seniors or any other
special offers.
To my surprise we qualified for several discounts
because we are seniors. We also discovered that discounts are available
if your monthly bills are automatically deducted from a checking
account. Once again, the companies will not inform you of these
discounts unless you ask!
● For you cable enthusiasts, HBO periodically
offers a free three-month trial. Call and enroll for the offer but make
sure you cancel before the three months is up otherwise it will cost you
$14 a month!
● Another valuable technique to utilize is to
call a company and utter those magic words – “I want to cancel”. In
fact some companies, on their automated telephone lines, have a special
section just to handle cancellations. What I discovered is that the
word “cancel” has a wondrous effect – your bill in many cases will be
reduced.
Let me give you an example – we receive the Sunday
New York Times and have been on a special promotion for $15 per month –
the paper costs $6 per issue so this is quite a savings. Recently the
three-month promotion ended and the Times raised the rate to $30 per
month. I called and cancelled. Two days later I received a call asking
if I would be interested in a one-year subscription for the same $15 per
month. Victory!
● Several months ago my free Sirius Satellite
radio subscription expired – it comes free with certain General Motors
automobiles. Sirius wanted about $12 per month for the service – I
balked at that and uttered the magical word, “cancel” Later that day a
representative called and I now have the system restored for much less
than the advertised price.
● As another suggestion, you might want to
contact your credit card company and mention that you are planning to
transfer to a competitor. That should get the financial discount wheels
turning at the company and you might just get your interest rate
lowered. Believe me, it works!
● Often when we make a purchase I pose this
question to the clerk – “Is there a coupon that I should be using - is
there a special offer that I missed – do you have discounts for seniors
or the military?” You would be amazed how many discounts you might
have missed by not asking these simple questions.
All of these inquiries and questions should be
conducted in a manner wherein the clerk or company does not feel
intimated or threatened by your contact or questioning. Do it in a
friendly manner and if in person, a large smile, and using the name of
the person, which is on their nametag, usually works.
As a matter of custom (or I guess of just being
cheap) I always ask for a complimentary upgrade when checking into a
hotel and most times if you do it with a smile, you will be escorted to
a larger room with an elegant view.
Several years ago we were checking into a hotel in
London, Ontario and I went through my usual recital of asking for an
upgrade. I asked if there was an upgrade for a member of their hotel
club – if there was a senior citizen discount – how about a Canadian
wanna-be discount? All failed.
Then I said, “Would there be a discount for an
astronaut”? The clerk looked at me and asked if I were an astronaut.
My response: “Surely you remember – One step for man – one giant
step for mankind”. She smiled and provided an upgrade.
Later that day when we returned to our room there
was a small package on the desk. Inside the package there was some
freeze-dried ice cream with a note reading: “Nothing to special for an
astronaut”. Of course she was in on the charade and we all had a good
laugh.
But don’t discount the opportunity to provide a
similar response when asking for a discount or an upgrade. I’ll bet
there’s a room with a view overlooking some pristine mountains and an
azure ocean for a Triple Crown Winner – just remember to wear your
riding pants and bring a riding crop with you when you check in!
L Bill Kalmar is retired in Lake Orion, Michigan,
and is the former Director of the Michigan Quality Council. He is a
frequent contributor to SeniorJournal.com. His opinions are his own.
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