Ranting About Renting

No doubt your biggest expense is your rent or house payment.As a Senior on a fixed income, you are entitled to a senior subsidized housing rental rate. This means you would only have to pay only one third of your income for your rent. In some cases all of your utilities are included in the one payment.

Other options are to have reliable roomates or housemates share expenses with you, or better still, pay a modest rental amount by living with compatible relatives in their home.

Local Library Lets Everyone In

Maybe you can't get a library card. Perhaps due to having a former account that went South or you don't have a utility bill addressed to you to prove your local residency. That doesn't matter. The library is still available for you. A lot of library items can be studied and/or copied while you patronize any library facility. And that's only half of it. Here are some of the other library offerings, which are all offered at no charge::

1.Yoga classes
2.Ballroom dances taught to all comers
3.Senior movies shown in the auditorium
4.Help with taxes
5.Computer "How to" instruction
6.Writing workshops taught by published authors
7.Laugh workshops
8.Rumi Poetry Club
9.Celebate Chinese New Year
10.Celebrate Diwali (the Indian Festival of Light)
11.Baby and Preschool Story Times
12.Travelogues
13.Lectures on various topics
14.And much more.

To Thrift Store or Not to Thrift Store

The thrift store is an important part of the recycling paradiem. (You know "Reduce, reuse, recycle). When we buy thrift store items, we're actually helping the planet. I like paying only one tenth of a regular retail price for an item. Purchased things are usually only gently used, and often like new. At Savers Thrift Store, I get my 20% senior discount on Wednesdays, and can also pay only half price for some of the items. For example: last time I shopped there, all yellow ticketed merchandise was only half of it's marked price.

Micro"Rave" Popcorn

It's called PrimeTime Premium Popcorn, and it comes in six varieties. It's very tasty with no unwanted  chemicals added. You'll get about 60 calories per two cups popped and 8 grams of dietary fiber.(This is based on the Butter Light variety.) Remember we all need our fiber. Price for four packs(2 1/2 servings each) is $1.00. Best venue for purchase is the Dollar Tree Store.

To Spend or Not to Spend

What does the act of spending mean to you or me? Is it a habit-something we must do every day? Is it a priviledge we allow ourselves because we can afford it?Or (Heaven forbid!)' is it an addiction, something we believe we must do?

To clearify these questions, I'm talking about discretionary spending, i.e. buying things that we really don't need. What if something we spend on, causes harm to ourselves or others? What if it is destructive to our actual budget allowance? Or is just a waste of money?

One thing I can do is ask myself If I need a thing today, or if I can wait to buy it next week or next month. If there is such a thing as an appreciation peak, could I not appreciate something more if I allow myself time to plan for and enjoy it in advance? Examples of advance planning and later appreciation would be a wonderful vacation that we are allowed to enjoy only once in several years, a family wedding, and the birth of a baby.

Let's be the deciders ourselves about whether we spend our money or not and when.

Saving Versus Spending

From my early gradeschool days,  I .made weekly deposits to my savings account. It was only a dollar or two, but it became a considerable amount over my years in school. Later, when I earned a little money on my own, all I wanted to do was spend it. Then along came credit i.e. buy now, pay later. The latter practice only contributed to my poor management of money.

Today on my fixed income, I'm learning to enjoy saving again. Without benefit of credit card, I,m planning to save $600.00 towards a trip to Minnesota in September. Like the young gradeschooler I was, I can start to enjoy seeing the few small figures start to add up into larger and  larger ones. Ah, the pleasure of saving versus spending.

Pride Cleaners, A Savings for Everyone

For only $2.35 per item you can have your nicer clothes dry cleaned and pressed at the Pride Cleaners.They give one day service, and are located at 4358 S 900 E in SLC.

The Wonderful Dollar Tree Store

Senior person says to him(her)self:  "I need to go to the store and buy a few things. Hm. I should pick up a birthday card, a jar of pickles, a picture frame, a flashlight and batteries, some detergent, and a loaf of bread. Where should I go?" The correct answer is The Dollar Tree Store, where everything is a dollar or less (example: greeting: cards are two  for a dollar). In almost every instance quality is great there, and they have a great range and variety of products.

Taco Bell is Senior Friendly

Taco Bell allows seniors a 10% discount on food items. Today I spent $1.79 (plus .14 tax) on a meal. I ordered the Nachos Supreme. It had the chips, smothered in beef mix, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. It was enough to fill me up for lunch.

The One Dollar Thrift Store

I bought a beautiful black vest complete with tassels for a dollar.My store of choice for it was The Friendly Neighborhood Senior Center Thrift Store.(All clothing items there are one dollar!)

My $15 Gas Rule

No matter what the current gasoline price hike is, I've decided to only buy $15 dollars worth per week. The rest of the time I will combine errands with coming and going to work, bus, bike, or walk, or better yet car pool.

My Local Walgreen's Store

Today I saved a bundle on a hair product and a bottle of soda:
         a. I bought a tube of Walgreen's styling gel for 99 cents. It gives hair great body and curl.
         b.They also had a two liter bottle of Pepsi O for $1.00.

Carl Bloch- TheTouch of The Master"s Hand

 For about 1/3 of a tank of gas (less if shared with others) I enjoyed a tour of Carl Bloch's beautiful original paintings and a large helping of inspiration. (Complimentary exhibit at the BYU Art Museum).

Wendy's Sr Menu

My favorite thing is the chicken crunch sandwich at one dollar each.