In this article, we are going to discuss a few other ways that you can save money this year.  You may already be utilizing some of these tips but hopefully you’ll find one or two that you can add to your arsenal.

First of all, let’s talk about insurance.  Shopping around for the best insurance price is always a good idea.  Check out http://www.insweb.com and http://www.netQuote.com for some comparisons.  Make certain that the insurer has a good rating before choosing them because you don’t want to sacrifice quality.  If you insure both your home and your auto(s) (or purchase another kind of policy) with one company, you can qualify for discounts (up to 20% when using St. Farm or Allstate). 

You’ll also want to make sure that you have term life insurance and long term disability insurance.  The latter is VERY important.  Check out Zander Insurance http://www.zanderins.com/ for both of these.  They are recommended by Dave Ramsey, author of The Total Money Makeover.  (I recommend term life insurance because it is the most inexpensive – no, you won’t get your premiums back at the end of the policy, but you’ll have good insurance and if you put the difference between the cost of term insurance and the cost of whole or universal life insurance into investments, you will still come out ahead.) 

Ask for lower credit card interest rates.  We should all be trying not to use credit cards but sometimes it’s impossible.  If you’re working to pay down the amount still owed, you’ll still be charged interest.  Credit card companies have been increasing their interest rates to extraordinary heights lately.  Sometimes, though, you can get them reduced just by calling and talking to a customer service representative.  I’ve done this often and it works.  But….I still check my cards every 3 months, because those sneaky companies will raise the rates again and I find the need to call back. 

Don’t Pay full price for ANYTHING!  Either wait for it to go on sale or search the internet for a coupon.  Just Google “coupon for “whatever you want to buy” and you’ll probably find one.  Also, when I find something cool in say….Pottery Barn, I’ll google the description and can usually find something similar at a much less expensive price.

Stock up on sale items.  Take advantage of those items that are on sale and won’t “expire”.  Toilet paper, paper towels, soap, aluminum foil, etc. can be purchased in large quantities.

Get the Largest Deduction amount available from the items you donate to thrift stores.   First of all, don’t toss out unused items; donate them.  And then keep track of when and what you donate – keep a list (2 sweaters, 3 short sleeved shirts, 2 pajama bottoms, 1 toaster, 2 toys, etc.).  A photo of the stack of  items couldn’t hurt either.  When you are using an on-line tax preparation such as Turbo Tax, be sure to utilize their tool for donations.  You’ll be surprised at the deduction you receive.

When renting DVDs, use the $1/night kiosks.  In many places they are known as Red Box Kiosks and can be found in grocery stores, convenience stores, etc.  If you watch a LOT of movies, Netflix or Blockbuster clubs may still be a better value.  Pay-per-View is NOT.

Save on electricity.  For every degree that you cut back on heating or cooling, it is estimated that you will save 1%.  That adds up in a year’s time.  If you use central heating and spend most of your time in one room, it might be beneficial to use a space heater.  As you know, seniors don’t tolerate the cold well and thus I always used a space heater for the room my father was in at the time.  Just be sure to abide by the safety rules for that particular heater. 

Unplug unused appliances. Using a power strip for those “like” items gathered in one place such as printers, fax, desktop computer, TV, etc. is a good idea so that they can easily be turned off all at once.

I’ve always heard that CFL bulbs use less energy and don’t have to be replaced as often.  I haven’t found that to be true.  Having used them for 2 years now, I saw no reduction in electricity used and I had to replace them just as often as regular bulbs (at a higher price tag too).  I’d be curious to hear about your experiences with them. 

Choose generic drugs when they are available.  This is obvious; I think that we all do this by now.  The one thing I will say is that if you ask some pharmacies for “the Walmart” price on a medication, they will often give it to you for that amount.  It’s worth a try.

Thrift stores and garage sales are our friends!   Choose thrift shops and attend garage sales that are located in the “better” parts of town.  My mother once went to a garage sale in Beverly Hills and came home with TWENTY FIVE brand new dresses for my little daughter at a price of $1/each.  A bonus to this is that you can bring Mom or Dad along with you to the garage sales and they can watch from the comfort of the car.  I have a friend who attends many garage sales and finds wonderful things to sell on eBay.  She does quite well, too.

If you have any other money-saving ideas, won’t you please share them with us?  We can all benefit by each other’s knowledge.

Look for a family practitioner or general practice physician to be the primary care physician for your loved one. General and family practitioners are trained to treat all aspects of a person’s health and well-being even though they have not specialized in a specific field. They treat the elderly as well as newborns, children and adults for everything from a splinter to a more serious illness.

Health Insurance Coverage

Choosing a doctor can be based upon several factors. One of the first aspects to look at is whether or not the patient’s health coverage is accepted by the physician being considered.  Most physicians will accept Medicare but it’s important to determine whether or not they will accept Medicaid and/or the supplemental policy if one is available.  If the doctor will accept the health coverage, the next thing to look at is accessibility.

Location and Accessibility

It is important to choose a doctor whose office is located close enough to be easily accessed for routine care and emergencies. If the elderly loved one is homebound, a physician who understands this and is willing to work around this detail to provide care is ideal.

Physicians can order home health nurses to draw blood, administer injections, take vitals signs and other basic medical procedures then report to the doctor. These procedures would normally be done at the doctor’s office, but when dealing with a homebound patient, getting them into the office may be a problem.

In addition, when transporting an elderly homebound loved one, distance to the doctor’s office can play a part in the convenience of the location. Determine if the time spent driving and the distance to and from a doctor’s office makes the doctor in question an acceptable choice for your loved one’s needs. If the doctor requires that your loved one must been seen at the office frequently, then distance can be an important factor when choosing the physician.

Office Hours

When choosing a doctor there are a few important questions about the doctor’s schedule that you should ask. What kind of office hours does the doctor hold? Do they have evening or weekend hours? How can you get in touch with them when the office is closed? Are the physicians who cover the “on-call” hours acceptible to you?

Hospital Choices

Most doctors have privileges at specific hospitals. When choosing a doctor, it is important to find out which hospital or hospitals the doctor has privileges at. This is the same hospital the patient would go to for emergency care, tests and surgeries in most cases. The size, location and reputation of the hospital may play a large role in your decision to choose or not choose a specific doctor.  Some towns and cities have specialty hospitals for certain conditions.  If your loved one has a condition that is treated by one of these specialty hospitals, it is important to determine if the primary physician has priviledges there.

Personality

Even the most qualified and credentialed doctor may not be the best choice for your loved one’s personal physician if their personality clashes with yours. You’ll probably want to choose a doctor that you genuinely like and feel comfortable with. Remember that you will need to be working closely with this person to advocate for the best health care for your loved one.  Imagine my surprise when I asked my father’s physician if he might be discharged in the afternoon only to hear him say “What part of HE WILL BE DISCHARGED TOMORROW MORNING did you not understand?”  However, there are also surgeons that I have worked with in the past who had terrible bed-side manners yet they are the ones with whom I would have trusted my life.

Choose a doctor who will take the time to speak with you as you advocate for your loved one’s health care. The doctor should be willing to listen to your concerns and answer your questions to your satisfaction. Remember, you are hiring them and paying them for their time.  The days of the primadonna physician OUGHT to be over.

Another consideration is the physician’s staff.

Do you like the physician’s staff? Are the doctor’s employees personable, respectful and pleasant? If you find receptionists, nurses and other staff members to be rude, then perhaps you should consider other physicians. These are the people you will be working with to schedule appointments, update prescriptions and access patient information. If you find them difficult to work with initially, it might improve over time but don’t expect it to automatically occur.

Ask the doctor if they have a Family Nurse Practitioner or a Physician’s Assistant in practice with them. These medical professionals assist doctors in caring for patients in many private practices. Decide if this is acceptable to you for your loved one’s care. If not, then you may need to continue looking or specify in the patient records that care must be provided by the doctor.  Keep in mind though that Nurse Practitioners and Physician’s Assistants generally have more time to spend with the patient and are trained to be patient advocates.  They are also often more accessible.

Making the Choice

After taking all of these factors into consideration, decide which physician you would like to care for your loved one. Schedule a new patient appointment and commit to making the new relationship work.