MoneySmart reader and fellow tightwad Diane Temple from Tonawanda raised a good point in a recent e-mail. How many savings are out there right under our noses, tied into things we’ve already paid for?

“When I last took my kids to Old Fort Niagara, the folks in front of me pulled out their AAA card to get a discount. I had completely forgotten that!” she writes. “We saved a few dollars, and I almost missed the opportunity.”

During college, when I was working at a gas station, a customer came in, showed his AAA card and said, “Will this get me anything?”

I didn’t know whether it would or not. We certainly weren’t promoting any AAA specials. But sure enough, I looked down at my cash register and there was a button that read, “AAA Free Coffee.”

Sometimes memberships can be used as a gateway to further savings. For example, you can walk into the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, show your AAA card at the customer service desk and get the mall’s new Green Savings Card for free (they’re usually $5).

The Green Savings Card nets discounts at more than 70 participating outlet stores, such as $10 off a $50 purchase at Aeropostale and $5 off a $35 purchase at Carter’s kids clothing. The cards are good for a year and can be used at the same store multiple times.

Membership discounts of all kinds are so varied and widespread, it pays to flash your card every place you go and see if it gets you anywhere. There’s no harm in asking, right?

Take stock of every membership club you belong to, whether it is occupational, religious, fraternal or recreational.

Are you a member of an honor society, smartypants? Phi Kappa Phi members get interest rate reductions on student loan consolidation from SunTrust Bank.

Veterans of Foreign Wars members and their families get 15 percent off Sprint cellular phone service, seven percent off Dell brand computers and can save up to 50 percent on merchandise from Sears Commercial. All that and they get to hang out at Sikora Post.

Members of the fraternal order of Moose can get almost 60 percent off interstate moving costs with North American movers. Additional perks include 15 percent off flower orders from FTD, discounted Hertz car rentals and up to 30 percent off hotel rates at Clarion, Comfort Inn and Econo Lodge.

Members of Just Buffalo Literary Society get 10 percent off at Talking Leaves Bookstore.

Where do you work? Your employer could entitle you to discounts, too.

Employees of Berkshire Hathaway Cos., such as The Buffalo News, M&T Bank and Dairy Queen, get discounted auto insurance with Geico.

People who work for the University at Buffalo get 15 percent off dry cleaning at Aladdin Cleaners and $3 off a haircut at Salon Eileen, both in Amherst.

Now go get your all your membership cards and put them in your wallet. You may look like George Costanza from “Seinfeld,” but it will be worth it.

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