Have you noticed that coupons have become a major part of our lives? There are always coupons for restaurants or stores in most of the newspapers these days. And it seems that every day, we receive an e-mail about a deal at a local store but it requires a coupon.

Now for me, since this is my birthday month, I receive a multitude of coupons from restaurants. My birthday is not until the 30th of March but as of right now I have coupons for a free lunch or dinner at Bravo, Zehnder’s in Frankenmuth, Buddy’s Pizza, Red Robin and Andiamo. And that was just from the first week of the month!

There are also coupons or discounts if you are a AAA member or a member of AARP.

But trying to remember all the discounts and the expiration dates can sometimes become crazy. We have a pack of coupons in our car and I have placed expiration dates on the coupons. Does that sound anal? Well, I guess it is!

Now when it comes to using a coupon, one must remember to follow the rules. Some restaurant coupons are not valid on Saturday or Sunday. Some require a beverage. Now for me, I have been drinking water at our meals so water counts as a beverage in some cases which means there is a about a $3 charge for the H2O!

What’s interesting about coupons is that many stores have discounts for senior citizens but you have to ask because few stores will volunteer the information.

And of course there are always limitations on the use of the coupon. For instance, it may exclude “lunch specials “and sometimes it can only be used after 3 p.m.

Recently, we had a coupon for a $3.99 burger at a restaurant that normally charges $7.99 for the burger. When we ordered the burger we discovered that it did not come with French fries which cost $2.79. So the lunch tab came $6.78 – a dollar off the normal order! Some deal, huh?

Now, here’s a discount for you to ponder. Our monthly health care just went up about $12 a month for each of us. When I called the company to inquire about the increase we were told that there was a 5 percent decrease in the premium if both of us had the same coverage and lived in the same house! So, of course we signed up! But frankly what kind of discount is that – don’t most people, particularly senior citizens, live in the same home!

And finally here is a discount that I fail to understand. If you fill a prescription and ask for the pharmacist to use GoodRx, there is a tremendous discount. In fact, it is better than our own prescription coverage. And there is no fee to use GoodRx so it baffles me.

Yes, our life is about discounts and coupons and anything free. Just noticed that Biggby Coffee is celebrating 25 years in business and offering coffee for 99 cents on March 25 at all of its stores! No coupon needed – yeah!

Bill Kalmar

Orion Twp.