We had a little extra cash to play with and I was in the mood to go shopping the other day. I decided to check out Old Navy to see what they had. I ended up buying three tops (which all somehow ended up being from the same color family). Here’s a pic of what I bought…
In the next week or two, I intend to go shopping again.
Everything went well this afternoon. They set up another appointment for an interview on August 18th. :)
The University that I’ve had my eyes on starts their winter trimester on November 9th. Registration is on November 6th. If I start working on this now, I’ll be better prepared by the time November rolls around. So what to do? What to do? I should make a to-do list… and add apply for scholarships as a goal.
And here’s my to-do list:
I’ve gotta get ready for my meeting/appointment at the hospital. Like I said before… I can’t wait till it’s all over with. Hopefully, I won’t be up there very long.
I had to go by the doctor’s office to get a document for the lady at the hospital, so I figured I’d ask for any correspondence that they had with my insurance company. It turns out that they just need my EODs. Then the doctor’s office will go through the whole appeal process on my behalf.
I’m not so sure if I’m comfortable with leaving it all in someone else’s hands, but at least I have another person on my side. I’ll just need to make sure that they keep me updated.
Oh! And I’m dropping off copies of the EODs tomorrow.
I’m amazed that a woman called me back after I left the message at the recording. She was really very sweet and answered all my questions about the application process. I set up a meeting with her tomorrow – and printed out my proof of income for the last few months, as this is one of the things she will need.
I’m not really sure why I’m nervous. It’s not like my life is hanging in the balance on this one. I’m almost positive that I’ll at least find a little help with all these bills. (She seems to think that it will all be covered.) I really just can’t wait to get it all over with. Then, there will be less worries!
So I called to find out what exactly was needed in regards to a test vehicle. They told me that the lights need to be in working order and that the inspection sticker and tag must be up to date. Of course, the car must also be insured. So that’s one of my questions out of the way.
This evening, I took a little more time to look over the driver’s manual. I think I’ll read over it again soon. Then, I’ll try the practice test in the back. :)
I tried calling the department that oversees the assistance program and got a recording. (I’ve done this a couple times before and got the same recording.) I left my name, number and account number again. Hopefully, someone will call me back.
I’m gonna try again after 1:30pm (the receptionist at the front desk said this was the best time). If I still don’t get a response, I’ll try again tomorrow.
I figured that making a list of what I want and don’t want in a house would be a good start. So I started one today…
There are a few styles I like – namely bungalow, Creole cottage, Queen Anne and Victorian. I plugged in some very basic numbers into a calculator and figured that we can afford something that costs no more than $83,000. That’s a relatively small price tag for this area, but it’s not like we’re looking for a dream home if you know what I mean. We just need a starter.
As far as square footage goes, we don’t really need a lot. Somewhere between 1000 and 1500 would suffice. I’m more concerned about the rooms. I feel that we must have at least two bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths (but three bedrooms and two baths would be nice). Some sort of covered parking would be nice, too… but it doesn’t have to be an enclosed garage.
I can tell you that I definitely don’t want a two-story house. After visiting my mother’s for a bit, I’ve realized that laundry and housework are a huge pain when climbing stairs is involved.
Other things we need: shade trees, a fenced yard, a linen closet and a safe neighborhood with good schools.
Other things we would like to have: a deck or patio, a walk-in bedroom closet, and a storage shed.
Things we definitely don’t want: a swimming pool (too much upkeep) and community association fees.
I’ve written all this down in a nice little file. I’m sure I’ll add more as I go along, but it’s a fun start!
I tried taking the written test twice before, but failed. :( Next time around I’ll be more prepared for it. Today, I read over the driver’s manual some more (and highlighted some of the important points). I noticed that there is a practice test in the back of the manual. I think I’ll go over that in the next few days.
This week’s topic requires taking a picture with your cell phone. I’m not really interested in that, so I’ll pass this week.
There won’t be another topic until the August 14th, as the people that run PF are going on vacation. Soo I’ll just take photos of whatever I please for the next couple of weeks. :p
The bills I’m talking about are the ones that resulted from the same thing I’m talking about in this entry. I’ve tried contacting the hospital a few times but I’m either put on hold for a very long time or they don’t call back after I have left a message. I’ll just have to keep trying.
If you don’t count the car note, we are about $17,000 in debt. That’s quite a number! But I suppose it could be worse.
I was thinking of using the snowball thing that that Dave Ramsey guy talks about. It seems that we could get a lot of things paid off that way… if we have the discipline.
With this goal, I’m waiting to see where we will end up moving to. My significant other has gotten a job offer from his boss. We’re waiting to see if we’ll have to stay here or move a little over an hour away. This means I can’t register for school since I don’t know which city I will be in… and I don’t intend on commuting that far everyday.
I’m not really sure what I can do in the meantime, but this goal is definitely a priority.
Here are some of the things in the book that I’d love to do:
I had a miscarriage this past May and my insurance company denied nearly every claim, stating that it wasn’t necessary. It’s already a horrible experience, but worrying over the resulting bills makes it that much worse. The whole process seems a little daunting to me, but it should be worth my time if it takes a chunk out of my medical bills. I decided to research the appeals process and found some of these resources:
Hopefully, I can get my doctor to explain that most – if not all – of the procedures and tests were medically necessary. These people need to pony up and give me what I pay for.
Steps to reach this goal:
Right now, I’m at 35 out of 100 points. I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me. The plan says that it takes up to 24 months to complete. This makes me wonder what universe the creator was in. I won’t be negative about it though. I’ll try my hardest… and if it takes longer than two years, so be it. As long as it’s done, I’ll be content.
I figure that a savings of about $18,000 would complete this goal. If something came up and we needed to use our emergency fund, we could budget enough to make this number work.
I seriously doubt that we could save this up within a couple years, but I really hope to have this kind of cushion in my account by the time I am 35. So… I have eight years. How much is that a week? About $43... how ironic. Lol!
