Fiscal Responsibility: How I Paid For Dental Work

Last year was a year like no other.  True love came back, true love failed me.  Diabetes, Hashimoto's, and cancer tried to kill me, I bounced back.  I met people who would change my world forever, I said goodbye to people who were too toxic for me to forgive.

There were a lot of changes and one of those things was a commitment to be even more fiscally responsible.  2012 was the year I stopped making "oh its only ten dollars" purchases.  2013 was the year of savings and paying myself an allowance.  Because someone has to pay for my dentist and his lovely wife to go to Africa.  I am convinced Dr. Frank and Anne plan their holidays around my visits.

There are two very easy savings plans trending on the Internet (read that as Pinterest) that I tried with much success.  I barely noticed I was saving money.  These plans are not about deprivation or cash starvation; they are about saving money daily and weekly.

First is the five dollar savings plan.  Whenever you receive a five dollar bill as change, when you return home, you take the five dollars out of your wallet, pocket, sock, shoe, bra, wherever you put your change and put it in a jar, envelope, box, etc.  Set a goal for yourself (for me it was a paying for a root canal because I have a ghetto fantastic medical plan that doesn't cover shit when it comes to your teeth) or a specific dollar amount, and at that time use your fives.  Had I not had to make a mortgage payment on my teeth, by the summer I would have had nearly $600.00 to throw in my savings account.  To be honest, I stopped saving after that point.  The guilt of spending five dollar bills still plagues me to the point where I have started saving five dollar bills again and I am committed to saving them all year long.  Unless Dr. Frank and Anne decide they need to go somewhere exotic, do their voodoo dental dance, and I land in Frank's chair with a tooth ready to fall out of my head.

The second savings plain is being called the 52 week money challenge.  This chart and others like it are making their way around the Internets:

The idea that drives this plain is pretty simple.  Each week you pay yourself an "allowance" and at the end of the year, you will have saved $1378.00.  Again, put the money in a jar, box, envelope, etc.  You can download this chart, or other charts like it, to track your progress throughout the year. If you find yourself a bit short on cash due to buying Christmas presents and spreading Christmas cheer, try starting the chart at the end.  This way, when December comes, paying out your allowance is manageable.  I used the money I saved using this plan to pay for the crown that had go on top of the previously mentioned root canal.  Frank is expensive company.

Be diligent and don't forget to feel the sun when it shines on your lovely face.

Hard To Kill Plants

I love plants.  Indoors, outdoors, wherever they may be.  I, however, am not a botanist or a very good gardener so I have resigned myself to owning/growing plants that can handle a bit of abuse and neglect.  I can kill an African violet or a cyclamen in less than a week.

I am still amazed the big spider ivy monster at work is still alive.  This thing appeared literally overnight about three years ago and I have not managed to kill it yet.

I've owned all the plants listed below at one point or another.  If they can survive me, they will survive you.

LUCKY BAMBOO

I am currently murdering my lucky bamboo.  I know, there is going to be karma to burn off.  However, if you consider that its not really bamboo but a rain forest shrub indigenous to Cameroon, I should get karma points back, non?  Mine was sold to me rooted in pebbles and full of water.  You can plant these in soil but I am too afraid if I do that, the luck will be gone.  If you chose to leave this plant in pebbles and water, the water should be changed about every two weeks.  I am a dare devil and have not fully changed the water.  Ever.  But I do use standing water to water LB because LB doesn't like chlorine and if you let water stand for about 24 hours, the chlorine evaporates.  LB likes filtered bright light and warm temperatures which is why he currently resides in my bathroom.

ARROWHEAD PLANT

The arrowhead plant is also called the American Evergreen.  As it matures, it will start to vine so its best to plant it in a hanger or on a stand that you can train the vine to grow around.  The arrowhead plant likes indirect sunlight and fairly humid conditions.  This plant thrives in the bathroom but remember to water it often.

CAST IRON PLANT

This plant will tolerate a little neglect.  Or a lot.  The cast iron plant likes low light (keep out of sunlight or the leaves will become a bleached out yellow colour) and will tolerate irregular watering. That being said, with this plant, root rot is a concern so plant over some pebbles in a pot with a good drainage system.

CHINESE EVERGREEN

Like the cast iron plant, the Chinese evergreen will tolerate low light and a bit of neglect.  The Chinese evergreen thrives in partial shade and moist soil but they hate hate hate the cold.  Keep this plant away from drafts or open windows; once damage is done to it, it is irreversible.  If you are uber lucky, your's will flower in the spring or summer.  I have not had this kind of luck but have seen the Chinese evergreens in the planters at the mall bloom.

MOTHER IN LAW'S TONGUE

This plant is also known as the Snake Plant.  It prefers low light and will rot if over watered.  Seriously.  During the winter, you water it once a month as it prefers very very dry soil.  What I love most about this plant is that it absorbs nasty stuff in the air like nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde.

PEACE LILY

Like the mother in law's tongue plant, the peace lily cleans not only formaldehyde but benzene out of the air.  This plant needs very little sunlight and will thrive if you water it just once a week.  And the blooms can be damn sexy.

WANDERING JEW

The wandering Jew plant is lovely for a lot of reasons; it is easy to propagate and you can grow it to be different shades.  The more sunlight this plant gets, the more intense the purple will be.  This plant will tolerate low light but the purple will fade, leaving you with the white and green variegation only.  Generally you can water this plant just once a week but check it a few times a week as it is prone to bugs and aphids.  This plant grows like a weed and can get viney; this is when you give clippings to your friends and family or propagate them and replant in the bald spots in your planter.