Mothering Many

I’m sure it’s totally not going to shock you when I say health care cost are astronomical, and that the cost of insurance is likewise outrageous. Now, I do have some serious rants about the state of health care in this country, and how affordable health insurance ought to be a priority, nit just lip serviced, but this is not a political blog. I have one of those, but this is not it, therefore I will refrain from launching into a scathing attack…………opps, sorry. Got a little carried away, didn’t I?

Let’s get back to budgeting and health insurance. If you are not provided health insurance through your work, be sure to check in to the insurance offered by your state. Although adult health coverage is hard to obtain, the insurance for children is not, and the deductible and/or co-pay, is shockingly low. Eligibility depends on income and family size, but the amount you can make is more than you might think, up to $34,100 a year for a family of four, and that goes up as family size increases.

If you don’t qualify for that, check out other options. You can get health insurance quotes in your pajamas!

I know I am hitting the budgeting stuff hard lately, but I like saving money, and I figure you do, too. Right? Right.

One thing that can get tremendously expensive in a family this size is eyeglasses. Several of us wear glasses and my dh even has to have high index lenses. There’s not a whole lot you can do without insurance to cut the cost of exams, but remember you don’t have to buy your glasses from the optometrist. There are plenty of places online to get cheap eyeglasses. I just linked you to one, and you can search for others.

Spend the money you save doing something nice for yourself. Or on groceries, LOL!

This money saver is one I learned the hard way. Well, not me, but I have watched other people do it. Mostly people who live with me. Just sayin’

Anyway, most products and services we buy come with some sort of warranty or tech support. If you run into trouble call that first, before you throw more money at the situation. And use that support to it’s full potential!

For example, we have a Linksys router, and every now and again a combination of power failures and network issues will cause that router to do some weird whatever thing it does, and then I can’t get online. But I’ve learned that the folks at Bellsouth (my ISP) can help me troubleshoot that router. It’s all in how I ask, see. I don’t tell them I am sure it’s the router. I simply call and tell them I am having connectivity issues, and they ask what kind of modem and router I have, and off we go!

I’ve also heard stories of people who got coupons and even products after contacting customer service, even with compliments, so don’t be afraid to let your voice be heard!

Tonight, I went out to pick up some medicine, and since I was in the drug store anyway, I walked over to where they sell the oh-so-spendy shampoo that I have been wanting to try and saw it was BOGO. Since I have already tried the styling product with great results, I went ahead and purchased the shampoo and conditioner. When I got home, Stuntman informed me that he “just knew” I hadn’t been going just for meds. I took the opportunity to explain that I had actually saved money with my purchase, because shampoo is something I have to have, and the BOGO made this premium brand the same price as the stuff I have been using.

The moral of my little tale is that it is possible to save money by spending money if:

• the deal is really good

and

• it’s something you would eventually buy anyway.

Now, don’t go crazy. Don’t buy so much you have to lash it to the van racks. Only buy enough to fill the front passenger seat.