I keep my AAA card with my debit card and always present both at once. Half of the time I get a blank befuddled stare (no m’aam, this is not ID) and half of the time I get a discount. That second half is good enough for me.
Trips to the zoo, prescription refills, or eating out—there’s a discount for that. If you’re a senior ask for a discount. If you’re a student, ask for a discount.
When I was in college I was broke. Really, really broke. A symphony was playing in Seattle’s new Benaroya hall, which I desperately wanted to see, but tickets were $55.
I called up and asked about discounts—last minute tickets, volunteer discounts, anything? They told me that actually, it’s a repeat performance—one that plays on three nights, so the seats usually reserved for season ticket holders were available to students for $5 to 15, I just had to bring my student ID.
My college even had a class called “I’d like to use the media lab, please” or something like that for one credit. Non-students could enroll for one credit and gain access to the fitness center, library, media center, music center and student discounts galore. Students enrolled with a certian number of credits (I cannot recall how many) also got a free bus pass, they just had to go ask for it.
Food for thought.
This post is part of a series I’ve entitled “Frugal August” and is inspired by (though not copied from) the book The Complete Tightwad Gazette