Eating to be healthy doesn't have to go cost a lot. Yes, if you want free range chickens, hormone milk and organic produce (especially out of season) it will cost more than the "standard" versions. But I'm still not convinced that these are required for good health or, in many cases, that these are better for you.
Rice and beans are still cheap. Fresh, in season produce can be fairly inexpensive. And frozen veggies are can be had when fresh isn't available. Milk is, in many cases, less expensive than soda. And most people drink less milk in a setting than soda. Less than prime cuts of meat, again, not all that expensive. It does take a bit more work to prepare these foods (can't just toss them in the microwave and have a multi-item meal hot and ready to eat in just a few minutes), but, given some practice and planning for leftovers, it's not that difficult nor time consuming.
Also, did I miss a memo and butter is bad for us again? It seems to be lumped in with "junk food" in the linked chart/article. I have so much trouble keeping up with what's good and what's bad for me this week. (So, mostly, I eat my apples and drink my milk and don't worry about it a lot.)
Beer can be brewed anywhere. I have brewed it in apartments and my house. It really doesn't take up much space. A simple ale kit is almost fool proof! The keys are to keep everything sanitized and keep the beer out of sunlight (Both fermenting and bottling). Ales and Bocks are my favorites. Good luck!
My ideal plan would focus heavily on preventative care.
I have long believed that my auto insurance company should reward me for doing the regular maintenance on my car. I should be able to submit receipts every year and get some kind of discount for ensuring that I have good breaks, oil changes, safe tires, etc. I'm doing my part to make sure we all don't have to dip into the catastrophic insurance. I'd even be willing to take a (free) annual driver's test in order to get a discount. (But I would never allow a tracking device to monitor my actual miles.)
I'd like an insurance plan to behave similarly. Screenings, blood work, birth control, ob/gyn care, annual check ups, gym membership, dietary changes. I'm willing to invest a lot of effort to take care of myself because that's my responsibility. But the hassle of referrals, authorizations and surprise costs delays me from going in for care when I need it.
I would also really like a payment chart and be able to know ahead of time what my portion of any procedure will be. I probably need knee surgery. If I could go somewhere and find out how much that will cost me, I could save up for it and make it happen. But I've held off for years because a) I didn't want it to be a pre-existing condition and b) I'm afraid of the bills.
I want health insurance that doesn't exclude pre-existing conditions, covers ALL prescriptions (including birth control), has a low deductible, and doesn't exclude certain treatments--like TMJ-related appointments or mental health counseling.
all natural /= better for you. Just sayin'. I eat organic food myself, generally because of the greater varieties with heirlooms and the like. But it's NOT any healthier for you than eating the regular version.
I would love to see an affordable high deductible health care plan where the deductible is based on an issue. For example, cancer is very expensive over the long run, but most treatments are not terribly expensive. Low enough a $40K cancer treatment might only payout a small amount for those treatments that are expensive.
Plus, I would like the smaller bills that don't meet the deductible to be billed through the insurance to get the lower costs. They are HUGE if you have ever had to pay yourself.
I want an AFFORDABLE plan that covers both basic and catastrophic expenses. I can handle a deductible and a coinsurance amount, but I want my out of pocket maximum to be no more than $5000 in any year. Right now, my out of pocket maximum is $2000 ($1000 deductible and 20% coinsurance up to a maximum of $1000). I love my current insurance, but I fear that it may get pretty expensive down the road.
I'm newly come to the slow food movement after reading Omnivore's Dilemma, however, I was raised this way so the ideas are not foreign. They'd just become inconvenient once I lived outside my parents' home.
But right now, I've put in 4 raised garden beds for a hamburger/salsa garden, I've removed rhododendrons in favor of planting fruit trees, I now volunteer at the local food co op in order to get their 20% discount so I can afford to shop there on an unemployed budget.
I prioritize my budget, by allowing more money for raw milk, free range eggs, local grass fed beef and organic produce. Dry goods, I'm not so picky about yet. Also, I've invited my mom up this autumn to re-teach me how to can and preserve food. Canning, jams and food dehydration!
What I would love to see is a simple, low-premium, high-deductible catastrophic plan, and then pay for all my routine medical expenses out-of-pocket...but combine that scenario with lowered medical costs that reflect what improvements in research and competition will do sans burdensome regulations, pharmacy kickbacks, and malpractice insurance. I want my health insurance to mirror my car insurance. I pay for my own car repairs and oil changes out of pocket, thank you very much, but I carry insurance just in case of an accident. I want my health insurance to be just in case, but I want the everyday stuff to be more cost effective.
I want to choose the doctors that I think I, or my family, needs to see. I want to follow the medical plans of a trusted physician, not a medical plan that an insurance company has created to increase their profit and marginalize my health care. I want to be able to get 90 day prescriptions filled, instead of just 30 days, because that's what's more affordable and convenient for me. I want to be able to fill the prescription that my doctor actually writes, not turn it in and have the insurance company tell the pharmacy that it wants me to have a different, cheaper prescription medication. I want to go to any pharmacy that's convenient for me, not be forced to go to pharmacies on the insurance companies "preferred list". I want to be able to legally hold any insurance company accountable for attempting to force changes to a plan my physician thinks is best.
if you look at things critically, there is actually very little that you need to survive and have a happy life. most of the crap we think we need is because of being slaves to all the advertising and the inacurate adverts that make as think that having that ipad will make life more fun and fuller. there is wisdom in knowing the difference between what you want what you really want and what you need
What would really be nice is an affordable plan that covered preventative care (including birth control!). We're currently spending 15% of our take-home pay on a catastrophic insurance plan. It's really painful, especially when it doesn't cover things like flu shots.
I've not had to deal with catastrophic health issues (knock on wood) but I am a 24 year old college and graduate school graduate with my own health insurance. I am about to transfer jobs (better offer at a new company) and I'm terrified that I will have an issue in the first six months of my coverage there, because I have allergies and severe allergy induced asthma. I have tried to stockpile enough medication that I will last the six months of my "preexisting condition" time period without exorbitant costs, but I'm still worried.
I take three prescription medications: two for my asthma and one for birth control. My asthma is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition that I manage very well with medication and do not trigger with outside sources (I do not own pets or smoke, and I am a little overweight but am by no means obese, and I am working on that). My birth control I use as a means to prevent an even larger, unplanned medical expense, as pregnancy children tend to drain resources pretty quickly.
I visit all of my doctors twice a year: dentist, ophthalmologist, gynecologist, allergist. I screen early and often for the cervical, breast, kidney, and skin cancer that I am genetically at risk for. I do this, like with birth control, to prevent larger, later medical expenses.
I'm not looking for anything crazy. I'm looking for coverage that will help me manage my one chronic illness, and (like ALL medical professionals suggest) screen myself early for diseases I am at risk for. I don't want someone to pay my way for me, but I do think that for the amount of money I pay, I deserve better coverage, and especially do not deserve a six month "preexisting condition" window where I cannot get treatment and could end up in the hospital.
First, I want a plan that I can understand. Something that makes sense. I want to know how much things cost. I want to understand who I see for what and why and whether I can go see the PT who helped fix my knee. And what's covered and what's not and, once again, why.
Second, I want a plan that's easy to use. When I feel lousy or am facing surgery, I don't want to have to figure out paperwork or referrals or other things I don't really understand (see point 1). And when I'm recovering I definitely don't want to get letters that I don't understand that say that one or more people involved in my surgery may or may not be "out of network" and I may or may not have to pay more money.
Third, I want a plan where things get taken care of quickly. I want to speak to real people when I call. I want them to be able to answer my questions. I want referrals, if they're require, and approvals and everything else to be able to be handled quickly and easily by either me or the people who deal with insurance at my doctor's or PT's or where ever. And, if they're not, I want to understand why not.
Fourth, I want good, quality care by professionals who will take the time to listen to me and answer my questions. And where I don't have to wait an hour after my scheduled appointment time to actually be seen. This is more of a doctor issue, but I wonder how many of the issues with doctors' offices are due to issues dealing with insurance.
This post and its responses make me think I need to just stop reading this site.
If everyone did what you are proposing the end result would be no credit for anyone without substantial assets at hand. And requirements for a much larger % downpayment. If even a reasonable number of people do what you propose, lending standards will change. And then there will be posts from people whining about how they can't get cheap loans. Or loans at all. And deservedly so. I think irresponsible borrowers should be weeded out.
No more Wise Bread for me. And this site should change its name to "Foolish Bread."
I know this may actually be more an issue with doctors and hospitals, but actually knowing the cost before getting a procedure done would be tremendous. I feel like it's always some kind of guessing game!
One of my favorite annual recurring expenditures is the NPS pass . For $80.00 I have access and parking at all 400+ National Parks all over the country. These are the experiences my family talks about when we reminisce.
The things we have are so inconsequential to our happiness. In fact, I believe there is a tipping point where our things actually start to erode our happiness. Storage, upkeep and external expectation coalesce to to drive joy out of our life.
Go for the memorable experiences, they will last a lifetime.
Yes, I commented on the persistently part myself (note the bit on "CHOOSING" and on "largest debt" and "edging into deadbeat territory"). I've also made it clear that there's a difference between losing your job and just deciding to cut and run for fun.
"I actually hope the there are more people like you in the world. You know, people who are willing to throw $50,000 down a black hole just so they can hold on to their false sense of self-righteousness. In fact, I'll make a deal with you. You can call me a deadbeat for $50,000. For $100,000, I'll call myself a deadbeat. Deal?"
I'm afraid these two sentences don't actually parse into any kind of meaning for me. I'm going to have to assume that there's a large enough gap in our reading comprehension and composition skills as to make further online communication impossible. Thanks for engaging though, this post and subsequent comment discussion have been extremely educational for me on a number of levels.
I disagree with Dahlia in part. Yes, you're preaching to the choir, but quite frankly, posts like this are why we all click on this blog. Did I learn something new? No, but I took a moment, read about the author's experience and reflected upon my own. Maybe it's all a bit self-congratulatory, but part of learning to love living with less is learning to stop and congratulate yourself for your accomplishments.
Also, this post provides a forum for others to chime in with their own experiences. The skiing example was terrific!
My husband and I stopped eating out and remodeled our kitchen ourselves. The hours of work on that kitchen have been some of the happiest of our marriage. I am amazed at what we turned out to be capable of. Now we come home and cook dinner together every night in this space we created. When we do dine out, it's a true occasion and very special.
At one point, I called the bank asking about lowering our interest rate, and was told the same thing: unless I had missed a few payments, they wouldn't even consider reducing our rate. Anyways, I saw this post today on Frugal Dad and really liked it, and just wanted to share.
Volunteering at my nearby pet "orphanage" makes me happier than any stuff or fancy meals. It costs me nothing but time (unless I want to buy toys for the dogs). Try it. It's a win/win.
Eating to be healthy doesn't have to go cost a lot. Yes, if you want free range chickens, hormone milk and organic produce (especially out of season) it will cost more than the "standard" versions. But I'm still not convinced that these are required for good health or, in many cases, that these are better for you.
Rice and beans are still cheap. Fresh, in season produce can be fairly inexpensive. And frozen veggies are can be had when fresh isn't available. Milk is, in many cases, less expensive than soda. And most people drink less milk in a setting than soda. Less than prime cuts of meat, again, not all that expensive. It does take a bit more work to prepare these foods (can't just toss them in the microwave and have a multi-item meal hot and ready to eat in just a few minutes), but, given some practice and planning for leftovers, it's not that difficult nor time consuming.
Also, did I miss a memo and butter is bad for us again? It seems to be lumped in with "junk food" in the linked chart/article. I have so much trouble keeping up with what's good and what's bad for me this week. (So, mostly, I eat my apples and drink my milk and don't worry about it a lot.)
Beer can be brewed anywhere. I have brewed it in apartments and my house. It really doesn't take up much space. A simple ale kit is almost fool proof! The keys are to keep everything sanitized and keep the beer out of sunlight (Both fermenting and bottling). Ales and Bocks are my favorites. Good luck!
My ideal plan would focus heavily on preventative care.
I have long believed that my auto insurance company should reward me for doing the regular maintenance on my car. I should be able to submit receipts every year and get some kind of discount for ensuring that I have good breaks, oil changes, safe tires, etc. I'm doing my part to make sure we all don't have to dip into the catastrophic insurance. I'd even be willing to take a (free) annual driver's test in order to get a discount. (But I would never allow a tracking device to monitor my actual miles.)
I'd like an insurance plan to behave similarly. Screenings, blood work, birth control, ob/gyn care, annual check ups, gym membership, dietary changes. I'm willing to invest a lot of effort to take care of myself because that's my responsibility. But the hassle of referrals, authorizations and surprise costs delays me from going in for care when I need it.
I would also really like a payment chart and be able to know ahead of time what my portion of any procedure will be. I probably need knee surgery. If I could go somewhere and find out how much that will cost me, I could save up for it and make it happen. But I've held off for years because a) I didn't want it to be a pre-existing condition and b) I'm afraid of the bills.
I want health insurance that doesn't exclude pre-existing conditions, covers ALL prescriptions (including birth control), has a low deductible, and doesn't exclude certain treatments--like TMJ-related appointments or mental health counseling.
all natural /= better for you. Just sayin'. I eat organic food myself, generally because of the greater varieties with heirlooms and the like. But it's NOT any healthier for you than eating the regular version.
I would love to see an affordable high deductible health care plan where the deductible is based on an issue. For example, cancer is very expensive over the long run, but most treatments are not terribly expensive. Low enough a $40K cancer treatment might only payout a small amount for those treatments that are expensive.
Plus, I would like the smaller bills that don't meet the deductible to be billed through the insurance to get the lower costs. They are HUGE if you have ever had to pay yourself.
I want an AFFORDABLE plan that covers both basic and catastrophic expenses. I can handle a deductible and a coinsurance amount, but I want my out of pocket maximum to be no more than $5000 in any year. Right now, my out of pocket maximum is $2000 ($1000 deductible and 20% coinsurance up to a maximum of $1000). I love my current insurance, but I fear that it may get pretty expensive down the road.
I'm newly come to the slow food movement after reading Omnivore's Dilemma, however, I was raised this way so the ideas are not foreign. They'd just become inconvenient once I lived outside my parents' home.
But right now, I've put in 4 raised garden beds for a hamburger/salsa garden, I've removed rhododendrons in favor of planting fruit trees, I now volunteer at the local food co op in order to get their 20% discount so I can afford to shop there on an unemployed budget.
I prioritize my budget, by allowing more money for raw milk, free range eggs, local grass fed beef and organic produce. Dry goods, I'm not so picky about yet. Also, I've invited my mom up this autumn to re-teach me how to can and preserve food. Canning, jams and food dehydration!
What I would love to see is a simple, low-premium, high-deductible catastrophic plan, and then pay for all my routine medical expenses out-of-pocket...but combine that scenario with lowered medical costs that reflect what improvements in research and competition will do sans burdensome regulations, pharmacy kickbacks, and malpractice insurance. I want my health insurance to mirror my car insurance. I pay for my own car repairs and oil changes out of pocket, thank you very much, but I carry insurance just in case of an accident. I want my health insurance to be just in case, but I want the everyday stuff to be more cost effective.
I want to choose the doctors that I think I, or my family, needs to see. I want to follow the medical plans of a trusted physician, not a medical plan that an insurance company has created to increase their profit and marginalize my health care. I want to be able to get 90 day prescriptions filled, instead of just 30 days, because that's what's more affordable and convenient for me. I want to be able to fill the prescription that my doctor actually writes, not turn it in and have the insurance company tell the pharmacy that it wants me to have a different, cheaper prescription medication. I want to go to any pharmacy that's convenient for me, not be forced to go to pharmacies on the insurance companies "preferred list". I want to be able to legally hold any insurance company accountable for attempting to force changes to a plan my physician thinks is best.
if you look at things critically, there is actually very little that you need to survive and have a happy life. most of the crap we think we need is because of being slaves to all the advertising and the inacurate adverts that make as think that having that ipad will make life more fun and fuller. there is wisdom in knowing the difference between what you want what you really want and what you need
A very good quality plan (so I don't have to see second or third rate doctors over and over again) that I can actually understand.
What would really be nice is an affordable plan that covered preventative care (including birth control!). We're currently spending 15% of our take-home pay on a catastrophic insurance plan. It's really painful, especially when it doesn't cover things like flu shots.
I've not had to deal with catastrophic health issues (knock on wood) but I am a 24 year old college and graduate school graduate with my own health insurance. I am about to transfer jobs (better offer at a new company) and I'm terrified that I will have an issue in the first six months of my coverage there, because I have allergies and severe allergy induced asthma. I have tried to stockpile enough medication that I will last the six months of my "preexisting condition" time period without exorbitant costs, but I'm still worried.
I take three prescription medications: two for my asthma and one for birth control. My asthma is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition that I manage very well with medication and do not trigger with outside sources (I do not own pets or smoke, and I am a little overweight but am by no means obese, and I am working on that). My birth control I use as a means to prevent an even larger, unplanned medical expense, as pregnancy children tend to drain resources pretty quickly.
I visit all of my doctors twice a year: dentist, ophthalmologist, gynecologist, allergist. I screen early and often for the cervical, breast, kidney, and skin cancer that I am genetically at risk for. I do this, like with birth control, to prevent larger, later medical expenses.
I'm not looking for anything crazy. I'm looking for coverage that will help me manage my one chronic illness, and (like ALL medical professionals suggest) screen myself early for diseases I am at risk for. I don't want someone to pay my way for me, but I do think that for the amount of money I pay, I deserve better coverage, and especially do not deserve a six month "preexisting condition" window where I cannot get treatment and could end up in the hospital.
First, I want a plan that I can understand. Something that makes sense. I want to know how much things cost. I want to understand who I see for what and why and whether I can go see the PT who helped fix my knee. And what's covered and what's not and, once again, why.
Second, I want a plan that's easy to use. When I feel lousy or am facing surgery, I don't want to have to figure out paperwork or referrals or other things I don't really understand (see point 1). And when I'm recovering I definitely don't want to get letters that I don't understand that say that one or more people involved in my surgery may or may not be "out of network" and I may or may not have to pay more money.
Third, I want a plan where things get taken care of quickly. I want to speak to real people when I call. I want them to be able to answer my questions. I want referrals, if they're require, and approvals and everything else to be able to be handled quickly and easily by either me or the people who deal with insurance at my doctor's or PT's or where ever. And, if they're not, I want to understand why not.
Fourth, I want good, quality care by professionals who will take the time to listen to me and answer my questions. And where I don't have to wait an hour after my scheduled appointment time to actually be seen. This is more of a doctor issue, but I wonder how many of the issues with doctors' offices are due to issues dealing with insurance.
This post and its responses make me think I need to just stop reading this site.
If everyone did what you are proposing the end result would be no credit for anyone without substantial assets at hand. And requirements for a much larger % downpayment. If even a reasonable number of people do what you propose, lending standards will change. And then there will be posts from people whining about how they can't get cheap loans. Or loans at all. And deservedly so. I think irresponsible borrowers should be weeded out.
No more Wise Bread for me. And this site should change its name to "Foolish Bread."
I know this may actually be more an issue with doctors and hospitals, but actually knowing the cost before getting a procedure done would be tremendous. I feel like it's always some kind of guessing game!
A catastrophic care plan that includes an annual physical (including all relevant lab work).
Experiences make us happy, not stuff(great Article on CNN)
One of my favorite annual recurring expenditures is the
NPS pass . For $80.00 I have access and parking at all 400+ National Parks all over the country. These are the experiences my family talks about when we reminisce.
The things we have are so inconsequential to our happiness. In fact, I believe there is a tipping point where our things actually start to erode our happiness. Storage, upkeep and external expectation coalesce to to drive joy out of our life.
Go for the memorable experiences, they will last a lifetime.
-WR
Yes, I commented on the persistently part myself (note the bit on "CHOOSING" and on "largest debt" and "edging into deadbeat territory"). I've also made it clear that there's a difference between losing your job and just deciding to cut and run for fun.
"I actually hope the there are more people like you in the world. You know, people who are willing to throw $50,000 down a black hole just so they can hold on to their false sense of self-righteousness. In fact, I'll make a deal with you. You can call me a deadbeat for $50,000. For $100,000, I'll call myself a deadbeat. Deal?"
I'm afraid these two sentences don't actually parse into any kind of meaning for me. I'm going to have to assume that there's a large enough gap in our reading comprehension and composition skills as to make further online communication impossible. Thanks for engaging though, this post and subsequent comment discussion have been extremely educational for me on a number of levels.
I disagree with Dahlia in part. Yes, you're preaching to the choir, but quite frankly, posts like this are why we all click on this blog. Did I learn something new? No, but I took a moment, read about the author's experience and reflected upon my own. Maybe it's all a bit self-congratulatory, but part of learning to love living with less is learning to stop and congratulate yourself for your accomplishments.
Also, this post provides a forum for others to chime in with their own experiences. The skiing example was terrific!
My husband and I stopped eating out and remodeled our kitchen ourselves. The hours of work on that kitchen have been some of the happiest of our marriage. I am amazed at what we turned out to be capable of. Now we come home and cook dinner together every night in this space we created. When we do dine out, it's a true occasion and very special.
At one point, I called the bank asking about lowering our interest rate, and was told the same thing: unless I had missed a few payments, they wouldn't even consider reducing our rate. Anyways, I saw this post today on Frugal Dad and really liked it, and just wanted to share.
Good luck!
http://frugaldad.com/2010/03/30/falling-in-love-with-your-home/
Volunteering at my nearby pet "orphanage" makes me happier than any stuff or fancy meals. It costs me nothing but time (unless I want to buy toys for the dogs). Try it. It's a win/win.
Another great recipe, frugal and yummy! Love it, thanks!!
I just UNSUBSCRIBED based on this post. I don't have time to read posts by lying stealing hypocritical materialistic greedy cheaters. bu-bye!