6 Essentials Retirees Need to Buy Before Winter — and How To Save Money on Each
Winter is fast-approaching — and with it, cold, wet weather that turns a simple shopping trip into a major chore.
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Stay one step ahead of it without straining your budget with these home, auto and grocery items retirees should buy before winter begins.
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Space Heater
A good space heater can keep you toasty warm in your home, and even save you from serious health consequences if poor insulation or faulty central heat drives indoor temperatures too low.
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Electric space heaters are safest because there’s no risk of carbon monoxide. Look for one that runs quietly, shuts off automatically if it tips and has a thermostat that lets you control the temperature.
Save money on your purchase by a heater that’s the correct size and strength for the room you want to heat. Consumer Reports found that smaller heaters perform better than larger ones for heating one or two people in a small space. In terms of heating power, Sylvan recommended 10 watts per square foot of floor space in the room you’re heating.
Door Handle Assist
Even if you have no mobility issues, slick surfaces can lead to falls as you shift your weight to duck in and out of your vehicle. An assist handle can provide the stability you need to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.
Assist handles are L-shaped devices with a shorter section that slides into the U-shaped latch inside the car door opening and a larger section that you grip to support yourself while getting in and out of the car. Some double as emergency devices that break car windows and cut seat belts.
Because the assistance handles are considered adaptive equipment, you can purchase them with money from a flexible spending account or health savings account. Paying that way won’t earn you a discount, but it will allow you to use pre-tax money for your purchase.
Tires
The worst time to realize you need tires is while you’re skidding to a stop on a wet road. Good Year recommends switching to snow tires by the time temperatures hit 45 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s true even if you have all-weather tires because they can become less effective as temperatures drop, Good Year noted.
Shop before you have an urgent need so you can take some time to compare prices. Consumer Reports recommends that you look for rebates while you browse tire company and retailer websites to look for rebates — they’re fairly common on sets of four tires. Also check for low-price guarantees and perks like free mounting, balancing and rotation.
One final tip — haggle for a better price. A Consumer Reports survey found that among consumers who negotiated a price on their tires, 64% got a better deal.
Canned Soup
Canned soup is an easy and delicious meal to hunker down with when the weather turns cold.
You can expect sales on soup in February, which is National Canned Food Month. Although winter will be half over by then, you can stock up for next year — commercially canned food has a shelf life of two to five years, according to the Utah State University Extension.
For this year’s supply watch for coupons and sales on name-brand soups. Progresso, for one, is almost always on sale during the winter, according to CouponCabin. That site recommends stacking store sales and coupons.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a versatile staple you can purchase now and use all winter long because of its long shelf life. In addition to using it for PB&J sandwiches, baked goods and as a dip for fruits and vegetables, add it to oatmeal, marinades, salad dressings and stir-fry sauces for an extra protein punch.
Bulk containers from warehouse clubs like Costco offer the most value on both organic and non-organic varieties, according to Little House Living.
Crackers
Crackers aren’t just a snack food. Healthy, whole-wheat varieties also make a good substitute for bread in a pinch. Pile on sandwich fillings, crush them for use as bread crumbs or spread them across scrambled eggs for a “cracker eggs” bake.
You should have an easy time finding coupons and supermarket sales on crackers, especially leading up to Thanksgiving.
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