WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
If you don’t find yourself feeling just a little depressed these days, you haven’t been watching the evening news or reading a newspaper. Prices continue to rise and there’s not much we can do about it. Thankfully gasoline prices are starting to come down a bit. Here are some ways to save when it comes to feeding your family:
When making your chili, use ground chicken. Beef and veal prices rose 16% this year. Fresh poultry increased less. I’m pretty sure chicken has always been less expensive anyway.
Pick one night a week to eat the leftovers left in the refrigerator from previous meals. Many families put off eating leftovers until they become uneatable. As a result, we throw away thirty to forty percent of our food supply.
More and more shoppers pay for their groceries with a credit card. If you are one of these shoppers, use a credit card that offers money back on your purchases.
Take advantage of purchasing store brand items. Store brands can be as much as 25% less than the name brand items.
According to the USDA, grocery prices have risen at least 10% in the past year. This is the largest annual rise in over forty years.
. Next week I’ll share some ways to save money when it comes to getting Out and About in your favorite mode of transportation. Basically, your car or truck.
Most of my friends are old enough to be drawing Social Security. We are on a fixed income and must watch our spending. As a result we look for all the special perks of being the age we have become. As I’ve mentioned previously, these are more the “Bronze” years rather than the “Golden” ones. Here are some of the Social Security services you might not know about:
There are folks who can help with items such as a person’s essential needs, such as food, shelter and health care. A Representative Payee has the authority to receive another person’s benefits and use them to help those who have difficulty helping themselves. These helpers are usually a family member or close friend. A staff member of a nursing home can also help out this way.
A program run by Social Security and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can help reduce prescription drug expenses for low-income Medicare beneficiaries. This can amount to a savings estimated to be around $1500 a year.
Benefits for grandchildren. It’s amazing how many grandparents are raising their children’s children. According to the journal “Pediatrics”, nearly three million children in the United States are raised by a grandparent or grandparents. If you are providing at least half of a minor grandchild’s financial support, and the natural parents are deceased, disabled or unable to regularly contribute to that support, the child can collect “dependent or survivor” benefits. If you are already on Social Security when a grandchild comes into your care, you must legally adopt the child for him or her to receive benefits on your record.
See you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
