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How We Do Doctors Visits for Free

Doctors visits for free sounds crazy, but it’s true!  Here’s our story:   doctors visits for free

Our Story

My kids have both had strep throat recently.  It has been going around their school and although we were healthy all year, it finally caught us.  The good news is it didn’t cost us anything!  We were able to make an appointment for a phone consultation with MDLive, the company that Medi-Share partners with, each time and consult with a doctor immediately!   No cost for the appointment, or for the amoxicillin that we picked up within the hour from the pharmacy.  Our kids were back to no fevers within a day, and we continued through the antibiotics for 10 days.  Life changing!!  Read below for more details, and for all the ways we are saving on insurance, read HERE.

Virtual Doctor’s Visit

Thankfully, we can do doctors visits for free with Medi-share’s Telehealth program.  With Medi-Share we were able to “see” a doctor immediately virtually with their tele-health program.  You can review the available doctor’s certifications before selecting your preference among those available.  They were able to diagnose and treat our issue and prescribe medication to our local pharmacy…immediately!

For the germaphobe that I am, this was such a nice change.  No germy waiting room.  No waiting.  We didn’t even have to leave the house!  The best part:  it was free!  NO cost to see a doctor; this is included in our membership to Medi-Share.  I am not receiving any kind of commission for sharing this info; I just think it’s too good not to share!  This does not replace our regular doctors, and they will send the records to your doctor’s office if you wish.  This virtual service is very helpful, though, in these situations, and saves us a ton!

Sharing to Help You Live Your Priorities

If you are looking to save money on insurance so you can live your priorities, I highly recommend Medi-Share.  I think it’s a great service that is helping many people when health care is otherwise unaffordable.  We have saved a TON on insurance costs this year (thankfully, and fingers crossed), so I highly recommend you reading this page.   Our auto and home insurance changes have been life-changing as well!  Save money on these expenses, so you can live your priorities!

We Are Saving Over $11,000 This Year Alone With This Tip!

How We are Saving Money on Insurance

saving money on insurance

 

Almost 9 months ago, we ventured out into the world of owning our own businesses.  We are following our dreams of being financially independent, with two new small businesses, and so far and god-willing, we are doing it debt-free.  We’re keeping our family as our priority in this busy stage, and all the savings add up.

So, how are we paying for everything and insurance too, with two young children and two new small businesses?  First of all, God provides and opens doors.  Second, we save money on insurance.  Read how we are saving $11,000 this year HERE. 

Part 1 ~ Saving Money on Utilities and Mortgage

Looking to save significant money so you can better live your priorities?  You can save thousands of dollars a year by following these tips, if you have not already. Our budget was the first place we looked when we set out to find savings. Take a look at your biggest dollar categories, usually your mortgage (if you have one) and utilities. Start saving money on utilities and mortgage by following these simple steps.

Mortgage

save money on utilties

How to Save Money on Utilities

Refinance

Interest rates are rising after years of being incredibly low, but they are still low enough to get a significant savings boost if you haven’t refinanced in several years.  The amount you can save each month can be significant!

Remove PMI

PMI, or private mortgage insurance, is something banks may require you to pay if you have less than 80% equity in your home. This means if the value of your home is less than 80% of what you have paid, the banks require you to pay this fee. The removal of PMI can save you several hundreds of dollars per month, and it gets you closer to paying off your mortgage, which is a freedom in itself!

Now onto Utilities!

Utilities

Cable

We “cut the cable” years ago and we have not missed out.  Whereas most people pay between $50 and $150 per  month on cable utilities, you can save that money with these options.  Consider streaming online TV, buying an antenna, using the build-in HD tuner in your TV, or subscribing to content online.  For more explanation into these, check out How to Cut the Cable.  Think of how much you can save by cutting cable, at least $1,000 per year or more!

Home Phone

First decide if you really need a home phone.  Many times the calls are from telemarketers, so decide if you want to be paying for that service!  Seriously, though, you should weigh the considerations for having a home phone vs not having one.  Read this list of home phone considerations to make that decision easier.

Internet

It pays to check and make sure you are getting the best possible speed and level of service for what you are paying.  Like other utilities, a better deal may be available and if you do not check at least annually, you might miss out on savings.

Natural Gas

You can save money on utilities by comparing natural gas rates.  Variable rates could be double what you would pay with fixed rates, so it often pays (in a de-regulated environment) to shop your natural gas provider like you would any other service.  For more help saving money with low natural gas rates, check out this article.

Electric

Pay attention to the energy you are currently using, and look for ways to become more efficient. Professional and DIY Energy Audits are available.  This not only helps you to identify energy guzzlers in your house, but also may introduce you to products that will help you save money.  Products to consider are energy efficient light bulbs and weather stripping for windows and doors.  To learn more about energy audits and how to sign up to receive one, check out Energy Savers. 

With these ways to save money on utilities, you can save hundreds of dollars per month, which adds up to thousands per year!  Think about how you can better invest or save that money, and take the time today to look at your home and utility bills and options.  We didn’t even go into low-flow shower heads, energy efficient appliances, tankless water heaters, spray foam insulation, or other ideas in this article; you can really save significant money on utilities by looking into the details of your home!  Let us know how these help you to save money and keep your priorities by commenting on Facebook or emailing at [email protected].  Good luck!


Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

Artistic Moms

Calling out the talented, crafty artistic moms!!  If you are talented and gifted at making things, yet you struggle to find enough people interested to make a business out of it, you need to read this!  If you have been given gifts and talents, but are not using them because you think there is not a market for them or a way for you to market them, you need to know there are ways online to market your handmade products and designs!

Artistic moms: Learn How to Sell Online Here

Artistic moms: Learn How to Sell Online Here

Market Your Handmade Products!

    • Mom Artists who Paint or Design:

      Artistic moms, check out Zazzle: Designer!  You can upload your art, photography, or graphic designs and buyers can customize products to include your art!  You set your own royalty rates!

      Sell your Art Online with Zazzle: Designer

      Zazzle: Designer Platform

      Read the rest HERE


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Part II: Save Thousands on Insurance

Part II in our three part series of Save Money in 2017 is How to Save Money on Insurance.  We are on track to save over $11,000 in insurance expenses this year.  This is so helpful given our current situation.  I mean, anytime you can save thousands on insurance, it’s a good thing!  I’m including home, auto, medical, dental, and prescriptions in this number.  If you are looking for ways to cut your costs so you can keep your priorities, I hope you’ll read on to find out how you might benefit.

save thousands on insurance

Save Thousands on Insurance

If you need ideas on how to save money in your current situation, Mom’s Priority is a great place to start.  You don’t want to have to make decisions about your life/future based on immediate needs.  We have a family to feed, house, and clothe, so having money in savings made the difference for us.  We are following our dreams of being financially independent, with two new small businesses, and so far and god-willing, we are doing it debt-free.  We’re keeping our family as our priority in this busy stage, and all the savings add up.


I’ve outlined ways to save significant money – over $11,000 annually-  on insurance here. Through evaluating your home, auto, health, dental, and pharmacy insurance plans, you can save money on insurance too!  God has provided, and continues to open doors and show us ways to save money.  I sincerely hope these ways help you in your time of need.  Please comment if I can help you.  Don’t miss these ways to save and live your priorities.

 

Walmart Online Grocery Spill!

We have become big fans of ordering our groceries online at Walmart.com  and driving through to pick them up at the store without going inside.  Lately, my husband has been picking up the groceries and singing this new service’s praises as he leaves.  It is an amazing service because you arrive and do not even have to touch the groceries as the are loaded in;  Walmart Online Grocery is a true service.  A week ago, however, he arrived home very upset as he unloaded the groceries out of his truck.  It seems the lid to the liquid dishwasher detergent was not on at all.  Most of the bottle spilled out into his floor board.  He tried to sop it up with towels, but it wouldn’t come out.  However, the lemon smell in his work truck was the worst.

walmart online grocery spill

Walmart Online Grocery Spill

I called our local Walmart and told them what had happened.  My husband, who doesn’t get too worked up about most things, was beyond upset.  The Walmart staff who work the Walmart Grocery service, by the way, have great manners and have been a refreshing addition to Walmart customer service.  The Walmart Grocery guy put me in touch with the store manager, and I spoke with him for a long time.  I shared my frustration, and he shared their challenges.  We talked about this online grocery market and how it is, in my opinion, going to change the grocery landscape as we know it.  Walmart already has the stores in place to handle widespread distribution, if only they can fix customer service.

In the end, he offered to pay for our car to be detailed.  Now, the smell of lemon bleach is gone, but the carpet is forever bleached in a few spots from the detergent.  I guess that’s a risk you take when letting someone else handle it (grocery shopping) for you?  If it were me shopping, I would check lids as I put them in my buggy.  Maybe I’m different than most.  What do you think?  How would you have handled it differently?  My husband is upset about his bleached truck carpet, but thankful for them detailing the truck.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to convince him to pick up our groceries again, though!


Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

Shop with Style and Purpose: Fair Trade

Moms are Fair Trade Influencers

Fair Trade Basket from Uganda

Fair Trade Basket from Uganda

As moms, we have so much influence over purchasing decisions, some studies saying 85% or more of household decisions.  Generally, we decide where to shop and what brands to buy, based on our budgets.  So it’s important to share with you a way you can shop with purpose and not lose style!  Surely many of you have heard of it: fair trade.

Why Fair Trade?

Fair Trade Ceramic Measuring Spoons from Vietnam

Ceramic Measuring Spoons from Vietnam

Fair trade includes products made with laborers who receive fair wages for their work and ethical working conditions.  With the internet, we have the world at our fingertips, and it is becoming easier to shop fair trade.  As producers of these types of handmade products are typically women in developing countries and we are moms in the United States, we have a unique opportunity to encourage and strengthen women far away by our purchases.  Their handcrafted and natural work is beautiful as well.

While it may not be practical to always shop fair trade, we should start making it a consideration. We can shop for home products, women’s clothing and accessories- all of these are key products.  I love the stories behind these products, and while I am very cost-conscious for our own family’s financial sake, I want to focus more on the stories behind products in the future.

Fair Trade Soapstone Candleholder from India

Soapstone Candleholder from India

“As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.”  – Galatians 6:10  

Here are a few brands to consider:  Mayaman Weavers, Mata Traders, Ten Thousand Villages, Noonday, Raven + Lily, Maggies Organics, Liz Alig, Maven Woman.  There are many, many others that are good and valid and approved by the FTF, but this is a start.  Many can be found here on Amazon.

 

 


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Here We Go- Saving Money in 2017!

saving money

Saving Money in 2017

In the last newsletter, I promised to post new articles on how to save money in 2017.  You might be in for more than you bargained for with too much information!  Anyone who talks to me long enough knows that I am passionate about saving money!  My years in supply chain and Six Sigma, along with my analytical personality, keep me realizing ways to be more efficient.  “A Penny saved is a penny earned,” right?!  So, I have to share with you ways that can help you with saving money.  To not share is to not care!  Some of these ideas are easier than others; for some of you, just hearing these out is a chore.

But, what if by doing just a few of these, you could give yourself more financial freedom?  What if you could spend more time with your family and less time working?  Possibly, doing a few of these could help you pay off your mortgage or other debt, faster.  Or, take a much-deserved vacation or go on a mission trip.  The possibilities are endless when you are financially free to pursue them.  So, please hear these ideas out and decide for yourself if the time investment and little headache to negotiate the bills or change the service are worth that freedom.  Mom’s Priority wants to help you live your priorities.

We have so many ideas to share that we’ve divided them into 3 parts, the first being How to Save Money on Utilities and Mortgage.

Online Grocery

Online Grocery Walmart

Online Grocery

Have you tried online grocery yet?  Choose between Amazon, Walmart,  Kroger Clicklist, and Kroger’s other retail affiliates for affordable groceries!  If you haven’t tried online grocery shopping, you are missing out.  Grocery shopping in the store with young kids can be a challenge!  Sometimes the shopping just has to get done, so an affordable solution is here:  Online grocery!  No more fussy toddler in the cart or trying to navigate the aisles with a child who wants to stop and put everything in the cart.  The best part is that it is FREE!!  The prices online are, so far, the same as in store prices, and you do not pay anything extra for this service, so far, at Walmart or Amazon with minimum purchase sizes.  Kroger Clicklist charges a small fee.   READ MORE


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Online Groceries

Delivery to your door or pick up in a parking lot, buying online groceries is becoming easier!  As Walmart and Amazon compete more, the competition will force both to improve their processes and hopefully prices.  This is great news for us moms, who struggle taking kids in stores at times!  Walmart acquired jet.com this past summer, and Amazon is reportedly opening convenience stores.  The online groceries market is ready to grow!  Have you tried Walmart’s store pickup yet?  For online grocery shopping resources, check out this page devoted to Online Grocery Shopping.
Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC


 

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

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