My New Insurance Card

My sister and I ate lunch Saturday at Red Lobster. After lunch, we went to Cato, Hobby Lobby, Shoe Department, and Cothran's Bakery. She exchanged a shirt, bought picture frames and a pair of shoes. I bought pens, baskets, and shoes. We both bought cookies and those peanut butter/cornflake candies, and had them at home with Lipton's White Tea. Just after we got home, DH's cousin delivered the rest of my deck furniture--the footrests and table that match the Adirondack chairs.

My sister left, and I walked to the mailbox. Now that I live "in the country", I have to walk down the driveway to the mailbox (or stop on my way in after work). I also have to "signal" the mailman that I have mail that needs to be picked up, but that's a subject for another day...I try to go through the mail as soon as I get it out of the box so that I can shred what should be shredded and throw away the other junk. Yesterday, I got an envelope from the company that handles our teacher insurance, and it was different from the statements that I get telling me how much they've paid on each claim. I was a little frustrated, but because I was afraid that it was a letter telling me that a claim had been denied, and that I would owe a doctor or the dialysis center or the hospital some great sum of money.

I was wrong...it was my new insurance card. The company lets an employee change status during the middle of the insurance "year" if there is a drastic change in life circumstances, and I had a drastic change when DH passed away. My new coverage started April 1, and I'm back (after almost nine years) to single coverage. I will have about $130 more money coming to me every month since single coverage is MUCH cheaper than family coverage, and I no longer have to pay an additional $25 every month because DH was a smoker. I noticed the difference when my paycheck was deposited Friday night (direct deposit), and it will come in handy since I don't have DH's income to help with house payments and other expenses...but not at the cost of losing DH.