Navigating life and finances
18 for 18! With 2018 just around the corner, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I’d like to see accomplished in the coming year. 2018 will be our second year on our journey to debt freedom, and I’m feeling optimistic! Although we didn’t pay off near as much as I’d hoped in 2017, we are still in a far better position than we were 12 months ago, and I genuinely believe from this point that it will only get better. [Read more…]
Okay, so my hours are more like 11-5 (yesterday) or as for today, 11-2. I also haven’t seen that old movie Nine to Five in what now seems like forever, but hey, I like the song and this business of going to work every day makes me feel like I’m working 9-5. Lol.
My additional hours are still not set, and I doubt they ever really will be. Fortunately, it isn’t an on-call type of position, so I do still have some flexibility. The job calls for anywhere from 5-20 hours per week, which makes it a perfect addition to the very part-time hours I was already working. Keep in mind that I do still work my side business and work full-time for a couple of months during the Summer at my seasonal job. I still need to figure out the logistics of next Summer but will cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I am happy with more money for snowballing our debt! [Read more…]
Just because it is on sale, doesn’t mean we need it! Don’t you just love all the consumerism surrounding the holidays? No sooner do we finish giving thanks for all we have only to turn around and think we need so much more! Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy looking at all the great deals, too. But, I also need to remind myself that there is a huge difference between want and need. And that is when Hubs and I became a Black Friday Scrooges! [Read more…]
Plenty more boring posts to come!The consensus of the comments on the post from yesterday speaks volumes. It will be business as usual here at A Dime at a Time. I think Hubs was a tad surprised at how many of us do enjoy reading and talking about numbers! His loss, our gain. Now maybe he will leave us me alone. I guess it is a good thing he doesn’t comment, or at least not on the blog that is! Lol. [Read more…]
We have received our Explanation of Health Care Benefits. Not a pleasant piece of mail to open, but at least we now have a better idea of where we stand. Our remaining balance for Hub’s surgery is $4,417. We owe $114.10 for the initial visit with the surgeon, $1,115.23 for the surgeon’s services, and $3,187.67 to the hospital. Based on my experience from a surgery I had for a broken ankle, we will need to come up with the surgeon’s share once they send the bill. The hospital, however, initially gave us an interest-free payment plan of $215/month for 18 months, which would be more than we owe. Whether they will decrease the monthly amount or the duration is now a matter of wait and see. While it would be nice to have a reduced monthly payment, I am also eager to get this new bill paid off ASAP. [Read more…]
How to lower the cost of prescriptions.When it comes to Facebook, I am a bit of a lurker. I also try not to spend too much time on the site as it can be a real time sucker. Every now and then, though, a post will catch my eye. While the information regarding lowering prescription costs wasn’t new to me, it was something that I had forgotten to make a point of doing, and that is to ask! The post was all about pharmacy gag rules, also referred to as a clawback. [Read more…]
Options evaluated and submitted.Tis that time of year again, the dreaded open enrollment. With all the craziness of health care over the past few years, I all but hold my breath each time it comes around. We were fortunate this year not to experience any significant increase in premiums or changes in the plans Hub’s employer offers. From reading posts from other bloggers, I know we are fortunate. [Read more…]
Trying to “fix” what I can.Why did my sister-in-law need to spill the beans and tell my Hubby (her brother) that he would feel worse the day after his surgery? While I certainly knew this, my Hubby didn’t seem to. That was, until she clued him in. Ugh! It wasn’t that I was dishonest with the Hubs, he just never asked! I figured it would be best for him to keep thinking he would be on the mend sooner, rather than later. You know, a mind over matter sort of thing. Enter the need for some damage control. [Read more…]
Or at least that is the way the hospital makes one feel. Apparently, the hospital where my Hubby is going for his hernia repair wants to know they will be paid. Go figure. Why can’t they understand that we are trying to get out of debt and not add to it? Alas, I do get it. They need to be paid and it is our responsibility to see that they are paid. [Read more…]
Two more irregular bills to add to our sinking funds.Today we had our wood stove inspected and cleaned. Having this done is a yearly expense and is also something we cannot do ourselves. We have a vaulted ceiling not only in our living room but also on our second-floor level. These ceilings make for a very steep and high roof and not one that I want either one of us to climb. I’m not sure why (and I’m not complaining!) but this year the bill came in at $195 which was $30 less than what we paid last year. While I didn’t like writing the check, chimney safety is paramount, especially given that the wood stove is our primary heat source during our long Winters. The cost involved is also worth it opposed to potentially breaking who knows what if we were to fall off the roof. [Read more…]