How You Can Save on Prescription Costs

by Jeanne // 07/23/2017 // No Comments

I am not a physician or a pharmacist. The following is for informational purposes only and should be treated as such.

I’ve worked in more than one different medical facility for most of the last 20 years holding several different clerical positions throughout that period. I am not now and have never been in a clinical position. However, I have been one of the bottom people on the totem pole as well as a part of upper management. This has enabled me to see a lot of the positives about the various medical professions. One of the negatives is, of course, cost.

It is unlikely anyone would argue with me that nearly every aspect of medical care is expensive. One area, though, outshines others consistently with its high costs. That area is prescription medications.

Like many people, you may be taking prescription medications on a daily basis. Even if you aren’t, you probably have taken physician ordered medicine at some point in your life due to an injury or illness. This means you already know how expensive they are when you get to the pharmacy counter to pay for them. But how can you save on prescription costs?

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How to Paint a Room for Less

by Jeanne // 07/17/2017 // No Comments

An amusing fact not everyone knows about me is that I am not crazy about painting. This may come as a shock to my family, should they read this post, because I have done a LOT of painting over the years.

The first time I picked up a paintbrush I was just a kid of about eight years old. The task I was given at the time was to paint something insignificant in the yard behind our house. I didn’t know it wasn’t important at the time, I was just proud I got to “help”.

I honestly can’t tell you the next time I painted. What I can tell you is that the bulk of my experience has come since the birth of my children. My husband and I painted together many times, updating the homes we’ve lived in and hiding crayon marks over the years.

Now that the kids have grown I am still the designated painter of apartments and home for all, including my aging mother. One of the things I have learned about painting is that it can cost more than you think to simply paint one room. However it is possible to paint a room for less if you know some ways to save.

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10 Ways to Cut Clutter at Home

by Jeanne // 07/02/2017 // No Comments

How many of us have too much stuff? Did everyone raise their hand? I just did.

Clutter is something nearly all of us have to combat on a daily basis in order to prevent it from taking over our lives. I, for one, used to be an extremely organized person when I was younger. I think one reason was because my husband and I didn’t have the income to buy a lot of stuff.

However, time changes people and over the years I have relaxed my standards a little. Ok, some people who know me quite well would say more than a little. But in my defense, when you add many years of marriage, two kids, pets, two outside jobs for me (plus my husband also works another job in town), and a farm you have a recipe for tons of stuff.

To combat all of the stuff we have accumulated over the years I’ve been on a mission lately to try to get rid of what isn’t being used. In fact, my daughter and I have declared the first Saturday of the month as “Decluttering Day”.

This is how it works. Sometime during the month I take home a discarded paper box from work. As I get a few minutes here and there I go through drawers, cabinets and boxes. Once I clear out enough to fill the box I set it aside. On, or sometimes before, the first Saturday of the month I take the box to her house in town. We quickly go through it and post items to sell online and donate the rest to a local second hand store.

Obviously, the less stuff you have, the easier it is to stay organized. So, are there ways to cut clutter at home that can help?

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

by Jeanne // 08/27/2016 // No Comments

I made this recipe for sweet and sour meatballs not too long ago and it is a family favorite. I got it from my mother-in-law who has been gone now for fourteen years.

Some married folks aren’t crazy about their mother-in-laws, of course, which accounts for all of the mother-in-law jokes that continue to be told over the ages. Mine, however, was a wonderful, God-fearing lady. I miss her every day and wish I could still talk to her and ask her advice from time to time.

Anyway, I don’t know where the recipe originated from, but she passed it on to me back when I first married my husband thirty years ago. In this picture, the recipe is doubled and placed in a larger, 9″ X 13″ pan.

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I Hate Cleaning

by Jeanne // 04/15/2016 // No Comments

Prepare yourself because I have a confession to make. I hate to clean. I do it only when I absolutely have to. As a result, if I find a simple trick that saves me a significant amount of time I want to shout it from the heavens. That way everyone will know about it.

That being said, as I was cooking supper one night recently, I was reminded of some cleaning tips my mother taught me. Now I am going to pass them on to you. They have to do with cooking as well as cleaning, so listen up.