She, nor I, had ever been to New Orleans and it was a nice, simple trip. Got a chance to see my BFF, eat some good southern food (gumbo) and see a few sights, easy breezy, right? The day I left from there to come back to Chicago it was 75 degrees. Last weekend the temperature had dropped to the 30's and wind chill made it really cold for a couple of days. My throat felt a little scratchy and my nose became a little runny so I thought I was coming down with a little head cold. I took my daughter to the doctor for what I thought was a cold and she ended up with a prescription for acute sinusitis. Just a couple of days ago, I decided to go to Urgent care and I found out I have an upper respiratory infection. This is where "they almost got me" comes in. After I left urgent care I went to the closest Walgreens (pharmacy closes at 9pm) with a couple of prescriptions in hand. The pharmacy was going to close at 9, it was 8:40. They took my prescriptions and said they could fill them. When the clerk rang them up (2 prescriptions), she simply said, "That will be $150". I looked her like, "Are you crazy?" I am on my husband's health plan (Blue Cross Blue Shield). I told the woman that there clearly must be a mistake. I asked her if she rang up the prescriptions with my benefits taken into account, she replied, "Yes". Benefits or not, I know there would be absolutely no way that I would pay $150 for 2 prescriptions that I do not need to take for the rest of my life.

Ok, this is where I had stop and let my mind clearly take over from any emotional or physical feelings I was having at that moment. Emotionally, I was tired and feeling like I just want my medicine so I can go home and physically, I was coughing and my head was hurting. At that moment I told the women to just leave the prescriptions saved in the system and I would check back with them the next day. After checking with Blue Cross Blue Shield, they discovered that the clerk (rushing to leave for the night) typed in a code incorrectly in the system, which then set me up to have to pay Walgreen's cost for the medicine $150! Yes, they almost got me!

The moral to my story is this: because I know most, if not all of you value your hard-earned money, please do yourself a favor and pay close attention to details whether it is your bank statements or a sales receipt, pay attention and use wisdom. Use your head, not emotion when making financial decisions. If your spirit tells you "something doesn't seem right about this"...listen to yourself...Stop and ask questions and if you are still unsure of something seek professional advice.

It is the beginning of a new year and now is the time to schedule a policy and financial review. Some of you already have an insurance agent, I know it is someone you can't remember the last time you saw them, right? Call me or email me today so that we can review your policies and see what you have. Some of you have incurred changes in the last year ie. change of employment, change in income, children, marital status etc. We need to account for any life changes that have occurred. Let's do your free review today! I am fully licensed in life, health, property & casualty insurance and I can assist you with Medicare, Estate consulting, retirement, savings, long term care, short/long term disability and college savings.