Frugal Freedom

Hoarding Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Two weeks ago it rained just enough to make my car filthy. I had just paid $7 for a car wash which I do once or twice a year. I paid another $7 this week because I couldn't stand my dirty car anymore. It hasn't rained significantly in many weeks. They predict a wet winter because of our lack of summer rain but no sign of rain yet.

While scanning craig's list I saw a 275 gallon water tank for $50. These are used tanks from fertilizer or other things. Usually the guy sells them for $120, which is a good price anyway but $50 is phenomenal. The reason that it was $50 was because the metal cage was rusted and someone had cut a hole in the top. Since I will be using it to catch rainwater I need a hole in the top anyway. So I bought it and dragged it home. Eventually I want to add a gutter to my greenhouse and put this tank next to it. That project isn't a priority so for right now it will be another spare tank in case my primary collection tanks are full. Of course, if it doesn't rain soon then there will be no chance of reaching my maximum water capacity. I usually only have full tanks in August.

The water tank wasn't really a "need" but when a deal like that comes around it is hard to pass up. My total rainwater harvesting capacity is now 1,800 gallon. Who needs a well? Not me.

Weekend At Last

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:45:00 +0000

I was talking to my boss about the company website this afternoon when I saw an email pop up on his screen. It was from me and said that I quit. I looked over at my desk and saw my jokester co-worker scampering away from my desk. Well, I said, it looks like I quit so I get to go home now. My boss was amused but said I couldn't quit. I said, that's right, you said I couldn't quit until you retire so when are you going to retire? He wouldn't give me a firm date but hinted that it will be around 5 years. I don't know if I can wait that long.

The weekend is here, finally, and part of me wants to sleep late, watch movies all day, eat a big bowl of ice cream and make all of my chores magically go away. I don't think that is going to happen. The dogs won't let me sleep in too late and I have a long to-do list. The weather will be great so I don't have any excuse not to get a lot done. But I don't mind the chores too much. Just having a day off after 5 weeks of work is wonderful in itself.

One More Day

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:05:00 +0000

One more day until the weekend. It's so close. I can make it. I have so much planned for this weekend, like chores, shopping, rental duties, cleaning, etc.... Too bad it's not a 3 day weekend. If my mortgage was paid off I would have taken a day off without pay to catch up on things around the RV.

Someone came out to look at the dogs today. He really liked one of them...at least I think he did. Maybe he just said that so that he could get away from the crazy dog lady with the should-be-condemned mobile home. Right as he pulled up 2 of the dogs got in a big fight. All I could think was "don't hurt the face!". Luckily the dogs went back to acting cute when the visitor came in. He said he would come back on Saturday and bring his girlfriend. I really hope they adopt her. She is part cattle dog and needs room to run which I don't have. Well, I have the room I just don't have the boundaries yet.

Spending The Hard Earned Dollars

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:56:00 +0000

I have been thinking about how to spend the money from my weekend job. Today I went one step further and wrote some things down. It's amazing how fast the money disappears. After I totalled up my budget last month I was $600 over budget. That included my $150 plane ticket and the $150 for gas because of the hour commute to the second job. I also spent $100 to stock up on dog toys and treats.

So, I will pay for all of that plus I want to set aside $400 for my state taxes. Our state taxes can be donated to the school of our choice instead of paid to the state so I like to do that. Then I decided to change my plane ticket so that I can visit my family for Christmas instead of Thanksgiving. I was going to go for Thanksgiving because I had to use the plane voucher by November. It cost $200 to change the ticket. I also hope to have $1,000 to go towards my mortgage. I'm not sure if I'll have that much but that is my goal.

So let's see, $600+$400+$200+$1,000= $2,200. I think I made close to $3,000. I want to do something with the rest of it that makes my life easier. I want to buy fencing so that the dogs can run and I don't have to worry about them running away. I want to pay the adoption fee for one of the dogs. I found out today that he will only cost $60 for me to adopt him since I am his foster mom. I should probably put at least $300 aside so that I can buy at least a netbook if my computer crashes. I would love to remodel half of the mobile home so that I can move out of the RV but I don't have enough for that. I have plenty of things on my wish list but not enough money to go around. Oh well, in a year I will be able to start funding all of the things on my wish list. It's only 12 months away.

Cranky Day

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:03:00 +0000

My carpool wanted to get up an hour early to go to the medical lab to have blood taken for our new health insurance requirements. I should have said I would drive myself later but instead I decided to save a few bucks on gas and go along. I have been wanting that hour of sleep back all day long.

Then the phlebotomist picked a small vein and had to jab around to get my blood. Ouch. Have I mentioned that I really hate my health insurance? At least they did finally pay that outstanding bill for $690. I guess it's safe to go back to the doctor again.

After that I got a call from my weekend job saying that I had saved the files in the wrong format and they couldn't open them. Darn. I was in such a rush and I was using someone else's computer. I completely forgot that someone else might not have the same software. That job is going to haunt me I think.

It would have been lovely if I could have crawled back in to bed for an hour or two, or four. Friday can not get here fast enough.

October Mortgage Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:04:00 +0000

I know it's November already but my extra mortgage payment was delayed because my renters were late with the rent. I did make an online payment last Friday but it wasn't going to be processed until today so I am not sure I can make another online payment for November. I can only make one online payment a month. I can always go in to a branch and tell them to make a payment, it's just more trouble.

Anyway, I made an extra payment of $1,136 for October. It wasn't as much as I had planned because I didn't get the rent money until today but I will add that rent money to my November payment and it will all even out. I now owe $33,102. If I don't make any more extra payments the mortgage will be gone in 5 years and 3 months. If I stick with my mortgage payoff plan I will have it paid off in 1 year and 1 month.

My boss asked me today, so, how's your 5 year plan going? Is it down to three years yet? Um, well, it's down to 1 1/2 years I said. (I added a few months just in case I need more time). Then he said, and what will you do after that? I said, then I will decide what kind of home I am going to live in and get out of my home on wheels. He just went to the local home tour last weekend so he was full of suggestions on building materials and techniques.

And a different subject, what does it mean when your computer deletes all of your information? Is it trying to tell me something? You know how I mentioned a while back that it was making this sound like it was continuously running and the light was blinking rapidly? Well, it stopped doing that today. It also go rid of all of my files. It's like a brand new computer. No pictures, no music, no favorites. So that is why I don't have the usual house picture on this post. They are all gone. It's kind of creepy.

Is It Friday Yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:16:00 +0000

My weekend job is over and I can finally look forward to the weekend again. Only 5 days to go. One of the guys asked again if I would consider contract work if it was offered. I said that I had a year to go on my mortgage but I would definitely be interested once my mortgage was paid off. Actually, I decided that I would be interested in about 6 months. That would be close enough. The jobs usually run for 5 months so it wouldn't be much of a gamble. If I took a job now and I was laid off in 5 months then I would be stuck. I also let them know that weekend jobs and work-from-home opportunities are always appreciated.

Anyway, back to my mortgage, so the guy says why don't you double up on your mortgage payments and pay it off faster? Haha...he has no idea. I think I am quintupling my payments right now and trying to do more if I can. Paying it off in a year is the best I can do without winning the lottery.

Here Kitty Kitty

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:53:00 +0000

I am so tired today. Evidently my nocturnal cat had decided that if she isn't sleeping at night then no one else should. I don't know what her problem is lately but if she keeps it up she might need to go play with the doggies (just kidding, sort of...I mean if one of the dogs wasn't so keen on killing all squeaker toys then my cat would be safe with the dogs. The other 2 dogs would not eat her.)

Only one day left of my weekend job. Then I can sit back and relax while the paychecks arrive for another 2 weeks. That paycheck lag is annoying at the beginning but I will enjoy receiving paychecks for a few more weeks after the job is over. Soon I can amuse myself by dividing the money up for all of my wants and needs. I think I have spent the money a dozen times in my head. The hour long commute gives me lots of time to think while watching for the highway patrol. I definitely do not need a $300 speeding ticket. That is not the way I want to spend my hard earned dollars.

Dog Gone It

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:47:00 +0000

I managed to be organised enough this morning to get me and my dog to work today. I thought the big boss wouldn't be there but he was. Luckily he likes dogs. He brought his 2 dogs to work earlier this week.

Here is my buddy. He's a black and tan coonhound/collie mix. I feed him too much. With 3 dogs it is hard to regulate who get the food and he usually gets to it first. I haven't paid his adoption fee yet but once I get the money from my second job he will be mine.

He was pretty good at work today. He only barked a few times when he wanted more attention. Someone ordered pizza for lunch and he appreciated the crusts that were handed out. He was scared of going down the stairs but overcame his fear by noon.

Having my dog at work is great but I can't say it makes me more productive. I took him for a walk every 2 hours just in case. I didn't want any puddles. I can say that it made me a happier employee so if I am happy then I won't quit and they won't have to train someone new, so bringing my dog once in a while is a good thing, right?

Another Day Gone

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:23:00 +0000

I worked a 10 hour day at my other job today. That 1 hour commute gets old really fast. Only 2 more days of it left, Sat. and Sun. Tomorrow I will work at my regular job. We were going to dress up in house coats and curlers for Halloween to annoy my boss but he decided to take an unexpected business trip out of town. A little too convenient I think. I wonder if he found out and couldn't stand to think about house coats in the office. :)

The weather has dipped in to the 30's at night. There's even a freeze warning tonight for some elevations. They say we will have a wet winter this year. We had a particularly dry summer which was unusual. I like wet as long as it isn't destructive rain. I don't want to be stranded if my road washes away.

The cold weather makes taking care of the dogs in the morning and evening a little bit harder. It is already annoying to get up when it is dark and get home when it is dark. My office doesn't have windows so I rarely see the sun any more. In the summer I wish for the winter because it is too hot. In the winter I wish for the summer so that I have some daylight. I'm never happy. Some day I'll have a job with a flexible schedule so I can add a little balance to my life.

Tomorrow I am going to bring one of my dogs to work. I decided that if I am not dressing up and the boss is out of the office then I might as well bring a dog. I hope he does ok. At least it will make the day more interesting and hopefully it will go by faster.

Oh Ya, I Still Have Tenants

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:31:00 +0000

Last month my tenants caught up on the rent. They had been struggling all summer and finally managed to pay it all plus late fees. I was happy. Then this month I didn't hear anything from them. Their rent is due in the middle of the month so I wasn't too worried...until this week. The end of the month is right around the corner and I hadn't heard anything. I called and left a message.

Today I got a call from one of them. She said that her husband had walked out and she and the children went back to live with her mother temporarily. She said they would be cleaning the house on Friday and everything would be out by Saturday. She was trying to keep it together but she was very upset. She said she was sorry to leave the house because she liked it a lot and she thanked me for being such an understanding landlord. I asked her if she was planning to stay in the town where her mother lived and she said no, she was looking for an apartment that she could afford in Tucson. I asked if she still had her nursing job and she said yes. So, I asked her what price range she was looking for and she said $700 was the most she could afford.

Now, my house's rent is $900 and that is a little on the high side since all of the rental houses have sprouted up because of the slow housing market. My mortgage is $800 including insurance and tax. I knew I didn't want a vacant house, I didn't want to find new renters at the moment and I didn't want to move in since it would need new carpet and tile first which would cost at least $3,000. So I offered to let her rent the house for $700 for the next 2 months. I said I would draw up a new rental agreement and that we would re-evaluate things in January. She was very happy that she wouldn't have to move her stuff out this weekend and that her kids could stay in their schools, at least for a little while longer.

This doesn't mess up my mortgage plan too much. $800 of the rent was supposed to go to the mortgage and $100 went to the maintenance fund. I guess the maintenance fund is going to go without for a couple of months. I'll have to chip in $100 but actually I was thinking about giving them a break on the rent for December as a Christmas present so it will all even out.

Too Much And Too Little

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Too much work and too little progress. That's what I am feeling right now. I am slipping behind in my chores. The counter is cluttered, the chair is filling with unopened mail, I have 3 boxes of clothes from my sister that I haven't had a chance to sort though. My life feels unorganized and it is causing me stress. I am exchanging my time for money and the money doesn't seem worth it right now. Oh, sure, I will be happy with the money once the job is finished and all of my paychecks are cashed but right now I am living in disarray and I will be very glad when I have some time for myself again.

I did manage to try on half a dozen pair of hand-me-down jeans and found one that is my new favorite pair. And she gave me a fuzzy hoody jacket which will be my every day office "sweater" from now on. You know, the one you wear at the office when the AC is too high or the heat is too low? It is nice to have some new-to-me clothes for my wardrobe.

And for those of you wondering how my other sister is doing, she is home from the hospital and on bed rest and antibiotics. I am sure her kids are thrilled she is back home. Hopefully they will all be well soon. I'm going to visit them for Thanksgiving but I don't think I'll be able to get the swine flu vaccine before I go. They cancelled the clinic this week for our county because they ran out. At least I can still get the regular flu vaccine...as soon as I get some free time.

The Temptation To Quit

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:39:00 +0000

I haven't had that really strong feeling to quit my job lately...until today. It had a lot to do with knowing I have another job I could take (the 5 month contract job) even if it isn't a perfect job. But as someone pointed out, I have been working 22 straight days so far without a day off so that probably is affecting my patience level. I told my boss about my other job today because I am asking for Thursday off to work at the other place. He didn't mind. In fact he thought it was great that I was using my time productively and earning more money for my mortgage payoff plan of which he is very supportive. I also did it to hint that I have other options. Perhaps I want him to worry that I might leave. He often says that I can't quit until he retires which is 10 years from now. I doubt I will last 10 years at this job.

So, I did not quit today. I thought of my dogs which I need to support and decided to hang in there for at least a little while longer. Then I took my box of new squeaky balls, dog treats, and toys and watched the dogs have some fun. I also got my first paycheck from my weekend job so my budget is officially on the plus side again...at least it will be when I cash the check.

And an update on my sister who is 8 months pregnant and in the hospital with the Swine flu, they have her on anti-viral medication, her fever is under control and she was able to eat today. Hopefully she will recover quickly.

Swine Flu Hits Home

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:21:00 +0000

Well, not my home but my sister's home. My sister and her kids all came down with the H1N1 virus this week just days after her kids got the nasal vaccine. It takes 8 days to build up an immunity so the vaccine was too late. My sister couldn't get the vaccine because she is 8 months pregnant and she can't have the nasal vaccine. They haven't been able to provide enough injectable vaccines for all of the people who need them.

My sister was hospitalized today with a very high fever. Please keep her and her unborn baby in your thoughts and prayers. We are all very worried.

Dogs And Bills And Jobs And Bills

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:26:00 +0000

I was hoping to have some extra money from this temporary weekend job so that I can make a few improvements around the place like a fence so the dogs have room to run. Today when I came home, one of the dogs had a wound on her leg. Looks like one of the other dogs was playing a little too violently and punctured her leg. I didn't notice until she licked the hair off in that spot and I can see that it is going to need a vet visit. I hope that the rescue group has enough money to fix her up but if not I will donate money for her bill. I was planning to donate anyway I was just thinking it would go towards dog food. My biggest problem is that I don't have any time to take her to a vet. Hopefully I can coordinate with the others in the group to get transportation for her. (Well, the dog rescue lady just called me and said she could bring the medicine to me and will make an appointment for the vet if the dog gets worse so that is good news.)

My weekend job wants me to work an extra day this week. Last week I took a "vacation" day and worked at the weekend job on Friday. I can probably do that one more time without hearing too much grumbling from my boss. The deadline for the project at job #2 is November 2 so this should be the last time....until the next time. Job #2 also asked if I would consider a full time 5 month job. I would need more details on that but I think I'd rather stick with my regular paycheck for now. If I heard that offer after my mortgage was paid off I might go for it. Contract work might work out well with my semi-retirement plan.

The Sorry State Of My Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:58:00 +0000

Since I have been working an extra job I have no time to cook. Or I should say that I am not organised enough to cook. If this were to become my normal routine I would have to find a few minutes here and there to cook some chicken and boil some rice or pasta. It wouldn't be terribly hard just not as leisurely as it used to be. Right now I am living on pizza and leftovers. I thought this was going to be the last crazy weekend but I believe I will be working next weekend too. My next free weekend won't be until November 7th. That seems so far away.

In response to my diminished free time, my grocery bill has tripled. Ok, I can blame some of that on the dogs for their food, treats and flea prevention. The rest is convenience food and treats for myself. The last grocery trip included candy bars, donuts, cheetos and angel food cake. I am rewarding myself for working hard. Unfortunately, both of my jobs are sedentary desk jobs. I don't get any exercise. Plus, now that it is dark in the morning and dark when I get home, I don't go for walks. I've started playing fetch with the dogs down the hallway in order to give them exercise. It doesn't do much for me.

I am looking forward to having my weekends back so that I have some time to go for a walk while it is light outside and to cook my meals again. It is easy for me to take those simple things for granted when I have time available but now I miss them the most.

To Err Is Human

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:13:00 +0000

I heard this conversation at the grocery store today:

Bagger: It's payday today. Yea!
Checker: Do you have direct deposit? I do.
Bagger: No. I don't trust it.
Checker: I don't want to have to go to the bank to deposit my check.
Bagger: I have an online bank so it's no problem.
Checker: I don't trust that online banking.

I was amused by them. One didn't trust direct deposit but used online banking. The other didn't trust online banking but used direct deposit. I use both and have not had a problem but I check up on it every week or two just in case. Any bank transaction, even using a bank teller in person, is susceptible to human and computer error. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to stay on top of it all to make sure it's done right.

In other news, my sister sent me a bunch of clothes. Hopefully I'll find some new outfits to wear. Too bad I don't have time to try them all on yet. I did manage to get home a little early yesterday and do a load of laundry before it got dark. I'm working again this weekend and there was some talk about me working next weekend too. I'll be glad when this other job is over...and I can have some fun with the money I've made (which I haven't seen yet).

Finally Sold The Bench

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:26:00 +0000

I had a bench listed on craig's list for weeks now. People would email and call and act all excited but never show up. Finally tonight one of the people made it out here to get it. While he was here he saw my small porch swing and asked if I wanted to sell it too. I said I wanted $30 and he happily hauled it away.

A little part of me is sad that I don't have a porch for my swing and a yard for my bench. But I know from experience that time and the elements destroy all possessions so it is better that someone use them now instead of me waiting until the dogs decide to chew them or pee on them or who knows what destroys them while I am waiting for my porch and yard. Even when I lived at my house I didn't want to put my furniture outside because it would get ruined. Next time I buy a bench I'll get something a little less fragile.

The best part is that I have a lot more room in my mobile home kitchen area. I can start moving things around and get a little more organised. Now what shall I do with my $50 I just got? It's probably going to go to dog treats and squeaky balls. They are so spoiled.

Health Insurance "Incentives"

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:19:00 +0000

We had a meeting at work today about a fabulous new service offered by our health insurance. All we have to do is fill out a health questionnaire then go to a lab in town and get blood drawn so that they can test us for anything out of the ordinary as a preventative health sort of thing. Then they give us a report and tell us if we are out of normal range. If we are out of range then they will give us counseling and recommend that we see a doctor.

Many people like this idea. Some are sceptical and a few are down right sure it's a conspiracy to weed out the unhealthy ones. I fall in to the skeptical range. If we do everything that they ask then we get an "incentive". This incentive is that our rates will not go up in January. If we don't comply then our rates will go up 5-7%.

I do not like my health insurance at all. It is not a well known company and I have a lot of trouble finding a doctor who accepts it. Their provider list is terribly out of date which makes even finding a current phone number for a doctor impossible. When I call to get help finding a doctor I can tell that they are using the same list that I see online. It is very frustrating.

I wish that my health insurance would just work the way it is supposed to. I want to have a good doctor whom I trust, who accepts my insurance, knows how to bill and get paid, and who offers all of the services that I need at one office. I don't care about my cholesterol level at the moment and I don't need someone to tell me to exercise more and have less stress in my life. I certainly don't appreciate my health insurance telling me that if I don't jump through their hoops they will raise my rates.

Now if I got a day off of work in order to do this I might consider it. I mean, I do have a price and a day off would definitely be worth it.

Wasted Time

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:23:00 +0000

I wasted another hour and a half looking for that missing watch in my back room. I can definitely say it is not in there. I did find lots of other things I had forgotten about and tons of stuff that I had planned to give or sell at one time or another. I really need to tackle that sorting job.

The human resources person at work called me today after lunch. She said, "We received a strange phone call asking us to verify us as a former place of employment for you from December 2006 to October 2009. Is there something you want to tell us?" Um, well, I haven't quit (yet). The temporary agency does a background check and they are just getting around to it. By the time they finish all of their paperwork my weekend job will be over. My day job didn't mind that I am working another job, they just thought it was a strange request.

Too Tired To Type

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:33:00 +0000

I don't know how workaholics do it. How do you not feel like life is passing you by while you work all day and night? Maybe they just need less sleep than I do. I would love 9 hours a night. Right now I'm living on Mountain Dew. It's not a very good substitute for sleep but it works short term. The bad thing is that it keeps me up at night too.

One more weekend of this double work schedule and then things will be back to normal...I think. They asked me if I had more weekends available just in case their deadline gets extended. I said I could but I've got to squeeze in an hour for laundry very soon. I've been wearing sandals so that I don't get my socks dirty and I've never seen the bottom of my underwear drawer until now. I could just buy new ones but I don't have time to shop.

Paychecks come out this Friday so I will see some fruits of my labor very soon. Of course, mine will be mailed so maybe I'll see it a week from Monday...or Tuesday. That first paycheck takes forever.

I Need A Chore Service

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Since I am working an extra job for a few weeks, I have no time for regular chores. I don't even mind doing my own chores but it's impossible with this schedule. I would gladly pay someone to do my laundry, walk my dogs, take out the recycling, even sort the mail and cook for me! Now I understand why people do that. I mean, I understood the concept I just haven't lived it since I was in college working a full time job and a part time job all at the same time. If I could pay someone to sleep for me, I would do that too. Ahhh sleep. How I miss you.

Losing Time And Money

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Being unorganized not only looks bad, it is a major waste of time. I have been meaning to sort my stuff for months now and I have used one excuse after another...too hot, too tired, not enough time...etc. Now I want to find something and I just wasted 2 hours digging through boxes and still no luck.

See, I have a watch that I want to sell on ebay. I was going to sell it in the Spring but I decided to wait until Christmas time because I thought I might get more money for it. So, I put it in the mobile home with the rest of my stuff...at least I think I put it there. Today I was chatting with a co-worker about watches and he said he was interested in buying another watch. I showed him what mine looks like online and he said to bring it in on Monday. When I got home I started searching, and searching, and searching.

Now, I am messy but I can usually find things. But this time I have added all of the stuff from my rental house, moved everything around to block off the doorway when I got the dogs, and then moved everything again when I put the cat in there when the air conditioner broke in the RV. It was 95 degrees today and I was sweating and miserable as I opened box after box and racked my brain to remember where I put it. I have no idea.

If I didn't have to work this weekend then I could find it but since I do have to work I don't have the time or energy to look for it now. Too bad, he was going to pay me $150 if he liked it. Maybe he won't mind waiting for 3 weeks until I have some free time to do a thorough search.

Every Little Bit

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:37:00 +0000

Discover card is giving 5% cash back for grocery purchases for the next 3 months. I wasn't going to use Discover anymore but I think I will keep it around for certain purchases. Last month's category was gas and I earned $5 in rewards. It shouldn't take me too long to reach the $20 mark and then I will trade my rewards for a $25 Ace Hardware gift card.

I'm trying to scrape up any extra cash for my Christmas fund this year. I've almost reached the $40 mark with the online surveys and then my other credit card will give me $250 cash back as soon as I reach the $200 level. That shouldn't be too hard as soon as I start charging those Christmas presents.

I'm considering buying grocery gift cards with my Discover card this year to get that 5% cash back without actually buying tons of food. I did that last year with the stimulus money and it worked out quite well. I must make sure that I have an extra $200-$400 available to pre-buy groceries though. It would be bad if I locked all my money up in gift cards and then didn't have enough to pay my property tax bill. Hmm...too bad I can't put my property taxes on my credit card. I could earn some nice cash back from that bill.

Searching For A Dr. Again

noreply@blogger.com (Daizy) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:17:00 +0000

I checked my health insurance online to see if all of my claims have been processed. I saw a new one on the list and thought that maybe the hospital had been paid their $690. When I opened the file it was only a $75 claim for a different date. I was supposed to have another dermatologist check up appointment next week but I decided to cancel it until they can get their billing straightened out. I really don't want to add more bills to the list right now.

While I'm waiting for the bills to get paid, I thought I would check the list of in-network providers again to see if my old dermatologist was still on the list. Yup, still there. The insurance lady said, "if the doctor says they don't accept this insurance then you can call us back and we will get on a 3-way call with the doctor's office and explain their contractual responsibilities". Gee, that is not something I want to get in the middle of. Can't they just figure it out amongst themselves and straighten it out? Of course, when I called my old doctor's office they said they were out of network with my insurance. I didn't do a 3-way call. I believe my old doctor's office knows more about the insurance they accept than my insurance company.

The next step is to try and find a brand new dermatologist who is in-network and can do their billing correctly. That might be asking a lot.