5 Fun Ways Seniors Spend Their Time Online

Just as people are all different, no one uses the Internet in the same way. From the fun to the practical, here are five ways that seniors are spending their time online.

1. EBay selling

My friend Lorie has her own business selling things on EBay. She scours the garage and estate sales and thrift stores for bargains on name brand items in good condition. Then she turns around and sells them on EBay, making a nice profit. Barbara has a good eye and a lot of fashion knowledge. This makes her spot a Gucci handbag where I just see a purse.

2. Buying online

On the flipside, Amber loves to shop on EBay. She bids on many items but she only wins a few of the auctions. It takes time to find a really good bargain, but Amber enjoys the time looking at all the things that people put for sale there. She even scans Amazon and other shopping sites. She doesn’t walk well without a walker now but Amber gets as much satisfaction from this as she used to get at the mall.

3. Stock and commodities market trading

Milton uses his computer to buy and sell commodities futures. This is a complicated market and he spends quite a bit of time studying the financial and farm news to increase his skill. Milton has set aside part of his savings to do this and he will not dip into the rest. Sometimes he even makes money. It certainly keeps his brain sharp.

4. Selling books online

Many people turn their hobby into a paying business. This is great for those who are business savvy like Cal. He loves to read books (the kind you hold in your hand, not ebooks) and he is always browsing the titles at his local thrift shop and garage sales he finds. His bookshelves were so full, his wife said it was time to whittle down the number of books Cal keeps. So he went online and started selling books. At first he just worked Half.com and Amazon. He found this profitable and eventually had his own website designed by his grandson who is a computer whiz. Cal still gets to browse and buy used books, but now they are for profit, not the shelves in his den.

5. Skyping with the grandkids

Bill and Marion had eight children so you can imagine the number of grandchildren they have. True to modern America, they are scattered all over the U.S. and even in other countries. Bill and his wife set up a schedule so that they can Skype regularly with each one. They found the times that fit the schedule and time zone of each family member. So, they know that if it’s 9:00 AM on the first Saturday of the month they can expect to Skype with their grandson who is in Moscow, where it is 8:00 PM. This lets Bill and Marion keep up to date with all that is going on in their extended and dispersed tribe. In between monthly Skyping, they use email and love the photos that are sent.

What are some ways that you use the Internet? Feel free to share below!

SeniorAdvisor.com Staff

Senior Advisor's knowledgeable writers blog about senior care services, trends and more.