The "Saving A Dime - plus a PS" Story

It was an ordinary day. Reading some more old people material. Seems that's all that ever comes to me in the mail. Used to get Playboy then The Sporting News, but now all I get is the AARP Bulletin. I guess I've seen enough of naked women and baseball players so now I'm learning how to keep from getting scammed, how to take a safe bath, and how to use the Vacurect. About the only thing they sell that is really neat in the AARP Bulletin is the Bose System. Not sure why they advertise in this publication since quite a few who get the Bulletin are hard of hearing or can't afford it. Did find an article today that I could have helped them write. Story titled "99 Great Ways to Save! 2012." They broke the story down into 11 categories and told you how to save money in categories such as health, cars, shopping, pets, etc. Found a few that were pretty neat that I had never thought about before. First one was in Health where they tell you to join a clinical trial. May get free medical care and often at the top facilities in the country. There is some risk involved, but I guess that if you made it far enough to get the AARP Bulletin, what can you lose. Another neat way to save is one I hadn't really thought about. Did you know that most new cars that are made today use synthetic oil and don't need to have the oil changed until every 7,500 miles. In the Finance category they told about donating your body for medical research and when you do, the research facility will probably pay for your cremation. Pretty neat, huh! That's one I won't share with my wife, though. In the Food category they suggest you shop at the grocery store only one time a week instead of multiple visits. More likely to save because of impulse buying on every trip you take. I can remember when my mom and dad would go to Giant Supermarket on Monday, Central Market in downtown Lancaster on Tuesday, Oregon Dairy on Wednesday ............ Something pretty neat in the Home category was taking a piece of aluminum foil, rolling it up and using it to reduce static in the dryer. Much cheaper than the dryer sheets and you can use the foil over and over again. And, I never thought that if you put a rubber band over the end of both sides of a clothes hanger, it will keep the clothes from falling off. Tip #63 I have very little use for. Told me to Google "cut your own hair" so you don't have to use a barber. I've been saving money on that one for almost 10 years now. One I never knew was the tip in the Utilities category that said that when TVs come from the factory they are shipped at "retail mode" which means the brightness is on full force. If you reduce the brightness on the TV you can save on your electric bill. Just go to your TVs setup menu and look for "home mode" and tune down the brightness. If you plan on getting a dog, in the Pet category they suggest getting a small one and you will save a bundle over a year's time. One that I did know, but may help you is the tip in the Travel category. Fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays as well as in January or February to save on your airfare. Well, I hope you can save a few bucks so you can take a nice vacation. You know you really deserve it. I tell myself that all the time. Actually take my own advice often. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

PS - A few days ago I published a story titled "May The Force Be With You." Told about heading to Doan's Bones for BBQ for a late afternoon meal. While there we sat at a table along the outside wall of the restuarant. Two days later a large SUV ran into the restaurant and destroyed that wall, pinning the waitress against the rear wall of the building. Luckily she wasn't hurt, but where we were sitting was destroyed. Still have a few of my lives left, I guess.