Discounts, Discounts, Discounts

Money can't buy happiness, but neither can it buy poverty

Discounts are all around.  Sometimes it’s just difficult knowing what stores offer them.  Many senior discounts (from 50+) are not advertised to the public and the only way to know if one is offered is to ask ask a sales associate if that store provides a senior discount. We all want to get the most bang for our buck.  The more bucks we save, the more $$$$ we have for fuel for our RVs.

I absolutely cannot guarantee any of the stores listed below still exist or that the discount is still offered since I just copied them and put them in a table.  However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.  Also, don’t forget about military discounts.  Many places such as Lowe’s and Home Depots offer discounts to veterans. 

**  Discount varies according to location

Restaurants

Applebee’s: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+) ·		Arby’s  10% **
Ben & Jerry’s: 10% off (60+) ·		Bennigan’s: **
Bob’s Big Boy ** (60+)		Boston Market: 10% off (65+) ·
Burger King: 10% off (60+) ·		Captain D’s Seafood: **  (62+) ·
Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee (55+) ·		Chili’s: 10% off (55+)
CiCi’s Pizza: 10% off (60+)		Culver’s: 10% off (60+) ·
Denny’s: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members (55+) ·		Dunkin’ Donuts: 10% off or free coffee (55+) ·
Einstein’s Bagels: 10% off baker’s dozen of bagels (60+) ·		Fuddrucker’s: 10% off any senior platter (55+) ·
Gatti’s Pizza: 10% off (60+) ·		Golden Corral: 10% off (60+) ·
Hardee’s: $0.33 beverages everyday (65+)		IHOP: 10% off (55+)
Jack in the Box: up to 20% off (55+)
KFC: free small drink with any meal (55+)		Krispy Kreme: 10% off (50+) ·
Long John Silver’s: various (55+) ·		McDonald’s: discounts on coffee everyday (55+) ·
Mrs. Fields: 10% off  **  (60+) ·		Shoney’s: 10% off ·
Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+) ·		Steak ‘n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday (50+) ·
Subway: 10% off (60+) ·		Sweet Tomatoes 10% off (62+)
Taco Bell: 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+) ·		TCBY: 10% off (55+) ·
Tea Room Cafe: 10% off (50+) ·		Village Inn: 10% off (60+) ·
Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+) ·		Wendy’s: 10% off (55+) ·
White Castle: 10% off (62+)

Retail and Apparel

Banana Republic: 10% off (50+) ·		Bealls: 20% off first Tuesday of each month (50+) ·
Belk’s: 15% off first Tuesday of every month (55+) ·		Big Lots: 10% off ·
Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days (55+) ·		C.J. Banks: 10% off every Wednesday (60+) ·
Clarks: 10% off (62+) ·		Dress Barn: 10% off (55+) ·
Dress Barn: 10% off (55+) ·		Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location) ·
Hallmark: 10% off one day a week **		Kmart: 20% off (50+) ·
Kohl’s: 15% off (60+) ·		Modell’s Sporting Goods: 10% off ·
Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions ·		Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday (55+) ·
The Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off (55+)		Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month (55+)
The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50+) ·

 Grocery 

Albertson’s: 10% off first Wednesday of each month (55+) ·		American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday (50+) ·
Compare Foods Supermarket: 10% off every Wednesday (60+) ·		DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday (60+) ·
Food Lion: 6% off every Monday (60+) ·		Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday (55+) ·
Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+) ·		Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+) ·
Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week **		Kroger: 10% off **·
Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)		Publix: 5% off every Wednesday (55+) ·
Uncle Guiseppe’s Marketplace: 5% off (62+)

 Travel

·

Alaska Airlines: 10% off (65+) ·		Alamo: up to 25% off for AARP members ·
American Airlines: various discounts for 65 and up (call before booking for discount) ·		Amtrak: 15% off (62+)
Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members ·		Best Western: 10% off (55+) ·
Budget Rental Cars: 10% off; up to 20% off for AARP members (50+) ·		Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+) ·
Clarion: 20%-30% off (60+) ·		Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+) ·
Comfort Suites: 20%-30% off (60+) ·		Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations ·
Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off (50+) ·		Econo Lodge: 20%-30% off (60+) ·
		Greyhound: 5% off (62+) ·
Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance ·		Hertz: up t0 25% off for AARP members ·
Greyhound: 5% off (62+) ·		Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance ·
Hertz: up t0 25% off for AARP members ·		Holiday Inn: 10%-30% off depending on location (62+) ·
Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+) ·		InterContinental Hotels Group: ** (65+) ·
Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler’s Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+) ·		Marriott Hotels: 15% off (62+) ·
Motel 6: 10% off (60+) ·		Myrtle Beach Resort: 10% off (55+) ·
National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members		Quality Inn: 20%-30% off (60+) ·
Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+) ·		Sleep Inn: 20%-30% off (60+) ·
Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount) ·		Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50 and up ·
United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)		U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

 

Activities and Entertainment

AMC Theaters: up to 30% off (55+) ·		Bally Total Fitness: up to $100 off memberships (62+) ·
Busch Gardens Tampa: $3 off one-day tickets (50+) ·		Carmike Cinemas: 35% off (65+) ·
Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off ·		U.S. National Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services including camping (62+) ·
Regal Cinemas: 30% off ·		Ripley’s Believe it or Not: $3 off one-day ticket (55+) ·
SeaWorld Orlando: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)

 

Miscellaneous ·

Great Clips: $3 off hair cuts (60+) ·		Super Cuts: $2 off haircuts (60+)
Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+) *		Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service (50+) ·
AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $29.99/month (65+) ·

Thank a Veteran

 

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. -- General George Patton Jr

 

Yesterday we celebrated the 236th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.  Today we are thanking the veterans for their service.  Being raised and living in the United States we have a lot to be thankful for.  Much of our thanks go to those who served and are serving today in the military.  It’s because of them that we can enjoy the freedom in this country that many others throughout the world have never experienced. 

There are two blogs I read this morning that I would like to link here.  They both reflect back on their fathers who were POWs during WWII.  Both are definitely worth reading.  The first one is here and the second one is here.

My father was from Kerrville, Texas.  Uncle Sam claimed him and moved him from there to Fort Worden in Washington State.  Instead of moving back to Texas after the war he settled in Washington, married my mother and spent most of his life fishing in the waters around Port Angeles.

Terry was in the US Navy and spent time along with many of our generation in Vietnam.  He didn’t spend his time in the waters off shore as many sailors did but spent his time on land in Vietnam.   For the first time TV brought that war home to most Americans.  Those of us who had loved ones over there were glued to it.  Not only did the battles of the day cover the news, it was probably the first time coverage of protestors was on every channel.  Remember when?   He can also tell you about the spraying of what they now call “Agent Orange”  almost every single day for the time he was there.  Amazing what they’ve learned about it after the fact.

As most of you know, we also have a grandson, Justin  who has followed into the footsteps of his grandfather with military service.  He is now serving in the US Navy going through schooling in Pensacola, FL. We are proud of his choice and want Uncle Sam to keep him safe.

We were invited by our neighbors, Sue and Marcus,  to attend a birthday party with them on Thursday.  Actually, we went to two birthday parties on Thursday.  The first one was a big bash thrown by a Marine veteran.  It was the 236th birthday of the Marine Corps.  It was a fantastic party.  The party was put on and totally paid for by the Marine veteran, Jim.  Even souvenir Marine Corp glasses were given to everyone in attendance.  It was an amazing event.

Our second party  was a birthday party at Filly’s – another local restaurant and lounge where Kerry and Brant were scheduled to entertain for the evening.  Actually, this wasn’t a planned birthday party but since we were invited to share part of the birthday cake, we did.  This is another local dive that was amazing.  Again, entertainment was spectacular and so was the company we were with, Jim and Sandie.

Now with all that activity on Thursday, it didn’t mean we had time to spare.  We didn’t.  We had to get in a little ride.  We did just that.  We jumped on our quads and took a spin in the desert.   I also brought back a souvenir from our little outing.  I do that more often than I want.  Notice the little cactus on the tire.

How did we ever have time to work?  And, Marti thinks she just might get bored.  HA!

Warm Balmy Southern Day ?

If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.

 

During the winter don’t most folks wish they were experiencing a warm balmy day especially when it starts to freeze outside.  However, usually only the folks who escape the northern winters for the south really get that balmy weather.  Arizona usually has very nice winter temperatures.  I’m not sure you could call them balmy though.  I think of Florida as having the cool and refreshing weather my mind conjures up when I think of balmy.   Arizona may get hot but it’s a dry heat!

Friday wasn’t a typical November day for Arizona.  The weatherman (who we know is never wrong) predicted strong winds which would bring major dust storms to the area about mid-afternoon.   He was half-right.  The worst part of the storm held off for most of the day where we were. That gave us a little excuse to play.

The plan was to start the morning off with Terry’s mom in Tempe.  Then we were going to visit the Swap Meet in Apache Junction.  We never made the swap meet.  We figured with the strong winds and thunderstorms predicted, the swap meet might actually shut down early so we put that off for another day or two.  Instead of heading out we ended up putting outside chairs and tables away and securing anything else that might be a projectile.  Terry also removed the gorilla bar from the front of his ATV.  Of course, that had nothing to do with the storm and everything to do with just because he wanted to.

After a little rest we headed into Apache Junction to meet with our good friends, Jim and Sandie.  It was so nice to see them again.  We had a fantastic seafood feast at the Eastern Chinese Buffet and Mongolian Grill.  The place is huge and it was packed.  The menu included just about everything a seafood lover would love.  Jim and I pigged out on the seafood while Sandie and Terry feasted on everything else.  Everything was fantastic including the service.  We know there will be many restaurants around this area that the four of us will visit together over the next couple of months.

It was dark heading back to the motorhome.  It had been windy and dusty most of the day but the evening drive back was pretty clear.  When a storm comes in the visibility can get pretty bad with blowing dust.  It had been down to zero viability in some areas during the day.  Even parts of major freeway systems had been shut down about 30 miles away.

 

The brunt of the storm didn’t hit our area until after midnight.  It seemed to go on forever.  A severe thunderstorm had been predicted and again, the prediction was right.  Winds were expected to be around 60 mph.  From the inside of the motorhome, we were sure it was at least that.  Those slide toppers make a lot of noise.  We brought in our slides and pulled our antenna down.  It seems every winter when we’re in one part of Arizona or another, we usually end up having at least one of these storms.

We do know we are missing our Weber BBQ cover.  If you see it flying by wherever you are, latch on to it.  We’d hate to have to buy another one.

The storm is over.  The temperatures have cooled and the rain brought a fresh smell to the desert.  The sky still looks threatening this morning as the clouds are low.  I’m sure we’ll see more rain today.  Duchess is doing better now that it’s peaceful outside.  She doesn’t like storms like this anymore than we do. 

Portland’s Saturday Market Again

I’ve learned to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

Why does it always seem that when you have nothing going on you really have nothing going on? Then, why is it when something is happening, everything is happening?

Every year my mother’s side of the family has a reunion in Port Angeles.  This year was no exception and I fully expected to attend.  However, it just seemed everything else was going on that weekend.  It just wasn’t going to be possible.  At that point we had to start prioritizing.

To begin with that same weekend and 200 miles south was Justin’s going away party (previously posted).  We also had Tammi arriving the day after.  These are the things we chose to do.  That also meant that we had a day in the middle free.  What did we do?  We went to the Saturday Market on the waterfront in downtown Portland.  This is what Jerry and Janice wanted to do so we went with them .... or, they went with us.

The Saturday Market is huge.  It’s loaded with street entertainment, lots of crafty things and food.  Amazingly enough, no one bought anything.  There were a few items that caught our attention but nothing enough to warrant getting out those wallets. 

We did stand in line at Voodoo Donuts for a few minutes.  It was only for a few minutes after we figured out that the line for donuts was well over an hour long.  No donut is that important to me!!

Instead of waiting there any longer we walked right down the street to Dan and Louis’ Oyster Bar.   Guess what Terry had?  You’re right.  It was oyster stew … again.

This place has been in the same location for years.  It’s a unique seafood restaurant where my folks used to take out of town guests for a meal.

 

It was back to the Kelso Elks RV park after that.  The following morning the Hyders were heading north and we were staying put for a few more days.


--  August 6th

On the Beach at Seaside

Always laugh when you can.  It is the cheapest medicine.

Tuesday was a gorgeous day at the beach.  I do mean really, really gorgeous day.  We were going to take our chairs, Duchess and head to the beach.  The problem was deciding what beach and where???  We knew we didn’t want to go to the beach which is right off of the town area of Seaside.  However, it may be one of the nicest with the easiest access but it would also be the one with the crowds.

Duchess was happy no one else was around.

Duchess was sure happy walking along the beach with me. There were many different things to smell and soft sand to run on.

We decided to head just a little south of town.  What a good choice it was!  As you can tell by the photos below, no one was there when we arrived.  We had the whole beach to ourselves.  This, of course, made Duchess a very happy family member.  She was free until others started to show up.

A very empty beach

The tide was way out.  It’s a little rocky at this spot getting to the sandy beach but other than the steps down to the sand in town, it’s about the easiest.  Do you see anybody on the beach?  It was pretty empty and we liked it just like that.  I bet this doesn’t happen too often during the busy summer months.

It was definitely a gorgeous day.  After spending a while enjoying the sand and ocean, we took Duchess home and checked the crowd on the main beach.  They were certainly there.

People were just about everywhere at this beach.. 

Kite flying is very popular at the beach.  There is usually enough wind to keep the kites in the air and lots of space to run.

We had more seafood at dinner time.  This time I was hungry for a good salad.  That’s just exactly what I got at Pudgy’s.  Matter of fact, it probably is the best Shrimp Louis I’ve every had.  Check out the massive amount of shrimp on top of the salad.

I couldn’t pass up tasting their specialty either.  It’s the Smoked Salmon Clam Chowder.  Our waiter assured us it was a “killer” chowder.  We both had to agree with him.  It was fantastic!

Other than helping finish off the chowder, Terry didn’t order oyster stew.  He was hungry for a hamburger.  He probably would have had oyster stew if they made it but they didn’t.  This is another place I want to revisit just to try another loaded salad.

Seaside, Oregon – Line Dancing And Dooger’s

I’ve learned that everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.  It makes their day and mine too.

Some RV parks offer breakfast or special meals during high season at their location.  Sometimes the portions are large but most of the time they aren’t.  Sometimes the price is very reasonable and sometimes the prices are way too much for what you get.  This past weekend we opted to have breakfast at the Sand Dollar Café located in the Seaside Thousand Trails park.  Take a look at the omelet I ordered.  Just take a look at it!  I can actually say I don’t ever remember having an omelet this big or loaded with this many tomatoes.  Have you?   I think the cook put the whole row of tomatoes in the omelet.   The price was right but do you think I’ll order it again?

Thousand Trails' Sand Dollar Cafe

After breakfast we wanted to take a short little drive to Ocean Vista Way.  We hadn’t scoped out that area of this little seaside town yet.  We had an hour to waste before the manager’s meeting at the RV park so figured that was just about all the time we needed.  It was early.  The beach wasn’t busy yet but it would soon be.  After all, the weather was gorgeous and it was a holiday weekend.

Some of the beaches have rocky entrances and others are sandy.  Obviously, we prefer to walk on the sand instead of rocks.   In this area you definitely wanted to have your shoes on.

Saturday was also the day we decided to have our first line dancing lesson.  Actually, it wasn’t our fault.  We didn’t come up with this idea on our own.  We met some folks at the Thousand Trails manager’s meeting.  They convinced us to join them.  It was their fault.  We weren’t good. We weren’t good at all.  With three dances to learn at our first beginner’s lesson, we figured by the following morning we’d forget all of them.

Dooger’s Restaurant is a pretty popular restaurant around here.  They have four of them within about 75 miles.  The clam chowder  has been featured in Bon Appetit.  We have now visited all four of their restaurants.  (I think they only have four.)  We had our first taste of their clam chowder and oyster stew at the Long Beach location a couple years ago.  Then, last year we tried it again at Cannon Beach.

Oyster Stew at the Seaside Dooger's.

The other day I read a blog from someone who commented on cold and overpriced food at Dooger’s Restaurant.  We had received nothing but good food and service at that chain in the past and wondered if it had changed.  The overpriced part really doesn't count.  We all know the prices before we order and if they're overpriced, we can walk out.  We've walked out after looking at menus in the past either because we didn't like what was on it or didn't like the prices.  I'm sure we'll do it again in the future too. 

Clam Chowder at Warrenton

Thus, we set our goal to trying the other two Dooger’s we had yet to visit.  The last two were both within about 15 miles of each other.  Saturday we went to the Dooger’s in Seaside and Sunday we visited the Warrenton location.

Seaside's lite portion of fish and chips

Oyster stew again at Warrenton

Everything was fantastic at these Dooger restaurants including the food, and the service.  Oyster stew isn’t printed on the menu but they will make it especially for you.  Guess what Terry ordered at both restaurants. 

Oops … there was one thing we did not enjoy at the Warrenton location.  It was some of the parents (not the kids) at the restaurant.  However, you’ve got to remember that this was the 4th of July weekend and everybody and their brother (in this case, brother’s kids) were at the coast.  Kids were blowing straw wrappers, crying, screaming, running, crawling on the floor and the list goes on.  Did you get the picture? That kind of takes away from the enjoyment of a meal out for just about everyone else at the restaurant.  Well, maybe not for everyone but it certainly did for us.

Sorry for all the food shots.  However, we’ve spent a lot of time eating this weekend.  Anyone know how to send taste samples with a blog?