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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 1:26:30 GMT
AD in WNC , you hit the nail on the head. Excellent summary of how to live frugally. Making a game out of not spending, but rather figuring out ways to do something for little or no monetary outlay, becomes fun. I have such a sense of pride in something I've been able to re-purpose into something useful. Not only would I not have that feeling of accomplishment, but I'd be so much less able to live my life if I had to buy new. Your comment about making a game out of not spending reminded me of Dave Ramsey's comment that money is a Monopoly game. We still have a little way to go, but we're far less in debt than we were a year ago. Here's a great FREE online tool from Dave Ramsey: www.everydollar.com/
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Jul 1, 2016 19:15:17 GMT
@pony, that's great! Keep working on getting that debt paid down. I know a lot of folks think you should invest in other things instead of paying off your mortgage, but I know I'd never have been able to retire when I did, had I still had a mortgage. After my recent hospital stay and talking to a lot of my former co-workers, I know more than ever that I made the right decision to retire.
I've been tracking my spending to see where I'm going over budget and where I'm under or right on, but I've been a little lax the last few months, so it's time to grab my receipts and catch up on logging them in. I think I'm probably over on eating out, since I started going out for breakfast with a neighbor gal weekly. I want to keep doing that, so I'll need to cut back in some other area to compensate.
That's part of living frugally - knowing where your money is going, and making adjustments as life changes so that you can keep on track.
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Post by kawaiitimes on Jul 7, 2016 6:21:46 GMT
Well, we are not off to a good start. We got the packet to extend our medical insurance through cobra, and it is $1,200 per month for our family of three. I am beside myself - this coverage is more expensive than the mortgage we are getting rid of.
It is really disheartening, and makes me question why we are trying to break the mold at all. I am so exhausted with dealing with all of these obsticals.
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Post by mzgarden on Jul 7, 2016 11:13:41 GMT
kawaiitimes, I am so sorry. The last year and a half have been a hard time for your family. I wish I had some helpful words to share but the only thing I can offer is encouragement and prayer for you all. I will encourage you to allow those feelings to be expressed and then try to move forward one step at a time. Bottling the frustration and tiredness just seems, in my experience, to cause it to build steam and blow out at the most inopportune time. It's ok to feel the feelings for a time. I'm praying that once over this scary mountain of change, there will be a clear path for you all.
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Post by kawaiitimes on Jul 7, 2016 12:04:39 GMT
mzgarden, thank you. I am just so dang tired of it all, and I don't know when it will end. I am sure there are tons of lessons we are learning here, but I am struggling to learn them.
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Post by ann on Jul 7, 2016 18:53:50 GMT
I agree that life insurance is critical unless you are fortunate enough to be able to lay out $10,000 to $15,000 (or more) for final expenses. My dh passed away last October and I was able to take care of his final expenses with the proceeds of his insurance. He was cremated and cremains buried as per his wishes. There are a lot of unexpected expenses connected with the death of a loved one such as those death certificates cost around $16 each and I needed several. Depending on how your ownership of property is set up, the laws of your state, etc., you might need an attorney for probate which is another big expense. Potentially state and federal inheritance taxes. All things that a good life insurance policy can go a long way towards helping you deal with.
Keeping a budget each month is essential to knowing where you are financially. Since I've been doing so for many years, I can pull out past years ledgers and immediately see what has changed.
I live on $1,451 per month social security. I love my home and garden, but maintenance, taxes and insurance at some point will force me to look for a less expensive option. That brings up another reason to keep a written budget with expenses broken down and identified. In a crisis situation you can look at your budget and decide where to make cuts. Since the Internet and Dish are my only "entertainment" I choose to keep them, but push comes to shove, they can go for an immediate savings of $140 per month.
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Post by ldc on Jul 8, 2016 19:01:49 GMT
Kawaiitimes, a while ago, COBRA was too rich for my bank account too. These days you might do better price-wise with the ACA (Obama healthcare plan). I wish you all the best, ldc
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Post by AD in WNC on Jul 8, 2016 21:34:38 GMT
kawaiitimes Have you looked for individual policies? The last time I changed jobs my (individual)cobra was $842/month, but I found an individual policy for $158/month. Virtual hugs and sparkles to you and your entire family! I'll be praying for you too.
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Post by mollymckee on Jul 9, 2016 5:19:34 GMT
Cobra has always been extremely expensive, partly to make you go away and partly because it is usually expensive insurance to begin with. In WA your coverage starts the day you sign up and pre-existing conditions are covered. I think ocare requires that too, but you could always move across the river if necessary. You have the Cobra coverage so you have time to shop around. You will find something.
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Post by kawaiitimes on Jul 9, 2016 13:36:49 GMT
mollymckee, we are moving across the river. I will only be an Oregonian for another 3 weeks if this darn house sale will close. We need to call the cobra folks to find out if our annual out of pocket will still count or not. If it does, we are maxed out for copays, medication and both in and out of network visits. So, if that carries through, the current plan is to have dh keep himself enrolled in cobra ($400/mo individual)😠, and me & the boy switch to low income wa. healthcare. The only hiccup being the sale & proceeds of the house as a financial influx. AD in WNC, we are hunting around for a couple of weeks and paying out of pocket for DH's care while we decide what to do. He really likes his medical team, and I want to do what I can to make sure he can keep them through this transition. I know a solution is out there. I have just been so tired and depressed. I really didn't need one more hurdle to be thrust upon me. I feel a lot like a failure going from the success of 18 months ago to becoming what I am realizing is a welfare family.
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Post by mollymckee on Jul 10, 2016 5:27:53 GMT
Help for people like your DH is one of the reasons we all, including you, pay taxes. Welfare families plan on welfare and charity as their career. Big difference. This is a safety net so your husband can heal, you can care for him and your son is cared for. You are not a failure. It will get better.
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Post by kawaiitimes on Jul 10, 2016 10:22:19 GMT
Thanks, mollymckee. I know you are right. The independent pride in me stings a bit more than it should these days.
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Post by mzgarden on Jul 10, 2016 10:53:23 GMT
Help for people like your DH is one of the reasons we all, including you, pay taxes. Welfare families plan on welfare and charity as their career. Big difference. This is a safety net so your husband can heal, you can care for him and your son is cared for. You are not a failure. It will get better. Thank you mollymckee for saying this perfectly. I second this!
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Post by jangirl on Jul 13, 2016 23:58:00 GMT
kawaiitimes, I sure hope you can find a reasonable solution to the health care expenses and that your hubby can stay with the same medical team, too. It HAS to be out there, but I can appreciate you being so exhausted dealing with it all!
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Post by kawaiitimes on Jul 22, 2016 15:05:05 GMT
We finally sat down and finished hashing this out this week. We took the Cobra for DH only at 1/3 the cost. Still pricey, but he gets to keeo his medical team, so it is worth it. I signed DS and I up for state provided medical care, which all told will save us $800 a month. Such a sigh of relief that we have this all figured out.
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