6th Blogiverary - Cars and Medical

Always great to stretch out the torture celebration!!!  Yesterday we talked about the retirement loan and student loans.  Today's subject:  Cars and Medical.

***

Mysti's Car 

Day one of blog:  This loan didn't exist.
2014: $6,260.00
2015: $3,550.00

Back in 2009, my mini van was paid off.  It was starting to have problems....and had our situation been different, I may have pushed to get another car.  But we just couldn't imagine having another bill, so we let the car nickel and dime us to death (here are just some of the highlights: debacle, the continuation, and the vacation issue)  It finally died  in November 2011 and we replaced it with my current car.

Last year I started paying just a few bucks extra (min payment is $230)  to the loan each month to bring it to a round number.  Not that this has made a huge difference in the total number...but psychologically it was helpful.  We are coming down the home stretch! We are about 15 months away from the end.  Unless something changes.....which it could.....and this loan is part of that plan.  More on that another day.

The car has 109k miles on it, and despite a very pricey repair this past winter (the start, the middle, the end  it is fine.  I would like to get it to 200k....so maybe 5 more years.  The next 5 years are going to be ushering in huge changes so who knows.

G-man's Car
 

Day one of blog:  This loan didn't exist, but we had a different car loan
2014: $4,000.00
2015: $2,390.00

In 2009, we had a car payment for G-man's previous car.  We should never have gotten that car.  His previous car died (it was a hand me down from my parents when the previous hand me down from his parents died).  We had been driving beater cars for so long and kept trying to keep them alive.  So when we were trying to buy a new car, we were trying to get a car that would last....and we were so wrong.  We chose that car for the wrong reasons (it could tow the boat that we never used; he wanted a big car).  It killed us on gas.  And the payment was higher than what we had planned for.  By the time we realized all of this, we had created such a mess that getting rid of it wouldn't have solved anything....the car was having problems and it just didn't seem viable (wanna revisit just SOME of this fun....and there was ALOT of it...look  here and here and here and here)

In 2013, we limped the car in and got $500 for it.  We bought an old car for $6,000.  And I was so upset that this was the best we could do.  It was all about the payment.  We were now having to deal with 2 car payments and we weren't prepared for it.  And I was really surprised how far $6,000 went....which wasn't far.

The car is fine now, even though we we had to replace the catalytic converter in early 2014.  But it won't last forever.  We are hoping to replace it before Sassy starts driving in 3 years...eeek.  Then this can be "her" car.  But I hyperventilate thinking about this, so we are going to leave it in the future for the moment.

The loan was originally 5 years just so we could have the lowest payment.  Because of the age of the car, we didn't qualify for a "car" loan....and had to get a "personal" loan at 9.99% (that was the rate at the time). I am happy to say that in the 20 months we have owned the car, we have paid off 60% of the loan. We are roughly 18 months away from the end, but I am shooting for 15 months or less so both cars are paid off at the same time (if my car is paid off on time....basically this car can be paid off within 4-6 weeks).

Medical

Day one of blog: $1,200...maybe?

2015: Zero

I have to divert from the format for this one.  This number has gone up and down and up and down over the past 6 years.  The original debt was from our son, and was paid off in 2010.  In 2012, I needed root canal and a crown, I had surgery, and we had to pay that off.  We lost our financial waiver for Bossy's supplies, paid a ton, got the waiver back.  More dental issues.   All of this is paid off now.  The quick number I can come up with for the "big stuff" is we have paid $6,400...but I know it was way more than that when you account for co-pays, regular check ups, other procedures.

***
We having fun yet???  Stay tuned for the big credit card discussion tomorrow!!!

Other stuff....not moving!

All I have talked about for a month is the move.  And while it consumes all of my thoughts, you shouldn't be subjected to it all the time.  Sorry!

So other stuff that (financially) has happened....

1) Escrow reimbursement.  Because our taxes went down ever so slightly on the house, our escrow account had a surplus.  So we got a surprise check in the mail for $342!!!  WIN!  I would have been perfectly happy to let it sit in the account and it get credited toward the house when it sells....but here it is.  Not that it is really staying.  It is going toward the expenses we have already laid out for fixing up the house.  But at least that covered our window ($288) and flowers ($45). 

2) Bossy's supplies.  Oh, I will NOT miss the company that currently supplies all of our feeding tube supplies.  We have not received a correct bill in at least 2 years.  And the woman who places the order each month oversteps her bounds and questions the doctor's orders.  Anyway, we got a bill for the Oct, Nov, and Dec 2013 (yes....last year) orders.  We previously had gotten the bill for October back in the March 2014 area.  And it was messed up.  We had a credit at that point and stopped paying monthly until they got the following months billed...since I didn't want to keep paying them for an unknown amount. 

So yes, they are finally billing it.  And the bill was wrong.  Again.

Once again they didn't subtract the discount for our financial waiver (actually, I was told that someone did, and then someone un-did it before the bill went out).  The $515 bill went down to $158 with the credit we had. 

We MAY have a slight bill after this, depending on how they bill things.  Our 100% waiver kicks in for 2/2/14...so there are about 5 days before that which haven't been billed yet that are technically at 60%.  It would be about $10.  Who knows what they will do....or when they will do it!

3)  Taxes at the store.  My brother bought Sassy a sweater for her birthday at a national chain store that sells over priced, very sparkly clothes.  Sassy loves them.  I say ick.  But that isn't the point.

The sweater was the wrong size, so I took it back (with the receipt that Bro sent with it, just in case) and did an even exchange.  Then they proceeded to charge me the difference in tax!  My state has a higher tax rate (go figure....) than Bro's state.  So while I didn't get charged anything for the item, I was expected to pay the difference in the tax.

We have returned and exchanged lots of things over the years at a variety of stores, and I have never been charged the difference in tax.  So I called customer service to inquire about it.

First the girl tells me it isn't their policy, it is the state. 

Mysti: This is CT policy? 
Girl:  Well, no.
Mysti:  So where did you get this information?
Girl:  From Home Office.
Mysti:  OK, then it IS company policy.
Girl:  Yes.

*sigh*  Then yes, it is THEIR policy.  This girl has no idea what I am talking about....she is reading it from a book.

She proceeds to tell me that the company isn't going to eat the cost.  I tell her that if no refunds or charging of difference in tax, then there is a good chance that it will be a net zero anyway.  Plus, there is always the price of doing business.

For the record, this wasn't about the AMOUNT I had to pay in tax....it was that they advertise free returns/exchanges....and my exchange transaction wasn't "free."  No, I wasn't charged to actually exchange the item...but I am penalized because I live in a more expense state than my brother.

The bottom line was I lodged my complaint and told her that I will be less likely to tell family to purchase from the store because of this.  She offered to send me a gift card for what I paid....no thank you....it was a very small amount and I don't need the GC.  I didn't tell her what the amount was.

It was 20 cents.

It wasn't about the 20 cents.......it was about the policy.

My BFF laughed at the story.  She said it sounded like the scene in Father of the Bride where the dad wigs out over hot dog buns.  Enjoy!!!

And there it goes

Back in November when we had to sign up for our yearly Flexible Spending Account (FSA), we decided on $4,000.  This was supposed to cover co-pays, new glasses and contacts, and dental (cleanings).  In the past....when everything works....it will cover our expenses for the year.  If we run out in November....we consider it a win.

When it doesn't work right....you have a situation like we have right now.  It is June, not quite half way through the year, and we have less than $500 left.  Yes, that means we have used $3500 on out of pocket medical expenses.

Included in this are:

• My root canal
• Extra x-rays for Sassy
• My ultrasound (more on this another time....no, I am not pregnant)
• Weekly Occupational Therapy for Bossy
• Bossy's medical supplies
• Miscellaneous co-pays
• Contact lenses
• Medication (which included replacing Epi-pens)

With 6 months to go in the year,  there is alot that won't be covered now.  Medication and co-pays are a definite.  Sassy needs to go to the oral surgeon (although if he wants to wait, or if we can wait to do anything, I will push this off until January.  I am not going to endanger Sassy, but if it can wait 6 months...then it will).

Bossy's medical supplies will continue to rack up expense.  Oh, and I have my crown appointment this week. Oh yeah....and I am having surgery this summer.  Yip. Pee.

Even for all of the expense of this year, only some of it counts toward our out of pocket expense for the insurance.  My dental stuff didn't count (since they didn't cover any of it, they don't care).  My contacts didn't count.  We are at less than $2,000 towards our $5,000 maximum out of pocket expense.

In the past, we have hit our maximum in late fall, back when the maximum was $4,000.  Then they raised it to $5,000.  Sneaky.

All of this is going to hit the bottom debt repayment line.  Even with overtime, extra hours at work, etc....that will more or less help us tread water, not actually pay down the existing debt.  This is a major frustration.  All this medical stuff will make it look like we aren't making debt repayment progress, and if the expenses outpace the ability to pay it as it comes, it will add to the debt.

I just want to scream.

Not our year for dental....

Alright...who decided that this was our year for Murphy's cousin, Dentin (get it?  No?  *sigh*) to move in?

Just a quick re-cap....

July 2011 - Sassy broke her tooth
Nov 2011 (I think...I am too lazy to check exactly) - G-man abscess
March 2012 - Mysti's root canal (with crown to come in late May)

We were already anticipating that Bossy would have an orthodontics consult later in 2012.  That will be pushed off, probably until Spring 2013.  Per his check-up yesterday, his baby teeth are no where ready to come out, so the orthodontics will wait.  We already know that it WILL happen, but he is a late teether, so we are just going to have to play it by ear.  The dentist said MAYBE by Fall 2013 he will be ready for braces.  And that is a big maybe.  The good news for us is that we have more time to figure out how to pay for it.

But now Sassy needs to see an oral surgeon.  When they took her x-rays, they saw an "extra" tooth blocking her 12-year molar.  (The x-ray is actually very neat...we can see which is going to be the next baby tooth to come out!)  Bases on the x-ray, it isn't clear if it really is an extra tooth, or possibly her wisdom tooth that is forming in the wrong spot.  *sigh*  No one seems overly concerned, but she will need to have a consult with the oral surgeon to determine if it is a "wait and see" situation, or if they will have to go in and remove what is there.

When we get back from our trip, I will schedule that appointment for her.  And of course...our FABULOUS dental insurance won't cover any of this.

At the rate we are going....our FSA will be gone by Summer.  So much for the rest of the year!!!

How do you define Progress?

***ETA:  I wrote this post last night, and scheduled it to go live today.  Almost no one actually GOT the point of the post.  Everyone is still on the "should we buy tickets" bandwagon....which for the record, I never asked if I should or shouldn't.  

In my GBU yesterday, I mentioned that we were "thinking" about getting concert tickets.  Our last concert was almost 10 years...oops....8 years ago (the kids were ALMOST 2).  Are they pricey?  Yep.  We were thinking about it; no decision made.  We have had 2 big date nights in the past year....and this would be the next one (not counting the wedding we have in May).

Is it the BEST use of money?  Depends on your definition of BEST.  No, it isn't going to debt.  But if you define BEST as "the ability for a couple to have a night out, see a show we both would enjoy, and have a night off from the stress of our life,"  then yes.  We have also considered only having G-man go (as he wants to go more than I do, even though I do want to go).  Then we would only have 1 ticket and parking.  No sitter or anything.

Consuelo made a comment regarding our numbers and our "lack of progress" in the past few months.

I am not going to deny that numbers are ugly.  I never have.  We were making progress, and last year really wrenched that.  No denying that.  But to say "lack of progress" in the past few few months isn't accurate.  I haven't updated our sidebar in the past few days because I know it is all about to change, and decided to wait until the big change to do the update.  But the comment really upset me, so I looked a few things up....a few things that may not be as apparent to you all because I don't share EVERY detail.

Since January 1....

• We have increased our EF by $324.    Prior to my root canal, we had just under $1,300 in there.  We withdrew some to float that money to get a discount.  When our FSA reimburses us, it will go back to the EF, and we will have the $1300 again, and are working toward
• We have saved over $500 towards the kids' camp for the summer, which acts as day care for us while we work.
• We have saved $550 in overtime pay.  Part of this is paying for G-man's speeding ticket and fishing license.  The rest is going toward our weekend trip to Sesame Place for Autism Day (entrance to the park is free, other than a $25 parking fee which goes to charity.  We have a gov't discount for the hotel).
• We have saved enough so far to pay for our water bill, which will come in May.  And we are on track to have the money saved for our personal property taxes in July.
• We paid off our retirement loan (whose numbers were never added into any of the tallies, but at the start of the blog....we had about $7100 left), a few year early.
• We established a "cat fund" that currently has enough for all three cats' check-ups, and have been working on saving per month for food and litter.

Based on the numbers on January 1, as reported in my Financial Goals for 2012:

• The student loan has decreased $456.
• The car has decreased $642.
• Medical has increased $50, but as long as Bossy has medical needs, this bill will always be in flux.  Considering I had a $700 root canal, and the overall bill has only gone up $50, I am happy.

This just leaves the CC bills.  Taking the mattress out of the equation, which we had planned to take a little extra out of the next retirement loan to cover....the CC has gone down about $400.  Now, what this means is that we have basically paid off everything we have charged in the past 3 months, and a little more.  This was considerably more, but as I said, we back slid a little on this in the past month.  Included in this have been a few gifts (baby shower, bridal shower, birthday parties).  Some has been eating out when we have been lazy about cooking.  But NONE of it has been shopping for the sake of shopping.  There has been no clothes, music, home decor (as tempting as it has been!!).

Once we take out the loan, I will update all the numbers.  At that point, all of the debt will be at an interest rate of 3.375% or less.  I know that not everyone will agree with the retirement loan for this purpose.  It is taking money from our future.  But in no more than 4 years, it will be paid off, and we will be just about debt free other than the mortgage (right now we are at 5 years to be debt free....but I think we may be able to shave at least some of that off).

I know this is a long post.  So if you made it this far....good for you!!!  But we HAVE made progress.  It isn't gazelle intense....never has been.  But it IS progress.

So to Consuelo....thank you for reading and spurring me to investigate this further.  I am sorry you don't feel like we are making progress, but in the end, we only have to account to ourselves.

Why Do We Even HAVE Dental Insurance?

I swear, we have the worst dental insurance in the world.  It barely pays anything on standard stuff (cleanings, x-rays, etc).  Hence....the reason that we almost always owe the dentist something.  Both the kids' dentist and our dentist have been terrific in letting us pay as we go, and have NEVER said anything about the balance.  We just pay something every month, and it slowly chips away....until the next visit when it goes back up.

G-man has terrible teeth, so he goes 3x a year for a cleaning.  I have great teeth, so I go once a year (I figure it balances out....sort of giving him my second cleaning).  Since our insurance only pays $16 a cleaning, I am trying to save money.

Well, I have had a tooth that has been bothering me for several weeks.  VERY sensitive.  I was hoping it wasn't a cavity (I have NEVER had a cavity....see, I have great teeth).  But as the discomfort grew, I decided I better have it checked out.

Several mini tests and an x-ray later.....I have a cracked tooth.  If I had to guess, it happened about a month ago when Bossy was having a tantrum and hit is head into my jaw.

I need a root canal and a crown.  And possibly a "build-up" but they can't determine that until they are ready to do the crown.  Our insurance covers NOTHING.  NOTHING.  The wonderful office staff (we have been going to this office for almost 9 years, and have gotten to know them), checked our insurance, and just had this forelorned look on their face when they gave me the quote.

Root Canal - $891
Crown - $985 (with a $200 deposit due that day for lab expenses)
Build up - $200

Total......$2,076

I think I stopped breathing.  For someone who has only ever had a cleaning...to drop over two grand on ONE tooth.  Good grief. Unfortunately, this isn't something that can wait.  I need to be on antibiotics for the start of an infection, and unless I have it done, the infection will come back and could get worse.

The office staff said they will continue to work with us on the balance, and as long as we keep doing what we have always done, we will never get a call from them. 

Here is the thing....we have a Flexible Spending Plan.  Our FSA will cover it.  Of course, that is over half of the $4,000 we elected for the year, so our FSA will run out that much sooner.  The only small silver lining....at $5,000 we hit our out-of-pocket max, and the rest of the year we don't have a co-pay for anything.  Based on our regular usage...that would be sometime late summer.  So from Sept-Dec, we wouldn't have any medical co-pays.

But still....$2000......UGH.  They will still submit the claim to our insurance on the chance they will pay something.  We looked at our plan book last night, and it wasn't even listed.  Cleaning, X-rays, fillings.  That was it.

In a Dental recap.....Sassy broke her tooth July 2011.  G-man had an abscess in Fall 2011.  Now Mysti has this Feb 2012.  Less than a year, and 3/4 of our family has had dental issues.  And we already know that Bossy needs braces....

Can I just scream????

ETA:  I called around, and this is the going price for this work.  I called my dentist and asked if we paid cash, could they do a discount.  They said they could do 15%.  So when I have the root canal done next week, I will take the money from EF to pay for the work.  Once we get the FSA reimbursement, it will go back into the EF.  This will save us $134 on the root canal.  It is better than nothing.

Joining the 10 lbs Challenge

I joined the 10-pound Challenge hosted by Newlyweds on a Budget. Lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks, win $$$. Are you in?

Erika over at Newlyweds on a Budget is hosting an awesome contest!  Go check out the details!

I purposely did not put losing weight on my 2012 goal list, simply because I wanted to do it for me, and not for a goal.  I didn't want to say "lose 20 lbs" and then if I lost 10....feel bad.  So anything has to be better than where I am now!

We have a wedding to go to in May, and I would love to be on my way to looking great.  I love that this will mentally jumpstart me....plus, it does go with my goal to win a giveaway!!

My plan....go back to Weight Watchers plan for eating.  I have all the tools from when I did it before.  I understand the program.  I just need to do it.  And hopefully, once I start to see some results, it will snowball from there.  As for exercise....that is a problem, but in Biggest Loser enthusiasm for the season...No excuses!

So go on over an check it all out.

No idea how to plan for THIS one

The kids' both had dental visits last week (which is why the dental balance is now up.  Once we see what insurance pays, it will be adjusted, but we are still paying off their sealants earlier this year, and Sassy's broken tooth).  Nice teeth...clean.  No cavities.

But they did start talking to us about B-R-A-C-E-S for Bossy.  We knew it was coming at some point.  Not a surprise.  He has a cross-bite (an underbite and it is mis-aligned).  And teeth crowding (one tooth is already starting to be pushed behind the others).  Again...we knew about this.

They said once his eye teeth start falling out, it will be time for a consult.  They feel his is a fairly involved case, so they will refer us elsewhere for this.  I asked about a timeline for this....and they said maybe a year.

Then I asked the dreaded question.....what kind of money are we talking here.....and they said probably $6-8,000.  *sigh*

That would be another $6-8k on top of where we are now.  Talk about a backslide!!

We already max out our FSA on our CURRENT medical bills, and that doesn't include braces!  We are really hoping that Bossy will not need a feeding tube by then, which will cut back on some of the expense.  Plus, I am anticipating that our counselors will be gone by then too....so "hopefully" we will be able to swing it.

I am going to try and not us our reimbursement money (much) from next year's FSA and just keep it aside.  At least that will give us a start...and maybe if we are able to pay some cash upfront, we can get a discount.

I know braces are common.  Not saying that we are special in this expense.  But after the amount we have already paid....it would have been nice to NOT have this particular expense.

Remember that reimbursement money???

I posted about having some reimbursement money from items I got for PTA, and my generous money from the Bank of Parents to restock our fridge after the storm. Additionally....we scraped together a little more.  In total, we had about $1,000.

I am not gonna lie....there was a temptation to go and spend it.  But we didn't.  We ultimately decided to snowball CC3!

Even though this CC has a rate of 1.99% until January 2013, and we have higher rate cards, we decided that we could see the most progress by doing it this way.  Just about all payments will go to principle, and not interest.  Plus, this will allow us to possibly transfer more to this card later on since we will have more room.

I am NOT happy at the balances of the other cards.  Some was frivolous spending....some was storm prep.  G-man's glasses, food.  So here we are.  Excuses?  Maybe.  But our budget seems to be settling down some, and we have a 3-paycheck month coming in October for G-man, so I am hoping that half of that will go to topping off the EF, and the other half to debt.

Well....if the move is back in play....that money will get hoarded...but we will know about that before we hit October.

Plus, I already know that G-man's dental emergency will up our medical bills, but until I get the bill...I am not sure what that number will look like.  And the kids have a check-up coming.  I cancelled my dentist appointment, as my teeth are just fine and I can wait.

I am still bummed that we are $2,000 OVER where we were 6 weeks ago.  If we get some money back from the car issues, that will help.  And we will be submitting some amended tax returns.  Those will help.

Back up on the horse, the wagon...whatever.

He got pricey all of a sudden

G-man has always been pretty healthy.  Yeah, he gets a cold or whatever....but on an on-going basis, he doesn't have any medical issues.

In the past month, he turned out to be pretty expensive!!

A few weeks ago, he developed an abscess in his mouth which required an emergency dental visit (still waiting on the bill for that, but preliminary cost is $140).  Luckily, his antibiotics were part of the "free" program at the grocery store, so that didn't cost anything.  Then the dentist wanted to see him 2 weeks later, just to make sure things healed up (no idea what they are charging for that).

Our dental coverage stinks....so I am not hopeful that any of this will be covered.

At the 2-week check up, they told him they wanted him to go to a periodontist to check for bone loss from the abscess....*sigh*  We checked for an in-network doc...and none to be found (did I mention our dental coverage stinks??)

Then he started having vision problems (ahhhh, the joys of closing in on the big 4-0).  So he went to the eye doctor, and $65 later, he needs glasses.  We talked about ordering from an on-line place, but he really wasn't comfortable with it.  These are his first pair of glasses, and he wanted to make sure if he had any problems with them, he could easily get it corrected. 

So we bought him glasses.....$411.  They were having a sale.  Can't you tell?  We checked with our insurance, and the funny thing was that the cost with our insurance was exactly the same as their sale (within a dollar). 

These expenses would have been covered with our FSA, if we had any money left.  Other events of the year ate through that (how sad is it that we went through $4000 out of pocket in roughly 7 months?) When we did our FSA last fall, I accounted for a new pair of glasses for ME.  I haven't gotten new glasses in about 6 years.  Yeah....I think those will have to wait until January when our FSA resets.

The expenses are what they are.  Just another bill to add to the pile.

Oh, and when you add this to some other stuff that I haven't told you yet.......all I have to say is "stop the world, I want to get off!!!!"

Just Like That.....

the beginning of the backward slide.

I updated our current totals, which now reflect the bill we got for Bossy's supplies (and that is only 4 months worth) and the recent car repair.  Add in a little interest...and it is a back slide of about $2k.

Plus, we found out that our mortgage company didn't pay one of the tax bills.  They claim they didn't have it....amazing how in the 10 years we have had the house, and the mortgage has been sold off many times....and this is the first time.  We have money in escrow, BUT, now that they have to account for another $800 a year, they are raising our escrow amount by $41 per month.  Part of me almost wants to do another refi.  Rates have dropped again, and if I compare mortgage rates, I might get a better deal.


I will have to call the medical company and set up a payment plan, but I have no idea where that money is going to come from.  Ideally they want stuff paid on a rolling 6 month basis.  I know they are going to want way more than we can give them.

I am estimating that our oil bill will be going up about $125 a month.  Again...no idea where that is coming from. 

In just over a day....our monthly expenses have skyrocketed.

Some hard choices will need to be made soon.  Cell phones....probably cut down to bare bones.  Cable....I have really REALLY been resisting getting rid of U-verse (cuz we love it), but we may have to.  Land line....which is very rarely used but I have just been afraid to get rid of....probably will go.

I am running out of things to cut back.

Hopefully we will get a decent amount back on our car issues (boy has that turned into another mess).  That may help some.   We have paid almost $3500 in car repairs and maintenance in 7 months....and that is just on our credit card.  That doesn't include stuff we paid cash for (some smaller repairs, oil changes, wiper blades).

Scared doesn't even to come close to my current state.

I may have to find a full time job.  I have no idea how I will be able to handle that right now.  I would like to parlay my current job into more hours...not sure if that will happen.  But I need more income.  Forget debt repayment....that is just to pay the minimums.

I have been really avoiding bankruptcy.  I really really don't want to go there.  But I may not have a choice.  Just thinking about it is making me feel dirty.

Overwhelmed.  I have no idea how others do this.....

A Bug In My Margarita

Have you heard this song from Alan Jackson?  If not...here ya go, with lyrics:



My favorite verse:

He said the rain won't leave
And the pain won't ease
And the sun don't wanna shine
And there's something in the bottom of this drink I just got
And it don't look like a worm to me


*******
Yesterday.....we got a call from camp that Sassy got hit in the mouth with a swing (she was pushing another kid, and must have been standing too close).  And she broke off half her front tooth.  Her beautiful PERMANENT tooth.


Brought her to the dentist who said that it didn't break over the nerve, but it was close.  They were able to bond the tooth, and she looks good as new.  She said it didn't hurt too much, and she was very brave.


Of course, even with all our medical and dental bills, we are still $338 from our deductible.  Most of our bills are co-pays that don't count toward the deductible, and the stuff that does count is all Bossy.  The rest of us haven't racked up bills to hit the deductible.


So, we will now owe another $318 to the dentist.


I really do want to cry.  Say what you will about how we choose to spend our money....we really can't cut a break.  I am having one of those....We are never going to get out of this moments.


I said a long time ago that I wanted to be debt free, minus the house, by my 40th birthday.  That is roughly 3 yrs, 9 months.  Per this calculator, using rough numbers,

When will you be debt free?

Your plan summary
•	If you pay $1,595.26 a month, it will take you 3 years and 9 months to pay off your credit cards.
•	Based on your current combined balance of $64,520.00, you will pay a total of $7,306.57 in interest.
Here's what to do first
Credit card APR Current balance Month 1 payment Time to pay off cc1 15.99% $4,175.00 $319.26 10 months cc2 11.99% $12,100.00 $242.00 1 year, 10 months cc4 9.24% $8,972.00 $230.00 2 years, 3 months lending 7.88% $9,843.00 $425.00 2 years, 6 months student 3.75% $28,730.00 $229.00 3 years, 9 months medical 0.00% $700.00 $150.00 1 year, 1 month
Strategy: Pay as much as your budget allows to the credit card with the highest interest rate, and pay the minimum to your lower rate cards.

Laid out like that....it seems totally do-able.  However, that is assuming no new general debt.  And it doesn't account for the new medical debt.   And Murphy needs to leave!!!!!!!

Plus, we haven't gotten to the car saga yet....oh, and a few work drama things...because they didn't want to be left out. 

I read ALOT of blogs.  But there are few that I read that have THIS much happen.  We just can't cut a break. 

There's A Bug in my Margarita!!!!!

Beating away the financial blahs

I already know where and why these feelings are creeping in.  But there are here....so now I have to deal with them.  It is a combination of my meds being a little off, plus having a night out and spending money, and.....I am leaving for a few days to visit a friend.

I never claimed to be Gazelle intense.  And while I love to read about others who are....it does frustrate me that we can't/won't do that.  I just hate to adjust our current totals and have to adjust them UP.

I am frustrated that no matter what I do, the "master" plan doesn't work.  There is ALWAYS a repair that ends up being way higher than what we have set aside.  The cars...I question if we should have gotten rid of them awhile ago.  The order of doing things seems to be in a constant state of change.

This year has been rough.  But honestly...every year is rough.  2007 was the death of our twins, along with a huge oil leak.  2008 was my miscarriage and having to replace the roof.  2009 was the death of my father-in-law, car issues, and a myriad of other things.  2010...who knows.  And now....2011....marriage issues, the pool, car issues.....now having to fix Bossy's room.....

Apparently....I just suck at this getting out of debt thing.  G-man made a comment the other night that really upset me....."debt is just a way of life."  That spoke VOLUMES to me.  While he wants to be out of debt, and is participating more in the discussions....he isn't getting it yet that this noose around our neck is just weighing down our LIFE.

Now that our medical waiver is gone...my student loan is going up....we are unable to lower our interest rates without either opening another credit card, or maybe a new Lending Club loan....it is time to revisit the budget AGAIN...and figure this out. 

I know I am not getting a raise at work (state budget cuts).  I know that G-man is willing to work more overtime, when it is available....but if it isn't available....there isn't much we can do.  I know that we are saving for Christmas, car stuff, irregular expenses.....and we are doing the best we can.

I am just frustrated that others are pulling way ahead, and we are treading water.

So my two small things for the day to make me financially feel better are 1) continue to pack up yard sale leftovers to sell at consignment (we did a trial run on Friday, and we will probably get about what we were asking at the yard sale), and 2)  I bought some bulk coupons for shampoo, which with sales...will come out to about $1 a bottle. 

Pity party over.

A MAJOR Wrench In the Plan

Bossy has a feeding tube, and has had it since he was 5 months old.  He will be 9 next month. 

On a monthly basis, we have to order special formula, tubing, and misc supplies.  Our insurance picks up 90% or so, which leaves 10%....or about $250 a month.  We have had a financial hardship waiver for years.  Our debt to income level was high enough that the supplier waived our 10%.  But that has come to an end.

The supplier called this morning to tell us that their internal changes have capped the income level at $27k per year to qualify for assistance.  So, now we will be responsible for the $250, oh, and all the charges that were pending while they figured it all out.

They are willing to set up a payment plan, however they aim to have a balance paid off within 6 months.  The best we can tell, this would mean a minimum of $50 a month, once the current balance is paid in full (which is over $1000 now).

This is a HUGE blow.  We have to sit down with the budget yet again, and figure out where to pull from.  Mostly it will come from the extra debt repayment money.  The quick answer....we need more income.  Overtime, selling stuff, whatever.

Part of the reason we are where we are is from the medical stuff.  We spend over 15% of our income just on medical. 

Bossy does eat orally, just not enough.  When you have a child who didn't eat at all until he was 4, almost 5....it is a long road.  Add in the Autism.  Add in the new revelation that he doesn't understand smell.  And we are fighting an uphill battle.

This blows. 

I looked at state benefits, and the only program we would qualify for is $200 a month.  Well, if I am going to pay the state $200 a month, then I can pay the supplier $200 a month and save myself the middle man.  

Frustration doesn't even begin to describe this.

When Others Mess Up Your Budget

GRRRR!!!!

Right now, as G-man and I are trying to work on our issues, we are each seeking professional help individually, as well as as a couple.  We pay a $20 co-pay each visit.  So just for these three weekly visits, we are shelling out $60.

Bossy gets occupational therapy weekly, at another $20. 

For those who are not math saavy...that is $80 a week....or between $320-$400 a month (depending on how the month runs), just on co-pays. 

We signed up with our flexible spending plan during open enrollment, which automatically takes roughly $145 per pay check out.   The way our plan works is as soon as a claim is paid by the insurance company, we are credited our remaining amount.  In the ideal world, we pay the co-pay, and fairly quickly we are reimbursed.

At this point, we are shelling out money much faster than it is being replenished.  If it takes the doctor's office longer to send in the claim, or to settle the claim....it takes longer for us to be reimbursed.  And this cycle is starting to cause problems.

We need that money back.  We have bills to pay.  We are already paying out almost $300 a month into the account.  If we didn't have the FSA, we would already have the money to pay (in theory).  Of course, then we don't get the tax benefit.  But right now the equation isn't balanced.

I know shortly we will get a huge reimbursement, and it will all be ok.  But right now, I have had to "borrow" $200 from our savings account to get us to tomorrow (my payday), which will go back by the end the week.  But we need to go grocery shopping.  We need to pay the water bill.

In short....we need our money back!!!

Those people wait until the end of the year and then submit their receipts....good for you that you can do that.  But we can't.  When you spend as much out of pocket as we do on medical, we just can't do that.  (we spend almost 15% of our gross income on medical alone).

So dearest doctors....please figure out your billing issues.  We need our money!!!!

Procrastination actually SAVED me some cash!

I use the on-line calendar, Cozi....not totally effectively since I tend to keep alot in my head....but it is nice.  Flylady has her own version, and it lets you download Flylady lists.  In my little perfect world, I am June Cleaver, swishing and swiping my way through the day in pearls and heels.

One nice feature of the calendar is that you can make multiple To Do lists, and the calendar is designed to have a "shared" list, and then individual lists.  This is cool if you and your beloved (Happy V-day!) are on the same page with all of this stuff.  You can leave little Honey Do lists! 

Yeah, this isn't how my marriage works, but again....in my head it is awesome.

Anyway, on my To Do list was to fill a prescription.  As to not turn this into a EWWWW post....let's just say I needed a script filled for a condition I have, that should have been filled.....back in October.  Yeah.....October.  But I was busy then.....then my parents were coming, and I didn't have time to deal with it....then it was December and the holidays were here.....and then it was January and I didn't get around to it.....and I SWEAR I was going to do it this week....it was on my official TO DO list!

Well, nature intervened.  No medication needed.  Body decided to work for once.  So I saved the $20 bucks that prescription would have cost.

Was it the healthiest way to save $20?  Nope.  Would my doctor yell at me?  Yep.  Is it done now, and all of this is a moot point?  Yep.

I am NOT advocating messing around with your health for the sake of saving $20.  I could have easily taken all of this in the polar opposite direction....where the condition turned into a more serious condition and then it costs hundred of dollars (unlikely, but possible). It worked out this time.

Have you ever had sometime where procrastination working in your favor???

Financial Goals 2011

I know that some of these are a stretch.  I also know that some of these are a little subjective.  But here we are!!!  We are set to kick some major butt this year.

In order to have some perspective, as of January 1 our current debt total is $68,685.37 broken down to:

• Credit Card -  $35,065.23
• Student Loan -$29,225.79
• Car-                 $4,156.35
• Medical -             $208.00

1)  Pay off car early.  It is scheduled to be paid off December 2011/January 2012.  I would like to have it paid off earlier.  I am not setting a deadline (but August is the one in my head!), but I just want it done ahead of schedule.  DONE!!!

2)  Pay off $10,000 in debt (not including the retirement loan).  OK....really, I want $12,000 which is about 30% more than we paid off in 2010. But I am setting the bar a little lower in the hopes of SMASHING this goal, and then motivating myself to get to the REAL goal of $12,000.

3)  Side Hustle $2000.  This will come from blogging money, selling items, odd jobs (including my new gig as a ChaCha guide!), etc. This will be a combined Mysti/G-man goal, but it also includes 1/3 of the hustle money to be "mad" money.  See the new tally on the side bar to help me keep track.  We aren't setting it up as $1000 each, but I am hoping that G-man gets motivated since he will get to keep 1/3 of it to "play" with.

4)  Open ING Christmas Account.  Let's not have a repeat of 2010.  *sigh* DONE!!!

5)  Continue to work on zero-based budget.  This is still hard for us!!  But we are getting there.

6)  Curb food spending.  Eating out has gotten out of hand.  Processed foods are too plentiful in the kids' diet.  Better food planning should help on both accounts.

7)  Get life insurance.  We have been irresponsible on this.  I know that we can't afford what we really should have.  But we have to start somewhere.  We can always modify the amount and type later...but right now, we just need to do it.

8)  Make will.  The biggest reason we haven't made a will....we really don't have a guardian for our kids.  No one is the right decision.  But we have to bite the bullet and just do this too.  Not planning on kicking the bucket, but need to make sure the wee folks are taken care of.

9) Resume retirement savings.  We stopped contributing so we could increase our cash flow.   I am hoping as the balances continue to go down on our debts, we can start contributing again.  At least to get the employer match of 5%.

10)  Find one "free" family thing to do per month.  It might be a picnic, a school event, or something I haven't thought of yet!  No one says you have to spend money to have family time.

Don't forget to check out my blogging and personal goals too!!!

Well, if it is going to happen....let it happen all at once.

I am sooooo glad that New Year's is coming, because it is like a big reset button!!!!

Things have piled up left and right, and now I am trying to re-sort, re-analyze, re-----lax?????

1)  Christmas Blow Out - I don't even know what the numbers are yet.  Other than over budget.  Funny thing about it though, it isn't because of the kids.  We have spent less than $60 per child.  Budget blow outs have been because a) G-man has gone hog wild; b) I failed to budget for some "forgotten" gifts ; c) I set too low of a budget for some items, and by default, I had to increase the amount, plus I underestimated the shipping costs, and d) the Craigslist money we were "saving" for Christmas....some of it got used over the course of the year for a few things.

2)  Those irregular bills - Water bill was due 2 weeks ago, but it is still outstanding.  Between that being over $100 higher than I expected, Christmas, blah blah blah....I still have it.  Additionally....personal propery taxes are due "Jan 1" with a 30 day grace period.

3)  Love/Hate the 3 paycheck month - It got sucked up in "life."  My plans on paper...ain't worth the paper they were written on.  Additionally....my boss has decided to muck with payroll schedule.  So while I was expecting 3 paychecks this month, it is actually 2.5.

4)  My car!!! - Bad water pump and something with a hose to the heat core....$564.  We had $120 in the "car maintenance" acct, and the rest will come from emergency fund, which will drop to just over $1000 now (it was at $1500).

5)  Christmas Bonus! - I got $200 Christmas bonus.  Up until today, I was toying with treating myself to a new tattoo....a memorial tattoo for my daughters.  I picked it out 3 years ago, and haven't done it.  Well, now that seems largely irresponsible.  Between having to dig out from Christmas overspending, bills, the car....I would never be able to enjoy the tattoo.

6) Medical stuff - I need new contacts and glasses.  That was SUPPOSED to come from the 3-paycheck months.  Um, no.  So that has to wait until after Jan 1 when our FSA resets and I can use that. 

7)  Need to revamp the plan - before my car broke this week, I was toying with taking money from the E-fund to "fix" some of the above issues.  Now that I have to use almost 25% of it for the car, it makes me nervous to take more out.  Need to look at the numbers again.

8)  Snowball thoughts - I really thought I could pull off paying off my Student Loan by Dec 31.  Not sure now.  We had also planned on paying down CC2 (with the highest interest rate), as the next snowball victim.  The new plan is to undo Christmas damage, and then focus on G-man's car.  If my car is going to start to die, I don't want to end up with 2 car payments.

Oh, and dear bloggy friends....this isn't even all of the stuff going on!  More on that stuff another time.  At least you know where I have been.....dealing with LIFE!

Used up our FSA

We put $3750 in our FSA this year.....and as of this morning, we had $23 left before it is gone.  Considering we are at the end of October.....we did ok.  Not great, but not horrid.  In the past we put more in the account (and we have always used it).  I was just hoping that this year we would be able to cut back on some of the expenses.....guess not!

More to the point....we have already spent $3750 out of pocket on medical....not including over the counter medication and supplies (I have no idea how much we have already spent on that!!).  This is co-pays at the doctor and therapists, dentist, and feeding supplies. 

I still need to get contacts and new glasses.  G-man has a dentist appointment in 2 weeks.  And we have our weekly occupational therapy.  So none of that will be reimbursed.  Oh well.

Right now....I am leaning toward $4000 for next year.  That breaks down to about $153 a paycheck ($9 more than now).   At least we get a small tax break putting aside pre-tax.  We won't have enough to claim on our taxes (you know....that 7.5% of your adjusted gross.....), so at least it is something.

Anyone else running dry on their FSA?  If you do have a FSA, how much do you put aside?

Sometimes Emotional Spending is A-Ok (HIGHLY sensitive)

Warning:  This post is extremely personal and emotional.  It entails medical detail that some may find offensive.  I am ok with those that will disagree with this post.  However, please be respectful if you choose to comment.


Today is the 3rd anniversary of the death of our twin daughters.  And we are finally able to put their remains to rest.  Today, we will be purchasing the crystal boxes that I picked out  3 years ago as their final resting place. 

In the months after their death, I spent money like it was going out of style.  Mostly on the kids, although we did purchase a new TV when it was on sale. The sorrow we were drowning in went away temporarily when we bought THINGS.   And all of it was on credit.

I refused to pay for things related to our girls on credit though.  The cremation and funeral home costs were paid in cash.  I couldn't bear to pay interest on the death of my children.  And when I picked out the ruby red crystal boxes for their remains....to the tune of $600.....I couldn't bear to charge it.  And we didn't have the cash for it.  So we decided it would have to wait.

It took a long time for us to get our act together.  I am saddened and angered with us for not saving up for this very important purchase sooner.  We made foolish purchases over the past 3 years that put this purchase off.  But we also had other things happen....like the illness and ultimate death of G-man's father....that syphoned money in other directions.

We started saving for this purchase a few months ago, after we "thought" we would have the money, and then didn't.  Part of getting our act together was realizing what was really truly important to us.  That focus has allowed us to pay off debts that have a high emotional trigger (the hospital bill) and save for things that really are important to us.  Stuff is just that....STUFF.  But the emotional payoff of doing something that is important to you down to your soul....that is worth way more than the monetary value of the item.

G-man got an unexpected bonus last week, coupled with the money we had already saved, and a little bit of a stretch of the paycheck....and we have enough to make the purchase.  Each box is $260.  They are hand made in Europe, and the shipping cost is incredibly high.  But I don't care.  We factored it all in.  And in 4-6 weeks, we should receive our boxes. 

I finally feel like we are doing justice to our girls. They gave their life for me, and for Bossy, Sassy, and G-man.  They are very loved.  And although today will pass as another day for most people....it will always weigh heavily for us.

The story of their death is detailed below.  This experience changed us forever, drove alot of decisions in the year that followed, and will always be a part of us.  Read at your own risk.  There are gruesome parts that I have left out.  I am very open about talking about all of this, but I also know that not everyone wants the details.  If you have a specific question, e-mail me.

It took several surgeries and multiple failed fertility cycles (and lots and lots of money) in order to conceive them.  Ultrasound results showed 2 perfect fetuses...TWINS!  And...this funny little sac, that was misshapen and just sort of there.....possibly a non-viable triplet.  But at that time, no one really was concerned about it....most likely the body would reabsorb it and that would be the end of that.

A few weeks later, they did another ultrasound, and babies were looking great.  But this funny little area had grown.  OK, now they want to monitor it.  A week later, it was yet bigger, so they sent me to a specialist, who diagnosed it as a molar pregnancy.

Molar pregnancies are rare.  In general, there is a placenta and no baby (never was a baby, never will be a baby).  Although they are typically benign, they are treated as cancerous growths, and are removed.  Hopefully, further treatment isn't needed, but some women go on to need chemotherapy. 

And here in lies the problem.  I had a molar "triplet" with 2 perfect babies.  Some women have 1 baby and a molar, and it is very high risk.  They almost always result in premature delivery, and an extremely high risk pregnancy for the mother.  But I had 2 babies....there was only ONE documented case where the mother was able to deliver 2 babies alive with a molar triplet.  ONE.  In the world.  ONE.

I would have been number TWO in the world if it had worked out.

The next 5 weeks were spent in and out of doctor offices.  We chose to continue the pregnancy and try to get to a viable delivery point (doctors were shooting for at least 24 weeks, but we figured we already had 23 weekers, so if we could get to 23, we would be ok).  There was nothing they could other than monitor things.  No medicine, no procedures.  Just wait and see how my body handled it.  We had weekly ultrasounds and blood work.  We met with the OB, the high risk OB, the oncologist.  I had x-rays and  scans.  I spent more time at the doctor than at home.

On August 15, I really wasn't feeling well.  My doctor was getting ready to travel to Europe on personal business, but didn't leave until she talked the hospital into admitting me.  I was almost 17 weeks pregnant, and hospital policy dictated that I would not be admitted because there wasn't really anything active going on.  But my doctor knew that something was wrong and pushed it.  Over the next two days, I had dozens of tests.  My blood pressure was through the roof, and I was on 4x the normal dose of medication to keep me from having a stroke.  I wasn't allowed out of bed.  I had a turnstyle of people in and out of my room.  Things weren't good.

By August 17, the high risk doctor came in and closed the door.  I need to preface this:  This doctor is the one of the kindest, good hearted men I have ever met.  He was willing to do whatever it took to get us through this pregnancy safely.  He was in our corner 200% of the way.

I was going into multi-organ system failure.  I was close to have a stroke.  My thyroid and my kidneys had started shutting down.  At that moment, I wasn't in crisis, but that could change at the drop of a hat.  Apparently, I had been the discussion of many people over the course of the day.  And planning for what would happen if this or that happened.

We only really had one choice.....terminate the pregnancy.  It was killing me.  I probably only had about 2 days before I would have died, based on my test results.  They were concerned that something massive would happen at 2am, and they would be scrambling to save me.  By terminating, we could control the situation, and it would be safer for me. I pleaded with him....put me in a medically induced coma.  Something.  I can hang in there 6 more weeks.  I can do it.  He looked at me with tears in his eyes.  No, you can't.  You have 2 kids at home that will be motherless.

So, G-man and I tearfully agreed.  I had an ultrasound earlier that day (G-man wasn't there), and they wrote down the sexes of the babies and put them in an envelope.  Together, we opened the envelope to reveal that we were having 2 girls.  As my friend put it....we would have had 3 girls, and 1 boy....our gaggle of princesses and the crown prince.

Within an hour, I was transferred to another unit to start procedures.  The molar pregnancy made this incredibly dangerous with a high chance of bleeding out.  I had to go through 2 painful procedures over the next 12 hours just to prep for the BIG procedure. Alot of tears were shed, by us and by staff.  We had residents that just didn't know what to say or do.  What do you say to parents who are making the hardest choice of their life?

And at 10:30am, on August 18, 2007, G-man and I said goodbye to our daughters as they wheeled me into surgery for the 3rd time in 2 days.  My daughters were kicking as they put me under.  And when I woke up later.....they were gone. We never got to see them or hold them.  That piece of the story is a little heavy....if you would like to know why, e-mail me and I will tell you.  We do have their footprints though.  And tons of ultrasound pictures.  But that is it.  They died at 11am, and were 8 oz each.

We chose to cremate our girls.  We do not plan on living in this state permanently, and I couldn't deal with burying them and then leaving them.  We went to the funeral home the day I was released and made arrangements. This is something that no parent should have to do.

It took months before we were able to go back and pick up their cremains.  It just seemed so final and permanent.  Never mind that I was having nightmares that I burned our babies, alternating with nightmares that I took Bossy for a hot air balloon ride and he fell out of the basket. 

It took months before I found a suitable container for their ashes.  I am thrilled to be able to make this purchase today, and put my daughters to rest.