Our Puppy

In August, we got a new puppy.  She joins Jack the bichonpoo.  Isn't she cute?  Her name is Sunnie (my daughter's spelling). She's some kind of wire haired terrier mixed with I don't know. I do not recommend puppies!  They are like getting a new kid!  Drooling everwhere, pooping everwhere, draggin toys everywhere.  Puppies.  Isn't she cute?

Is Sam's Club Going to Bankrupt us?

We've been shopping waaaaay to much at the local Sam's Club.  We've had our membership for a couple of years now, but mostly to buy some batteries, General Tso's chicken, and cheap eggs.  I think this month we've been ten times! 

One problem is that now we've moved to Florida again, it is waaaay too close.  Seven minutes.  In seven minutes and I can be through the doors and then out with my giganto piles of food and oddities.  I still hate that they don't give you bags.  I wonder if they'd mind the Publix bags....maybe I'll bring them next time.

My receipt this time has everything from the batteries, to generic body wash (gotta get somethings cheaper), to a pile of sirloin steaks.  Now if I were shopping at Publix, would I buy 7 steaks?  I think not.  This is the danger of club shopping.  On a good note, I put back the giant gift bag of bath stuff I had placed in my cart.  I'll just have to do my Christmas shopping in December, not September.  That is the other danger, Christmas stuff out in September.  Oh well, trip number 11.............

Navigating Health Insurance for Your Family

There's been more than one time in our family's lives that we've gone without health insurance.  It was really tough and we had to really struggle to find resources to help us navigate through information about it and how to make good choices with less money.  Affordable health insurance is getting harder to find these days.  Some people are lucky to have Cobra health insurance partially paid by their company when they get laid off and a lot of people are not.  Affordable health insurance with pre existing conditions is even harder to locate when you are not employed by a company who provides a plan.

A great reference that answers questions that a lot of families like ours have about health insurance is www.medicalhealthinsurance.com. I found it to be helpful in answering common questions families have about the choices that have to be made when you're on your own and trying to find the best coverage.  At the site information is covered such as how to find cheap family full coverage health insurance and medical insurance for pre existing conditions, locating short term health insurance and expat medical insurance to the best Medicare supplemental health insurance and even international long stay travel health insurance.  They have a whole section about understanding the benefits of using COBRA insurance and how to come out ahead by participating in those plans when you are downsized.

When my husband lost his job a few years back, it was our second layoff in the family.  We foolishly decimated our 401k money to pay insurance and to keep going.  Looking back, I'm not sure we would have made the same financial choices about our bills.  But we both agree we would never jeopardize having health insurance coverage during those hard times.  Nothing would be worse than having a catastrophic illness or accident and not being able to pay for it.  It could mean your life.  This website helps each person to make good health insurance choices, based on your own situation, including if you ever have to deal with health insurance fraud.  The best way is never to have to deal with it because you'll know the signs to look for to completely avoid unscrupulous doctors and medical facilities.
Finding cheap health insurance plans can be difficult, but not impossible.  To stay financially viable in this economy, you just have get some great advice and do your homework