Different Perspective

With all the debate crazyness, and political talk, I feel this post needs to be written. The other day Jason was at the gas station, and in line in front of him was a woman that in his opinion was most likely wearing hand me down clothes or thrift store purchases that didn't quite fit her (no judging here, just laying groundwork for the story). She bought a coke, a pack of cigarettes, $20 in lottery tickets, and $9 in gas. Now, I don't know about you, but I do know that this is not the 90's and $9 in gas is NOT going to get her very far! As an ex-smoker, I do remember putting cigarettes as a higher priority then gas, but lottery tickets.....Seriously???? And it looked as if she didn't win anything either.


You see, Obama is not the problem, Romney is not the fix, our fellow Americans need to be educated! If this is the typical way of spending of a good amount of our population, (which I believe it is) then of course our nation is going to be in debt. Of course people are going to need help. What really bothers me about all of this, is that a lot of people don't see anything wrong with this! We have seen people first hand that eat out constantly, yet complain about how they can't pay bills or talk about how they just don't have any money, but yet they may have a brand new big screen or top of the line appliances or cars that they really can't afford. Don't get me wrong, we have been guilty of this ourselves, and still sometimes slip here and there and have to reign ourselves back in. But it seems to me, that if more of America were educated on how to spend and save money, and were taught budgeting then maybe, just maybe we wouldn't see the scenario that Jason saw the other day.

Another thing I have witnessed people not put as a priority, is health insurance. In this area, there are a lot of self-employed people. So, group insurance is not an option. Therefore, it seems like the theory of most is "I can't afford health insurance-it's too expensive". I feel that health insurance is another one of those things that you can't afford not to have. What if you or someone in your family has a serious injury? Or gets cancer? Or has some crazy blood disease, or internal disorder? By the time one of these happens, it's too late...You are un-insurable. Check into individual or independent health plans, you can even do it on your own without an agent. Sometimes going directly to the insurance websites, will save you money on your monthly premiums. If you have never checked into individual plans, they are a lot cheaper than you probably think they are. Most of us have had group insurance through a company at one time or another, and it's pretty expensive, so that's the amount we have in our minds. When we had group at one time, it would have been $1600 a month for our family of 4 out of pocket. We now have individual health insurance for under $500 a month for all of us. Big difference right? Of course the coverage is different, but at least it's a safety net for when something does happen.

As far as the reason I started writing this post in the first place, overspending by the average American. I wonder how many Americans have a budget, or even know how to evaluate their spending. I would like to share a challenge, if you don't already have a budget, or if you have possibly gotten away from it, then starting this week, keep track of every cent you spend. Keep all receipts, and divide them into categories at the end of every week. This way you will be able to see where your money is going. You will also be able to see any unnecessary spending that may be happening in your family. This is a good exercise to do at least once a year. And trust me when I say we sometimes get off track too! :) If only there were a way to educate all Americans to do this, then we might be able to get ourselves out of some of this mess.

Walgreens and Prescriptions

I know I haven't been very good about posting in a while, I think with all the social media, my blogging kinda fell to the wayside. But, I really felt I needed to inform people of this and well, why not blog about it? LOL

Did you know about Walgreens Prescription Savings Club? I have seen it advertised several times, but just figured that my insurance would save me more. Especially since we pay a pretty penny for it! Well, the other day I inquired about it and inquired about my medications specifically. My Dr has started writing 90 prescriptions (if I want), and my insurance will only let you get 30 days at a time-which means 3 copays! Well, on the Walgreens plan I can get all 90 days, and get this, $30 for 3 months for one prescription! On my insurance it's $15 for one month! Already saving, and I only have to worry about filling it once every 3 months! One of my other meds cost less for 90 days through the savings plan, then it did for 30 days on insurance! What????

And another bonus: They figure out which is better savings for you with each medication! Like with D's prescription, insurance is better, and they will run it that way. Wow! This really is a no brainer for me, saving money without having to crunch the numbers every time! Woo-Hoo!!! Yes, it's the little things in life that can add up to really big!

Ok, I know you're thinking "All right, but how much does this amazing program cost?" Well, I'm so glad you asked! Are you sitting down.....$20 for one person or $35 for the whole family per year! Uhm, yep you read that right, like less than 2 bucks a month!!! I am pretty sure other companies like CVS have these type of plans also, so I encourage you to check them out! Oh and by the way, I was not paid by Walgreens in anyway for this post. ;)

I Don't Want To!!!!!

This is how I feel right now about a decision I need to make. If you are a follower here, you probably know the battle I have had with anxiety/anger. Since my youngest was born (6.5 years ago), I struggled with severe anxiety and panic attacks. About 2 years ago I was able to stop taking medication. Yay! But, now It's Baaack!

I have been struggling with this decision for a few months now, secretly hoping it would go away on it's own. I am crying as I write this post, because I simply don't want to be on medication. I really don't, and I don't know why. The medicine itself really does help. I think that in my mind I feel that if I have to take meds then I am a failure who can't handle something so simple as my own emotions on my own.

But, right now, everything annoys me, every little thing the kids do stresses me out. You see, with my anxiety comes anger, and boy does it ever come on strong! Have you seen The Hulk? I hate it, I hate who I am when I get that way. But there's just something about the thought of being on medicine that makes me sad. Because by the looks of it, I'm probably going to have to be on it FOREVER. :(

Please pray with me, pray that I can be ok with this decision, pray that getting back on meds won't be as horrible as it was before. (I literally went through 6 different meds in 6 months when they were trying to figure me out). Thank you

Sorry my first post in many months is so depressing. :)

Carson's 6th Birthday!

Ok, this post is a LITTLE behind! I am playing catch up for sure, but I am getting it done. :) My sweet Carson turned 6 on December 19th. I seriously do not know where the years have gone, there are days that I look at him and think "Gosh he's so big!" and other days when I think "He's still my baby". Of course he is still my baby (don't tell him that-he might punch you).

We had originally planned a ice-skating party for C, but unfortunately his Daddy cancelled his party due to Carson's bad attitude. So, we had a family gathering and went to The North Pole Express in Grapevine. Had a blast! I think my Mimi and I had the most fun, it definitely makes you feel like a little kid again. Below are some pics of the special day.

And again Happy Birthday sweet Carson!
Breakfast in Bed
Snowman Pancakes

Mimi & Umpa

Umpa and our Host

Sexperiment

I have got to get something off my chest. Last night and today, I have seen TONS of FB posts and comments speaking out against Ed and Lisa Young's Sexperiment and the way the are promoting it today on the rooftop of their church building while in a "bed". You can see their live broadcast here I am amazed at the amount of people that haven't seen or heard what The Youngs have to say, but are trashing them, and I mean seriously trashing them! WOW! It immediately makes me think of the amount of religious leaders that tried over and over to prove that Jesus was wrong, and put so much energy into "hating" him that they missed God. I am amazed that people in the church today are wasting so much energy trying to prove someone wrong to everybody else. It just makes me sad, and I had to get it out!

I am going to be very honest here, again me being real. I could live the rest of my life without having sex. Seriously. And yes, I went there! My husband however, does not feel the same way! :) With all my anxiety issues, and other things, it is the LAST thing I want to do. I pray a lot about this issue, and while I wish that I could have the intimacy that God ordained for our marriage, I don't. Anyway, this is something that I am working out with God, myself, and my husband, who is being very patient with me (bless him).

I just think that if some of these people were experiencing some issues in this area, they would understand why it's so important that this subject be approached. While yes, I have heard about it in church before, to the extent of "God, says have sex with your husband", that hasn't actually helped me. So, I am tuning in today from time to time to see what they have to say. They are talking about all kinds of things, and interviewing other couples, pastors, and their own grown kids. Along with the marriage sex topics, they are also talking about how to share with your kids about sex, etc.

PS I do not go to this church, so I am not biased! :) And did I mention that they have been together since they were 15, married at 21, and have been married 30 years? That speaks volumes to me!