Drowning In Bills!

I have shared publicly how Superstar is going to be having surgery and how we have been in and out of Doctor offices over the summer, not only that but he has had some testing done MRI, EMG, X-rays, etc.

All of these things can be read about here: Toe Walking.

What I haven't shared is how we are now drowning in medical bills! Oh we have insurance!! He just have one of those HIGH deductible plans that make us pay $5,000 OUT of pocket, every CALENDAR year, before the insurance will pay anything.

My husband's employer did offer us the option of a "traditional" insurance plan, but we chose not to take it. After all we are young, our kids are young, and for the most part we are a healthy family! Up until this last summer the only time we were at the doctor's office was for our yearly physicals. (The insurance will pay for a yearly physical so that's ALWAYS FREE for us). So it just made sense to get the high deductible plan.

We haven't even had the surgery yet and have already reached our deductible for THIS CALENDAR year, so any medical bills between NOW and Dec 31st will be covered 100% by insurance. However anything that happens Jan 1 or later we will have to pay for again, until we reach our $5,000 deductible.

So you can imagine my relieve when they said that Superstar would have to wear the cast for 4-6 weeks and not the 6-8 like they originally said. With luck the braces and everything should be done by the first weeks of December if NOT sooner!!

Of course there will be some follow ups after the first of the year, but office visits are cheaper then surgery, castings, custom made braces, etc. We are still hoping and praying that most of the expensive things will be done before the end of year!

$5,000 is a LOT of money already and we are drowning, but we would be drowning more if say we waited until AFTER the first of the year; seeing we would have to meet our deductible AGAIN!!!

I know we will be okay!!! I just had to share, because the bills are here one after another. It's just been stressful! I know we are okay and will be okay. It's just amazing what the cost is!!!

Oh and seeing we do have insurance it does get submitted to insurance and we do get a preferred provider discounts applied. Those discounts are applied and then the balance is what we are charged and what gets applied to our deductible.

For example we have 3 different bills for the MRI! One of those bills alone was $3,000. The preferred provider discount was applied, thus the bill was $1,500. So we had to pay $1,500  and that $1,500 was applied to our deductible.  That means if we did not have insurance we would have had to pay $3,000. Did you noticed that the preferred provider discount cut the bill in half? No wonder medical bills are the number one reasons people are in debt!!!

The Stress Of Money!

I am sure that the stress of money is felt in MOST families across the USA and even perhaps around the world. I'm sure this stress is especially true for homeschooling families for MOST of them are single income households. Every penny matters; It shouldn't matter the income level.

I got blessed with knowing some people that perhaps have more of an income, but at the end of the day they had the same amount of money we had for food, soaps, cleaners, etc. Yes it's true they had more money, but they also had more debt (bills and other debt). So their debt to income level was the SAME as ours. I've met a plastic surgeon's wife that had to call her sister and tell her NOT to cash the $200 check she sent her, because if she did it would bounce. She was basically telling her sister to wait until the next "pay day" to cash so it would clear. Sure more money is nice, but if we don't know how to save it or use it wisely we can seriously be living to pay-check to pay-check. I never in a million years would have thought that a plastic surgeon would be living pay-check to pay-check like so many of us. It's true that DH and I live pay-check to pay-check. We are trying to save up our money and watch our pennies, but at times mis-communication on things can cause huge problems.

We tried signing our kids up at they Y yesterday for dance classes. However, we learn that the classes were canceled do to lack of interest. Those classes would have been a total of $70 for both kids. I called DH and told him about that and told him I would have to look around at our other options. Well he took it upon himself to call around. While I was at the Library he called me back and told me to take the kids to this gymnastic/dance/martial arts place near our home. He told me that he thought the price was reasonable and that we could swing it. I also felt as if he told me the price was going to be $80 for both kids. (This is where the mis-communication came in)

Well it turn out to be $80 per kid! More then double of what I was going to pay at the Y. Not only that but we had to buy the shoes. DD cost $30 and DS still have to be gotten, because they didn't have them on hand. If I buy DS's shoe via the dance place it would be $50 (maybe even $60) because they would be "special order". I was taken back by all of this!! It showed in my attitude for the rest of the day and while I was still at the dance place I'm sure.

While I was there kept telling myself: surely DH misunderstood them on the cost. We had the money to cover it. (Thank God), but seriously we are trying to SAVE money so that we have money for the unexpected. Spending what extras we have is not saving it.... I think that's what troubles me with my DH at times. It seems that if we have the money in the checking in his mind we can spend it; where I tend to say we DON'T have money and don't want to spend it.

So I leave the dance place call DH and begin to tell him: Well I think you misunderstood the prices and began to tell him what I spend. He said yeah that's right, that's what the cost is! Hearing this my blood began to boil; I was more livid then I've ever been in a long time. As a result my poor kids began to feel that them being in dance class was a bad thing. I didn't want that; I just was shell shocked at the price and shell shocked that DH was okay with it. Surely he doesn't think we are made of money does he.... (I know he works hard for it, but he has left me to be the treasurer; so it gets touchy when I feel we can't afford it.)

It also didn't help that while there the lady (owner) didn't seem to know the difference between boy shoes and girl shoes, she had to go talk to the dance teacher, nor was she able to help determine if the shoes were the right size for the kids. Seriously I'm clueless at these things. My kids have NEVER done anything like this and neither have I. Oh and DD was also going on and on about how she wanted this outfit and that outfit. Why do they do that?

I really should have shut my mouth, bit my tongue and followed DH lead on this one!! We hashed it out last night after the kids were in bed; and it's done. They are STILL going to dance class starting Thursday and my quest for today is to try to find an alternative source for my DS tap shoes. (We hadn't order them yet through the dance place, because the lady was out. She's suppose to call me today; So I'm hoping I can find them else where for cheaper). I also had to talk to each of the kids this morning and express to them that I am happy that they are in dance class and they they have express interest in it...and they are going to go try it out! I am truly happy about it; I'm just depressed about the "money". I don't like spending it! So when things start to cost more then $100 I start having issues.

We love our children and we may not be able to give them everything they want, we may not even be able to continue these classes once the 10 weeks is up. (I honestly don't think we can, but perhaps with God's grace we can if the kids really like it). DH said last night: "I know we can't afford every whim they want, but I don't want them to be afraid to ask us, because of money. There's always got to be a way to do it" He is much more hopeful on those things then me. I think I tend to worry about tomorrow a little to much.....

Math!

Sometimes I wonder why I "have" to do this subject with my DD. Math and her are at times like water and oil (like today), but at other times it seems as if they were made for each other.

If anything I would say that this has been my "struggle" this year regarding the schooling. Besides at time my own lack of motivation. (but that's something I can deal with because it's me.) My daughter's mood swings regarding math is enough to send me over the moon at times. I just don't get it.

What troubles me more is the last 2 days she has done great with her math. She's gotten the work done within 20 minutes or even less. Today however was a different story it took her 3 hours to get it done. Sure if it was something "new" I would understand, but today's work was just more of the same. It was the same work she's been doing the last 2 days, the same days that she whipped it out in 20 minutes or less, but today 3 hours. What gives???

Not only did it take her 3 hours, but for every problem she was crying and whining that she does NOT know how to do it!! If she was complaining that it was more of the same work then I could understand that perhaps she is burned out from doing it, but to whine and say I don't know how to do it??? I know she knows how she did it for the last 2 days and she's done great with it, but today??? UGH!!!

It fusterating and I almost dread telling her it's math time because I don't know how she'll react to it. I don't know if she'll have a good attiude towards it or if she'll start whinning. I just can't win or loose with it!!! It's really starting to get old!!

Getting Started

UGH!! Sometimes Mondays are a drag...I just don't have any motivation today!! Got to get started here!!

MATH!!! We are driving each other crazy

Well our day started good and for DS it went went really well! He stayed focus and moved right along at a pace that I've never seen out of him before. It was great!! Quick, Easy, and knowledgeable....he's done and has been done for a while now!!!

DD was doing good until it came time for her "independent" work: Spelling, Math, and Reading. Spelling she put up a front, but I worked through it and it got done.

Math is even a stronger front and we still have 1/2 of it to do!!! I hate this with her. She can do the work, I know she can, but she just wont do it.....It's just frustrating beyond believe. I can't sit next to her while she does each and every problem. Don't get me wrong I will help her; I want to help her, but I also want her to do the work on her own. I want to be able to put a load of laundry in, wash some dishes, sweep the floor etc while she's working and if she needs my help with a problem then fine I'll stop what I'm doing and help.

I just don't want to sit next to her the whole time and watch her do the work and then have her ask me if her answer is correct before she writes the answer. UGH!!!

Is it really that hard to ask a 6 (almost 7 year old) to do some math work on her own!!! I guess what upsets me the most is I know if she was still in PS (public school) is that the teacher would not sit with her for each and every problem, so why does she expect me to sit with her for every problem??? UGH!!!

One more time: UGH!!!!

And to top it of she still has reading to do and here it is after 1 pm and I'm thinking about how dinner needs to be made the house needs to be clean and now I'm not sure if it's going to get done....I may be up late again tonight, not because I can't sleep but because I feel like I need to get ORDER into my home!!!!

Why??? Why??? Does it have to be like this!!!!! Help Me!!