Category: Reference

Emergency Survival Document Binder

This is just part of a lengthy, informative, instructional plan for any family… Please click HERE for complete article!

Important Documents

It is unlikely that any documents you choose to include in your kit will keep you alive.  However, having them all organized and together can make your life so much easier now and in the event of an emergency.  Making insurance claims, searching for missing loved ones (heaven forbid), staying in touch with family and friends, traveling around the country and accessing your financial accounts will all be much easier if you have some essential documents at your fingertips.  In addition, having a binder like what I’m about to suggest to you can also make your day to day life easier and more efficient.

I’m simply going to walk you page by page through my “emergency documents binder.”  I keep this near our kit, but not in it as I access and use it often.  It goes wherever I go so that I can have access to these important documents anytime, anywhere.

Family Evacuation Plan:

The front cover:

Nathan (my husband) and I each have our own prioritized list of what our responsibilities will be when / if we need to evacuate.  If we are given 10-30 minutes notice, we start in at the top or the first list and try to get through as much as we can.  The stuff at the bottom of the list isn’t as essential as the stuff at the top.  If given just a few minutes to evacuate (and doing so on foot), we use the second lists instead.  You can read more about our family evacuation plan here. (although I need to edit it a bit online…the printed one is more accurate!)

Continued HERE….. read on…

Car Tips

Sometimes Reddit will have a handfull of just really good tips. Check out these:

  1. Buy the right vehicle. Full sized pickups and Japanese (or 2000 and newer Korean/American) 4-cylinder cars typically cost the least to maintain. The fewer options the better (the more features your car has, the more potential failure points). Sports cars and luxury SUVs cost the most to maintain.
  2. Buy good tires. A cheap tire might cost $60 installed, will ride terribly, not be as safe and only last 30,000 miles. A good tire might cost $120 installed, but it will last 80,000 miles and be safer and more comfortable to boot.
  3. Don’t waste money on buying a higher octane gas than your car requires. Get into the habit of checking your oil level and tire pressure every fill up (or at least once a month).
  4. Don’t change your oil every 3,000 miles. Go open your owners manual and find the actual oil change interval (which is likely every 5k-10k miles). Instead of spending your money pouring cheap oil down the drain (figuratively), spend that extra money on good oil (full synthetic if you can afford it, if not then a brand name standard oil is perfectly fine). Rotate your tires at every oil change. Take a look at your brake pads while the wheels are off.
  5. The people at your dealership’s service department will look you in the eye and lie to you about what your 60K/75K/100K recommended maintenance is. Again, go to your owner’s manual (or here) and find out what your actual recommended maintenance is.
  6. When your brakes start squealing, it’s time to go get them looked at. Don’t wait 6 months until the squeal becomes a grind (at which point you have probably doubled the cost of repair by ruining your rotors).
  7. If you plan on pushing your car beyond the 150,000 mile mark, I recommend you replace your shocks/struts at 75k-100k. The purpose of shocks is to absorb energy. By keeping good shocks/struts on your vehicle you will extend the life of your tires as well as all the other bushings/ball joints/strut mounts that are way more expensive to replace.
  8. CV boots never need to be replaced. Ever. The theory behind replacing CV boots is that it will extend the life of your CV joints. The problem is that there is only a tiny (if any) difference in the cost of replacing the boot vs replacing the entire joint with a remanufactured one. If your CV boot is torn just live with it, and keep in mind that in another 60k miles your CV joint might go bad. Better yet, wait until you’re replacing your struts and replace the whole joint at the same time (which might save you money on install, plus you’ll only pay for 1 alignment). The only exception to this is if you need a good boot to pass inspection, then just throw one of those crappy split boots on there.
  9. Buy the best battery (longest warranty) you can afford. Avoid going to the dealership for this repair. You’ll probably get a better price and a better warranty at Firestone/Interstate/Wal-Mart/Sears.
  10. When you get your serpentine belt replaced (based on either scheduled maintenance or visual inspection) keep the old belt and store it on/under your spare tire. If your belt ever breaks in the boonies, an old belt is infinitely better than no belt.
  11. Prematurely replacing your air filter will not save you money on gas. (Excluding diesels and carbureted engines) your air filter in no way affects your vehicles fuel economy. It will affect your engines performance at WOT and the ability of the filter to trap particles. Every 30k miles will be sufficient for most vehicles (15k in the desert).
  12. Check here to determine if your car is equipped with an “interference engine.” In this type of engine, a timing belt (cam belt) failure can do very serious damage to your vehicle. This is one of the few maintenance items that I would recommend doing ahead of schedule, because the risk of failure is moderate and consequence is high. IMO, if your car is out of warranty and you haven’t replaced your timing belt yet, you need to do it pronto.

Senior Discounts Around Town

Check out this list of places that offer senior discounts. Remeber you generally have to ask for the discounts!

RESTAURANTS:
Applebee’s: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+)
Arby’s: 10% off ( 55 +)
Ben & Jerry’s: 10% off (60+)
Bennigan’s: discount varies by location  (60+)
Bob’s Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+)
Boston Market: 10% off (65+)
Burger King: 10% off (60+)
Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee ( 55+)
Chili’s: 10% off ( 55+)
CiCi’s Pizza: 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 discounts at locations ( 55+)
McDonald’s: discounts on coffee everyday ( 55+)
Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (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 & 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+)
Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
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 +)
 
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 +)
Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+)
Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)
Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday ( 50 +)
Publix: 5% off every Wednesday ( 55 +)
Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+)
Uncle Guiseppe’s Marketplace: 5% off (62+)
 
TRAVEL :
Airlines:
Alaska Airlines: 10% off (65+)
American Airlines: various discounts for 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations
Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
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)
 
Rail:
Amtrak: 15% off (62+)
 
Bus:
Greyhound: 5% off (62+)
Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages   50+
 
Car Rental:
Alamo Car Rental: 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
Hertz: up to 25% off for AARP members Holiday Inn: 10%-30% off depending on location (62+)
National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members
 
Over Night Accommodations:
Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
Clarion Motels: 20%-30% off (60+)
Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Comfort Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
Econo Lodge: 20%-30% off (60+)
Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance
Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+)
InterContinental Hotels Group: various discounts at all hotels (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 +)
Quality Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Sleep Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)

ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT :
AMC Theaters: up to 30% off ( 55 +)
Bally Total Fitness: up to $100 off memberships (62+)
Busch Gardens Tampa, FL: $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: @ off one-day ticket ( 55 +)
SeaWorld Orlando, FL: $3 off one-day tickets ( 50 +)
 
CELLPHONE DISCOUNTS :
AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $29.99/month (65+)
Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service ( 50 +)
Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+).
 
MISCELLANEOUS :
Great Clips: $3 off hair cuts (60+)
Super Cuts: $2 off haircuts (60+)
 
NOW, go out there and claim your discounts – – – and remember —   YOU   must   ASK   for your discount — no ask, no discount.

via Bitsandpieces