AARP and AAA are about all we have now. We do travel and have insurance through AARP. The membership buying clubs don't benefit small buyers like us. We certainly don't need huge quantities to save money for 2 people! Even in our daughters case, they toss out so much a family of 3 can't use up.
Our magazine subscriptions are down to maybe three now from a rediculous 6 or 7 a few years ago. The awakening came when we realized we were'nt even reading them before the next issue came, so we stopped renewals. The hook was the low prices they offered on renewals, but even cheap is not a bargain when you really don't need something!
I am getting really tired with all the junk mail that AAA and AARP sends you and I don't know if there is a way to opt out. I stopped getting Readers' Digest because of the amount of mailings you ended up getting.
I just joined AARP. As I am on disability and SSI, don't travel, don't drive, and am not a homeowner, I have yet to decide the benefits. If I find that it is not needed then I will not renew.
The two luxuries I do allow myself are two subscriptions to crochet magazines. They run $15 to $20 a year. It is one of the highlights of my month to recieve them as I love to crochet. Even with all the free patterns online there is still the cost of the ink to print them out, so that is not actually a savings. Two refills for my printer(black and color)run $35.
Even in these hard times I feel it is important to allow ourselves to indulge in the things we enjoy. The internet and crafts are mine. Life is too short to just feel you are merely surviving.
I agree with you. A little of what you fancy does you good!
I keep AARP because I get discounts a lot when I travel with it, plus I enjoy reading the magazine, and it's pretty cheap. I don't need AAA because I get the equivalent as part of my car insurance with USAA. If I didn't have that, and I wanted an auto club, I would not pick AAA because of the way they lobby for policies I don't support...like increased road building and other things that keep us on the status quo of having to have all cars all the time. I would pick one of the smaller agencies like Better World. I never did get Costco or Sam's Club because I thought they were not cost effective for me as a single person.
I do have several magazine subscriptions...the vast majority are knitting, spinning, weaving, crafting magazines. I got Newsweek as a bonus with my public radio membership, but don't think I'll renew it when it comes time for me to do that. I devour High Country News every two weeks, can't live without that. And I enjoy Sunset quite a lot, so I keep that.
I do belong to several organizations that I keep up, public radio as mentioned, The Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, Best Friends Society and the Audobon Society. I like visiting the various sanctuaries when I travel and joining in with the local groups for day trips, education sessions, etc. Our local Audobon society, for example, has good local people who know about birds and are very happy to teach the rest of us.
