How to Save Money When You Hit 60
5th Mar 2024 Managing your Money
3 min read
MoneyMagpie’s Content Chief Vicky Parry is back this week with some fantastic tips for making and saving money – when you hit 60 and beyond.
Age is undoubtedly a privilege, but it can
also be overwhelming. In this modern world, with the rocketing cost of living,
people are retiring later than previous generations did. While the state
pension age is an unsaid suggestion for people to stop working, it is becoming
less common to actually retire then.
Why? Because pension age people don’t have the same disposable income as
they once did. Therefore, the over 60s are now on the market for money saving
hacks more than ever. With sites like “Over 60s Discounts” making accessing
this information easier than ever, here are our top five ways to save money for the over-60s.
Theatre and cinema discounts
Check your
local theatres for concessionary rates for over 60s. You could also look for
cheaper cinema tickets, too. Many cinemas have ‘silver screen’ matinee showings
– for example, the ODEON Silver Screen offers discounted
viewings at quieter times from only £4 per ticket (online booking) or £5 a
ticket (in person).
The first place to look for these discounts is directly with the
theatre or cinema. For example, the National
Theatre offers £20 off midweek matinees for the over 60s. The Royal
Shakespeare Company has a 20 percent discount available for the over
65s on all seats for Monday and Tuesday evening performances and all midweek
matinees.
You may find your local newspaper or radio station offers
entertainment discounts for the over-60s, too – so it’s well worth checking
them for information.
Food
If you are over 60, lots of restaurants offer an early dinner discount
for over-60s. Look for special offers like a ‘5pm dinner deal’ to take
advantage of. Also, remember to check Groupon for local dining discounts and
your Nectar Card or Tesco Clubcard for deals - you can often trade your points
for money off vouchers at selected restaurants.
- Dobbies offer over-60s a main meal and a cake for only £11.95 Monday to Friday, from 12pm until 3pm.
- If you regularly go out to eat, consider signing up for Tastecard, too. It’ll give you two-for-one or 50 percent off deals in loads of your local independent and chain restaurants.
- Every Tuesday, all those who are 60 years old and older can bag 10 percent off their shop, with no minimum spend, at Iceland and The Food Warehouse.
Photo by Tara Clark on Unsplash
Free prescriptions
You now qualify for free prescriptions from the NHS. When you collect
from the pharmacy, there’s a box on the back of your prescription slip to tick
and sign. That’s it! No more £8 charge for every prescription you need.
Optical discounts
Get free eye tests to keep your
prescription up-to-date. The optician is often the first port of call for
spotting various diseases, too – the back of your eye can tell a lot about your
health! So it’s important to get an eye test every two years even if you don’t
think you need glasses.
You can also save money on your glasses, too. Specsavers offers a 20%
discount on all glasses and lenses over £69 – and it’s worth asking your local
independent optician about any deals, too.
Boots Rewards
Over 60s can get additional rewards from their Boots Advantage
Card, earning 8 points per £1 on Boots brands and selected exclusive
deals, including 300 points when you sign up for a free hearing test!
Photo by Anthony Camerlo on Unsplash
Swimming and gym reduced membership
Keep fit for less! Over 60s receive discounted swimming and gym
membership at most leisure centres. Council-run centres may also run free
exercise classes for the over 60s in a specialised programme to help older
people stay fit and mobile. Remember to check online for free day or week
passes, too – we love Hussle for this.
Giveaways
If you want to get tips like this for free, direct to your inbox: Take
part in MoneyMagpie’s monthly giveaway by signing up to their newsletter for here.
Banner image credit: Image by pressfoto on Freepik