I'm 55, and Still Alive!

So. I'm now 55 years old. Gotta tell you...it doesn't feel a whole lot different! I spent the weekend doing a massive spring cleaning of my back room. It's actually the bigger of the two bedrooms here, but for years it's been the storage room. While I'm not what I'd consider a hoarder, there's just some things that I've hung on to for far too long. It was good to go through the junk and do some reminiscing, then junking most of it. I had every monthly phone bill since the fall of 1979. Don't ask me why. Years worth of bank statements. Various utility bills. Also tossed out a non-functioning electric piano, a broken executive chair, a large TV...and I still don't have room back there! It's still a work in progress, but it's far cleaner than it used to be!

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Did the bday dinner with all the family that was in town. Spent about an hour watching a tape that was given to my sister to transfer to DVD. It was a transfer of a 16mm film taken in 1949-1951 of my grandfather and his friends. They started a golf tournament back then which was the first tournament of the season at the country club. Amazingly, it's still going today! Whoever transferred the film to tape added some tasty big band music, and my grandfather added typewritten comments (just like silent movies!). He was smart enough to include the names of the players as they were teeing off, and I was amazed to actually recognize some of them from my childhood memories. But the best part was watching my mom's face every time my grandfather appeared. My grandfather was an incredibly handsome man, and was in his late 30s in these shots--the height of his good looks.

What was the most fun was to watch this group of men as they had their swings saved for posterity. Because this group of guys knew how to party! Prior to heading to the golf course, they met at my grandfather's for breakfast and "Moose Milk". The recipe which is sort of secret--let's just say that it was more booze than milk! Then there was the constant drinking while on the course. Some of these guys obviously had more Moose Milk than others! There wasn't a female to be seen in any of the footage (other than the pin-up girl on the back of one guy's Hawaiian shirt...). Mom, who was a young teenager at the time, told us that on Moose Milk weekend, her mom and sister and herself were to find somewhere else to spend the weekend. All sorts of secrecy involved in the old days! It was good to see that my partying ways of my youth were inherited!

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I promised last week to post a list of places that offer discounts for 55+ customers. Couldn't find the original list, but thanks to the power of Google, I found another one. I've whittled it down to the ones that start at 55 (some don't kick in until 60). Some of these aren't found around here, but it's nice to know about!

Restaurants
● Arby’s: 10% off (55+)
● Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee (55+)
● Chili’s: 10% off (55+)
● Denny’s: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members (55+)
● Dunkin’ Donuts: 10% off or free coffee (55+)
● Fuddrucker’s: 10% off any senior platter (55+)
● 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 discounts at participating locations (55+)
● McDonald’s: discounts on coffee everyday (55+)
● Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+)
● Steak ‘n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday (50+)
● TCBY: 10% off (55+)
● Wendy’s: 10% off (55+)

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+)
● Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days (55+)
● Dress Barn: 10% off (55+)
● Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
● Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
● 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+)

Grocery
● Albertson’s: 10% off first Wednesday of each month (55+)
● American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday (50+)
● Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday (55+)
● Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)
● Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)
● The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50+)

Travel
● Alamo: up to 25% off for AARP members
●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+)
● Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off (50+)
● Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members
● Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance
● Hertz: up t0 25% off for AARP members
● Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler’s Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+)
● Myrtle Beach Resort: 10% off (55+)
● National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members
● Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50 and up

Activities & Entertainment
● AMC Theaters: up to 30% off (55+)
● Busch Gardens Tampa: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)
● Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off
● Regal Cinemas: 30% off
● Ripley’s Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket (55+)
● SeaWorld Orlando: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)

Cell Phone Discounts
● Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service (50+)

Since many senior discounts are not advertised to the public, our advice to men and women over 55 is to ALWAYS ask a sales associate if that store provides a senior discount. Also, please note that some senior discounts vary by region. That way, you can be sure to get the most bang for your buck.

I'll let you know how this all pans out!

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And to end this post, I continue on with more Pomplamoose! In French!