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Tips Jump to: Nutrition - Exercise - Dentist - First-Aid - Hygiene - Medical Costs - Stress - Misc Nutrition Healthy Eating - In general, the food we eat today has many nutrients stripped from it, and excess sugars and chemicals added. A lot of it leads to weight gain and tooth decay. To add insult to injury - it costs more. Try and eat food in the most simple form possible. Our grandparents didn't have fancy sugar coated cereals. They ate oatmeal. Large families kept a pan of beans simmering on the back burner for anyone who was hungry. Think healthy, and save money.   Exercise Housework - Don't over look the obvious when it comes to exercising. Housework is exercise. Vacuuming, and even dusting can be aerobic. Anyone who has stairs in their house has a "stair- stepper", and anyone with canned food products has hand weights.   Dentist Dental Schools - Dental students need practice. No one likes going to the dentist, but you need to go with regularity. It costs less to fill a cavity than get a root canal. If you can't afford otherwise, check out the Dental Schools and their discounted services. Soft-Picks - Keep those teeth clean, and avoid expensive dental work. You can brush and floss, and still leave food. Pick up some small, flexible picks at the drugstore You will be able to remove more food between your teeth and around the gums. First-Aid Disinfectant - Here is an emergency substitution to disinfect skin after an abrasion. After cleaning the wound, apply a little mouthwash to the surface. Most mouthwash can be used as emergency antiseptics. Ice bags - There are many ways to make homemade ice bags. Frozen rice works well. Popcorn is another alternative. Just put them in a sock or Ziplock bag and freeze. Just be sure to apply it to your skin with a washcloth around it when it is frozen hard, as it is very cold.   Hygiene Shopping - When you go thrift shopping, do you often feel like your hands are dirty after touching things like old books? Mine feel grimy, and I always want to clean my hands before I touch my eyes and spread the germs. Keep a carton of baby wipes in your car (or handiwipes). Keep your hands clean, and don't get sick.   Medical Costs Flu Shots - If you want to get a flu shot, be sure and check around for prices. You can usually find them cheaper at a clinic or through a governmental office, such as your county health department. Prescription Drugs - If you have access to a mail order prescription drug company, like Medco, be sure and take advantage of it for any medications you take on a regular basis. When you order 3 months at a time, you save a LOT of money. If need to fill your prescription at a local store, call around. Prices vary on the same medication. In my area, I've found that most of the times Walmart is the most economical. They have also come up with some pricing to compete with mail order. When your doctor prescribes a new medication for you, always ask for two things- Generics and Samples. Generic medication is almost always significantly less expensive. Keep asking on those generics- there are new ones every year. Most doctors have a lot of samples of medications. Sometimes you know a medication is not going to work for you after one or two pills because of the side effects. Sometimes your doctor will recommend an over-the-counter medicine. In that case, ask if they have any coupons for the medicine. Another things to consider- if you live near the border of Mexico or Canada, you may be able to purchase your medicine there at a much lower price. Cutting Medicine in Half - Here is another tip that may save you money on medication. Most prescriptions cost the same, even if the dosage is higher. For instance, you may be taking a pill that is .5 milligrams. It may cost the same to purchase 1 milligram pills. If that is the case, you may be able to get the 1 milligram pills and then cut them in half. I use my buttonhole cutter to cut my pills in half, but every pharmacy now carries pill cutters that are very inexpensive and work better. If your doctor is cost conscious, he will recommend this practice. A WORD OF CAUTION....always ask your pharmacist if it is safe to cut your pills. There are some medications that you CANNOT alter in any way; such as those that are time released. Renting Hospital Supplies - The rental fees for hospital supplies, such as bed and walkers, are very high. If you can possibly purchase them, do it. You can sell them when you are done with them. We rented several items, and only used them for a few days. The cost was so high we would have been better off purchasing them. Stress Don't Stress - Don't stress out if your house isn't the cleanest one on the block. A dirty house won't kill you. Stress will. Misc Nasal Spray - Keeping your nose moist in the winter has a lot of advantages. If you nasal passages become dry, they crack, and that leads to a lot of problems. It can actually make you ill, because, in very unscientific terms, it allows germs to more easily enter your body. Pick up a little squirt bottle of saline solution, and when it runs out, just refill the bottle with water and a half teaspoon each of salt and baking soda.

 

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