MISS MONEYSAVER reveals the host of freebies out there simply by declaring your date of start

As my pal Leonie, who’s 80, will testify, it actually pays to be over 60. She took a visit from her dwelling in London to Frome in Somerset and managed to get the entire method there for simply £1 because of her trusty free bus move.

‘I began off at 7am and the one hitch was I acquired charged an additional £1 as a result of I missed the suitable bus in Epsom, in any other case I might have gotten the entire method there without spending a dime,’ she instructed me.

If you realize the place to look, there are an entire host of different freebies, grants and reductions out there simply by declaring your date of start.

If you’re over 60, you qualify without spending a dime NHS prescriptions. However do you know that in case you’re selecting up your medicines from Boots, you possibly can additionally earn further factors whilst you’re there because the over 60s get further rewards on their Boots Benefit Card, incomes eight factors per £1 on Boots manufacturers as a substitute of the same old price of 4 factors per £1.

You will get free eye assessments on the NHS at varied locations, together with Boots and Imaginative and prescient Direct. At Specsavers, it can save you cash in your glasses, too, with a 20 per cent low cost on all glasses and lenses over £69. (It’s value asking your native impartial optician about any offers for over-60s as properly.)

For individuals who wish to journey, the free bus move is a no brainer. You’ll be able to apply in England and Wales when you attain state pension age. In London, Scotland and Eire it’s out there for the over-60s.

In England and Wales, over-60s may purchase a Senior Coachcard at NationalExpress.com for £12.50 (plus £2.50 P&P) for a 3rd off all Nationwide Specific coach fares. (You too can bag further reductions with £15 ‘anyplace’ returns on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in case you e book three or extra days prematurely.)

Save on practice journeys, too, with the Senior Railcard, which is £30 per 12 months or £70 for 3 years, and provides you a 3rd off the value of all practice tickets, together with peak instances and top quality. Purchase it at Nationalrailcard.co.uk.

One other pal of mine, Tira, a globetrotter who’s in her 70s, stresses there are some nice reductions out there on the continent for older travellers, so ask when shopping for tickets.

You’ll be able to run your house for much less, too, in later life with reductions and grants. Contact your power supplier to search out out if it gives a free fuel security examine to over-60s.

These born on or earlier than September 25, 1956, qualify for the Winter Gasoline Cost. Which means cash off your winter heating payments. In case you want dwelling repairs, native trades might provide an over-60s low cost, so all the time ask. Take a look at Age UK’s handyperson service for contacts.

Over-60s who must make variations to their houses may qualify for a Disabled Amenities Grant. Discover out extra at gov.uk or contact your native council. Additionally, folks in receipt of Pension Credit score or Attendance Allowance, or can show a low revenue (akin to residing off the state pension), may even get a free boiler. Discover out extra a Boilergrants.information.

In case you’re surviving on simply the state pension, you could possibly get assist with paying your council tax by way of claiming Council Tax Discount. Additionally, in case you are a tenant you could possibly get assist with paying your hire by way of claiming Housing Profit.

Each Council Tax Discount and Housing Profit are paid by your native council so converse to them about your state of affairs. And in case you are receiving Pension Credit score or Housing Profit, it’s possible you’ll be entitled to assist with funeral prices ought to your accomplice die. The Funeral Bills Cost gives as much as £1,000 and may cowl burial or cremation charges, go to gov.uk.

You’ll be able to usually profit from cheaper dwelling insurance coverage, too, in case you’re 60 or over. Many corporations provide particular reductions to this market, as older folks make fewer and smaller claims.

Journey insurance coverage may be tougher to get while you’re over 60 however there are offers to be discovered. As an illustration Staysure gives tailor-made journey insurance coverage to cowl any pre-existing medical situations. AllClear additionally accepts over-60s with medical situations for each single and multi-trip cowl.

Many cinemas have ‘silver display screen’ matinee showings at a reduced price. The Odeon Silver Display gives viewings at quieter instances from solely £3.50 per ticket, together with a scorching drink and a biscuit. London’s Nationwide Theatre has £20-off midweek matinees for the over-60s.

Plenty of eating places provide an early dinner low cost for the over-60s. Search for particular gives like a ‘5pm dinner deal’. And the Nationwide Belief provides over-60s a 25 per cent low cost on its membership.

THE CHEAPER WAYS TO KEEP YOUR COOL 

In response to analysis by Barclaycard, we spent an astonishing 39.6 per cent extra on our utilities in June than we did a 12 months in the past.

Now that the climate is so good and we’re tucking into refreshing salads as a substitute of roasts, we are able to all spend much less on heating and cooking. However the very last thing we want is to shell out extra simply to remain cool!

So preserve prices down by firstly utilizing a fan relatively than an air-con unit. Attempt to decide one with a DC motor as they price much less to run. For instance, the Bionaire ISF004 Desk Fan has a DC motor that makes use of 63 per cent much less power than a standard fan.

Additionally, all bladeless followers eat far much less power than their bladed counterparts. So examine the outline of any fan before you purchase. One other intelligent hack is to get a ‘cooling mat’ just like the YQXCC 2 Pack Cooling Towel —below a tenner for 2 at Amazon. Put your toes on it, wrap it spherical your neck, sit on it or lie on it at evening and it’ll preserve your physique at a snug temperature.

Use a standard hand-held fan. Wooden and paper ones can genuinely preserve your face and neck cool with a flick of the wrist. Etsy has some stunning examples from simply £2.50 every. Or go for a battery-powered, hand-held fan which you could take anyplace — from £6.99 on eBay. For a fast cool-down, put chilly water in your ‘strain factors’ — wrists, inside your elbows, ankles and the backs of your knees.

Additionally, and this will sound counter intuitive, have a heat bathtub earlier than mattress. If the water is hotter than the air temperature in your bed room, while you get out you’ll really feel cool and will probably be simpler to sleep.

 Would your loved ones like £1,000 of free toys?

Outside specialists TP Toys are on the hunt for ‘testers’ to check out its vary throughout the summer season holidays. The chosen household — whose youngsters have to be aged between 4 and eight — shall be paid £500 and be given £1,000-worth of TP Toys to check, which they then get to maintain.

Candidates will need to have a ardour for toys and be capable to use their creativeness to play with them. They are going to be required to offer sincere suggestions on the merchandise, which may embody the UFO den and climbing body or the TP infinity leap 2 trampoline.

To enter, all mother and father must do is submit their particulars by midnight on July 21 at www.tptoys.com/blogs/tp-news/ and say why their youngster or youngsters could be good for the job.

Liberty of London is on the lookout for a ‘magnificence tester’ for merchandise despatched within the submit as soon as 1 / 4. The chosen individual will obtain a 12 months’s value of luxurious objects from its ‘magnificence drop’ subscription service. So you’ll get a complete of 4 bins value £300 altogether. Plus additionally, you will get £240 credit score to spend on Liberty magnificence merchandise and prime manufacturers akin to Kiehl’s, Bobbi Brown and BYREDO. 

Apply atlibertylondon.com/uk/ become-our-beauty-tester.html

Do you could have a photograph or two that imply a lot to you that you desire to canvas variations of them, framed and in your wall? Parrotprint.com gives this service utilizing all-sustainable supplies. You simply add your photograph to the web site, select your fashion and order the prints. You even get free next-day supply. Get 20 per cent off canvas and framed prints utilizing the code MONEYMAGPIE20.