Lisa Ehrman

Lisa has been blogging since 2013, and loves sharing resources and ideas for living a simple life. To get free printables, bonus words, and more - sign up for the newsletter.

Senior Deals

by
Senior Deals

Applebee’s: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+) Arby’s: 10% off ( 55 +) A & W All American Food: 10% Ben & Jerry’s: 10% off (60+) Bennigan’s: discount varies by location (60+) Bob’s Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+) Boston Market: 10% off (65+) Burger King: 10% off (60+) Captain D’s :Wednesdays (62+)Specials Deals Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee ( 55+) Chili’s: 10% off ( 55+) CiCi’s Pizza: 10% off (60+) Denny’s: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members ( 55 +) Dunkin’ Donuts: 10% off or free coffee ( 55+) Einstein’s Bagels: 10% off baker’s dozen of bagels (60+) Golden Corral: 10% off (60+) Hardee’s: $0.33 beverages everyday (65+) IHOP: 10% off ( 55+) Jack in the Box: up to 20% off ( 55+) KFC: free small drink with any meal ( 55+) Krispy Kreme: 10% off ( 50+) Long John Silver’s: various discounts at locations ( 55+) McDonald’s: discounts on coffee everyday ( 55+) Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+) Old Country Buffet 55+ Papa Johns Ponderosa Steak House 60+ Shoney’s: 10% off Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+) Steak ‘n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday ( 50+) Subway: 10 off at manager’s discretion (60+) Taco Bell : 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+) TCBY: 10% off ( 55+) Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+) Wendy’s: 10% off ( 55 +) White Castle: 10% off (62+) This is for me … if I ever see one again. RETAIL  Banana Republic: 30% off ( 50 +) Belk’s: 15% off first Tuesday of every month ( 55 +) Big Lots: 30% off Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days ( 55 +) C.J. Banks: 10% off every Wednesday (50+) Dress Barn: 20% off ( 55+) Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location) Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location) Kmart: 40% off (Wednesdays only) ( 50+) Kohl’s: 15% off on Wednesdays (55+) Michael’s 10% of purchase Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday ( 55+) The Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off ( 55+) Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month ( 55 +) TJ Maxx 10% on Monday (55+) GROCERY Albertson’s: 10% off first Wednesday of each month ( 55 +) American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday ( 50 +) Food Lion: 6% off every Monday (60+) Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday ( 55 +) Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+) Publix: 15% off every Wednesday ( 55 +) Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+) TRAVEL  Airlines: Alaska Airlines: 50% off (65+) American Airlines: various discounts for 50% off non-peak periods (Tuesdays – Thursdays) (62+)and up (call before booking for discount) Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount) United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount) U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount) Rail Amtrak: 15% off (62+) Bus Greyhound: 15% off (62+) Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50+ Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival cruise lines offer discount rates to cruisers 55+. Car Rental Alamo Car Rental: up to 25% off for AARP members Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members Budget Rental Cars: 40% off; up to 50% off for AARP members ( 50+) Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off ( 50+) Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members Hertz: up to 25% off for AARP members National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members Overnight Accommodations: Holiday Inn: 20-40% off depending on location (62+) Best Western: 40% off (55+) Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+) Waldorf Astoria – NYC $5,000 off nightly rate for Presidential Suite (55 +) Clarion Motels: 20%-30% off (60+) Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+) Comfort Suites: 20%-30% off (60+) Econo Lodge: 40% off (60+) Hampton Inns & Suites: 40% off when booked 72 hours in advance Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+) InterContinental Hotels Group: various discounts at all hotels (65+) Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler’s Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+) Marriott Hotels: 25% off (62+) Motel 6: Stay Free Sunday nights (60+) Myrtle Beach Resort: 30% off ( 55 +) Quality Inn: 40%-50% off (60+) Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+) Sleep Inn: 40% off (60+) ACTIVITIES &ENTERTAINMENT AMC Theaters: up to 30% off ( 55 +) Bally Total Fitness: $100 off memberships (62+) Ask your local Gym about a discount: My husband got a Sr. Discount Busch Gardens Tampa, FL: $13 off one-day tickets ( 50 +) Carmike Cinemas: 35% off (65+) Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off U.S. National Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services including camping (62+) Regal Cinemas: 50% off Ripley’s Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket ( 55 +) Sea World offers discounts if you’re over 50. CELL PHONE DISCOUNTS AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $19.99/month (65+) Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service ( 50 +) Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+). MISCELLANEOUS Great Clips: $8 off hair cuts (60+) Supercuts: $8 off haircuts (60+) Walgreens 15-20% off (55) Some utility companies offer discounts.  You can ask. Jiffy Lube & Midas offer service discounts. Many colleges and universities offer discounts to seniors.  The community college in my area offers cheap audited classes for seniors. This list has been collected by me over the years.  Some of these have been seen on the news.  Some were found online: AARP, and Brad’s Deals & (dealnews.com). Many discounts I found out about on my own, because Hubby is over 55 and now I’m 55.  We won’t use all of these discounts, but it’s good to know where they are in case we need to go to these businesses.  Every little bit of savings can help in retirement.   @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Homeschooling: It’s Not Meant To Be Easy

by

During my last decade of being a homeschool mom, I embarked on a journey of graduate school.  Most of the classes were wonderful.  The research classes and history of education classes interested me the most.  If I had more time, I would read more about these topics on my own. Learning about educational methods also intrigued me.  Since I was homeschooling during this time, it amazed me how homeschooling methods were exactly on target for the mastery learning.  Mastery Learning, developed by Bloom, is the newer method that classroom teachers try to implement.  It’s so much more difficult to provide this in a classroom than it is in the homeschool. I felt very good that I was providing individualized instruction as well as assessment.  When the level of assessment met mastery level (90%), then we went on to the next educational level.  Being a homeschooler allows such flexibility, there is no rush to move ahead until the child masters the concepts and content. Most curriculum allows the homeschool mom to use mastery learning.  It’s good when selecting curriculum that you study it to look for quality of content.  If the “text” offers only a few pages and then a test “assessment”  there is not much for a student to master.  This type of curriculum would need to be heavily supplemented.  Sometimes you get what you pay for.  Even for young students, you want to grab their imaginations and create a desire to learn. Be aware and cautious of many in the movement who encourage: fun, play, games, etc.  Please don’t stop reading here.  I’m not suggesting that you must sit in a desk all day.  But, learning isn’t all fun and games.  Becoming a diligent student who masters 12 years of school and who is ready to compete globally, must learn to be a hard worker.  This isn’t accomplished by spending much of your time playing computer math games and going on 20 field trips per week.  (You may disagree with me, and that’s fine.  This post is my opinion.) The wonderful homeschool SAT scores that we hear about are from students who worked hard and got into college.  Even if your child doesn’t go to college, they need to learn to have a good work ethic and have good knowledge of high school subjects.  The homeschoolers that don’t do this, will end up just like their public school peers: not able to get good jobs. Now for positive news:  When homeschool students work hard and complete their courses with Mastery Learning, they have a wonderful opportunity to enter the next step in life without educational hindrances.  My children, and thousands more like them, have stepped straight into college and done well.  Many others have succeeded in other career choices or accepted the beautiful call of wife and mother. Life is not easy when you try to live right.  Homeschooling is one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do.  I tried to do it the best way that I could; and made many mistakes.  God blessed me and our children, as we dedicated each year to Him who received all the glory. God bless you and your family as you work and plan your homeschooling for this year. @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Organization: Closets

by

July 6, 2017 Affiliate link included. Do you have a gift for Organization?  It’s not a natural God-given gift of mine.  For me to have things organized takes serious and thoughtful planning, strenuous execution, and diligence to keep up the process.   Because of my many chronic illnesses, we moved into our one-story town home over two years ago.  Within two days of moving, my hysterectomy took place.  This kept me from ever getting a good plan for organizing my home.  So, now I’ve decided to tackle some of the things that are messy, ugly, and driving me nuts.  The worst offenders in my home are the closets! There is so much clutter and wasted space.  When you have downsized, wasted space is a terrible no-no.  Organization means that you need to utilize every inch of that space for good!  This is my purpose in this project. Because of my pain and lack of energy, I’m doing 15 minute work projects.  This post today is showing two weeks of work. Some of the lifting and carrying has been done by Hubby, as I’m not allowed to lift anything over 20 pounds ( I had repairs done in my surgery).  Let’s start with the before and after photos. This scary mess is our walk-in closet.  Underneath the hanging clothes are piles of shoes and purses.  The laundry hamper is over-flowing, too.  What a night-mare, and no way to vacuum! I began by removing everything that was on the floor.  Since I knew the shoe boxes needed to go in the other closet on a shelf, I had to clean off a shelf.  So, next, I’ll show you the closet across from the walk-in.  I took everything off the bottom shelf, which was out-of-season clothes.  Most of them were too small for me.  As I placed them on the bed, I divided them into stacks.  The stacks were: 1. Keep- but Store 2. Sell- Or Giveaway 3. Throw Away 4. Hang up in the closet  The storable clothing and blankets were placed in space bags and stored under the guest bed.  This took a lot of the clothes out of our room and emptied up so much space!  I went through all the shoes and placed them in the right boxes.  Then I labeled them and placed them on the now empty shelf in the linen closet.  Now, they could be easily found.  This also made it possible to vacuum the walk-in closet and keep away dust.  This is so important to a family with allergies and asthma. I noticed my scarves.  They were a huge mess, hanging across three coat hangers.  I couldn’t see most of them.  I decided to try something I had seen on tv sometime ago. I sat on the bed and laid them out. I took one coat hanger and a plastic set of shower curtain hooks that we had from and old house.  We had purchased these at the dollar store and they were just the cheap, clear plastic type.  I laid them across the hanger and hung a scarf on each one.  When I was done the scarves were beautiful, accessible, and so organized!  This looks better and takes up so much less room in the closet!  Here’s the finished look for the walk in closet.  Now, we can actually find the clothes that we wear, and the clothes that don’t fit us are gone.  This makes more sense, doesn’t it?  I continued to work on the linen closet, by taking things out and re-working them.  By adding some dividers that I already owned the spaces were more defined.   When I had many small items that were to be saved together (gift items) I placed them in baskets.  This saved so much space on the shelves.  In the end, the shelves look better and I was able to put many more things in this closet.  I’m very happy with the results.   Do you have some great tips for organizing your closets? @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Red, White, And Blue Dessert

by

July 2, 2017 4th of July Picnics are all about the Red, White, and Blue.  The food is easy on the eyes, tastes great, but much of the menu is not too healthy.  Why not add a choice that is delicious, cold, refreshing, and nutritious? This easy and frugal dessert will cool you down on a hot summer day and bring out your patriotic spirit, too!  With the beautiful colors of our nation’s flag found in blueberries, strawberries, and coconut topping, fruit is always a hit! You may grow your own strawberries or blueberries, so you could have fresh ones to use.  Your local farmer’s market could also have them on hand.  In my recipe, I used frozen fruit, because frozen fruit makes the dessert turn into an ice-cream type texture.  With frozen fruit on hand, I’m always prepared for making a healthy snack, without ever wasting any.  The only ingredients are frozen berries and almond milk.  I’m sure you can use regular milk, coconut milk etc.  I’m dairy-free, so I prefer almond milk, and used unsweetened.    Using a food processor or strong blender, process the strawberries first, then add almond milk ( a little at a time) until the texture is creamy, like ice-cream.  Then, place the bowl in the freezer.   Rinse out the food processor and utensils.  Then, add the blueberries.  Process the blueberries and add a little almond milk.  The blueberries will need only a small amount of almond milk.  Then, add the blueberry mixture to the freezer.  Leave both berry mixture bowls in the freezer for about one hour. When frozen, scoop out blueberries, then strawberries, into serving dish.  Top with coconut (or whipped cream if desired).  If you like sweetener, you can add it into the food processor.  I try to eat the food fresh, but sometimes it can be a little tart. Enjoy sharing your Red, White, and Blue Dessert with those you love on this 4th of July holiday!  @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Tangy BBQ Sauce Recipe

by

July 2, 2017 Would you like to have a BBQ Sauce Recipe that you can count on to please everyone at the picnic?  I’m always happy to serve BBQ Chicken with this recipe, because I know that all the ingredients are real food. The ingredients are easy to find, and I keep them on hand on a regular basis: 1 Cup Ketchup 1/4 Cup water 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar 3 Tablespoons Oil 2 Tablespoons Paprika 1 Tablespoons Chili Powder 2 Cloves Garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder ( I use the powder) 1 teaspoon Cayenne (Or use less, if you don’t want so much heat)  I use 1/4 teaspoon Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and you will have a thick sauce.  I pour this over 6 chicken breasts or 2 pounds of tenders.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for one hour.  After the chicken is tender, shred the meat and the sauce is the right amount to serve on buns.   For an easy, frugal picnic meal, try these yummy sides: Corn on the cob and zucchini grilled and a salad, fresh from the garden! Have a wonderful picnic!  I hope you’ll try my BBQ Sauce Recipe. @2017, copyright Lisa Ehrman

×