It was a book club meeting today for lunch, which I always look forward to. Last month, we were looking ahead at an election. This month, it's done. We all are a little sick about it, but it's done. I guess I'm a bit pragmatic. It is what it is, and we simply have to look at things thoughtfully, with an eye toward preparing ourselves for what comes next. We are being warned to expect two years of hardship, and Elon Musk says that "Americans need economic hardship" (like a billionaire understands economic hardship).
So. Tim and I are preparing for that, and the one thing that I know about us for sure is that we have lived through some pretty lean times, and we've always squeaked through. We are sensible and we are practical, and we have always been frugal. I'm more worried about the people who don't understand thrift. They are going to be hard hit. I know that some of the most ramshackle places in our county have big old proud Trump signs in their front yards, so I am kind of interested to see what happens when they realize that these cuts are going to affect them as well.
I realized today that we are not all in the same place. Some people are quite emotional about this. Actually terrified of the future. So afraid that all the calm words in the world would not make a difference. It was a little disconcerting.
Anyways, I headed out on two errands. I had to pick up two prescriptions. I was shocked spitless that they were $77. I said, "I don't understand this. We paid less before we had a prescription plan." Long story short. They had Tim's Humana information in the system, but for some reason it wasn't 'taking'. They didn't have my Humana information in at all. It took quite a bit of time to sort out, but in the end, the prescriptions were covered, and there was no copay, so I guess that my patience and her persistence paid off in the end.
I also bought a glass two quart jar at the thrift store. I've been reading about sourdough bread, and have made up my mind to give it a try. It's just that there are so many different schools of thought on growing the starter. Mary Moon? Feel free to advise. (Any of the rest of you? Jump right on in.)
I finally got home, thtew on work clothes and headed over to the rehab. Tim was still working in the bathroom. We worked for a couple of hours, but he was tired, so I sent him home to get that supper which had been left simmering when I left the house earlier.
I headed down to feed the kittens. It had been spitting snow all day long, but nothing had been sticking. Halfway to the new house, the snow began to get heavier. By the time that I pulled into the driveway at the new house, it had begun to cover the ground.
It was starting to get dark by then, and the kittens were very glad that I was there. I sat with them for a while. I mix their canned catfood into the dry kibble, and add the warm gravy over top. They do love that. I petted all four of them today, but didn't want to stick around too long, being concerned about the weather.
I needn't have worried. I drove out of the snow squall just as suddenly as I'd driven into it. There is no snow on the ground here in town although we are expecting some tomorrow.
I needn't have worried. I drove out of the snow squall just as suddenly as I'd driven into it. There is no snow on the ground here in town although we are expecting some tomorrow.
This post is kind of all over the place, but some days are just like that.
What I find so disturbing is that many would have just taken it in the neck and paid the $77.bucks. This infuriates me as increasingly, we have to stay on our toes and strongly advocate for our medical benefits which we have already paid for! And who would have benefited had you paid that bill? The insurance company, that's who. This has happened to me several times this past year. .Makes me crazy.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that Tim just paid the $24 the last time.
DeleteIt's the same here with many people never having to be careful with their money. I'm always glad we were thrifty so I know how to manage
ReplyDeleteI once knew a woman who had two sons. Those sons often ate supper at my house. I didn't mind. Their mother called to make sure that it wasn't a problem after a month or so of this. I said, "No. It's okay. There's enough." She sighed and said, "I don't know how you manage to make your food stamps last a month. I never can." The thing was, I didn't get food stamps. I worked a minimum wage job, and housed and fed three kids...just barely. But what I learned is that a crock pot was my friend. Soups can go a long way. You buy the sale items and plan your meals accordingly. When I started saying this, she said, "Oh no...no no no....I DO NOT COOK." I hung up the phone wondering how that was even an option. That a mother would have two children and not be willing to do what is necessary to keep them fed.
DeleteAnd I think of those two boys today. I am sure that they do not have the skills they need for these days. Of course, the last I knew, the youngest was in jail, so he might no need to worry about it.
We have both been frugal all our lives and now want to make the most of our final years so the savings pot gets dipped into now and then. We are still careful most of the time though. Old habits die hard.
ReplyDeleteJayCee, it was fully how we expected to do it as well. We have been careful and frugal and trying to set our children up for better. We expected that one day, it would pay off and we would be able to loosen the purse strings. It does not look as if that's to be.
DeleteMy daughter taught my husband to make sourdough bread during lockdown. We had yeast to hand but, since we didn't know how long the chaos would continue for, we thought it would be a useful skill to have.
ReplyDeleteI just find my attention turning to practical skills. Not a bad thing.
DeleteEverything seems so much more expensive every year. I would not like to be young and trying to get a step on the property ladder. I read the other day that property will be 85 percent more expensive in 5 years. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteI cannot see how that is even possible, but sadly, I can't see how anyone manages to buy a house at today's prices anyway.
DeleteWe have a neglected 'mother' sourdough in the fridge. Apparently it can be revived but since it was Lillie who always used to feed it, it sits unloved in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteAs for America's people, maybe it will strike some people that false promises aren't any good and they will get it right eventually.
It will be an awakening, all right, which is good. We need more woke people.
DeletePrices rise all the time and it's sensible to watch and adjust accordingly, where possible.
ReplyDeleteAh...another sensible person, I see!!!
DeleteKeep being kind to the cats, and have a good TG weekend.
ReplyDeleteI think that you need another cat, AC. A beautiful blue eyed sociable little thing...I will deliver! Lacey will love it!
DeleteGood job on the prescriptions! It pays to be ever-vigilant about stuff like that, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think many of Trump's fans are going to be surprised by Musk's two years of hardship.
I guess that's why I think it is so important to change our focus from outrage and/or terror at what happens next to going into this with a clear head and practical planning.
DeleteOnce I went to Walmart to fill a rx, and discovered that I had two profiles, not one. One had good insurance info and the other had none. She didn't know how to delete the empty profile. Eventually we got it cleared out. Judy at Patchworktimes.com does sourdough bread. She even freezes the starter when she doesn't need more bread.
ReplyDeleteI know that Tim simply paid $24 the last time. Since Walmart has a $4 cap for most commonly used prescriptions, I didn't understand why he would pay double the price of a 90 supply. When I went to pick up my prescription along with his, I was shocked. I mean I can order my stuff from the online pharmacy and get it free, so I just made up my mind to make some calls when I got home. The price difference was ridiculous. Of course, this is the same pharmacy that told me when I had covid that test kits were $31 a box. The next time I was at the store, there was a big rack of them RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PHARMACY WINDOW for $14.99 a box.
DeleteI've always been cheap and don't need much to get by. I can't stand to pay attention to what Frump is doing but I can't help reading the newsletters I get. I worry and then I try to put it out of my mind for awhile as I get busy with other things. I want to remain hopeful but some days it is difficult.
ReplyDeleteTim and I are well suited for tough times. I mean, really, we struggled initially, and we just sorted it out, got through it, and when everything crashed in 2008, we were in a position to step into that and begin buying houses at rock bottom prices. We were so very lucky.
DeleteI have a very neglected mother starter in the fridge.. probably not worth reviving, but I do have some in the freezer....I did have some dried but that disappeared.. probably lost its label and got the heave homin a sort out! I was given it when it was well over 15 years old in 2012.
ReplyDeleteThere are tales of starters coming over on The Mayflower that are living now.. maybe...
I read about one that was 213 years old, which was kind of cool.
DeleteI'm not sure what you are basing your information on but I generally look at the Consumer Price Index which shows an average change over time of what people pay for goods. It is essentially a steady straight inclined line from 1980 to 2020 before it shifts remarkedly upwards. According to the Federal Planning Bureau, an independent public agency, they are forecasting it to fall over the next year. I don't know what goes into their prediction though and if they are taking into account rumored policy changes or just changes that are already "baked" into the system.
ReplyDeleteThe man's own mouth, Ed.
Deletehttps://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/economy-if-trump-wins-second-term-could-mean-hardship-for-americans-rcna177807
Perhaps I am a bit jaded. Like you, I live well within my means so I don't expect any economic hardships to come my way. But I/we are probably a minority so perhaps the majority will see real economic hardships. I won't argue whether that is a good or bad thing.
DeleteI've always been a bit shocked at how quickly you can dismiss concerns as long as they do not affect you and yours personally. I guess I'm different that way. I see a generation of kids who were raised by a generation of kids who never learned the necessary skills for times like this. I am sad for our country.
DeleteProbably my optimistic nature and my belief that people are quite adaptable and capable of great acts in times of need.
DeleteOh, Debby. I feel as if I have lost my touch with sourdough. I think I had beginner's luck at first. I believe I made my starter with instructions from King Arthur. And it has been going for several years now, doing nicely, even though I do not feed it as much as I should but always before baking with it. And there are a lot of different ideas about it all but look- flour, water, time. You'll figure out how to make it work for you.
ReplyDeleteBasically, it's all the same, once it is established but there are things like, use cheese cloth, don't use cheese cloth, use a coffee filter, never use a coffee filter, etc. The quantities are different, but that really doesn't matter so much. It looks so very complicated, but in the end, once I get into actually doing it. I'll find out it was much ado about nothing.
DeleteFor some issues, like your drug plan, we have to be very persistent to get what we are entitled to.
ReplyDeletePersistent is my middle name.
DeleteHa - look at that! Only had to click one button in the end! I gave my MIL a https://www.recipetineats.com/ cookbook when I was over last year and we made the sourdough from that while I was there (well, I made) - its not difficult. As I knew the chances of her ever making any was zip I made all of the starter into loaves for her to distribute when we left.
ReplyDeleteIt's like a miracle!!!!
DeleteI can make dinner rolls, and that's about it. Sour dough starter is beyond me. We switched our plan D to Humana after Aetna raised our monthly premium to $3 to $35 a month. That was noticeable. I'm hoping the transition will be tolerable, since it's a Washington policy and we will be in Arizona at that time.
ReplyDeleteThat should be from $3 to $35. I should proof read better.
DeleteI do my best proof reading after I hit 'publish'.
DeleteOnce upon a time I made a sourdough starter from the yeast in the air. Like a pioneer, I guess. I probably read it in Mother Earth. I cannot remember much about it.
ReplyDeleteI used to read that magazine all the time. However, it is owned by a newspaper group that owns my local newspaper. It is very pro-trump, and they forwarded 'canned' editorials to our editor to print. The last editor was a yes man, and went along with it. Ogden Newspapers owns Ogden Publications as well which prints Mother Earth News. So........
DeleteMy daughter told us yesterday that they had snow already in Illinois too. Therefore all those beautiful golden leaves from their gingko tree was now on the ground.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying hard to not be upset by the new presidency. My son works overseas now and they're telling me they might not want to come back to the US for a good long while with what they've seen of the election.
Kay, I cannot say that I am not upset by this presidency. Any person with sense is. A lot of the people with no sense at all are in for a rude awakening. They'll be upset before long. It is just that I cannot allow myself the luxury of raging, raging, raging. That energy can better be expended by preparing for the worst. I'm still holding out home that the worst will not happen.
DeleteI am so very grateful I live in New Zealand but even down here at the ends of the earth the cost of living crisis is hitting. But being on my own I can adjust costs and so the solar panels on my roof go some ways to alleviating energy costs, my vege garden helps with food costs and living close to town I walk where possible. But I admit to wondering if my savings will see me out? Margaret from New Zealand
ReplyDeleteWe felt we had ourselves well set up for whatever the future holds, but I do have to tell you that we're not quite as confident as we used to be.
DeleteWe're being very careful with our finances too with perhaps a care home in our future and everything is costly here in Hawaii. I would have questioned the charge too.
ReplyDelete