Curb side to cornerstone

One day this past winter I was driving to work when I saw what looked like a dresser but actually was 3 old individual cabinets sitting curb side, unwanted. I arranged pick up before someone else could steal them from me. (Hee hee hee….seriously though!)

They came home with me and sat in my garage for most of the winter because I didn’t want to freeze while I sanded them down, plus I needed to find some inspiration for them. 😀

Aren’t they pretty?! LOL I did like the little molding on the doors and felt it gave it some charm.

Off to Pinterst, magazines, etc.

I scanned Pinterest for hours, looking to see what I could turn these beauts into and I came across this in a magazine I was browsing through. KITCHEN ISLAND! PERFECT! 😀

SO this became my inspiration but I wanted to make it more country since I would like to eventually redecorate my kitchen with a rooster/chicken flare to it. 😀 I knew I could make it for WAY less than $499 with a wooden cutting board top.

Off to the races….

So I had to pick up some chalk paint – of course chalk paint, right?! Hello? Nothing says rustic country chic like chalk paint.

Then it was the slow task of taking the doors off, taking all the hardware off (putting them into ziplock baggies), washing the doors down, then sanding some of the glossy paint; so when I painted, the new paint would stick.

I picked out a DecoArt – American Deco -Chalky Finish in enchanted green. I thought the shade of green would go nicely with red, which I knew I would use as an accent color on the island (you know, for roosters and chickens). 🙂

My red accents I picked up at Hobby Lobby! (Oh how I HEART Hobby Lobby!) I got 3 knobs – one for each drawer.

I picked up these adorbs rustic chic handles from a nearby store (supporting family small business in my little town)! Can’t have enough forks and spoons in a kitchen, right? 😉

One of a kind

I wanted to distress the green and “antique” some so I randomly painted tan chalk paint and grey chalk paint. Then I attacked it with my hand sander.

I asked my other half to attach the 3 individual cabinets together. Then I washed the inside down, took out the old contact paper (EWW!!!), painting the inside a semi gloss white.

These cabinets were rounded inside  <— HUH!???????

I know, right? Hold old are these and when were cabinets rounded in the back?!? So I didn’t like that look on the backside so had my other half get some panel board.

Painted the panel board the green chalk, distressed it with tan and grey chalk paint. My other half cut the panel board to the correct size attached it to the cabinets (3 sides).

Then we added trim to the edges to cover the rough edges from cutting the panel board. I think it added I little detail to the piece. 😀 (On top, we put 2 cutting board so we could use the surface and keep things from falling into the drawers.)

My other half used the original hardware to put the drawer faces on and the cabinet doors on. He also put on the new handle and knobs on.  (This shot you can see the fresh white insides!)

It’s slowly coming together! (Note: it’s March/April now in the pictures.)

Also we but heavy duty coaster wheeler on it so I can move it if needed and 2 of the wheels can lock so when I’m at the island, it won’t roll away on me. HEE HEE HEE

Decisions, decisions…

What did I want on the top? I could go butcher’s block style – cutting board as in my inspirational picture. I was currently well under the $499 price! WELL UNDER! And the butcher’s bock style top would keep me well under still.

I started to think long term. If I ever redid my kitchen cabinets and countertops, would I be happy with the butcher’s block style top kitchen island?

Not so much.

I started to price out quartz and decided I wanted to go with all most all white or all white quartz. Not only was it cheaper that route, but the all white top wouldn’t be too much for the detail in the bottom part of the island and I think it helped balance out the color of the piece.

So with the quartz, it did put me a little over what I wanted to spend BUT I LOVE THE quartz and am VERY happy I went that route.

My kids tease me that I have started cooking more, prepping all because of the island. LOL

I love that I can cook on the stove, turn around to face the island, do what I need there and then get back to cooking.

I love I have all my baking items in there, my blinder, measuring cups, cookie sheets, etc all in one spot.

Can you believe how far these curb side cabinets came? They are now a cornerstone of the kitchen. ❤

Onto the next project!

What’s your Health Insurance IQ?

As many of you, it was that time of year to make sure I had my health insurance figured out for 2019.

My employer doesn’t offer health insurance benefits so it’s something I take care of on my own. That’s okay with me because it gives ME control of what kind of health insurance I want or need. It’s my health insurance and I should know what I need, right?!

Before choosing a plan:

So there are a few things about health insurance one needs to become familiar with prior to comparing plans.

Copays: a fixed dollar amount you pay each time for a certain type of care. For example: $25/ doctor visit. Many of us are familiar with this one.

Deductible: a amount you must pay for most insurances begin to pay. Beware: the deductible may not apply to all services so check over your plan. Again, many of us are familiar with deductibles, specially with other insurances we have. KEY: The higher the deductible, the lower the premium.

Coinsurance: your share of cost of a covered service calculated as a percentage. For example: 20%/80% = you pay 20% of the bill and your insurance would pay 80%. This breakdown kicks in after the deductible is met.

Common breakdowns I’ve seen are 20/80 and 30/70. This is one not everyone is familiar with and it doesn’t really tell you an actual dollar amount it’s going to cost you. KEY: The lower your share, the higher the premium.

Out-of-pocket-max: The most you have to pay for health services during the year. The out-of-pocket maximum includes your deductible, copays, and coinsurance. This can get over looked, when people focus more of their time looking at the other items above.

What I look at in choosing a plan:

Most people would consider lower copays and 20%/80% better than a 30%/70% plan with higher copays, right?

I only look at 1 number when I compare plans and that is: OUT-OF-POCKET-MAX -aka what is the most this is going to cost me in a year?

To me, the other items of fluff and mean little to nothing to me.

 

Difference in plans out there:

Let’s play with some numbers. 🙂

Example of a Typical Health Insurance Plan: Premium $250/month – $3,000/year

Copays: $30/doctor visits, $40/urgent care, etc

Deductible: $3,300/member

Coinsurance: 30%/70%

Out-of-Pocket-Max: $7,300/member

 

Example of a Non-typical Health Insurance  – HSA APPROVED: Premium $160/month – $1,920/year

KEY: Member is to pay bills in full until deductible is meet

Deductible: $6,700/member

Coinsurance: n/a – after deductible is meet, insurance covers in full

Out-of-Pocket-Max: $6,700/member

 

Okay, hold up! What is an HSA?

A HSA is a health saving account. Think of it as an emergency fund just for your medical bills. 🙂

 

Now we got that out of the way….

Which plan would you chose?

Which plan would give you good coverage for the cost?

Let’s walk through the examples as I follow Dave Ramsey’s philosophy (cover the small stuff and transfer the risk of the big stuff to the insurance companies).

Typical Insurance: Total premium is $3,000 + $7,300 = $10,300 maximum potential total cost for a year

Non-tropical Insurance: Total premium is $1,920 + $6,700 = $8,620 maximum potential total cost for a year. A SAVING OF $1,680.

 

So why aren’t more people getting HSA approved health insurance?

Great question! Who wants to pay $1,680 MORE if they are hospitalized?! Not me. If I’m hospitalized, I have bigger problems to be concerned with, right?!

The kicker with HSA approved health insurance follows Dave Ramsey’s philosophy in that, YOU are responsible to cover the small stuff (doctor visits, minor medical care, etc) while transferring the risk of the big stuff (hello! being hospitalized, surgery, etc) to the insurance companies.

Taking on some risk up front, drills down the yearly premium, which is what you want too. Take that money saved in premium and put in into your HSA account.

But the HSA approved health insurance deductible is so high!

$6,700 is a lot for a single mom to dish out, but remember it’s also the Out-Of-Pocket-Max number too! That’s huge!

AND if you are like me, only really using the health insurance to cover something major, you won’t need to use the HSA account often, therefore it’s going to start building up. YESS!!!

The goal is to have your Out-Of-Pocket-Max saved in your HSA account along with some extra cash as a cushion for random medical bills that come in. The amount of the cushion would be the amount you feel comfortable with having in there.

For example, by the end of 2018, I will have almost all of my deductible saved. 😀

Talk about peace of mind! And if I get sick and need to see the doctor, I’m not worried how am I going to come with the max-out-of-pocket money in my tight budget to pay for it. I just write the check. Simple as that.

 

Before you dump your savings into your HSA….

The government limits how much you can put into a HSA account so make sure you are following those requirements.

Source: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/2018-hsa-contribution-limit-for-individuals-with-family-hdhp-coverage

So per the IRS, 2018 limit was $3,450/year.

(Math time again! WHOOHOO!!!!!) 😀

I had set up automatically, $40 to come out of my checking account (after I got paid) to be transferred into my HSA savings account. That would be $1,040 ($40 x 26 paychecks) for the year. So I had room to add more money to my HSA account so today I transferred an additional $2,000 from my saving to my HSA saving. (Don’t worry, I’m going to hustle to replace that $2,000 ASAP!) 😉

Why contribution (deposit) the limit or close to the limit year year? Well, currently (not sure if what the new tax changes will be in the future), I am able to take what I contributed to my HSA for that year and DEDUCT it off my income when I do my tax return PRIOR to the standard deductions, etc (since I am using after tax-dollars to fund my HSA.

 

Other things to know about HSA’s:

1. You can’t pay your premiums from this account

2. Your health insurance HAS TO be HSA approved to be able to have a HSA account.

3. Any deductions have to be a medical expense and the monies in the HSA account can only be used for such.

 

Okay, okay, okay. Why am I so passionate about HSA’s and health insurance?

So yeah, I’m slightly passionate about the topic. Not only do I save money throughout the year via lower premiums, I have built up a saving in my HSA which give peace of mind if something major happens, and I get a tax benefit at the end of the year via my tax return.

Need another reason?!?!……

 

Why I feel having an HSA and choosing the right health insurance is SO IMPORTANT?

 

THE #1 REASON AMERICANS FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY IS NOT CREDIT CARD DEBT BUT MEDICAL DEBT.

Let that sink in for a moment……….

 

Source: https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/05/01/this-is-the-no-1-reason-americans-file-for-bankrup.aspx

Additional Source: https://www.apexedi.com/medical-bills-the-leading-cause-of-bankruptcy-in-the-united-states/

 

So when you are building wealth, you don’t want to lose it all and your financial stability over one incident when you find yourself in the hospital.

 

As Dave Ramsey says, cover the small stuff and transfer the risk of the big stuff to the insurance companies.

Why I make my kids give back

Every year since I could remember, I would let the my children pick out a Sharing Tree tag that we would fill as a family. It was one of our traditions I wanted to do during the holiday season, to instill in my children the real reason for Christmas.

Over  4 years ago, I lost 1/2 my income when my ex exited out of my life, leaving me with all the debt and bills.

It was a devastating time for me, only a few months before Christmas. Not only did I have to try to figure out how to pay the monthly bills and keep a roof over my children’s heads, how was I ever going to provide them a Christmas? I couldn’t.

A local community charity reached out to me, asking me if I wanted my family to be “adopted” via the Sharing Tree program. I was also asked by members of my church, what we wanted for Christmas and that they too wanted to “adopt” us for Christmas after they heard from another person of our recent struggles.

A few months later, we had a we a wonderful Christmas.

Since then I continued to get excited when the Sharing Trees at our church goes up and I decided each of us, the children and I, will each have our own Sharing Tree tag to fill. I told my daughters to pick a tag for a child who is the same age or close to their age so they can relate and get excited to pick out the gift. Oh, and that they had to pay for their gift with their own allowance money to truly make it come from them.

We have done this for the past 3 years and the girls enjoy picking out their tag, gift, and wrapping it.

So once again, two weeks ago, the Sharing Trees went up and we went over BEFORE church started so we could pick our tags before other people started to take some. We each picked out our tags. I chose a young mom and both girls chose a child their age. That weekend, we purchased their gifts and wrapped them. We got everything on their list! 😀

Then a few days ago, I was at church with my youngest and noticed there were lingering tags and I became sadden because these children and adults may not have one Christmas gift to open. My heart sank thinking of these children who’s parents may be going through something just as we did 4 short years prior.

I looked them over and grabbed another tag when my daughter asked, “Why are you getting another one? We each did one.”

I asked her if she could remember the first Christmas when it was just the 3 of us, and asked her if she remembered not having presents. She answered no. Then I told her how WE were once on these same trees and generous people out there gave us a wonderful Christmas (that I’m beyond grateful, even to this day) to where my children didn’t notice a change from years past.

“That’s why mom is grabbing another tag.” (I grabbed two, actually – A little girl and little boy.)

She looked over the tags and said, “I’ll do another,” and picked a girl near her age who wanted boots.

My children will learn to give and understand the reason for giving and the importance of it. After what I went through, I am a firm believer of paying it forward, sending good vibes and kindness out into the world that seems filled with selfishness and backstabbing to get ahead.

It’s easy to look around and see people be grumpy, rude, or filled with greed. It’s easy to see ungratefully kids demand the latest toys not understanding the costs of what they are asking for. It’s easy to see people, hands filled with shopping bags, walk past the charities who are standing in front of stores without giving even a smile let alone a few dollars.

My children will be none of those. My children will give, they will learn to true reason for holiday season and guess what….it’s not them. They will be reminded we were helped by generous people who GAVE to us and it’s our duty to GIVE BACK to those who need it as well.

 

Hazel Reflections Photography is Upgrading!

The fall season is a season of change, from the fields becoming bare after being harvested, the leaves on the trees change colors and fall to the ground, to change in peoples wardrobes –  pulling out the sweaters and putting away the shorts.

Hazel Reflections is also going through some changes. Changes for the better, changes to improve the quality of product delivered. 🙂

Changes to come

The editing software used has been upgraded! WOOHOO!! Now the hard work – learning how to use the new software and all the wonderfulness that comes with it.

Let me tell you, learning the software thus far has been an extremely slow and frustrating at times. 😦 But I’m not giving up. I am currently seeking all opportunities to learn this new software as fast as I can. From Youtube videos, to online courses, books, etc., I will learn it one way or another. LOL

I am also on in the process of upgrading my lenses. This beauty right here 😀 is on the top of my wish list! Hopefully by late spring I will have it to my collection! Fingers crossed! EEEEK!!! 😀 😀 😀

Why the change?

Normally I don’t like changes but I felt I was at a standstill-point with my photography and wanted/desired to increase my knowledge and quality of product for my clients. I wanted to be better for me (more knowledge) and wanted more for my clients. 🙂

Why wait?

The simple answer: I don’t want to go into debt. 🙂 Also I have the upgraded editing software and may need to take classes to help learn how to use it. Also I want to get familiar with the software before I try to get familiar with a new lens. One thing at a time, hence the lens can wait until I have the money and the time to play with it. 🙂

Any other changes?

Unfortunately, yes. With investing into the business with improved software, classes, and with equipment, etc., I am not able to keep my rates the same when I am putting it into the business. I won’t be in business for very long. 😦

The rate change will increase as of the 1st of 2019. So there’s still time to squeeze in your session before the end of the year and take advantage of the upcoming improvements! 🙂

So what do you say? 😉

 

 

Thrifty Wednesday – Kohl’s score

So I was sent a $5 coupon from Kohl’s for shopping there for 15 years. Really? It’s been that long?! That’s got to show my age – Ouch! Then I received an email that I had an additional $10 Kohl’s YES coupon. Sweet!

I went to Kohl’s and checked out all the clearance – in every department. I found 2 items to put into my gift closet and seen they had basic long sleeve t-shirts on sale for $6.99. So I grabbed a dark khaki green one (keeping in mind that goes with my Fall Capsule Wardrobe.)

(Shirt & earrings $3.24, brown sweater – free, blue pants – free, brown swede shoes – $5)

Then I seen Halloween jewelry and quickly moved onto the fall jewelry that I could wear throughout the full fall season. This cute leave ones were 1/2 off and were 2 colors I didn’t have in my current earrings. (Again, they go with my fall capsule wardrobe.)

Total cost after take for my 4 things I brought to the checkout lane

after my coupons applied- $3.24!

I can handle that. 🙂