Claire's Homecoming 2013: The Breakdown

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On average, my blog posts reach about 15 people. I can almost guarantee I'll have 50 views every time I post a blog about one of Claire's formal events. What will I do when she graduates?!

This is Claire and her sweet friend, Mckenzie. They were 'dates' for Hayes' homecoming last weekend. Claire again went for vintage elegance with her ensemble. She was thrilled with the results, and the dress was comfortable yet classy. No unnecessary tugging and pulling, and ain't NOBODY got time for that at a dance!

You know we scored a deal with this dress! A BRAND NEW, WITH TAGS, Anne Taylor silk A-line sheath, the original tag listed the price at $198.00 We snapped it up, last July, for $5.99! The vintage brooch and earrings were a find at a quaint antique shop in the Hocking Hills, for $12.00. Claire already owned the pearl necklace, and the silver purse was a Goodwill find at $4.99.

When Claire had her interview at the Salon Schools, they gifted her a certificate for a free beauty service at one of their locations. Claire opted to get an updo. She had downloaded several pictures onto her phone, and the talented student who did her hair proved her expertise with the fabulous results! Beautiful tight curls, and even 'victory rolls!' I paid $37 for her to also get a mani-pedi, and she picked a deep, 'pin up girl' red for both hands and feet.

Speaking of feet, check out those heels! We didn't meaasure the height, but I can almost guarantee they are 4 inches tall! Jennifer Lopez for Kohl's, on sale for $22 (regularly $65!). She said they weren't as painful as some she's worn, but of course they got kicked off to dance!

Claire went as part of a large group, and she said it was the most fun she's ever had at a dance. One set of parents hosted a dinner beforehand at their home, and we donated homemade chocolate chip cookies. After the dance, another family had a bonfire, and they served the rest of the dinner, along with desserts and pop.

So, what was the grand total for the evening?

Dress, purse, jewelry and shoes came to $45. Along with the dance ticket of $10, the mani-pedi (plus tips for all 3 services)and a corsage for Mckenzie (I had the cookie fixings on hand), the total came to $111. If you remember past posts, where I listed averages prices of formal dresses, you know $100 barely covers the cost of the gown nowadays.

If, you shop new.

Essentially, Claire's dress WAS new. New with tags at thrift store prices is something you just can't beat :)

How To Have The Handbag Wardrobe Of Your Dreams

When you thrift, the sky's the limit on your handbag collection!

As far as the stereotypical female obsession with purses and shoes, I'm very late to the party.

My family had limited resources when I was growing up, so my early handbags were either gifts, hand me downs, or bought by me with my babysitting money. I remember one gross example, that I bought in high school and carried for (it seemed) a million years. Scratchy canvas and vinyl, it was ugly and utilitarian. I wasn't a particularly girlie girl in my early teens, so just remembering to carry the thing required a lot of brain power on my part. Honestly? It carried my sanitary napkins. When I could get away with it, I only carried my wallet. My need for a mirror, hairbrush and lipstick came much later.

In the 80's, I had my first handbag obsession. Remember the Liz Claiborne small patterned handbags? Oh my, I wanted one so badly. I was a young married womaan with (again) limited finances, so I worked a deal out with my mom. She allowed me use of her Lazarus credit card to buy a Liz purse, and I made weekly payments on it. Golly, I loved those things. Ultimately, the price I paid became a burden, as I didn't like to be held down to one purse. I wanted a variety to choose from in my closet, and didn't have the funds.

Fast forward to the last 10 years. All of a sudden, women are donating their designer purses to thrift stores, and I am benefitting! My first Coach purses came from Goodwill, at $14.99 a pop. Jessica Simpson has gorgeous handbags, and I've gotten quite a few second hand. Vera Bradley? YEAH BABY!! The other day, I was looking in the window of a consignment shop, and they had several new looking Coach crossbodies. There are TONS of handbag opportunities out there, ripe for the picking! The thing is, PICK QUICK! If you like it, odds are someone else will, and they'll snap it up before you come back to pick it up! I still regret not buying the Louis Vuitton totebag I saw several years ago in the glass case at my Goodwill. At $69, I felt I couldn't justify it....until I found those same totebags, brand new, ran several thousands. I'm still on the look out for another one.......!!

Now, I have quite a collection in my closet. In fact, I just had to do a major purge. It's one thing to have a nice variety in all your favorite colors. It's quite another to fight claustrophobia every time you open your closet door.

My daughter has a fabulous Dooney & Bourke crossbody she loves. $18.00, originally upwards of $300. Unlike her mama, Claire isn't going to let limited finances dictate her handbag choices! It's truly an awesome time to be alive........when you can get what you want, at the price you want to pay.

So, if you have a serious handbag craving, check out the resale market. You will be AMAZED at what you find!

HAPPY NATIONAL HANDBAG DAY!!

Health Insurance: A Very Personal Account

Mr. AFLAC duck.....so much more than a pretty face.

Health insurance is KINDA a hot button issue, if you hadn't noticed. Maybe you haven't. Miley Cyrus is pretty hot right now, too.

There isn't one, standard health insurance story on the human landscape. So many layers, emotions, experiences. If you're just now trying to find health insurance for you and your family, you have my sympathies.

This blog is all about saving money, and offering up mine and my family's experiences in that realm. Today, let's attack the FUN subject of paying for your medical stuff. Frugally, of course.

I have spent my life being very blessed in the health insurance department. My daddy worked for the government (HA!), so we had great insurance. Always got to go to the doctor, when I needed to, as I grew up. I had foot surgery and a tonsillectomy, braces and glasses. Nothing fancy, but we were taken care of.

I left the warm confines of my daddy's insurance to marry a man who made very good money. A white collar, finance guy, he also had excellent insurance with every company he worked for. My job provided the secondary coverage that took care of whatever his did not. When I was pregnant with Brendan, I remember him asking if I thought I could skip the epidural, which was not covered and cost $500. We're no longer married.

When I married Michael, we were able to purchase health insurance ourselves, as his company's policy was pretty pricey. We were able to make the monthly premiums in the beginning, and the insurance covered everything nicely. Michael had foot surgery, and also upper G.I. testing, without too much out of pocket on our part. I had pretty involved root canal surgery (pretty involved meaning the dentist had to send me, mid treatment, to an endodontist). That procedure had us paying $800 ourselves. It's not your imagination; dental work is like buying solid gold.

Our premiums jumped almost $200 per year. Finally, we just couldn't afford it anymore. We tried another insurance company, but for what we could afford, we got almost no coverage. We finally opted for no insurance at all, which to me in particular was very scary. I'd never been in this situation before.

Things began to get dicey when Michael was diagnosed with diabetes. Doctor office visits alone cost us $90. with the required (and frequent!) bloodwork averaging upwards of $200. We just bumbled along the best we could, paying cash and living that fabulous, tight lifestyle too many Americans 'enjoy.'

Last December, I started to experience some unwanted female issues. Panicking because I knew I needed to see the doctor (I hadn't had a pap in 5 years, but my mammograms were covered by the Susan Koman foundation, so I had them faithfully every spring), Michael and I started looking for affordable health care again. Finding nothing, we decided to get coverage through our employer. Alas, open enrollment wasn't for several months. When we were FINALLY able to enroll, we discovered our monthly premiums would eat up a large chunk of our already stretched thin paychecks. Michael had no other option but to start to work overtime, just to cover the $600 monthly premium. We also upped our AFLAC coverage to the maximum, and THAT alone has paid fabulous dividends. That cost an additional $40 monthly.

Aflac pays us $25 each for 6 doctor appointments per year. It was nice to receive those checks. I am anticipating my hysterectomy/bladder surgery October 18th, and since I will stay in the hospital, at least overnight, AFLAC will pay me for that, too. I can't begin to tell you how much that will help our family.

Your family's health outlook is probably much different than mine. Hence, health insurance is a very personal thing. I don't think you can make sweeping generalizations and try to fit everyone into the same health insurance box. What I CAN tell you is that it's not an area you can blow off. You need to do your research, and you need to find out exactly what you must pay out of pocket, both for monthly premiums and uncovered medical expenses. Having done all of that, if you decide you absolutely cannot afford health insurance, you owe it to yourself to somehow find a way to start a savings account, so you will have money on hand to help, should a medical emergency arise.

I share my experiences in hopes it might help you.

By the way, you may be wondering why I didn't mention my kids' coverage. They have always been covered by their father's plan, and just recently, their sweet bonus mom.