Medical Guide Part 2 - Making the Appointment

If you're new to me, Hi and welcome to the new roaring twenties. Not going to bombard you with new year new you shiz, the algorithm will do that for you. Instead I'm here with another entry into my medical guide to hopefully help someone out there to go to the d@mn doctor be it, medical, eye, teeth, etc. What I do when I go the doctor is in Part 1 but then it also occurred to me that not everyone is comfortable talking to people in phone or in person and by some, I mean a lot.

Social anxiety is a thing for tons of people to varying degrees and if you're like me living in a rural area where you're lucky if you can find your doctor's office online let alone book an appointment. Sometimes it's inevitable that you have to talk to a person and I understand that is uncomfortable, but it must be done so I hope this lays some details out for you in order to get it done in the least amount of time/ slash conversation possible.

1. Preparation is key. Why are you calling? What symptoms do you have or do you recognize a sinus infection that you get every season that you know you'll need antibiotics? This is why part one is up first. The more you know and have written (or typed) the better you can spout it off when you're on the spot.

2. When do you have time to go? Everyone is busy with life and work but strep throat doesn't care if you have a final or a business meeting. So find out how soon you need to make an appointment. If you're already home sick, you want to get in asap. If you're not home yet maybe you need to plan on your lunch break. I know with my general 9 to 5, it was easier to set it for the morning then go to work late and stay if necessary than try to get off at a certain time to not be late. But that depends on your schedule.

3. What insurance are you using and is this office in your network to hopefully get a smaller copay and overall a smaller bill. There's 2 ways for this to go. You can do the research, beforehand, in your prep to talk to your insurance and they will find an office in your network or for lack of better words, someone they prefer to work with. Or you can talk to the doctor's office you're wanting to go to and they will run the info from your insurance card to let you know the details so keep it on hand.


4.This brings us to the moment of truth and the best thing you can do is to be nice to the receptionist and everything will be smooth. They will ask you questions and chances are you'll have the answers because you wrote them down in step 1. If this is your very first appointment to this office or doctor, you can say something like this:

"Hi. My name is ____. I'm needing to set up an appointment as a new patient." or if you already go to that office just drop the "as a new patient" and add " with Dr. _______."

There will be questions they HAVE to ask you and 98% of the time are also handling people in person as well as stuff going on behind the scenes on their end, so be nice and they'll move you right along and get you in a good spot. I've rarely run into a rude receptionist or nurse but it may happen, just get the information you need and be done as quick as possible. And remember to say thank you no matter what.

QUICK NOTE: ALWAYS GET THEIR NAME. It's always good to get a name so if you talked with them and clicked, had chemistry, made a good connection, etc. It means that you have a point of contact to ask for in the future. On the other hand if, they aren't for you or you just don't like them, you know who to avoid. Write It Down! That's the same for the office staff and especially the nurses.


This helped me get into the swing of things when making appointments especially in the beginning of my spoonie journey. Take the new year into a new decade to be your best self and that includes your health so please cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, wash your hands, and go to the doctor.


In the meantime, here's some other posts that aren't medically related...

Good Reads and the Like - http://bit.ly/Yareads22

Planners Gonna Plan - http://bit.ly/HLPlanner

Adulting Win - http://bit.ly/Adultwin



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Operation Ducks In A Row - Savings

The excitement on the “New Year – New Me” has finally begun to lose its shine and it is now tax season. And with me being the person making progress to be the person I want to be, I’m determined to be better about this adulting thing. And in my opinion, adults have a savings. My savings has very much short lived for a variety of reasons/excuses. Short term isn’t completely terrible but the fact is that even though I have a wonderful significant other, we share portions of our life that do not include a home or bills or finances so all of my life falls on me and while my parents are always willing to help, I just can’t do that. So, I’ve punched some numbers and strategies and put into play some tips that can help build a savings when you’re terrible at saving.

*Automatic transfers – I loathe automatic payments but setting up a transfer to go into your savings account every paycheck can take some of the mental stress off. Think about this: $20 a paycheck and if you get paid twice a month, there’s $40 a month that can turn into $480 a year. The trick is to leave it there so it’s harder to spend and has more time to be there when you really need it, like a tax return. (hint hint)

*Nickname your accounts – Most banks, if not all, have an online option and if they don’t, I don’t know how you’re surviving. But think about this: we are very visual so if your bank allows you to nickname your accounts, then name it. Are you saving for vacation or emergencies or Christmas? Have a plan and having that visual will put that more into perspective when you’re tempted to transfer out of it.

*Separate savings account – banks don’t have to be the devil and one does not have to be the be-all-end-all to your finances. Think about this: If you get the option for direct deposit through your employer then consider opening a separate savings account at a completely different bank. You’ll be able to split your paycheck and build a savings because it’s out of site and out of mind, unless you stalk your check stubs. Every paycheck, take out and send $50 of your check to that out-of-the-way account then that’s $100 dollars a month and $1200 a year because it’s not something you have easy access to for that compulsive purchase.

* Cash route – I don’t carry a lot of cash on me because it’s usually gone a lot faster that I like. But I also like having a better idea of how much I can spend for lunch, coffee, etc. So if I take out $40 in cash, once it goes from 20’s to 10’s to 5’s, I will use and spend, but once I get down to 1’s, it’s change that goes into a Jar, a Ziploc bag, box, something where you can just put it in and forget that it’s there. An incognito piggy bank so-to-speak. (And hey, pennies add up so give Abe a break and pick him up off the ground)

Different banks will also have different perks depending on the accounts they offer. Maybe look at interest bearing accounts or other bank specific perks. Bank of America has Save the Change and Wells Fargo has the Save As You Go where it’s linked to your debit card purchases and a little bit will just go to your savings account anytime you use your card. Again, saving without really feeling or realizing that you are saving. So go to your bank or credit union or whomever helps you with your finances and pick their brain. Find out how they can help you save more because that is kind of their job.

Doing this has helped me save for my trip to Vegas last year, save for Christmas, and save for those times that life happens and I’ve needed to compensate for other charges that I didn’t expect or account for. My accounts are still going up and down a bit more than I’d like but each month I’m seeing progress. And progress is good. Progress is fine. Progress is my friend. 




Check out the other ducks that I'm herding into this series
http://bit.ly/OperationDIAR
http://bit.ly/ODIARccards
http://bit.ly/ODIARwomp


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Operation Ducks in a Row – Downsizing...

While I don’t plan on this post being about making a new me in the new year, I will say that attempting to downsize, especially in my wardrobe, needed some new motivation. My goal for 2016 is to be more positive and that in itself is harder than it looks for someone who’s picture can be found in the dictionary under pessimist. Part of being and feeling positive is to see a light at the end of this tunnel.

I started the downsizing process a few months back when I started the Operation Ducks in a Row series. I’ve had some great moments about shopping my closet instead of buying more. About packing up pieces to donate and sell to free up space, but I’m currently at a plateau in the process. I’ve taken a lot out but it’s still not enough, so I’m trying something else and it’s starting to work out pretty well.

Keep in mind that I love me some retail therapy especially when it comes to plus size clothes. I really have two stores in the next town over that I can consistently find clothes to fit my shape and my height in store, thank you maurices and Cato. So if I’m going out of town and there’s a Torrid, then I could definitely find myself in trouble. But in these past few months, I have resisted the urge for flash sales, clearance sales unless I was in absolute need. An example is that I had to get a pair of black pants that I could wear boots with to work because my only pair, from Old Navy, had finally fallen victim to the chub rub after two years. A tragic moment that every B3 woman must face at some point…

Back to the point is that what I’ve been doing lately is doing laundry. I’d been running short on time and have put in a bit of overtime, so pieces that I hadn’t worn in forever and a day were popping up in the wash. Instead of taking them out before washing, I’ve been washing them and putting them in their own pile but not separating what to sell or donate. The reason for that is that I have a couple friends who are around my size and them being awesome, have first dibs. After that, then I could probably sell some on Facebook garage sales group and just get rid of it or donate it.

So here’s what I’m planning….

For now, I want to get this plan in motion and give an update when it’s said and done. Maybe pick up some more tips on the way, so if you have a tip that helps you, let me know! Any and all help is much appreciated.

Operation Ducks in a Row - Cutting My Store Card Losses

One of my many goals is downsizing, hence the need for getting my ducks in a row. I have a lot of major life changing coming up with my family and the time is here. One of my biggest obstacles is my overflowing wardrobe of clothes I wear, don’t wear and have forgotten that I’ve had. I’m needing to make some changes and that can NOT happen if I’m still buying more than I have room for.

I won’t lie when I say that I’m overwhelmed. I had no idea where to start other than the constant, “don’t go shopping…don’t go shopping….do not go shopping.” Trying to stay on task is hard enough but then I really looked at what I was looking at. Let me show you what I mean.

I sometimes wonder why I don’t pursue marketing, because honestly look at this. How many stores do we go to that ask for an email? Heck, even at my job we ask for an email. The employee may input it but we may never see how many messages go out about everything until we get them ourselves. Coupons, sales, flash sales, special offers. And please try to tell me that you haven’t heard this, “The more times we enter your email, the better offers you get.” I know of two major chains that even my small town has access to. But as a regular buyer of all the things, it’s not always what we pay attention to until you get that notification.

I went even a bit further and went thru my emails and all the stores that I ‘subscribe’ to. Then compared that to the matching store card that I have with said store email. At my job, I won’t lie, we get a lot of questions about credit. Also for living in a college town, we see a lot of kids who are away from for the first time and really beginning to come into their own. I was one of them at 18 and now as a twenty something submerged in an overflowing small house with an overflowing inbox, Carrie Bradshaw can’t help but wonder…when did I become a blind buyer?

Now to be proactive, I felt the hesitation when I scrolled to the end of the email and hit the unsubscribe button. Some I constantly look at and others I forget I have. The important thing that I had to realize was that I don’t Need it. We all want things, but what I’m trying to do is focus on what I need. And this wasn’t it. So if you’re in the boat with me, don’t be afraid to hit that button.

Then the next step is to really evaluate what I needed as far as my store credit cards. What a lot of people don’t realize is that while yes, it’s good to ‘have’ them, having too many is a bad thing. Having too many and not using them for really long periods of time is just as bad if not worse. So here’s what I looked at:

1.       Rewards – most card have them now, so look at how you get them. Some do it by the actual visit you do. So buy there one day, and you get so many points. Some do it by how much you buy aka 1 point per dollar spent. Then what can you use the points on? Bottom line is, if you aren’t getting anything from the card you’re using, why have it?

2.       Annual fee – regardless if it’s a store card or a regular use-on-everything card, unless you got the money for all the travelling and paying back for a high dollar American Express, just don’t do it. It’s way to easy to get caught up in the excitement of getting approved for a credit card but unless it’s a secured card , you really have no need for it.

3

.       Interest Rate – APR is not something to take lightly, it’s the make or break of a credit product and for those of us in the college age, it’s automatically a bit higher. That being said, don’t be afraid to shop around for a card you want. The easiest way to avoid paying interest is to pay off your balance every month. Now I know, firsthand, that sometimes that is not the case. The interest rate can and does vary so LOOK AT YOUR STATEMENTS! It will always be on there and from there, I cut some losses and temptations.

Credit cards aren’t the devil. Sometimes you get a new job and need a few staple pieces of clothing to make sure you look the part and pay it off in a couple months. Sometimes you forget to get an important gift for a wedding, or you need to buy the bridesmaid dress and don’t have all the funds on hand. The key is to know how and what you want to use them for. Do you shop there often? Can that particular store be on the expensive side or cheap enough to buy in bulk? Store card or not, that duck needed to be put in place.


Check out some of my other posts

Operation Ducks in a Row - Downsizing
Operation Ducks in a Row - Savings 
Operation Ducks in a Row - The Mission

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