Frugality

November Credit Score

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My credit score for November was 729 up from 722 the month before.  My credit score seems to be staying in the 720 range the past few months which makes sense since I am not doing anything that should have much effect on my credit.  720 or better is considered good credit so this is good enough for me.  I don’t plan on borrowing any money but it can be helpful to have good credit regardless.

I receive my credit score for free from one of my credit card companies.  I never use that particular card anymore.  The only reason I ever sign in to my account is to see my latest credit score.

Save Money by Not Shopping on Black Friday

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There may be some good deals to be had today but you don’t actually save money by buying stuff you don’t need.  I’m guessing that approximately 100% of the stuff being bought as part of the Black Friday deals can be classified as wants rather than needs. I’m lucky that there is very little I want or need.

I only have one more Christmas purchase to make and I’m not going to be doing it today.  The GF and me might go by CVS later and take advantage of some of the “free deals.”  Technically we will be shopping on Black Friday but we will not be spending any money.

The Dollar Double Cheeseburger is Ending

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This is the last week that the double cheeseburger will be on McDonald’s menu.  The price will be going up to $1.19.  They will be coming out with a new $1 sandwich called the McDouble.  It is basically a double cheeseburger but with only one slice of cheese.

The double cheeseburger was a favorite of mine and  it probably contributed to much of my weight gain.  I think I’ll be passing it up now for the McDouble though when I’m buying food at McDonalds.  And that probably won’t be very often.  Since I get a free McDonald’s meal every week I do not plan on going there other than for my free meal.

A dollar double cheeseburger was a frugal choice for eating out.  When you consider that you could eat cheaper and healthier at home though it probably wasn’t a very good choice.

Surviving Christmas

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Christmas is not my favorite time of the year.  Last year I wrote about how I had managed to mostly  opt out of Christmas.  I am not going to be so lucky this year.  With the addition of a GF this year I’ve also picked up several more Christmas obligations.  We will be attending four different family Christmas gatherings.  My GF will be doing all the additional Christmas buying (except for my gift for her of course) so I don’t have much more obligation in that sense.  I’d still rather receive no gifts and give no gifts but in order to stay sociable with family and friends I have to participate in Christmas at least on a minimal level.

Finding Affordable Health Insurance

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One of the challenges of retiring early or being self-employed is finding affordable health insurance.  I’m very frugal and don’t spend a lot of money but I wouldn’t go without health insurance to save money.  The risk is too great.

I currently have private health insurance and pay a little less than $70 a month.  This is a good deal for someone who is 41 years old and overweight.  It is quite a bit cheaper than my student health plan and it provides more coverage.  The deductible is $5000 but I’m not too concerned about that since I rarely visit a doctor.  If I do need to visit a doctor I can visit the student health clinic for free.  The purpose of  health insurance for me is to keep me from being wiped out financially if I suffer a serious injury or illness.

My insurance is cheap but as I grow older I’ll need to find more ways to keep the cost down.  One option is to raise my deductible to $10,000 but I’m not going to do that until I have more savings.  I could also open a Health Savings Account or possibly deduct some of the health insurance cost as business expense.  I need to do more research on these.  Right now I probably won’t owe taxes anyway so a Health Savings Account is of no benefit to me.

I found my health insurance online through eHealthinsurance. eHealthInsurance offers the largest selection of health plans. Compare & Apply Online, Free instant quotes, Best prices, and Live help!

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