The past couple of years have seen American families cinching up their financial belts and looking for savings in every corner of their lives.
And even with the promise of an economic recovery in the air, most people are still doing their best to be budget conscious. Use these ideas to help make this year one of your best financially.
1. Save on home and auto insurance
Don’t automatically renew your home or auto insurance every year. Instead, shop around to make sure you’re getting the best rate possible.
While you’re at it, consider consolidating all of your property insurance coverage with a single carrier. Many insurance companies offer discounts when you insure your home, cars, boats and other property.
As an Alliance Member, you may qualify for special program rates on auto and home insurance from Travelers. Travelers offers Alliance Members low, competitive rates and convenient payment options, with no down payments. A quick no-obligation phone call is all it takes to get your insurance quote from Travelers.
2. Do business online
If you haven’t migrated much of your purchasing power to the Web, you could be missing out on big savings.
As an Alliance Member, your first step should be going to the association
Web site where you can take advantage of
Alliance ConsumerClub Rewards. Alliance Members automatically earn rewards every month.* Those rewards can be used to save from 10 to 80 percent on merchandise, gift cards and travel!
Taking a trip? With
Alliance ConsumerClub Rewards you can save up to 40 percent at more than 13,000 hotels worldwide, including Hyatt, Sheraton, Holiday Inn and more. You can save on airline flights, too. To find out more about
ConsumerClub Rewards, simply log in and enter the
GoTo link “
Rewards.”
You can also save with
Working Advantage. Simply register online and you automatically receive 100 bonus Advantage Points. Advantage Points accrue in your personal account when you place orders at the Working Advantage Web site.
You can redeem points for rewards such as movie tickets, theme park tickets, gift cards and more. Plus, your points never expire! To get started, enter the
GoTo link “
Shopping.”
3. Reduce your banking fees
By making just a few savvy moves, you can save significant dollars. Try these ideas:
- Use your bank’s ATM when possible to avoid surcharges.
- Don’t bounce checks, which can result in hefty fees for overdrawing your account.
- If you find yourself frequently bouncing checks, set up overdraft protection with your bank. You’ll pay a modest fee, but it’s still cheaper than paying for bounced checks.
- Look for special deals that will give you a free checking account and perhaps even free checks. Many banks offer free checking for people over age 50 or who open an account online.
4. Curb your prescription drug costs
A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the amount of money Americans spend on prescription drugs today is more than five times higher than it was in 1990.
And in this tough economy, many people struggle to meet the steep price of medications for their families.
“Prescription drugs account for about 10 percent of what we spend annually on health care in the U.S.,” says Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer at CVS Caremark®.
By simply choosing generic medications over brand-name drugs, you could save serious dollars. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that generic drugs save consumers from $8 billion to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies.
What about the effectiveness of generics? Generic drugs have the same active ingredients as their brand-name equivalents, but can cost significantly less. That means you get the same benefit for less money.
The next time you need to order a medication, ask your doctor if a low-cost generic would be a good alternative to the higher-cost brand-name drug.
The
Association Rx Card is accepted at more than 55,000 pharmacies throughout the U.S. The network includes pharmacy chains such as:
- CVS® and Rite Aid
- The Medicine Shoppe® Pharmacy
- Walgreens and Wal-Mart
- And thousands of independent pharmacies nationwide
Alliance gives you two money-saving plans to choose from:
- Individual for $13.95 per month
- Family for $23.95 per month
To get all of the details, enter the
GoTo link “
Rx Card.”
