Do your own "grunt work"

Right before we were leaving to visit my husband's family for Christmas, we discovered that the sewage line from our garage was blocked. We had thought it had frozen I will spare you the gross details, but we called out a plumber who discovered the blocked pipe and discussed with my husband what we needed to do. We turned off the water to the garage and left for Christmas. When we got home, we called the plumber to figure out when he could come and fix the pipes for us. We tend to be "do-it-yourselfers," but this was something we felt we needed professional help with. The plumber estimated it would cost $300 to access and fix the pipes and drill another hole in our septic tank. Once we knew when he could come, we let him know we would have it all dug up. So, we took an hour and dug up the two pipes that he indicated we needed to access. Then when he came, I was available to run to ACE Hardware when we the plumber needed extra parts. When all was said and done, because we did our own "grunt work" of digging up the lines and being available to run to the store to get the necessary parts, we were able to save $150.

Just Ask!

I received a statement from the bank with a $8 maintenance fee for last month for our business account. We have had the account for over 6 years and I honestly didn't remember what the minimum balance I was required to have to avoid fees was. In finishing up the end of year expenses that needed to go on this tax year, I let the balance drop lower than usual. Hating extra fees, I put in a quick call to the bank to find out if there was "grace" for this happening one time in over six years? The gal at the bank was happy to reverse the charge for me. She also told me that since it was over the end of the month, I would have the same charge for January too, and to just give her a call and she would reverse that charge as well. She went on to tell me how much they appreciated that we had been customers for many years with them and asked if there was anything else I needed help with. I appreciated their being willing to reverse the charge and I also appreciate the great customer service I received. So, if you end up with extra fees, give a call and see if the company is willing to reverse them for you. Thankfully, I got to talk to a real person right away and the call took less than five minutes.

Save on Medical Costs

My son broke three bones in his foot when he jumped down some stairs. When we began this medical journey, we knew we needed to do all we could to cut costs while getting him the help he needed.

We were told he needed a CT scan because one of the bones had been broken right by the growth plate and near the joint in his toe. We were told it was going to cost $1200-$1500 to have the scan done in the city where our doctor's office was. My husband called a couple of the hospitals in nearby towns. One hospital quoted us $980 and the other hospital quoted us $750. We had the CT scan done for $750 at a hospital that was newly remodelled and had state of the art equipment. The CT scan was top quality. The doctor said it even had additional views that the $1200-$1500 scan typically doesn't have.

The next area we were able to save was in buying our own walking boot. After being in a normal cast for a month, we were told my son needed to wear a walking boot for a month. We talked with the doctor and asked about bringing our own boot. That was fine with her. So I called the gal who was in charge of all the medical equipment at the doctor's office to find out what to look for. She was very kind and gave me pointers on what to look for and also a quote on what a boot would cost if we got it from them. She said it was $160, but if we paid directly instead of running it through our insurance, we could get a 35% discount. As you can see from the picture, the boots isn't that special, so it seemed quite expensive to me. So, I looked online. I found I could buy a new one for $80-$100. Then, I posted a wanted ad on www.craigslist.org hoping to buy a used one. A gal contacted me and she had one but it was a larger size than my son needed. However, we still got that boot from her and he wore it over his normal cast when he was out in the snow. She told me she had gotten it second hand from a thrift store. That was not a place I had thought to look. That evening I sent a message to a friend who works at a local thrift store. I asked her if they got medical equipment in and explained what I was looking for. She said they got medical equipment in all the time because people often use it for a very short time and then have no need for it. I went to the thrift store she works at and they had a boot that fit my son perfectly. It didn't even look like it had been used. It had the instruction manual inside and an extra cushion with it. It cost $1! I was amazed and incredibly blessed!

When it comes to medical issues, the costs can be outrageous. You can take the easy road and just do whatever the doctor or the office suggests or you can be pro-active and see if you can't reduce those costs a bit. I would never want to cut costs if it meant inferior care. In our case, we were able to save a significant amount of money on the CT scan and they did a great job. And as for the boot, every time I see it, it makes me smile...because I love a bargain!

And, if anyone needs a short walking boot(size medium), I have one to give away. And in another two weeks, I'll have a tall walking boot (size small)...that is now in used shape.