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Squeaky wheel keep on turnin'

February 7th, 2013 at 09:12 pm

Following up on yesterday's productive day, we figured out how to use the Wi-Fi of our new provider last night. We tested it on laptop, iPad, iPod touch and Wii and it worked great for everything. I tried to call and cancel our Comcast internet but they said I'd have to call back in the morning.

So bright and early, I called and canceled. The rep was trying to offer me temporary sweeteners to keep me, but I told her that I wanted a stable price that wouldn't go up all the time.

I got an email confirming the cancellation and it seemed like they'd be giving me a partial credit on my next bill, though it was hard to understand what the email meant. But hopefully I'll start saving sooner than I thought. Either way, glad to stick it to Comcast.

I received a reply from the dental office about whether or not they'd give a free consultation. Nope: They'd charge $86 for it, more than probably a periodontal exam itself would cost!

I looked around at private dental insurance to see if it would be comparable in price to get my own insurance policy with someone my old dentists would accept, but it would be significantly more money to get one with any kind of decent coverage.

SO this morning I checked my insurance website and called a new dentist I haven't tried before. I made appointments for me as well as AA, who has most if not all her teeth and is almost 3, so it's about time!

My plan is to not even mention the periodontal issue, and to not provide records from my latest dentist. If this new dentist decides on their own to code as periodontal then fine, I will accept that and pay higher prices from now on.

I also received an email from the immigration lawyer saying he would be willing to help as much as he could, but felt we might want someone more versed in British immigration. He sent us a list of contacts. Tonight we're going to look them over, decide if any look promising, and if not we'll either do our own search or ask our adoption lawyer for another referral.

Checked the Sallie Mae account and the student loan payment has not posted. They have until tomorrow morning and then they're getting another call! Smile

AND, our diaper provider mentioned that we're using about 30 cloth diapers per week, instead of the 80 we pay for. I've had a feeling we were at much less, but have been hesitant to bug him about it because he also handles the composting of our toddler's pull-ups, and because he's a really great, local business guy that we love to support. But when he sent that email, I went ahead and asked if that meant our fee would go down a bit. He said it would! Not sure how much, but any amount it decreases will go straight to our big-picture goals. Woo hoo!

In other news, for the first time in months I have spending money left over instead of owing something in! I have $40 left in my wallet, so tomorrow I'm taking $40 less of spending money and applying that amount to what I owe for the website hosting. I was only planning to pay in $10 or $20 at a time, so this is a big chunk gone! This is good, because with Valentine's Day and birthdays coming up, I'll be spending a lot more than usual.

Also, instead of leaking small amounts of grocery money over the week, we seem to have gained a bit back instead! NT put back in $3 for a snack he'd bought on the last shopping trip, and I applied a small credit for a return that finally showed up on our card, and the diapers cost slightly less than I estimated. So we're starting the weekend with $123 to spend instead of $116! Only $7 difference, but I'll take it! Usually the grocery budget gets depleted by unexpected needs or stays the same over the course of a week, so it's a nice surprise.

NT found an ideal birthday party venue and queried one of his favorite local DJs. Just those two things would cost $575, and we only have $663 budgeted. But NT said he will take fewer birthday presents so we can put some of the gift budget toward his party instead, and I decided I'll also donate $50 of the budget for MY bday gifts. I'll also kick in some spending money if necessary. We should be able to scrape together plenty for some nice food and drinks. If we can't afford to cater the food, we can always economize by preparing the party food ourselves. And we're fans of boxed wine and cheap beer, so I don't feel self-conscious about going that route if need be. Then we just need to arrange a babysitter. I think it'll be a very memorable 40th birthday party!

7 Responses to “Squeaky wheel keep on turnin' ”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1360272543

    So glad you received responses from the dentist and lawyer...at least you know where you stand and can keep moving forward.

  2. scottish girl Says:
    1360272735

    Glad you got a response from both of them. Sounds like the party will be great!

  3. snafu Says:
    1360273436

    I wonder if you could get good information or referrals for an immigration lawyer from someone in the British Expat community in your city. Do any expat clubs participate in festivals or a Churchill Society?

  4. Petunia in a Flower Garden Says:
    1360274010

    Am I the only one who hears Creedence Clearwater Revival in the background? Good work on getting things done and tying up the lose ends!

  5. Jenn Says:
    1360290890

    I love the post title too Petunia! And I too had the pleasure of sticking it to Comcast. We have much better and more affordable service with Verizon now, and Comcast sends 'Come back!' letters to us about once a week.

  6. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1360291724

    Sounds like things are moving in a good direction! Smile

  7. Looking Forward Says:
    1360740270

    Everything sounds good! Smile Yay!!

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