I know, I know. You’re saying to yourself, “What benefits??”
The ones that got you to buy into something, after which you promptly forgot all about them.
Do you have a Costco or BJ’s membership? Gas card? Discount card for a local supermarket like Safeway or Stop ‘N Shop? Auto club? Professional organization? Do you have a small business? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be a good idea for you to sit down with each of these items and see if there is some perk you could use. My spouse recently found out that she can get a list of sale items at our local Safeway based on what she spends. I figure this is only fair, since they are making far more off that information that they collected from us. It’s high time we got to benefit a little. This list has helped us save some money on our grocery bills.
Recently I had to rent a car for a day while my own beater was in the shop. I discovered that my Costco card offered a modest but discernible discount on car rentals. The point is that most people who sign up for something see the nifty bennies, but then forget about them or don’t really look into them. Some years ago we had a very marginal health insurance policy that offered a whole catalog of benefits from third party providers. When I discovered that the insurance was raising our premiums at the rate of 42% per year, I ditched them cold. But one of the benefits proved to be very useful and I’m still using it today.
A small business might make you eligible for many perks. Check with your local city or county offices that deal with small businesses. If they have things that you might want to take advantage of, look into it. If you don’t have a small business, consider setting one up just to give you and your family access. If you are a contractor, like me, you can use it to keep that work organized and for tax purposes. Setting up a sole proprietorship is easy. Pick a name, file some forms with the city and county, run a DBA notice in a local paper, get an IRS Employer number (you can do it by phone for free), and you’re done. A few counties are even starting to offer health care plans for small businesses.
One thing you learn in outdoor survival training is when you find yourself lost, empty your pockets and pack and take stock of what you have. Sometimes what you don’t know you have can be a very important asset.
