Monday, January 22, 2018

The weekend

I worked Thurdsay, Friday, and Saturday night. I am very tired and have been trying to stay organized in the meal department when I am working.

I got up Saturday afternoon and we had a very crazy dinner. I was over tired from not sleeping well and kind of irritable. I told the kids and my husband that we were having hot dogs, chicken noodle soup, and sliced cucumber. It was not a very healthy or well rounded meal but it was something to eat and prevented me from ordering take out which I honestly can not afford.

I was off last night and we stayed home most of the day. I did go to the park for a walk with my husband which we try to do on days I am not working. It gets us both outside and we would benefit from the walking.

Sunday dinner was only the five of us. We did not have anything planned with the cousins. I made grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches on whole wheat bread. We have quite a few roma tomatoes that I bought from Aldi when I went shopping a while ago. They needed to be used and honestly the sandwiches came out amazing.

I had to take the money out of our savings for an endoscope I am having done tomorrow for a diagnosis. It is going to cost me 515.50 out of pocket with my health coverage at the hospital. I want to remind everyone that I am an employee and the health deductible is just outrageous. I am not sure on how long it will take for me to replace that money.

Dinner tonight was a pork tenderloin. I cut it in half and put the other half back in the fridge for tomorrow. I sliced the large half into pork chops and put them in the crock pot. I added frozen Aldi green beans, two large carrots, several cut up potatoes, and some garlic. I let this cook all day and it got rave reviews from the family. There are no veggies left in the crock pot which just amazes me because other than myself and my husband, my "adult" children are not keen on veggies.


3 comments:

  1. High deductible medical insurance plans have been my reality for years now. How I've skirted them is to be sure to set aside the max. OOP scenario, which for me this year (I am now just insuring myself) is $7350. My first deductible of $2500 was already hit, thanks to my very expensive, arthritis RX. I've mapped it out, and this second deductible will be capped out around mid April. I order my maintenance drugs accordingly, to avoid OOP for the first deductible as well as to minimize my obligation from $2501-$7350 which is where I have to pay 30% unless it's preventative care. Again, my $$$$ RX manufacturer pays most of this on my behalf. I wouldn't be able to afford this and my other RXs otherwise. And I have "good" insurance. It is what it is.

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    Replies
    1. I would agree. High deductibles are a reality for most folks now and we have had higher deductibles in the past for at least five years with premiums continuing to rise. Without health insurance and prescription coverage we would not be able to obtain some of the chronic meds that we need and since I have obtained this insurance in September with the new job there has been quite a few things done.

      My DD was rushed to the ER for her kidney stone, had multiple ultrasounds, CT scans, IV fluids, pain medications, and fees that came with that in 2017.

      We started with a new mental health provider in October of 2017 and had to request release of records from our old provider at a charge. We had to get some prescriptions preauthorized by the new prescription and insurance to be covered (the new mental health provider charged for the paperwork to be filled out), we have seen this provider monthly since October for the five of us at 40 dollars each visit per person.

      In January my middle DD had to be seen by the urologist twice with co payments each time. She also had to get an out patient CT scan to evaluate her kidneys at a 300 dollar co payment per my insurance.

      My oldest DD had run out of her abilify and did not notify the doctor when she went to see him for her last visit. I had to pay additional funds to get her prescription wrote to CVS for a 2 week supply while waiting for my prescription mail order coverage to send her meds. Additional costs that I requested she pay at CVS instead of me. She paid for the 2 week supply of abilify and we are still waiting for her 90 day supply to come in the mail.

      I had to see an ENT in December and had a procedure done in the office. I was referred to the diagnostic center to have a barium swallow study performed. The bill came out to be 53 dollars for the procedure and it has been the most reasonable bill that has been given to me since we started with my new employer.

      I have to get another procedure this morning and paid in full the out of pocket costs. I have the money in my savings for the family deductible out of pocket, but it still is a concern when it is very early in the year and we are on a very limited budget.

      I went from working a full time job, a part time job, and as needed position at my former employer and had a bit of etra cash to help support finances. It's a bit more difficult now with just one job. I am considering picking up a part time job or see if there is an opportunity to work an extra shift twice a month to help support the medical costs.

      I was talking to my Mom about the stress of having one income as the main support for the whole family. Even with everyone pitching in it can be difficult sometimes. The budget is constantly on my mind and I balance my check book every day to make sure that the funds are available. I explained how stressful it can be to move two times in 6 months (VA to FL rental, rental to our retirement house). She asks me all the time why I am stressed a lot and I tell her that the finances are tight and all our bills are paid every month on time. She gets upset with me when I tell her that I made dinner and fed the adult kids and my husband first. She tells me to go out and do something for myself. I tell her that I have a beautiful house that we bought and will live in our older years in. I have told her that we are blessed to be in the area that we have always talked about. I tell her that we are blessed to have our bills paid on time every month. She stated to me that she didn't feel that moving to Florida would have been a good choice for us. I told her that I would support my children in their adventures even if I did have reservations. Sorry for the long reply and rant. I have to get my husband out of bed by 7 so that he can get ready and we can be at the hospital by 730.

      Her response was to move back to Virginia.

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  2. As described, your Mom sounds less than supportive, sorry for that drama. I understand about being the single provider for the family. Long history short, I've been the sole provider for about 7 years now, previously married to someone who can't handle money. I feel best as in most secure, when I have the max OOP funds squirreled away. Worse case scenario, it's there is I need it. The beginning of a plan year is the worst as monies go flying out of the bank, which can be unnerving.

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