Friday, June 05, 2009

Discounts for Dummies?


Day 5 of a month of me deals with discounts for the elderly. I was almost coming to terms with this birthday which isn't for 2 more weeks, till I got this in the mail yesterday. Now, I'm all for discounts, deals and special treatment for our retired folks who have earned it but when did AARP start hitting on the 50ish age group?
I want to thank all of you who have wrote in with comforting comments on turning 50, I like your spunk and hope to find my own, I really think this month of me will help! I'm not going to let this plastic discount card damper my month, I will take full advantage of any discounts I'm entitled too when the time comes, you can bet on that! I just wish everyone was eligible for daily discounts everywhere, wouldn't that encourage spending and help the economy get back on it's feet! But with companies like AARP pushing plans on us so early, by the time we are really in need of them, will the discounts be deals or policies for dummies who think they should have it because they hit a certain age? Anymore you have to be careful what you sign up for and read the fine print real good!
If any of you hold a AARP card and use it, please chime in here and let us know how you like it and how it works for you. I'll hold onto my "invitation letter" till I know more about it. I'm not bashing AARP just a little miffed that companies like this are targeting people who turn 50, I thought 50 was the new 30?

12 comments:

  1. 50 is the new 30 LOL! It's not about your actual age but how you feel :) Get all the discounts you can I say. LOL.

    All the best,
    Allison

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Sue - I didn't get one. I must look them up so I can get these discounts. Oops you have to spend money to get discounts. Oh well. Hope you enjoy yours.

    Hey 50 ain't so bad. To me it's kinda like I've got excuses now. I will be 54 this year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The thing is, they send the card and then most places only give discounts to 60 and up! I am loving my 50's. I think turning 50 four years ago was super!! I wish more women could embrace it. Society makes it tough for us but we are truly gettting better after 50. (well if you don't count the sagging everything and creaking joints! LOL)

    hugs, Linda

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ahh, 50, gotta love it. You might not like it so you can only love it. I agree, it seems that Senior discounts only apply if you're 60 so I guess I at least have that to look forward to.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh Sue, when I turned 25 I got my very first AARP in the mail..I told them I was only 25 that they should look at their records..never heard from them since...I hated 25 as I was halfway to 50..it really depressed me..now I am 46..and wish I was 25 again..lol..have a wonderful weekend..:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Take advantage of all the discounts you can get! I think 50 is wonderful, you can join the Red Hat Society! I am only 9 years away and I want to join!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AARP lobbys strongly for "senior" citizens. They keep the public informed about what`s going on in Congress and the Senate in regards to Medicare, Social Security and other issues that affect the older population. I don`t participate in their insurance plans. They do believe in healthy living, that age is a number, we can still grow as people and have a great life whether we be 50 or 100. I like AARP.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have only used my AARP card for discounts when I stay at hotels. It truly helps. I do like the articles from the newsletters. They keep me informed about Medicare and such ... which it won't be too long before I'll need it. I don't participate in the insurance plans though as I have one at work. Guess I'll have to bone up on what else I can get discounts on from them. xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Our daughter got her first AARP offers when she was 35 - she didn't like it. You don't have to worry about hanging onto that card - if you don't do anything about it they will send you another and another and another and yet another (a very wise use of AARP money - NOT). If you don't plan to travel much I haven't seen anything of discounts. Most places that AARP says offer discounts tell you - oh I didn't know about that - you have to talk to my supervisor - and the supervisor doesn't know anything either - and then you have to talk to the mall manager - and they don't know anything - and then talk to the mall service desk and they tell you that the discounts only apply AT the service desk - which doesn't help you at all - a real pain and time grabber.

    And as for the supplemental Social Security Insurance they offer (and claim to be the best) - BEWARE - read the details - the insurance starts the SECOND day of hospitalization - and that is really bad because the first day is when all those tests are almost always done - and you would end up not getting any coverage for them - a dirty trick that they don't willingly tell you about. I don't call that looking out for the seniors - I call that looking out for AARP - as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I wrote on your first blog about this but I want to add on this one. I too got the AARP invites and it made me mad. I am not old! And then I remembered reading something in one of my very favorite books. Sarah Ban Breathnachs book called Something More. Its the one after her Simple Abundance book.

    In it she spoke about not wanting this birthday. But the line that really hit me was.....You dont have to celebrate it or any of them, really. After all nobody can strap you down and force you to eat birthday cake. She chose not to answer the door or even accept gifts.

    Now I find that extreme but the point she made was a great one. AARP may send me mail.......but I DONT HAVE TO ACCEPT IT! So those get tossed in the recycle bin. Now that Im heading towards 60, Im considering it since I now also qualify for some senior discounts while shopping.

    That does bother me ,,,,,,senior discounts BUT once I really thought about it......I EARNED those. So now when I remember about that, I ask and sometimes I get it. Im still not sure tho if I want AARP yet. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am catching up today, and decided to leave one comment instead of several. I loved your post about faith, an have to say laughed about this aarp post. When I turned 50, 4 years ago, I got the letter and proceeeded to rip it to shreds. I did not need a reminder of my age. I think it is a rite of passage to either contact them or do as I did and ignore them....for now.
    ♥, Susan

    ReplyDelete
  12. We weren't impressed with AARP - won't renew:( and what was said in another comment is true, you will keep getting the stuff from them.
    I'm turning 55 in 4 days and I'm looking forward to the discounts! Every bit helps - accepting that doesn't mean you're getting old...

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting Country Pleasures, I welcome all comments, always nice to hear from my readers! Blessings!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...