Discounts - It Never Hurts to Ask

I learned two things this past week about discounts and I thought I would share the love.

#1 - Medical Bill Discounts

We know a little something about medical bills during this season of our lives. Between hearing tests that required anesthesia, ear tubes, stitches and emergency room visits, urgent care, and an unexpected root canal (all this in the last two months!) we have bills coming out the wazoo.

I was going to call and pay a bill over the phone this past Monday.  Before I called, my Mom had reminded me to ask if they would give me a discount.  That might sound funny, but I guess they have so many people who either don't pay or ask to pay maybe $25 per month from now until 2015 that they might give you a discount if you can pay in full.

So I called and asked, hoping but not really expecting, and after putting me on hold to speak to her manager, she came back with the good news: 30% discount!  This particular bill was for over $1000, so a 30% discount was a significant chunk of change.  Thanks for the reminder Mom!

So before you pay any medical bill, ask if they will give you a discount if you pay in full.

#2 - Online Shopping 

I have done some online shopping this Christmas season.  So convenient, no crowds to fight, no gas wasted driving around town.  And if you have to ship gifts to family members that live out of town or state (or country!) you might as well just pay the shipping once and have the company gift wrap it while they are at it!

I needed to order a gift from the site NovaNatural.com for my little cousin Gemma.  I picked out what I wanted to purchase, which was this baby feeding bowl made out of Cherry wood...

Pretty cute, huh?  (I hope Gemma's not reading this blog or she knows what she is getting for Christmas...)

Before I made the purchase, I did an online search for "Nova Natural Coupons".  I only had to click on two sites from the search results before I found one that had a coupon code for $5 off your first purchase at Nova Natural.com!  Even if it says that the code has expired, try it anyways.  This one said it expired in 2007, but it still works.

Here are some other sites where you can find coupon codes for anything from discounted or free shipping at some of your favorite retailers, or a certain percentage off your total or specific items.  It never hurts to invest a few minutes on a Google search to see if you can get a better deal!

www.CouponCabin.com

www.retailmenot.com

www.couponwinner.com

www.keepcash.com

California Moment #1

I have California stories to tell.  I just haven't seemed to have the time to tell them!  

I think I will tell them in little spurts, when I have a pocket of time here and there.

Moment #1 -  Steve and I took a scenic drive up Mt. Baldy which is a 10,000 ft. mountain that is practically in his Dad's backyard.  Every time we go up there, we take a picture by the same cluster of beautiful white barked trees.

Steve always tells me the story of when he took a group of kids (from the children's home we worked at) to Ice House Canyon on the way up to Mt. Baldy.  He almost lost one of the small ones in the snow that day.  It was one of those "What was I thinking bringing all those kids up here by myself that day for a hike in the snow" moments.

I always hope that the ski lift will be open the day we go up.  It never has been.  Someday...

We always marvel at all the houses along this steep, twisty road headed towards the top.  Most of them look like they are carved into the side of the mountain somehow.  The places they park their cars are feet away from sheer drop-offs that go hundreds of feet down.

We rescued a beautiful, squatty, droopy basset hound named Carlos from certain death on the curvy mountain road.  Well, maybe not certain death but it seems more dramatic to think of it like that.  He had wandered from his yard and we pulled over and helped him find his way home.

We pulled over at the "Scenic Overlooks" and took pictures...because that is what you do when you don't have any kids with you!

(We won't talk about how my head looks twice as big as Steve's in the above picture.  He said it had something to do with the lens and that my face is farther forward than his.  Thanks for covering for me, babe!)

Thanks Steve and Jacey for keeping the kids ALL DAY so we could have many fun adventures and recover from 3 days (and 3 sleepless nights) of a sick kiddo!

I Have Vanity Issues

Hee hee.

I still have not made my decision.  I went to the store today to look at the Black Vanity cabinet, which most people seemed to prefer.  I thought it would be made of solid wood.  It wasn't.  

Maybe I am asking for too much.  Maybe my expectations are too high.  So I poked around on the internet and found a few other options.  I have been emailing my girl friends like crazy and they have been patiently giving their opinions on each one I send them.  (You guys rock by the way!)

I promise I will let you know the one I end up choosing, and I just MIGHT post a few more to get a final vote on.

In fact, why don't I just go ahead and post one right here.  I know you have nothing better to do on your weekend than comment on bathroom vanities...

This is the one that I really like.  I have one hang-up - the way the sinks are mounted.  On most of the vanities that I have seen, the sinks are undermounted.  That means the entire surface top is smooth, one level.  On these, they are top-mounted which means there is a lip all the way around each sink.  I am just thinking that will be a booger to clean.

What do you think?

Need Serious Help....Please

We are about to remodel our hall bathroom.  This has been in the works for many moons, but we are actually, really, most likely about to (possibly) start. Our tub is leaking, and it is about to drive my husband loony!

So I need a vote, please.  I have determined that the first thing I must pick, before I pick the tile, wall colors, fixtures, etc is the vanity (fancy name for bathroom cabinetry).  Because I have waited until the last minute and the plumber will need to know where the sink pipes need to be, I have to have this picked out and purchased before the beginning of next week.  Therefore, I cannot pick one that has to be ordered. I must choose one that is in stock at the store.

Here are the ones that are available in the store.  Could you tell me which one (or two) you like the best and why?  I like certain ones for different reasons, but I really want something that is going to stand the test of time and not look "dated" in 5 years.

#1 - Black

#2 - Off White


#3 - Warm Wood



#4 - Honey



Here is the granite top that I have picked out. It is neutral so I think it will go with all of these cabinets.

**Scar Update**

We have been thrilled at the way Caleb's cut has been healing.  He got his stitches out two weeks ago today, and the scar is already looking really good. Everyone sings the praises of Mederma, so we have been putting that on twice a day since the stitches came out.

Mr. Sensitive wasn't really, well, "sensitive"...but he obviously knew what he was doing when he stitched Caleb up.  There isn't even the slightest bump where the scar is.  It is perfectly smooth.

So here is what Caleb's scar is looking like over the past week.







I can't believe it was only 2 1/2 weeks ago that it looked like this!


Sorry to put you through that again. I will leave you with a more pleasant image...



Oh, to be four again.