w00t w00t booyah

My mother admitted to me once that the one thing she hated buying, more than anything else, was insurance. Period.

We were always insured, though. We even carried AAA memberships. That did not mean Mom liked paying for them.

I think I've discovered the Thing I hate buying, most of all.

I hate paying the dentist. I hate paying the dentist thousands above what my insurance coverage allows.

All you have to do is remind me of where money I'd like to spend on Fun Things is going - and if it's someplace that is in working order, no problems to speak of and so on?

Yeah, I'm a little cheesed. I think my favorite was the two crowns my dentist first mentioned that I needed soon - in August of 2008. Uh, so far? Right.

And today, they insisted I ship out to a referral for periodontal scaling, because they just can't get the work they say I need done fast enough. Scheduling and all that.

*grump* I wore braces for two and a half years, I know how much fun the dentist isn't. I was on pain relief every four hours for two and a half years. And now they want me to pay a whole lotta of money for - get this - pain and suffering I've managed to avoid for nearly five years with no noticeable consequences.

*kicks can* I'm calling the referral and making appointments, but if they want a new car for it, I'm passing. "Terrible things will happen to you!"

Terrible things CAN happen to me. At this point, I'm really not impressed.

My mother admitted to me once that the one thing she hated buying, more than anything else, was insurance. Period.

We were always insured, though. We even carried AAA memberships. That did not mean Mom liked paying for them.

I think I've discovered the Thing I hate buying, most of all.

I hate paying the dentist. I hate paying the dentist thousands above what my insurance coverage allows.

All you have to do is remind me of where money I'd like to spend on Fun Things is going - and if it's someplace that is in working order, no problems to speak of and so on?

Yeah, I'm a little cheesed. I think my favorite was the two crowns my dentist first mentioned that I needed soon - in August of 2008. Uh, so far? Right.

And today, they insisted I ship out to a referral for periodontal scaling, because they just can't get the work they say I need done fast enough. Scheduling and all that.

*grump* I wore braces for two and a half years, I know how much fun the dentist isn't. I was on pain relief every four hours for two and a half years. And now they want me to pay a whole lotta of money for - get this - pain and suffering I've managed to avoid for nearly five years with no noticeable consequences.

*kicks can* I'm calling the referral and making appointments, but if they want a new car for it, I'm passing. "Terrible things will happen to you!"

Terrible things CAN happen to me. At this point, I'm really not impressed.

Two fillings up front, $250 more in debt. Yay dental insurance. (It paid about half of it.)

And I'm a total mushmouth, he numbed my entire lower jaw.

I'll take anything to cheer up right now guys.

Jim wants to squirrel away about $8,000 this year to complete the China adoption - whenever that decides to happen. Frankly, I'm all for it.

One problem. We're not putting away more than $200 in savings as is - and squealing badly at that. The culprit is the credit card load, and only time (and paying them decently) will get rid of that.

However, end of the year is usually a good time to put money away because 1) it's a stock sale period, 2) Mom sends $$$ for Christmas and 3) I get a bonus.

This year - I only got half the bonus. The stock sale has generated half what I'm used to. And because Mom is taking care of a 19 year old niece with a newborn, we got %25 of what she sent in past years. *sighs* We're the big kids and can take care of ourselves. *thumps self on shoulder* Yar yar we be tough!

I can't get going to Switzerland out of my head, though. Hawaii, neither. Japan again HAS to be. The house. The kids.

*sighs*

And I won't back away from feeding people and putting shoes on their feet. If I tell you where dinner is and you show up, I'm paying. After being the victim of being invited to dinner...and then being expected to pay $50 a plate, once too often...I just won't do it to others. You wonder why I'm not rich. *laughs* Well, it's not going to change things a whole lot if I stop doing that...so I'm not.

The latest studies though, say the average person would only find an additional $15,000 a year would make them rich enough to be happier...more doesn't do much for happiness after that.

After getting the lump sum life insurance payment after Cliff passed, I'll second that. After paying off everything with it - there was about $20,000 left and that was LIVING...stupidly...for a number of years. I took people to Hawaii. I ran up more parking tickets than I'd ever cop to. STUPID tickets. Bought stuff that is still in the original packaging and stored somewhere...because I could. Then gave it away. Gained a lot of weight.

Don't need to be rich. It makes one stupid. The last of that original money paid for Jim's surgery when he got here - it was repaid, mind. But if I hadn't had that put aside...suffice it to say, I don't go there. (You want bloody details, go ahead and ask.) I had it - and having told Cliff on more than on occasion before he died how angry I was that these resources would only be around AFTER he was dead...his only request was if I didn't want them, to use them to help someone else. Got it.

And I've put most, if not all of that back, via 401K. *checks* Yeah, that and then some.

Tax return? Feh. Break even, if I'm any guess.

So, while I'd love to support, donate and buy cookies - I won't be, for a while.

I may buy a few lottery tickets here and there, though. *chuckles* I'm also going to see what it takes to get certified to teach swimming...and make that a summer job this year, if I can.

Jim wants to squirrel away about $8,000 this year to complete the China adoption - whenever that decides to happen. Frankly, I'm all for it.

One problem. We're not putting away more than $200 in savings as is - and squealing badly at that. The culprit is the credit card load, and only time (and paying them decently) will get rid of that.

However, end of the year is usually a good time to put money away because 1) it's a stock sale period, 2) Mom sends $$$ for Christmas and 3) I get a bonus.

This year - I only got half the bonus. The stock sale has generated half what I'm used to. And because Mom is taking care of a 19 year old niece with a newborn, we got %25 of what she sent in past years. *sighs* We're the big kids and can take care of ourselves. *thumps self on shoulder* Yar yar we be tough!

I can't get going to Switzerland out of my head, though. Hawaii, neither. Japan again HAS to be. The house. The kids.

*sighs*

And I won't back away from feeding people and putting shoes on their feet. If I tell you where dinner is and you show up, I'm paying. After being the victim of being invited to dinner...and then being expected to pay $50 a plate, once too often...I just won't do it to others. You wonder why I'm not rich. *laughs* Well, it's not going to change things a whole lot if I stop doing that...so I'm not.

The latest studies though, say the average person would only find an additional $15,000 a year would make them rich enough to be happier...more doesn't do much for happiness after that.

After getting the lump sum life insurance payment after Cliff passed, I'll second that. After paying off everything with it - there was about $20,000 left and that was LIVING...stupidly...for a number of years. I took people to Hawaii. I ran up more parking tickets than I'd ever cop to. STUPID tickets. Bought stuff that is still in the original packaging and stored somewhere...because I could. Then gave it away. Gained a lot of weight.

Don't need to be rich. It makes one stupid. The last of that original money paid for Jim's surgery when he got here - it was repaid, mind. But if I hadn't had that put aside...suffice it to say, I don't go there. (You want bloody details, go ahead and ask.) I had it - and having told Cliff on more than on occasion before he died how angry I was that these resources would only be around AFTER he was dead...his only request was if I didn't want them, to use them to help someone else. Got it.

And I've put most, if not all of that back, via 401K. *checks* Yeah, that and then some.

Tax return? Feh. Break even, if I'm any guess.

So, while I'd love to support, donate and buy cookies - I won't be, for a while.

I may buy a few lottery tickets here and there, though. *chuckles* I'm also going to see what it takes to get certified to teach swimming...and make that a summer job this year, if I can.