20 Easy Ways to Get Free Stuff (Most Seniors Don't Know)

My cousin got a walker from a funeral home after his knee surgery, and it cost him one phone call. That's the kind of free stuff for seniors this video is about, easy ways to get free things on a fixed income that most people never think to ask for. We start with money that already has your name on it. An old paper savings bond quits earning after thirty years, and I walk through how to cash one at your bank or by mail. Then there's the free search for a loved one's life insurance policy, the pension search for a job that closed or got bought out, and the unclaimed money your state is holding for you, with what to tell Social Security if you get SSI. From there it's the free stuff people hand each other. A Buy Nothing ask, a Freecycle wanted post, the free sections on Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor and Craigslist, bulk trash day, Repair Cafes, the little free pantry boxes, plant cuttings, a church clothes swap, volunteer ushering to see a show, writing the company when something breaks, and free recall repairs on your car and the things in your house. I also cover the free credit freeze and how to pick things up safely. The last part is the scams that wear the word free. Treasury Hunt is gone, Medicare doesn't pay for hearing aids, and the call offering you a free back brace for your Medicare number is not from Medicare. A lot of what you can get for free is sitting there waiting on you to ask, and asking is not begging. Tell me in the comments about one thing in your house that came to you from somebody else's hands. Where to check: Cash EE or I savings bonds — TreasuryDirect Find unclaimed retirement benefits | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation How to handle unexpected calls about unclaimed funds Recalls | NHTSA Recalls & Product Safety Warnings Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts What To Know About Prescreened Offers for Credit and Insurance Understanding Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Hearing aids Reporting Medicare fraud & abuse I'm not a financial adviser. This video is general information from my own experience and the official sources above. Rules and amounts change every year and differ from state to state, so confirm anything with the agency before you act on it.