February 9, 2010
When you’re in pain, the world needs to know. Sorry loves, I’m updating you on the weird developments in my dental world.
All last week, as my
Tweeple might have heard, I was in
excruciating pain. Purportedly stress-related, it was agonizing and frustrating that the pain kept coherent thought at bay and kept me at that high level of stress. Almost as upsetting was the foggy realization that I was spending money on things I a) would normally avoid, or b) had to buy for convenience’s sake. Adding up the numbers is fairly well horrifying.
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Category A:
Repeat or unnecessary medications: My dad offered to make what would have been my third trip out to the hospital to pick up medications. The pharmacy filled one too many and sent him home with Naproxen, the OTC version of which I already had.
Processed foods: At best I was gumming my meals and even that hurt. I couldn’t take one more day of liquids-only or scrambled eggs so I bought packaged mashed potatoes (just add water!) and Top Ramen. I could just microwave the one, and overcook the other into mush. [Yeech!]
Category B:
Ordered in food: I paid a premium for high-calorie, high-sodium soup because I desperately needed extra calories and my dad can’t handle non-Asian cooking. He means well but he’s only cooks Asian-style and recipes make no sense to them. *sigh* OTOH, French onion soup. Oh yes….
Category C – luxuries, unbudgeted:
One of my close friends, a massage therapist, called me on Saturday at noon with instructions to nap, drink plenty of water and drive 50 miles to see her. She took me to an acquaintance whose background includes physical therapy among other homeopathic disciplines, and we spent an hour and a half working on postural analysis and some exercises. My good ole narcotic had worn off before we crossed his threshold, and the pain level didn’t spike during our session. For five days, pain has exploded as soon as a med wore off… this was nothing short of breathtaking.
She bundled me off and gave me a good long massage (she insists it was only an hour, but I suspect she fudged the time a bit.) I insisted on paying her because her partner is on disability right now and money is tight, but she also insists that the next massage is free. Who am I to argue?
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I can think again.
I could drive, I could talk on the phone for short bursts, I can remember things. (Not everything, but it wasn’t a certified miracle.) Pain management is incredible.
The eagle-eyed might notice that, above, my dentist, for the pleasure of making me cry when he thwacked my already smarting teeth with his instrument, gave me a 10% discount on the nightguard. Actually, he noted the discount when he found out that I was paying cash. But still. They both discounted the total price and didn’t charge to expedite the order. (I’d told them there was a chance I had to be out of town the following week for an interview.) Good folks.
We’re not all the way there yet, but lots of deep breathing and judicious use of the painkillers makes an enormous difference. There really seems to be something to this alignment business. If I can, I’d like to see him one more time to help winnow the pain down to less than a daily occurrence and work on my own from there.
February 1, 2010
Shooo-eee, I can certainly spend when I’ve a mind to. Some blame to be placed on school and textbooks, and some on household expenses. I won’t go through the litany here because it just sounds like a bunch of hooey excuses. I’ve already got a few returns in mind (gifts never given), and a mental note says that quite a few of those expenses would have come out of the gift fund. If I still had one for the year.
This, by the by, is what comes of relying on the stock market for NW gains.
To make matters appear worse, I’m going to add another layer of transparency here. According to my spending tracking via the new spreadsheets, I only managed to stay out of the red with regards to cash flow thanks to the last minute arrival of some irregular income checks. It’s not fair to label that as a problem area yet, I knew that I’d be paying some (major) debits of last month out of this month’s cash flow. I didn’t anticipate some of the interruptions in the unemployment income.
Am continuing to bear down on the job search harder, looking out for more freelance opps, while doing justice to my schoolwork. And if the blog becomes an avenue for income, that’d be a-ok by me!
January 22, 2010
A friend and I were catching up the other day, when the subject of work came up. She works in an animal clinic, and she told me about this sad case they recently saw where a woman brought in her new puppy for an exam.
This wasn’t a typical puppy wellness exam that comes with adopting an animal from the local shelter, or just because the pup was new. The poor puppy had contracted canine parvovirus, commonly referred to as Parvo or abbreviated as CPV. Parvo’s a pretty miserable disease, and left untreated, especially in young dogs, can be fatal. It basically causes the gastroinstestinal problems (sorry to the squeamish!) of vomiting and diarrhea which leads to dehydration and of course, it doesn’t take long for that to take out a young’un. So it’s a serious matter when you bring a Parvo pup in for treatment, they have to be on fluids and medications, sometimes for weeks, until the virus clears out. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. The only guarantee is that it’s a lengthy and usually expensive process unless someone foots the bill for you.
Your choices are limited: treat at the hospital and hope for the best, treat at home and hope for the best (while bleaching everything that comes into contact with the puppy), or decide to euthanize.
Confronted with this diagnosis, the woman didn’t know what to do. This is a common response.
“I don’t have a job, my husband just lost his job, and I don’t know how I’m going to feed my (2) kids,” she wailed. This is, unfortunately, a far more common response than it should be.
I have the biggest soft spot in the world for animals and have worked to pay the vet bills since I was 17, paying hand over fist for medical treatments for my dogs on occasion, but I have never put them before my family’s wellbeing, either.
On the one hand, I wanted to shake the woman, reach right through my friend’s narrative and give her a good shake: what were you doing bringing home another mouth to feed when neither breadwinner has income and you can’t feed your own children?!??
On the other hand, the damage is done and I fully believe “You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) That part of me wants to say: you find a way. You will buckle down and you find a way. I know that unemployment, especially now, is really not a choice, but picking up the responsibility of a domesticated animal that now relies on you, literally for its life, is your choice. And once you’ve made it, you’d better find a way to fulfill your responsibilities.
A lot of people choose to go into debt using Care Credit which Miss M has written about before, a lot of people use regular credit cards, and a few of them will give the pet a fighting chance at home. On occasion, some will opt to euthanize the pet.
What would you do?
November 27, 2009
Reminder: I’m hosting the Carnival of Personal Finance this week, be sure to submit your best articles by Sunday!
Of course, you can’t cook every meal when you’re vacationing in Hawaii for the first time ever! We had some very nice meals out and the prices reinforced our decision to be frugal at least half the time.
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck on the North Shore: $13 per plate of shrimp scampi, $1 drink
Dole Plantation: Plate lunch ($9) and Pineapple Whip dessert ($4):
Happy Hour at Kona Brewing Co.: 4 beers, 1 6-oz. sampler beer for me, 3 appetizers ($33 after tip; party of three)
Dinner at Cafe Sistina: $41 per person, included 4 shared appetizers and 2 bottles of wine; party of 9
Buffet lunch at Indigo in Honolulu: $25 per person; party of 7 [You might not be able to tell, but there are about 15 different items on that plate. I was stuffed.]
We also had a mindblowing dinner at Lucy’s but I forgot my memory card at home. *heartbroken* We were treated to that meal by our local friends, and the entrees were around $25 each. The ahi tower was beyond fresh, the braised lamb just feel off the bone, and the coconut cranberry rice was amazingly moist and flavorful.
The costs were shared for a number of meals – we took turns treating each other so that the spending was relatively even across the board. Still, you can see how quickly you could spend hundreds just on eating! Luckily, that’s what a vacation is all about. 😉
November 16, 2009
This year’s updated Comparison of Medical Coverage and 2010 COBRA rates have been published, and the results are not pretty at all.
Hitting the highlights of the changes:
Office Visits
Before: $20 copay
After: $25 copay for primary care; $40 for specialist
Comment: I only see a specialist, so this is a major uptick in cost. 100% increase in cost; $100 v. $200 for 5 visits a year.
Prescriptions
Before: $15/generic and $30/brand name for a 100-day supply
After: $15/generic and $30/brand name for a 30-day supply
Comment: With 2-3 prescriptions going at any given time, we’re looking at 200% increase; $157.5 v. $540
Routine Eye Exams
Before: $20 copay
After: $25 copay
Comment: I’d probably skip this if my meds didn’t carry a risk of eye damage. Not worth skimping on $5. 25% increase; $20 v. $25.
Eyeglasses/Contact Lenses
Before: $125 allowance every 24 months for eyewear purchased from HMO
After: $125 allowance every 24 months for eyewear purchased from HMO NONE. No coverage at all.
Comment: It’s a darn good thing I’ve already replaced my reading glasses and only rarely need them.
HMO Monthly Premiums
Before: 324.82
After: 352.98
Comment: 9% increase on top of doubling and tripling my copays, and nearly killing off the vision care benefit. When ARRA expires and I’m paying the full price, we’ll be looking at an additional $28.16/month.
Dental Monthly Premiums
Before: 49.18
After: 51.90
Comment: 5% increase with no stated changes in coverage. To be fair, I have not been particularly on the ball about researching this area. The summary of benefits provided on the website is here:
The maximum annual benefit paid under the Dental Plan is $1,500 per each covered person. There is no deductible for services at the Employer School of Dentistry and a $50 per person deductible ($150 for families of three or more) for services at any other Dental provider. When you use a Plan dentist (about 93% of dentists in California), the plan pays eligible, reasonable and customary dental expenses as follows:
- 100% (no deductible required) for diagnostic and preventive services, such as exams, cleanings (up to two times in a calendar year), fluoride treatment, and space maintainers.
- 80% for basic services, such as oral surgery, fillings, endodontics, periodontics, and sealants.
- 60% for major services, such as crowns, jackets, fixed bridges, and dentures.
- 50% for implants up to a lifetime maximum of $1,500.
If you use a non-Plan dentist who charges more than Plan’s allowance for service, you must pay the additional cost. Under the Plan, you also may use the services of the Employer School of Dentistry (including the faculty practice). At the Dentistry school, you get 100% coverage of most expenses and a 50% orthodontia benefit ($1,500 lifetime limit).
So if I were willing to travel 50 miles into the city and use the Employer’s students, I could save quite a bit. $50 right off, and then up to $200-300 if I have to have real work done beyond the basic cleaning.
Summary
My ARRA [temporary discount on COBRA rates] expires in March 2010, and if I’m still with this HMO, I should expect to spend no less than $3500 in premiums alone, and another $800 in routine check-ups and prescriptions through 2010. Going without medical coverage is pretty much not an option for me so I’ll either have to continue with this coverage in the absence of an employer-sponsored plan or research individual health plans. *shudder*
November 12, 2009
NYC was wonderful. No new ode, I still feel the same way. There was perhaps less glitz sparkling in my eyes, but only because the trip was shorter and it took a little longer for the rigors of traveling cross-country to wear off.
May I recommend, by the by, always using SeatGuru.com before selecting your seats? It’s truly my own fault, but I felt like I was being punished for using an award ticket to travel. The outbound flight was ok, but the seat I was squished into on the return flight: a] wouldn’t recline (way to pick the row in front of the emergency exit), the overhead light was broken, and b] was right next to the galley where business class’s delectables were prepared and wheeled past me. Pasta, garlic bread, and brownies, oh my!
First, in pictures…..
My preflight and inflight snack system …
DFW’s downright neighborly …..
Woefully underdressed upon my arrival, TopShop and I immediately became acquainted. Those tights were really expensive but oh-so-warm. They were daily wear: kept my legs warm AND kept my feet from blistering up a storm in the new flats.
Citi sponsored free ice skating in Bryant Park. Am I the only one thinking that Citi shouldn’t be sponsoring anything at all right now?
Mamoun’s [just off the Astor Place subway stop] makes a mean schwarma sandwich. That was some amazing deliciousness for $5.
Gorgeous weather in the city …
I truly wish that I’d inserted my ARM in the photo for scale. That rib bone lying across the top was the size of my forearm. That platter was well worth the $22. [Blue Smoke restaurant, home of the first time I’ve had an amazing oyster.]
“Not to rub it in, but my treat because I can get this any time. I live here, you don’t!”
I hate you, friend. I love you and I hate you.
You, Ippudo, I love. Always. Home of the snarkiest [in a good way] waitstaff ever.
Waiter overhearing a reference to San Diego: “You’re from CA?”
“Yes.”
“I knew it. I just knew it’d play out like that!”
“??”
Waiter: “Miss? Miss? Would you like an extra bowl of noodles?”
Me: *mouth terribly full of pork*
Friend: Uh, she can’t talk right now, she just stuffed herself full of pork.
Waiter: Runs Away.
Me: *mouth still full* Wait!
Waiter to my sloooow-eating friend: “Can I take this away already?”
We: point and laugh at her.
Furry friends
Bye bye, awesome NYC food. Airport food [4 oz veggie orzo, 4 oz red potato salad, 2 oz chips: $6.50]
Then, in numbers …..
Ticket: $7.50
Day One: $29
Day Two: $62.50
Day Three-Five: $0
Day Six: $30
Day Seven: $95
Day Eight: $44.50
Total: $ 268.50
It’s a total budget cheat that I paid next to nothing for transportation [about $40 for airfare and Metro] and nothing at all for lodgings due to the repeat generosity of my friends. What kind of advice could really be derived from this? Have good friends in strategic places? For what it’s worth, I absolutely intend to pay it forward.
I spent a ton on clothes: $55 at TopShop for 2 pairs of tights and a pair of leggings. They’re all super comfortable and made of good material which is not the case for the discounted stuff I found at Filene’s [and they made me look funny.]
There was also a Blitzkrieg trip to H&M where I picked up a grey sweaterdress, black belt and white long sleeve for another $50. The sweaterdress replaces a black cowl-neck dress (circa 2002) and is now falling apart. The long sleeve is the beginning of my replacing ratty old long sleeved layers (circa 2004).
December 22, 2008
My new laptop: is pretty much wonderful. All but the part where I can’t figure out why it will no longer let me make my recovery disks. Just because I started installing/un-installing stuff that I didn’t want? Oh shoot, was it related to Windows Live OneCare? Because I junked that as soon as Avast was up and running. Darned Vista, I still haven’t learned my way around it. Oh well, new tech, keeps me young.
Wire transfers: despite costing $18-stinkin-75, are not guaranteed to transmit immediately. Citibank’s website is a liar. I read the fine print, there’s no mention of an up-to-48 hour review. Which, btw, takes me right up to Christmas Eve, and Christmas. Sure can’t wait to pay double the expected fee for “storage” because I was misinformed and didn’t just set up the wire transfer on Friday so that it’d have gone through by now. *sigh* I should just expect things to go wrong like this and you know, see into the future to prevent this sort of thing. Among others.
Escape Brooklyn: makes me even more trepiditious about living in New York. But then again, I only wanted to live there for a year or two.
Business suit: Is an all black suit too conservative for SF? I’m not a hugely fashionable person, so I tend to stick to the basics, and because they practically never have anything but basics in my size.
I found a close-as-anything-fit 0P Tahari suit yesterday for $140 at Macy’s. Twasn’t on sale, but I had my good friend look up coupons as I sat miserably in the dressing room with 4 suits that didn’t fit. He found a rumor of a $25 off $100 purchase so I trekked to Barnes and Noble for a copy of the paper and found THREE of those coupons! That gave me an extra burst of energy to check the racks one last time, and I lucked out big time.
I can’t find pictures of it online but they had two options: a skirt or pant suit. Both were two button jacket with rounded lapels on the pantsuit jacket, and thinner, sharper lapels on the skirt suit.
The skirt suit, after coupon, and after a fatty $113 gift card, cost $11 out of pocket. Just have to decide if it’s impressive enough. As I was told that I barely looked 18 at dinner on Saturday night while our 21 year old guests weren’t carded, I’m going to need all the help I can get to look legal, much less highly competent and employable.
