Living Long, Paying Less

Dynamite Senior-Specific Deals

By Natalie Kaar & Tiffany Peng

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), life expectancy in the U.S. is at an all-time high with the average being 77.9 years in 2007, up 1.4 years from 1997. Of course, with good news like this should come a little caution, or at least a little smart planning. After all, living longer doesn’t come cheaply.

Giving you a little head start, on the next few pages you’ll discover dozens of simple ways to help you save, every day—our effort to fill your lives with more worry-free fun and enrichment. After all, it’s not just about living longer, but living better.

Throughout our lives, one of the biggest expenses we face is housing. And seniors wishing to downsize and take advantage of the benefits of an independent living community while they’re young enough to enjoy them, or who have come to require assisted living care, are certainly no exception. That’s why it’s really important to ask about all available savings opportunities when exploring various retirement communities.

You may be surprised by what you find. For instance, we learned that at Burlington, N.C.’s charming continuing care retirement community (CCRC) The Village at Brookwood currently available residential styles come with savings ranging from approximately $25,000 to $48,000 for Life Care entrance fees. And Life Care is a program that already grants seniors significant discounts on future health care.

There are also plenty of places offering great deals around NoVA. One fine example is The Jefferson located in the heart of Ballston, www.thejeffersonatballston.com. The Sunrise Senior Living community offers its residents the full-service conveniences of a luxurious CCRC along with the investment benefits of home ownership.

Of course, when researching various retirement communities, we couldn’t resist tapping their residents for a little advice on saving in other ways as well. In doing so, we realized that while some senior discounts like those offered during Kohl’s Senior Days—featuring 15 percent off several times per month—have certainly not gone unnoticed, many others have.

In fact, folks at the esteemed assisted living community Potomac Place in Woodbridge tell us that they are fans of the Kohl’s senior sales yet also concerned about what they perceive to be a lack of other special deals for area seniors.

More determined than ever to find a few dynamic senior discounts, we scoured the web and hit the telephone to begin our search. (We also secured a few exclusive deals for NoVA seniors to enjoy throughout November, listed in Chart A.)

Aside from discovering fantastic deals across the board, we learned the secret to receiving more senior discounts is making a habit of inquiring about them. You see, many times, tremendous incentives are offered, but not advertised.

The following are just a few examples of the dynamite deals we found that are awaiting you. For additional savings, see our Family page at NorthernVirginiaMag.com.

Shopping
In addition to those offered at Kohl’s, some Hallmark locations offer special senior deals, such as the Banner’s Hallmark store in Tysons Galleria where a 10-percent discount is offered to Gold Crown members. Area malls also offer special senior programs like the Tysons Trekkers Mall Walking Club, which scores seniors discounts at many of Tyson Corner Center’s restaurants and stores.

Dining
Just a few of the many restaurants where seniors can save daily—noting offers may vary at different locations—include: Todai (10 percent off lunch, 20 percent off dinner for ages 65-plus), Chick-fil-A (free small drink to customers age 50 or older), Silver Diner (10 percent off all senior checks), Wendy’s (10 percent off for ages 65-plus) and Applebee’s (10 percent off for folks 55 and older).

Entertainment
There’s also a ton of general fun to be had for less. For instance, seniors 60 and up pay $6 on Tuesdays at AMC Theaters. Also, Reston Town Center Multiplex Cinemas offers a free movie and other perks the fourth Wednesday of each month, for adults age 55 and older. Seniors can also score significant discounts at other popular area attractions including Mount Vernon, Oatlands Plantation, Ford’s Theatre and the Kennedy Center.

Travel
Travel doesn’t have to break the bank either. Locally, seniors age 65 and older may ride for half the regular fare on Metrorail, for 60 cents on regular Metrobus routes and for a discounted fare on other participating bus service providers. And, on Virginia Railway Express, seniors 65 and up may ride for 50 percent off the cost of a regular-priced VRE ticket, excluding VRE-TLC tickets. Major savings are also offered by Amtrak, Greyhound, various airlines and hotels (especially with AARP). For an example of how these deals can quickly add up, see Chart B.

Education
Perhaps the best senior perk: Thanks to The Senior Citizens Higher Education Act, those aged 60 years or older who have been legally living in Virginia for one year may be eligible to take up to three non-credit and audit courses at no cost, on a space-available basis, at all Virginia publicly-funded colleges or universities. Those who have a taxable income of $15,000 or less for the previous year may also take credit courses tuition-free.

To claim, readers must mention “Northern Virginia Magazine Senior Savings” and provide proof of age.

Additional senior deals! >>

(November 2009)