“You know you overpaid for that, right?”

It’s a half-question, half-statement that someone has probably directed at you when you told them how much you spent on something. Maybe it was a son or daughter or a close friend who said it.

And that brings us to our topic of today’s discussion: senior citizen discounts. It’s unfortunate, but many older adults pay full price on items, experiences and services that they can get discounts for. It may be true for you. Fortunately, we’re going to look at a few discounts you’re eligible for if you’re north of 65.

A List of Places That Accept/Offer Senior Citizen Discounts

If you take a look at the following list, you’ll probably recognize a few places and activities that have some sort of senior discount. But some will surprise you.

Insurance Providers

Older adults can save big bucks on almost every form of insurance available to them including:

• Car insurance (save up to $500+)
• Life insurance (save as much as 70%)
• Homeowners insurance (if you install a home security system) (save 10-20%)
• Health insurance programs (and prescription coverage) (op to $321/person or $833 per family)

Travel & Hospitality

Got the travel bug? As a senior, the load will get lighter – and we’re not talking about your luggage.

• Hotel rooms (save anywhere from 10%-50%)
• Cruise ships & tours (exclusive deals; vary from company to company)
• National park tours (discounted annual and lifetime passes available)
• Flight discounts (various senior rate packages)
• Car rentals (various exclusive car deals for seniors)
• Bus/train tickets (10% discounts on bus/train tickets)

Entertainment & Recreation

Senior living really does bring the best of both worlds: you can be adventurous or the life of the party without having to splurge.

• Going to the movies (30-35% discounts, $2-5 off on tickets depending on cinema)
• Visiting amusement parks ($3-7 entrance discount depending on location)
• Going to museums and art galleries (various deals/discounts, 25% off common)

Dining & Groceries

Remember when you asked “how are we going to feed these kids?” Well, those days are gone and to make things better, you get a discount to enjoy the foods you’ve always loved.

• Grocery store chains (deals vary from store to store)
• Restaurants (fast food chains, steakhouses, diners and coffee shops offer varying senior citizen discounts)

Personal Finance

Bills and repair costs don’t vanish once you retire, but they do get easier to manage with the right senior discounts.

• Debt payoff programs for seniors
• Government rebates for energy bills
• Home repairs
• Car repairs
• Phone plans
• Retail stores (namely apparel)

There’s probably a lot more stores and programs out there that offer senior citizen discounts, but these are the five major ones to start looking at. And the beauty of these discounts is that when used in conjunction with one another, you can save plenty of dollars overall, the kind of savings that younger you could only dream about.

Why Make Use Of These Senior Citizen Discounts

There are literally only two times in your life when you can use a discount for almost anything: either when you’re a kid (or student) or retired. Now you certainly can’t go back to being a kid again, so the next best time to enjoy some cost-savings is now. More importantly, taking advantage of these savings can have some major benefits for you as an individual.

Save Big Bucks

The most obvious benefit to these senior citizen discounts are the savings. Sometimes, 10% here and there doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up. And as mentioned above, if you’re using several discounts at different places, the overall savings can be great for your finances. This is a win-win situation especially if you have a modest pension (or income) and savings as well.

Save Energy & Time

The money-saving aspect of discounts for seniors is quite clear, but how does it benefit you in terms of time and energy? Well, the simple way to look at it is this: you don’t have to spend as much time looking for coupons, store discounts (non-senior ones) and competitive prices.

Sure, there’s no harm in doing so because that brings on additional savings. However, the exhaustion that can come from looking for and collecting coupons is something you can avoid (or reduce). And if you’ve seen what extreme couponing takes, it might be something that you may not want to dabble in.

Shop With An Urge Without the Need To Splurge

You still love to dine at your favourite steakhouse, travel to exotic locales or just watch a good movie at the theatre. But now, it’s your time to enjoy all of those things without straining your wallet.

You’ve worked hard throughout the years, and know what it’s like to feel the crunch or being in a tight spot financially. Now that you have more time for yourself, it’s only fair to have more money in your pockets as well. The long list of senior citizen discounts available to you makes that possible.