Besides the pandemic, money seems to be the subject on most people’s minds these days. Closed businesses and layoffs have taken a huge toll on families’ ability to make ends meet. Retirement plans were upended, travel came to a stop, people found themselves out of work, luxury items were unaffordable, and “food insecurity” became a reality in the richest country in the world. In the week before Christmas, last year, about 81 million Americans experienced food insecurity, meaning that one in four did not have reliable access to sufficient nutritious food needed for a healthy active life. Little by little, things are beginning to improve; but for so many, money is still tight. In the July/August 2021 issue of the AARP Bulletin, the cover story tackled this topic with ”99 Great Ways to Save.”

“While shopping has certainly changed in this new American retail reality, plenty of this year’s tips … hearken back to tried and true principles of money management. Here are six practical ideas:

1. Don’t become addicted to Amazon. Walmart, Target, and Costco sometimes offer better deals.
2. Fix your leaky toilet. That steady drip, drip, drip can waste two hundred gallons of water per day or about $83 a month on your water bill.
3. Consider staying at a hostel instead of a hotel. Hostels have come a long way in recent years and can offer many amenities at much lower prices than what you’d pay at a chain hotel.
4. Use a drop of dishwashing soap on your glasses and save money on eye-glass cleaner.
5. Become an estate-sale junkie. You can find great jewelry, furnishings, and tools at really low prices.
6. It pays to adopt a senior rescue dog, which can have lower adoption rates or may include help with medical bills, food, and other pet needs.

For ninety-three other great suggestions on how to save money, check out https://press.aarp.org/2021-7-1-AARP-Bulletin-99-Great-Ways-to-Save. (You may have to wait for the July edition if it’s not out yet.)