So last night I received another medical bill, but I was perplexed by how little my insurance was covering. The bill was for the standard state prenatal screening, and I had called and been told that my insurance would cover it. I figured out that I was being billed for Out-of-Network instead of In-Network. I called the insurance, and quickly bypassed the phone tree (I've gotten too good at this) and got on the line with a representative. He said he would send it to the adjuster since the state is the only lab performing the screening. So I'm saving around $50 by a quick call to the insurance!

Lesson of the Day: Track medical expenses and know your insurance coverage. Don't be afraid to call.

So I spoke to our Personnel Manager about getting my maternity leave, and I also let her know I had earned my Masters. She said I will get paid retroactively for the pay raise I earned. In addition, I scheduled my Advancement which will lead me to my next pay raise! Woohoo! Plus this gets me a step closer to graduating and getting a real full time job.

So yesterday I had to take my car in because it was making a squealing noise and paid $300 for an oil change and new brake pads. We are turning this car in when the lease ends in April, and I am so ready to be without a car for a while. I really despise car ownership at the moment. Once the lease is done I'm going to join ZipCar which has around 15 cars on my campus.I'm so looking forward to this service. I won't have to pay for gas, maintenance, repairs, or insurance! It costs $25 per year and $8/hour or $66/day to take any of the cars. As rarely as I drive, I really just cannot wait to use ZipCar.

Now I must temper this by saying that DH will still own a car and will be home most of summer to drive with me places. Still, I really just don't want a car of my own. I'm afraid I might have to get one in August or September when DH starts work again, but I really would rather use ZipCar as long as possible. Hopefully I will feel differently come the end of summer.