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Archive for December, 2006

Discount Drugs (or It Pays to Ask)

December 12th, 2006 at 01:44 pm

That's the legal kind (of drugs I mean)!!! My DH went to the doctor on Friday and was prescribed some medication for his high blood pressure. The doctor mentioned to him that Target carried the generic version for $4.00 for the 30 day supply. Target is about a 20 minute drive and I happened to be headed for our local Giant grocery store where I usually fill our prescriptions. I told him I would check out the pricing there and let him know. I asked the pharmacist to please check the price and let me know before filling the prescription. She told me is would be $20.00 with my prescription plan co-pay. I told her no thanks, I was going to see if the doctor was right about Target. She immediately offered to check, saying that they had a data base with pricing from both Target and Walmart. She confirmed that the price was $4.00 and was able to offer to match that price for me. Yeah!!! Saved me $16.00, and a 20 minute drive or at the least a phone call and a drive back to Giant. It felt really weird asking for a price comparison on a prescription but it was painless and took less than 5 minutes total. If I calculated the savings into an hourly wage, I would earn $192.00 an hour ($16.00 per 5 minutes). Wow - wish I could find a full time job like that!!! Anyway, even though I felt silly telling her no thanks to the first price of $20.00 I am glad that I did. And obviously I am not the first person to do this or they would not have the competitions pricing and make offers to price match. We do not get prescriptions filled very often but in the future I will definitely call around and check rather that just assuming that my co-pay price is the best that I can do. What I find ironic about the whole thing is that the $4.00 price was without my prescription plan and we have been paying COBRA for our insurance since July to be able to stay insured. Got to appreciate the irony in that one.

If ignorance is bliss, I guess I'll never be blissful

December 5th, 2006 at 06:21 pm

I am referring to financial ignorance specifically. Sometimes I look at my neighbors and even close relatives who blissfully spend, spend, and spend as if there is no tomorrow and their money is unlimited and I wish I could be as blissfully ignorant as I assume they must be. Well, not really, I don't want to be in their position but I do just wonder what it would feel like for a day or so to keep spending anything you want and never worry about the consequeces. Like I said, I don't really want to be them and definitely not when the consequences really do hit, it is just that sometimes I get so tired of being informed and unignorant (I know, not a word, but I feel like using it anyway). I often feel like life is a giant rollercoaster ride with highs and lows, and if you don't experience the lows, you cannot really appreciate the highs or the ride to the top. It is just that lately I feel like I am getting very tired of the finacial lows and am frustrated not to be at least working slowly back up. DH's new job is off to a very slow start financially and we will still be spending out of the dwindling (and soon to be extinct) savings at least for the forseeable future. Not where I wanted to be when he got a new job so I am back to feeling frustrated. I am making a major assumption to say that those I see around me spending and spending are blissful and ignorant. I guess it is because I could never spend that way unless I was completely ignorant of the financial repurcussions. Sometimes I just get tired of always being so responsible, yet I know darn well acting irresponsibly would only make me feel guilty, not better. Sometimes just getting it all out like this makes me feel much better. Sorry for boring anyone who may actually be trying to follow this little rant of mine. Okay, now that I have ranted, I feel better and can go back to my usual more positive self. Sometimes I just need to get it all out and I don't want my DH to feel like I am nagging him about it.

Friday's Finds

December 5th, 2006 at 05:50 pm

I never got a chance between last Friday and now to blog on how my shopping trip went. I think I did pretty well, though some of the things I did not save on like a gift card (my daughter needed a gift for a friends birthday and did not know what to get her).

$20.00 Blockbuster Gift card - for DD's friends birthday
$10.00 Zip-up Hooded sweatshirt from Old Navy (on sale from $17.50) for my 9 yo DS who has a love affair with sweatshirts - not quite sure why but he should love it and its a really nice one for the price.
$3.71 for small size body wash at Bath & Body + used coupon to get free large size body spray in same scent ($10.50 value) for my 16 yo DD for Holiday gift.
$4.00 cash (approx) + $10.00 credit card reward certificate for 2 Crayola kits and erasable markers (the Crayola kits were buy 1/get 1) for my 7 yo DD for holiday gift - she just loves anything arts/crafts.
$3.61 at craft store for 2 pack of MadLibs for DD7 for holidays (used 40% coupon) and 3 rolls of tape (3/$1.00)
$4.22 at fabric store for 2 3yd packs of waistband elastic to finish DD13's new pajama pants and for additional pajamas for her and DD16 who now wants a pair
$26.00 (25 and change - don't have receipt in front of me) for books for kids for holidays - one was free!
I did not finish as much as I hoped but I am more than half way done with kids gifts and felt like I did pretty good.

Definitely Not a No Spend Day, But Hopefully a Wise Spend Day

December 1st, 2006 at 02:54 pm

On the positive side, DH is now working. Yeah!!! He is selling Nissans for a local dealership. This is a change from what he had been doing and is way less money to start but he has been in sales all his working life and has potential to really increase income so I am deciding to be positive about this. Today I am home, or I should say, off work as I will be out shopping most of the day. I have about 1/2 of my holiday shopping done and hope to get at least another 1/4 done today. So, it will definitely not be a no spend day, but I am going to do my best to make it a wise spending day. I have a stack of coupons, etc. that I will be using to maximize my savings. For example, I have to hit the local craft store for something but am armed with a 40% off one item coupon and intend to buy that one item and nothing else. Then it is off the the mall to Bath & Body for my DD. I have a coupon for 1 free item (up to $12.50 value) with any purchase. I will be getting her a gift with the coupon but will make sure the required purchase is something small since they do not specify a dollar amount. Then off to the toy store where I have a $10.00 credit card reward card.
My DH will also be spending today - his car desparately needs 2 new tires and possibly brakes. The upside is it is the same make as he is selling at the dealership and the service department will do it for him while he is at work and give him a really good deal since he is an employee. Yeah to the employee discount since I also have the same make minivan. So, spending today but hopefully wisely! I will try to report back on how we did.