Wrapping up December

Christmas has come and gone.  We had a great holiday and are enjoying spending this last week of the year together, DH and I.  

For the first time ever, I have a desire to put all the Christmas decorations away now.  Not that I'm going to do it but it's a weird feeling.  I will start after Januay 1 to consolidate some of the decorations to have them ready to be packed away after the 6th.  It has rained pretty steadily here so we'll have to get some dry weather before I can take down the outside garland.

I have about a billion things I want to do and I probably have somewhere between a month and three months before I will find myself back at work - somewhere.  Next week I will start and formulate a master list.  (We noticed that our water heater MAY be leaking so that could be a high priority in the new year.  Apparently, at 16 it is an old lady!)

If I don't make it back before the clock strikes midnight on the 31st, "Happy New Year!"

A pleasant surprise

Last week, I transferred two of our prescriptions to a new drug store under our new insurance plan.  I really didn't know what to expect because I couldn't make heads nor tails of the documentation.  From what I could determine, there was a co pay of $20 for all generic medications and it went up from there.  

The first two I took, I was told by the pharmacy tech that one would be free (Obamacare mandate) and the other would be $20.  This was very reasonable to me since the cheapest cash price I could find was $33.  When I went back the following day to pick them up, both were free.  I finally got around to going back over to inquire about three more.  After checking, I was told that all three would be free also.  I pick them up tomorrow.

I had spent a great deal of time determine the cheapest way to get these drugs without insurance coverage - just in case.  I love that GoodRX app.  I would strongly recommend that you take a look at it to see if it can save you a bit of money.

If I recall properly, there is one remaining prescription left.  It is not a generic and it is rather pricey at over $100 per month without insurance and with the GoodRX discount.  I was able to get a 90 supply before we discontinued out prior policy so I really don't need a solution until after the first of the year.

As it stand right now, I'm saving almost $50 a month in drug costs.

Thinking about menus and saving money in December

I've just kind of skated through these first weeks of December.  Early in the week, we were still enjoying some remnants of the Thqnksgiving shopping but it's now time to start thinking about grocery purchases for the rest of the month/year.  The over riding goal is to use up as many items in our freezers as possible.  With this in mind, I will be creating a menu for next week and adding to this post in the next day or so.  I will be trying to limit non-sale grocery purchases.

You might ask why we would be doing this and I'll be happy to tell you.  First and foremost, I am not working right now and that means that our income is significantly reduced.  Second, I have stored so many items in my freezers that it is at risk of going bad if it is not rotated.  I wanted to purchase chicken, beef and bacon from Zaycon Fresh but I simply could not justify it when my freezer was full.  It's almost like I need a "reset."

Lastly, cutting back on grocery expenses by eating what is on hand will allow me to purchase some of those special things that we like at the holidays:  a Chik-fil-a nugget tray!

Saturday

Sunday - hamburger steak and red potatoes

Monday - Tostadas

Tuesday - vegetable soup

Wednesday - BBQ pork roast with potatoes

Thursday - leftover soup

Friday - tbd

The pork I bought from Sam's was delicious.  I generously sprinkled it with Applewood BBQ rub and cooked in the crockpot.  I coated it with BBQ sauce and baked it covered in the oven for 0-45 minutes. We ate half on Wednesday and I will shred the other halo, vacuum seal and get it in the freezer tomorrow for future sandwiches.  It was very lean.  Next time, I will cook it on low all day instead of four hours on high followed by low.