I didn't spend anything at GS2's birthday last night -- the meal was covered. All I spent out of pocket was the $10 that went into the birthday card.
The birthday card was one I found in my stash of unused cards. It featured Ziggy, a cartoon character we don't see any more. My grandson's step-grandmother commented that it must have been something I didn't sell on eBay. Ouch! Not sure whether it was meant in fun or not, but I'm pretty sensitive about my financial situation and I don't appreciate barbed comments from someone who's never worried about money a day in her life.
Anyway, not only did I not pay for dinner, but I took home GS1's leftovers. So I guess my cheapskate reputation is well-deserved.
Another eBay mistake caught up with me. Today I'm paying someone to take one of my items. In other words, the postage was way above what I had calculated. For some reason I had calculated the weight as 3 oz. when it was, in fact, almost 1.9 lbs. A typo, I guess. So the extra postage cost ate up all the profit and I had to shell out .20 besides. Now I know what to do about postage, but in my early listings, I was just winging it -- and not so well. Overall, I have done well, though. I've cleared $343 after all fees and postage costs are subtracted. That's way above what I was expecting.
I have not heard back from the SHIP counselor yet. But yesterday I got my 2019 annual notice of changes from UnitedHealth. There is a section explaining what to do if I want to change my coverage, and it clearly states that I can switch to original Medicare with a prescription drug plan by enrolling in a drug plan before December 7. That will automatically disenroll me from my current plan. This contradicts what I have learned on other sources about the disenrollment period starting in January.
Of course, doing so would leave me without a supplement, which I guess is the sticking point.
Anyway, I really need to talk to this guy and I hope he calls me back.
Grandson's Birthday and More Medicare
September 25th, 2018 at 02:22 pm
September 25th, 2018 at 02:56 pm 1537887403
September 25th, 2018 at 03:03 pm 1537887808
DH worked with a gal from an insurance agency who helped him find both a supplemental insurance plan and a prescription drug plan when he first was eligible for Medicare. She has contacted him in the past when the plans he was enrolled in were getting too expensive. Since she works as a go between for just this reason, it isn't just one insurance company. I'm sure she gets a kickback for doing so, but it must come from the insurance company and she has given us the information to look at the plans on line before making a decision, so she isn't trying to sell us something we need. The nice thing is if DH has a problem or question, he can go to her and she will deal direction with one of the companies and get the information for him much more quickly than if he calls himself.
September 25th, 2018 at 03:59 pm 1537891144
Can you buy a small postal scale to be able to accurately weigh packages before sending?
September 25th, 2018 at 04:14 pm 1537892067
If the SHIP counselor does not call you back, in your shoes, I would call the two major insurance agents previously cited. If there is a way to change to a supplement plan, they will find it. After all, they make a commission by doing that.
Fingers crossed you find a way to do this!
September 26th, 2018 at 02:50 am 1537930251
September 28th, 2018 at 12:00 pm 1538136010
I've done the same thing with eBay sales before - a postal scale is a great thing (I had one at one time, not sure what happened to it.)