New Tech Boomers

Special Bill here keeping you informed with more Simple Money Saving Tips for you to incorporate into your daily routines

Saving a dollar here and there every day can add up to thousands of dollars in savings over the months and years. Here’s how

Trim food costs

• Buy food at discount food shops rather than more expensive local grocery stores.
• Compare unit prices on shelf labels. Always select items with the lower per-unit prices.
• Clip coupons. Some stores will double or even triple the face value of your coupon up to a certain amount.
• Shop for in-store specials such as day-old breads or meats about to expire. But check closely for freshness.
• Try generic store brands rather than name brands. No-name cereals, for instance, can be just as tasty as name brands, at half the price. You may have to hunt for them — stores often place generic brands high up or near the floor.
• When an item you purchase frequently goes on sale, buy it in bulk — enough to last until the next sale.
• Don’t shop on an empty stomach. It will be less tempting to load your cart with appetizing pastries, junk food or other delicacies.
• Create desserts with basic ingredients like flour and sugar, rather than pricier pre-packaged mixes.
• Brown-bag it to work instead of eating in restaurants — this alone could save you $1,000 or more a year.

Buy clothing out of season

• You can get great bargains on warm weather clothes when they go on sale in August and September, and on cool weather clothes when stores are trying to move them out quickly in January and February.
• Shop garage sales, consignment shops and second-hand stores.

Save on furniture, appliances and other retail items.

• Buy at the end of the month, when items that haven’t sold are marked down.
• Purchase second-hand tables, dressers, desks, couches and chairs. But check carefully for cracks, wobbly legs, working hinges and the smell or look of mold. Make sure table leaves fit, drawers slide in and out and that your purchase can fit through your front door. Don’t worry about unattractive pulls or knobs — you can replace these inexpensively.
• Research the price of major appliances on the telephone or the Internet. Also, Consumer Reports publication, available in most public libraries, or online through subscription, provides objective reviews of just about every consumer item — for price, quality and performance.
• Buy reconditioned appliances. Look for ones with a 30-day guarantee that have been repaired, cleaned, and road-tested. One important caveat: some secondhand appliances can be less energy efficient than newer models, and could run up your electricity bill.
• Look for items with minor damage. Most stores will provide a discount, even if it’s just a scratch that doesn’t affect how the item works or just the package that’s damaged.

Compare gas prices

• You can save hundreds of dollars a year on gasoline by comparing gasoline prices at different stations. Or visit www.gasbuddy.com to help you find the station with the cheapest gas in your area.
• Always pump the gas yourself to get the best discount.
• Keep your engine tuned and make sure your tires are always inflated to their proper pressure to improve gas mileage.

Avoid bank service charges

• Choose a free checking account or one with no minimum balance requirement.
• Ask if you can save on service charges by arranging to have your pay or other income deposited directly, or through an ATM.
• Save by only using ATMs associated with your financial institution — you are usually charged extra for transactions made through outside institutions.
• You may be able to earn more interest by moving money from savings accounts into a low-risk certificate of deposit (CD) or U.S. Savings Bonds. Talk to a financial advisor about your situation.

Pay bills on time

• Always pay your bills and taxes on time. Interest charges and late payment fees can add literally thousands of dollars to your expenses every year. Plus, late payment fees on outstanding accounts could lower your credit score and result in your being charged higher interest rates on new accounts or loans.
• If the money you owe on credit cards and bills has grown beyond your ability to pay, you may be able to reduce your monthly service charges by taking out a debt consolidation loan.
• Check before using credit cards from retail establishments, or those that offer rebates, cash back, travel awards or other perks — they may charge higher interest or an annual fee.

Reduce your energy costs

• Arrange for your electric or gas utility to provide a home energy audit. These inspections for energy savings are offered free in most states, and can provide suggestions on how you can save hundreds of dollars a year on home heating and air conditioning.
• Enroll in savings initiatives offered by your electric utility that help you use electricity at non-peak times, such as load management programs and off-hour rate programs.
• Buy appliances that use less electricity. Many electricity companies provide rebates as encouragement for buying energy-saving refrigerators, washing machines and other appliances.
• Set the room thermostat a little lower in winter or a little higher in summer, and lower the hot water thermostat by 10 degrees. Most likely you won’t feel the difference, other than in a lower electricity bill.

Cut telephone and cell phone costs

• Check your phone bill to see if you have optional features such as call forwarding that you’re paying for but don’t need. You could save $40 or more every year for each option you drop.
• Call all the phone companies that provide service in your area to find the cheapest calling plan that meets your needs. Many companies offer bundled packages that provide savings by combining local, local toll, long distance and other services.
• Use services that provide discount phone rates by allowing you to punch in a code number before you dial long distance.
• Avoid operator charges by dialing long distance directly.
• Shop around for the best cell phone package. And make calls during off-peak hours to save hundreds of dollars every month. Many cell phone companies, for instance, offer unlimited calls during nights and weekends.

Quit smoking and gambling

• Quitting a pack-a-day habit can save you about $2,000 every year. That money could go into savings now and better health down the road.
• Likewise, lottery and gambling expenditures rarely pay off.

Plan vacations well in advance

• Before going to your travel agent, look for special deals on airline and Internet travel sites. You can then ask your agent to match the lowest possible fare or arrange it yourself online.
• Purchase airline tickets well in advance, and ask which days of the week and times of the day have the lowest possible fare. The price could drop substantially if you purchase the ticket at least two weeks in advance and/or stay over on a Saturday night.
• When renting a car, always ask if there are any special offers or membership discounts, such as those available to AAA members, which could reduce the price. And check with your insurance agent to see if you’re already covered for collision or other types of insurance before paying extra for coverage you may already have

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Boston, MA, March 17, 2006—Ban the term “elderly” when referring to older adults; the term is profoundly demeaning and stigmatizing.  That’s the strongly held view of many PARADE readers who submitted their ideas for new language to describe the stage of life between 60 and 80.  PARADE partnered with the Harvard School of Public Health and MetLife Foundation to invite readers to suggest new language that better reflects society’s changing attitudes toward aging as the Baby Boomer Generation marks its 60th birthday this year.  The March 19 PARADE presents a two-page report on ideas submitted by 4,000 readers.

Thanks to major advances in public health and medicine, the average 60-year-old today can expect to live to the age of 83, and millions will continue well into their 90s.  This longevity revolution has spawned a new, largely unrecognized stage of life, nestled between middle-age and old-age, spanning the period from 60 to 80. As Boomers enter their 60s, they will confront the questions “What’s next?” and “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?”

The cover story of PARADE’s December 11 issue invited readers to suggest new language to substitute for such terms as “senior citizen”, “elderly”, and “old”—labels likely to be rejected by Boomers.  Readers also were invited to address related questions, such as, “How would you define the meaning and purpose of this stage of life?” and “What are your thoughts on society’s expectations of and attitudes towards its older citizens?”

To mark the Boomer Generation’s 60th birthday in 2006, the Harvard School of Public Health—MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement has launched a national media campaign to promote healthy aging, reshape cultural attitudes toward the older years, and encourage Boomers to volunteer their time, skills, and experience to help strengthen local communities.  The campaign also will challenge the Hollywood creative community to re-think current portrayals of older people in film and television.

In the campaign’s first TV ad, music impresario Quincy Jones says, “They say when you’re over the hill, that’s when you pick up speed.  The “silver foxes” are the greatest force out there. [They’ve] got so much to give, so much to say.”  Quincy Jones encourages Boomers to “share what you know” by volunteering as mentors to at-risk youth.

The campaign is an outgrowth of a major report, Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement, published in June 2004, by the Harvard School of Public Health—MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement.  This Initiative is a project of the School’s Center for Health Communication.  Organizations participating in the initiative include AARP, Civic Ventures, Corporation for National & Community Service, Experience Corps, Generations United, The National Council on the Aging, Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, and Temple University Center for Intergenerational Programs.

Employing a combination of news coverage, advertising, and prime-time entertainment programming, the campaign’s messages will encourage a “balanced portfolio” of priorities for this new stage of life that makes room for community involvement as well as work, family, leisure, travel, and lifelong learning.

“Baby boomers have an important opportunity to redefine aging and the productive role that people can play in later life by becoming involved in our communities,” said Sibyl Jacobson, MetLife Foundation President and CEO.  “We are pleased to support this Initiative, which is stimulating thinking about the impact that boomers can have on our society as they reach retirement and the benefits they will receive from volunteering.”

“This campaign is a call-to-action for all sectors of society to develop plans for tapping the time, energy, and talents of millions of older boomers to strengthen local communities,” said Jay Winsten, Associate Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health and Frank Stanton Director of the School’s Center for Health Communication.

“We need new language and new images that portray healthy and productive aging.  Who better than the boomers, who have changed almost every social institution they have encountered, to re-invent aging and give new meaning and purpose to our later years,” said Susan Moses, deputy director of the Center for Health Communication and co-director of the campaign.

Center for Health Communication of the Harvard School of Public Health
The Center for Health Communication has helped pioneer the field of mass communication and public health by researching and analyzing the contribution of mass communication to behavior change and policy, by preparing future health leaders to utilize communication strategies, and by strengthening communication between journalists and health professionals.  The Center’s best-known initiative, the Harvard Alcohol Project, demonstrated how a new social concept—the designated driver—could be rapidly introduced through mass communication, promoting a new social norm that the driver does not drink.  

MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation’s work in the area of aging focuses on Alzheimer’s disease, mental fitness, civic involvement, and public awareness of age-related issues today.  Civic-engagement projects include the National Council on Aging Initiative, which will use new models of volunteer programs to meet the interests of today’s retirees, and the MetLife Foundation Older Adults Enrich America Community Awards, which celebrate the accomplishments of volunteers age 55 and older.  MetLife Foundation also funded the Giving and Volunteering survey series of the Independent Sector, including four special reports on older adults.