What are your next major purchases?

[Bakhtosh]

I'll bet my in-laws didn't spend more than a couple grand on our wedding. The venue was free (our church). We did a lot of the food prep ourselves (heavy hors d'oeuvres). Her dress was under a grand. Groomsmen & Bridesmaids buy/rent their tux/dress, but those were kept very reasonable. One of her relatives did the flowers as the wedding present. No alcohol at a church reception. Photographer was doing it as a side business and gave us a great price to get more experience. The cake was done by a friend of a friend. It was amazing and cheap (very rare to get both of those together) - she still does all of our birthday party cakes. The church provided a wedding planner. After that, it was just honorariums to the pastor, pianist, wedding planner, etc.

As for future expenses, I need to stay off Amazon and Woot for a while...they're killing me.

[hepcat]

Took the wife to Menards for "some closet stuff.". Walked out $250 poorer and I still don't know what we bought. Certainly not a grill, dammit.

Sorry, man. I know you've been talking about getting your grill for a while now.

[Zarathud]

You can stop by and grill with us.

[Skinypupy]

I went to go look at a Chevy Cruze this afternoon, came home with a 2015 Trax instead (yeah, I hadn't heard of it either).

I feel like it's my first "real" car...a huge step up from the little disposable cars (Saturn SL1, PT Cruiser, Ford Focus) I've been driving for the past 25 years. Was quite a bit more than I was expecting to spend, but still well within budget tolerances.

[LordMortis]

Good luck!

Thank you! You were the first person/thing I thought of when surgery became a real thing. You will be my source of strength.

It was not invasive (they threaded them up through arteries via my groin area), but it was rather expensive. I do not have a total amount for that procedure, as deciphering the sporadic (and sometimes incomplete until much later) hospital bills was impossible. However, I can tell you that in my case, it was expensive.

The plan is to go in through my arm if they can. If they can't then they will try and fail and then go in through my leg near the groin. As far as I know, they're only doing one stent and might not even do that. I'm not sure what they will do if they go in and then don't put in a stent.

I think I still have about $600 in coinsurance for the year and my copay will be $150. If they can work miracles for that price, I'll take it. I'll gripe when I get the bill but I'll still be thankful.

My insurance paid 90% of everything until my out-of-pocket reached $4,500. After that, my insurance picked up everything until January 1st, at which point it starts all over, so in my case, it was beneficial to have as much as I could done before January 1. So I had the bypass surgery done that same year (2015), which needed to be done anyway. But just the initial stents (and ER visit) maxed out my out-of-pocket right then and there.

I don't remember the details but I think my max out of pocket for they year $9000. $500 of it is deductibles. Which I have already paid for the year. $1000 of it is coinsurance. I'm pretty certain this will eat what's left that I haven't paid in coinsurance. After that, the other $6,500 is all in copays. I'm not like to come close to maxing that out. That's something like $20 for every office visit. $50 for every ER visit. $150 for being admitted. And then prescriptions that vary from $2 to $50 per and could actually be more if they were mysterious juju prescriptions. I saw some on the list as high as $1500.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for and complete the Financial Assistance paperwork, if the hospital has such a program. Depending on a wide variety of factors, they can write off some or all of the remaining balance. In my case, it helped greatly, even though I didn't think it would. Definitely worth the three hours I spent putting it together.

While I'm not a wealthy man, I make way too much to ask for assistance, nor would I expect it. I just hope they don't screw up the FMLA paperwork. I'll be out for 3 work days if they don't get the FMLA paperwork into my boss' hands before the 9th then I don't know what happens. This is suppose to be why my work pays for short term disability insurance but the hospital rep didn't seem to keen on filling out paper work for me. I hope they have it my hand by the time I leave on Friday.

[Zarathud]

Best of luck, Mortis. Hope to see you feeling better soon.

Make sure that you ask to see the nurse before they get you groggy. You want to know if they're cute, so that know whether to ask for preparation in the groin area -- just in case.

[Kraken]

When is the surgery, Friday?

[LawBeefaroni]

Good luck, LM.

Budget for your full OOP max. You'll probably come in under but just plan for the full amount. Coinsurance works like this. Once you hit your deductible (think of the deductible as a 100% coinsurance), you then pay your coinsurance % up to your OOP max. So say you have a 150 hospital copay, a 1500 deductible, a 20% coinsurance, and a 9000 OOP max. For a 6000 allowable and assuming everything is covered and in network, you would owe:
$1500 deductible and copay and $900 (20% of the remaining 4500). A total of $2400. Maybe an extra $150 depending on how your copay is structured. Any subsequent work you would pay copay and then 20% of the allowable until you've paid out $9k (your OOP max). Any out of network or non covered claims are all you and you'll be on the hook for full billed amount though you can negotiate that down.

As I'm sure RM9 can attest, OOP max isn't a hard limit if you get the out of network/non covered business but for budgeting it the best you can do until you get te bill.

[Jeff V]

I expect we'll be at the OOP maximum of $12,900 when child 2 is spawned in September.

[Zarathud]

Already at OOP maximum. Found out when we ordered a replacement blood glucose monitor transmitter for the youngest.

[LawBeefaroni]

I expect we'll be at the OOP maximum of $12,900 when child 2 is spawned in September.

Last time it cost us $150. This round I'm budgeting $9k since I have a different home field and the wife is dropping at the old one.

[Jag]

I expect we'll be at the OOP maximum of $12,900 when child 2 is spawned in September.

I'd say stop at 1, but it sounds like the warning is too late. My wife wanted 3. At least I was able stop the madness at 2

[LawBeefaroni]

I expect we'll be at the OOP maximum of $12,900 when child 2 is spawned in September.

I'd say stop at 1, but it sounds like the warning is too late. My wife wanted 3. At least I was able stop the madness at 2

3 is a common number of kids but it seems like a weird target. Exactly 3. Seems like it would be "2 & oops" or "not yet 4+".

[ImLawBoy]

Seems like it would be "2 & oops"

That was us. We went for the second, but it ended up being a two-fer.

[Skinypupy]

Seems like it would be "2 & oops"

That was us. We went for the second, but it ended up being a two-fer.

Same here, although our chances of getting twins via IVF was exponentially higher.

[Jeff V]

I expect we'll be at the OOP maximum of $12,900 when child 2 is spawned in September.

I'd say stop at 1, but it sounds like the warning is too late. My wife wanted 3. At least I was able stop the madness at 2

Well, she really wanted a girl, and from the start we kind of agreed on 2, although there have been days when 1 was enough to satisfy all of her maternal requirements. Fortunately, the dice came up XX so she won't be like her friend who is in her mid-40's, has 2 boys, but really wants a girl.

While another c-section is probable, it is not definite and if the baby is a reasonable size she might give natural another shot. If they do cut it out, then she may have the doctor take her factory off-line while they're in there. Otherwise, I'm looking a weekend of iced balls sometime this fall. Maybe I'll schedule it on the Bears bye week since I no longer get football at home.

[LordMortis]

Good luck, LM.

Budget for your full OOP max. You'll probably come in under but just plan for the full amount. Coinsurance works like this. Once you hit your deductible (think of the deductible as a 100% coinsurance), you then pay your coinsurance % up to your OOP max. So say you have a 150 hospital copay, a 1500 deductible, a 20% coinsurance, and a 9000 OOP max. For a 6000 allowable and assuming everything is covered and in network, you would owe:
$1500 deductible and copay and $900 (20% of the remaining 4500). A total of $2400. Maybe an extra $150 depending on how your copay is structured. Any subsequent work you would pay copay and then 20% of the allowable until you've paid out $9k (your OOP max). Any out of network or non covered claims are all you and you'll be on the hook for full billed amount though you can negotiate that down.

As I'm sure RM9 can attest, OOP max isn't a hard limit if you get the out of network/non covered business but for budgeting it the best you can do until you get te bill.

I'm alive and in hurting. The doctors told my parents this probably won't help the problems that triggered long process of deciding this was necessary but I guess it did show my LAD was over 70% blocked and so this was a good pre emptive medically necessary strike before the big heart attack.

I've already maxed my deductible getting to this point. I'm counting on maxing my co-insurance. The CoPay is a bit of a mystery to me which is where they bulk of my OOP Max comes from. I'm guessing there will be a copay on a bunch of different things but I don't think it will be $1000s of dollars in copays. I'm guessing, I get a copay for each of the meds they gave, for the surgery, and for the outpatient observation. I'm guessing that will come to about $400 at this point. Another $600 to max my coinsurance (I think) and I'll be looking at about $1000 for the procedure and stay.

Only they want me to do monitored rehab exercise 3 times a week for three months. That sounds like about another $900 in copays but I have to go discuss this with the insurance company and work before I commit. They didn't tell I needed to do this. They told me I should do this via a pamphlet.

I've also surpassed "holy shit I take way too many drugs" by a long margin. Non including supplements, I now have 13 meds. That's a bit obscene. It feels closer to a diet than my prescriptions.

[Zarathud]

Focus on why you're taking the meds, not how many. You are sick and wiped out as hell for good reason. Take them to get better and get off when you're healed, regenerated and don't need them.

Get better soon, and get your ass to rehab!

Want to see you at many more Octocons and gaming conventions, LM!

[Isgrimnur]

a new AV receiver so I can actually feed audio from my 4k tv to it, as my old receiver takes RCA inputs, but my tv doesn't have any non-HDMI outputs other than a headphone jack.

Left channel on my current receiver has hit its last legs. Anyone have any input on that receiver?

[coopasonic]

Get the one I got last time, but not the one I got the time before that. That thing was a dud.

I think I have Yamaha's both upstairs and down now. Not to get all Daehawk here but I had a Denon die prematurely so I am avoiding another.

My latest is this one: Yamaha RX-V577. I've only had it for a year, but it has been good to us.

Amazon doesn't have it or the newer version anymore though.

[Scuzz]

I expect we'll be at the OOP maximum of $12,900 when child 2 is spawned in September.

I'd say stop at 1, but it sounds like the warning is too late. My wife wanted 3. At least I was able stop the madness at 2

Well, she really wanted a girl, and from the start we kind of agreed on 2, although there have been days when 1 was enough to satisfy all of her maternal requirements. Fortunately, the dice came up XX so she won't be like her friend who is in her mid-40's, has 2 boys, but really wants a girl.

While another c-section is probable, it is not definite and if the baby is a reasonable size she might give natural another shot. If they do cut it out, then she may have the doctor take her factory off-line while they're in there. Otherwise, I'm looking a weekend of iced balls sometime this fall. Maybe I'll schedule it on the Bears bye week since I no longer get football at home.

I think if you have one C-section they usually just go in and use the same scar for another c-section. And we did the same thing, had her tubes tied while they were in there. We had to go into the hospital and explain why we wanted to do that (catholic hospital) which I thought was weird.

[stessier]

Get the one I got last time, but not the one I got the time before that. That thing was a dud.

I think I have Yamaha's both upstairs and down now. Not to get all Daehawk here but I had a Denon die prematurely so I am avoiding another.

My latest is this one: Yamaha RX-V577. I've only had it for a year, but it has been good to us.

Yeah, I've been following you and agree the Denon was doubleplus ungood, but the RX-V577 has been rock solid.

[Isgrimnur]

Looks like they've got a half-dozen in the series.

Doing a comparison, I could come in at the 481 mark for 4k support. The 581 is only $50 more, though.

[Jaymann]

I expect we'll be at the OOP maximum of $12,900 when child 2 is spawned in September.

I'd say stop at 1, but it sounds like the warning is too late. My wife wanted 3. At least I was able stop the madness at 2

Well, she really wanted a girl, and from the start we kind of agreed on 2, although there have been days when 1 was enough to satisfy all of her maternal requirements. Fortunately, the dice came up XX so she won't be like her friend who is in her mid-40's, has 2 boys, but really wants a girl.

While another c-section is probable, it is not definite and if the baby is a reasonable size she might give natural another shot. If they do cut it out, then she may have the doctor take her factory off-line while they're in there. Otherwise, I'm looking a weekend of iced balls sometime this fall. Maybe I'll schedule it on the Bears bye week since I no longer get football at home.

I think if you have one C-section they usually just go in and use the same scar for another c-section. And we did the same thing, had her tubes tied while they were in there. We had to go into the hospital and explain why we wanted to do that (catholic hospital)...

Because you're all about an immaculate conception?

[LordMortis]

Because you're all about an immaculate conception?

My mom got her tubes tied when she had me. Ten years later I still got a little sister.

[Jaymann]

Because you're all about an immaculate conception?

My mom got her tubes tied when she had me. Ten years later I still got a little sister.

Is your dad an Olympic swimmer?

[killbot737]

Ugh, next major purchases:

New sidewalk slab for my neighbor
Tree removal/stump grinding
New tree (on the "city's responsibility" part of the lawn...)

My remaining giant tree is all infested with carpenter ants. A big limb broke off this weekend and smashed my neighbor's sidewalk. Luckily that's all the damage that was done.

I also just laid out $1100 last month to fix god-knows-what in my car. Some extremely fundamental and hard to get to casing cracked and oil was spraying all over the place inside the engine compartment.

Although I'll take this over needing things to be jammed into my heart.

[Jeff V]

Because you're all about an immaculate conception?

My mom got her tubes tied when she had me. Ten years later I still got a little sister.

You make a strong case for getting the boys disconnected instead.

[LordMortis]

Ugh, next major purchases:

New sidewalk slab for my neighbor
Tree removal/stump grinding
New tree (on the "city's responsibility" part of the lawn...)

My remaining giant tree is all infested with carpenter ants. A big limb broke off this weekend and smashed my neighbor's sidewalk. Luckily that's all the damage that was done.

I also just laid out $1100 last month to fix god-knows-what in my car. Some extremely fundamental and hard to get to casing cracked and oil was spraying all over the place inside the engine compartment.

Although I'll take this over needing things to be jammed into my heart.

If you are smarter man than I am and have more money, you'll do it right. When the city came and chopped down my Ash because of the Ash Bore prevention ordinance, they were supposed to remove the stump. I sat on the stump for almost three years before I gave in and had someone do it. I never plant another tree and doing on the cheap eventually left a huge crater when it is all settled in. Now my grass is dying from not shade and my lawn is like a grated gravel road from all of the strange settling that has happened since the roots have finally decayed concurrently with it trying to naturally fill in the old ash stump pit.

I hate lawns.

[Isgrimnur]

Because you're all about an immaculate conception?

My mom got her tubes tied when she had me. Ten years later I still got a little sister.

You make a strong case for getting the boys disconnected instead.

¿Porque no los dos?

[LordMortis]

Because you're all about an immaculate conception?

My mom got her tubes tied when she had me. Ten years later I still got a little sister.

You make a strong case for getting the boys disconnected instead.

Admittedly that was 36 years ago and things change. Also there is a chance your boys will reconnect.

http://www.vasectomy-information.com/re ... vasectomy/

getting snipped is your best bet but that still one in 2000ish

All birth control methods have a risk of failure, but vasectomy is the most reliable of all the methods available. According to the UK national sterilisation guidelines (2004), the failure rate of vasectomy should be quoted as approximately 1 in 2000 (0.05%) after clearance has been given.1

something something life will find a way Jurassic Park something you will give birth to a raptor.

[Isgrimnur]

Looks like they've got a half-dozen in the series.

Doing a comparison, I could come in at the 481 mark for 4k support. The 581 is only $50 more, though.

581 has been purchased, along with a couple incidentals. That should be $500 worth of purchases through the OO Amazon link.

[Default]

I bought a pretty happnin' electric guitar, but only because it was half street price. Planning on paying off the car by the end of the year, then the student loan gets a dirt nap. After that happens, then new kitchen cabinets, backsplash and a granite or soapstone countertop.

[Octavious]

I'm eyeing a new camera even if I don't need one..... D7200

[hitbyambulance]

what is it with granite countertops? why? (and stainless steel appliances)

[gbasden]

Well, with my Prius being very temperamental and a money sink, I finally made a decision and picked up a 2016 Scion FR-S in black. It's definitely a sweet driving car, and should be good fun at the track. It does need a few mods for a bit of extra horsepower, but boy it handles the corners well.

[killbot737]

what is it with granite countertops? why? (and stainless steel appliances)

They keep your kitchen warm and glowy from the radioactive decay.

[mori]

Well, with my Prius being very temperamental and a money sink, I finally made a decision and picked up a 2016 Scion FR-S in black. It's definitely a sweet driving car, and should be good fun at the track. It does need a few mods for a bit of extra horsepower, but boy it handles the corners well.

You went from a Prius to a FR-S? Well done sir!

[Chaz]

what is it with granite countertops? why? (and stainless steel appliances)

I don't know, but it's hilarious to watch all those house hunters shows and watch people look at perfectly nice kitchens and immediately lament "Oh, but there's no granite and stainless steel. Guess we'll have to re-do the kitchen."

It's going to be hilarious in a decade or two when granite and stainless go out of fashion, and all the renovation shows will show people struggling to haul those granite counters out.

[mori]

Furniture- Since I moved into my house back in March, I have no furniture (I have a mattress/box spring, and desk/chair and that is pretty much it). Being a bachelor that is not a big deal and probably could live like this forever. But I would like to bring a lady friend over occasionally and would like to not look like a savage. My family wants me take the furniture out of the farmhouse but there is not anything there that I really want. Have to order supplies so I can build my bed, buy a dining room set or a moveable island, a couch, recliner, and a big TV for the living area but I have to frame in the old TV inset first. So much to do and I have not done anything in the last 6 weeks except for putting up shelves in the garage.

Have not done a thing about any of this. Decided to just buy a bed instead of building one, but cannot make up my mind. I need to get going on framing in the old TV niche in the living room and there is no point putting in furniture until I have that done. I want to do something like in this pic.