Grocery Shopping 9/2/10

First I need to stand on a soapbox. I was not happy today when I witnessed 2 things in the grocery store parking lot. This has nothing to do with the store.

The first would be about the nice parking spaces that Kroger has designated for "Customers with Children." I love being able to pull into a convenient spot where I can load Susannah right into a shopping cart, and if for some reason I bring my own groceries back to the car after shopping, I don't have to walk a mile to return the cart and carry her back to the car. Soon after we pulled into our space, the owner of the vehicle across from us (in a "Customers with Children" parking space), waltzed back to her car. Childless. Chatting on her cell phone (ok, nothing against cell phones...). And hopped in her car and sat there for a couple minutes fiddling around. And it irked me. I mean, couldn't she READ? And if she can't, couldn't she SEE the stick-figure drawing on the sign indicating that those spaces are for people with kids? I wondered what mother ended up lugging her child(ren) from further away in the parking lot because this woman had hogged the space instead.

Getting off that soapbox... climbing on the next one.

So I get my stuff together and get out of the car, then open Susannah's door so she doesn't cook in the 2 seconds it takes me to go grab a buggy from the cart return (that we were parked IMMEDIATELY beside - don't worry, I didn't wander off from my baby!). While I'm getting her out of the car and into the cart, Mr. Ima Cool Dude creeps past in his ugly-fied car at about .01 mph, windows down and some type of thumpy music blaring from his sub-woofed stereo system. That wasn't so much what irked me. What ruffled my feathers was the profanity being blared in this "music!!" I wanted to stick my fingers in Susannah's ears and pour bleach in mine! There are "bad words" and then "REALLY bad words" in my book... and these were the REALLY bad words. That's the kinda thing I'd expect in the ghetto, downtown, government housing projects where I don't want to be especially after dark kinda place, NOT in a grocery store parking lot where women and CHILDREN are present! *sigh* The responsibility I have as a mama to protect my kids from this ugliness... I always knew I had that niggling to be a hermit for SOME reason!

Ok, I'm done with the soapboxing. Here's what I got, and thankfully it was a very pleasant shopping experience, with superb customer service!

(5) 12 can pks Pepsi/Dr. Pepper - $2.40/ea.
Gal. Milk - $2.67
Coconut Milk - $1.99
(2) Hotdogs - $1.13/ea.
Oatmeal - $2.69
2lb. Carrots - $1.74 (babyfood)
(2) Lettuce - $1.19/ea. (I have never!! seen lettuce this cheap!!!)
(2) VanCamp's Baked Beans - FREE
lb. Butter - $2.19
pint Sour Cream - $1.00
3.3lbs. Bananas - $.49/lb.
2lb. Brown Sugar - $1.69
2lb. Rice - $1.49
18ct. Eggs - $1.89
Yam - $.85 (babyfood)
(2) Mangos - $.99/ea.
Avocado - $1.29 (babyfood)

Total OOP - about $39
~I forgot to give the cashier my coupons and was able to take them to CS and get my money there.

Last week a commenter asked what do I do with all the butter and flour that I buy. Last week was actually the first time I bought butter since December :) But what do I do with it... I use it in baking (mostly cookies, I'd guess), sometimes in cooking (I like butter on my peas and corn), and just random things here and there in cooking, baking or eating (pancakes, waffles, toast, etc.). When I come across butter substitutes for free or almost free (mostly Country Crock), I do get that and use it for "eating" (the breakfast stuff, toast, etc.). That way the real butter - which is more expensive and precious and works better in cooking/baking - lasts longer. The flour I use for making our breads and baked goods from scratch. And we really do use that much :)

Insurance Shminsurance

I think I would have better luck if I simply put all the money I pay towards premiums into a sock and then paid cash for Doctor visits and services.

After Susannah was born I called our insurance company and spoke with a customer service rep. (hereby called "lady #1"). I told her I'd just had a baby and needed to add her to my policy. I didn't know what all I needed to do so I asked the lady "What do I need to do to have her covered?" The lady said "send a fax requesting Susannah to be added to your policy." So I did.

After her next Dr. visit I received one of those nice "explanation of benefits" informing me that her well visit isn't covered under my policy. What!??! I called the Dr's office and they said that all her "sick" visits (weight checks) had been covered but her well visit had not. Weird. I don't like the sound of this. Not to mention that at her 8 week visit she'll get some shots and that Dr. visit will cost me $500-some if insurance won't cover it. YIKES!!

I call the insurance office. I speak with a different lady (now called "lady #2") and ask her what in the world is going on because I had added Susannah to my policy just like the lady said I needed to. Lo and behold, Susannah was added only as a "dependant." And as a dependant only sick visits are covered. Well visits and vaccines are not. As a dependant it costs me a whoppin' amount each month. To have her well visits covered I need to spend another $40 a month and add the Well Child Rider. I'm afraid I, uh, might've sounded a bit very upset on the phone when I learned all this. Lady #1 NEVER mentioned the Well Child Rider. I said as much to lady #2 and asked if there was any way it could be back-added to cover her visit. Nope. Not a chance. I have to pay for that visit out of my pocket. But she was very helpful (at least acted like it) and told me what I needed to do to add the Well Child Rider. I also talked to her in more detail about 2 claims that had been denied (for Susannah's newborn stuff at the hospital). She said she was going to call that Dr's office and get it straightened out for me. And she was going to call me back "next week" - which is now LAST WEEK.

Yesterday, having given her ALL WEEK to call me back like she said she would, I called and asked to speak to lady #2. I got her voicemail. I left her a nice (really, I was polite) message asking her to call me back to let me know what's going on with the 2 claims. Have I heard from her yet? Nope. Not a chance.

Today, having given her a nice grace period of 24 hours, I called again. Uh-oh, I got lady #1. The lady that didn't tell me about the Well Child Rider. I bit my tongue, as much as I wanted to let her know I didn't appreciate her costing me a Dr's visit of money. I was calm, cool and collected, and asked about the Well Child Rider. It had not been added to my policy. She didn't even see the fax I sent in the system anywhere. The fax # I'd sent it to was one of their fax numbers. So we agreed that I would re-fax the request, attention to lady #1 this time. Then I asked her about the 2 denied claims that lady #2 was supposed to call me about. She said the system showed the lady is "working on it" and "is going to call you about it."

I'm waiting by the phone waiting for it to ring any second. NOT.

So I faxed the original fax AGAIN, with a note on it that it was the second time I was faxing it, so on and so forth. Lady #1 said she was going to call me back if she didn't get it. The phone hasn't rung yet. I'm going to give her a day or two to get THAT straightened out and I'm going to call again. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and this wheel's squeak is going to get a whole lot louder if I don't get some serious grease here soon.

This has been a recording. Thank you. Goodnight.