https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:25:32 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1787256 Tue, 29 Jul 2014 12:58:21 +0000 winter_wonder 1787256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrswin: awesome! If I have any questions I know where to turn ;) </p> <p>@makeme: Hmm...I'm not sure if this is an option in our area or not. I'll do a bit of searching and see. It also seems like all of that produce would encourage us to eat better too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1787192 Tue, 29 Jul 2014 12:32:07 +0000 makemake 1787192@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know if this would help, or is an option, but there are some good food co-ops/gleaners in our area, where you pay ~$20/month and you can go twice a week and pick up produce and groceries (day-olds etc. donated by local businesses). I'm planning on joining one in our area when we get pregnant so that we can sock some of our grocery $$ away. </p> <p>Also, what helps us save money over the weekends is to pack picnic lunches/dinners and go for long wilderness hikes. That way we don't go to Costco/Target and buy unnecessary items. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1786524 Tue, 29 Jul 2014 08:40:31 +0000 mrswin 1786524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winter_wonder: We are also big fans of YNAB which @bluestriped bee: mentioned. It has really changed our budgeting and we have noticed a difference in our finances and approach to money. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1786151 Tue, 29 Jul 2014 00:12:12 +0000 winter_wonder 1786151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: Great, thank you!</p> <p>@mrs. pinecone316: It's amazing how quickly is goes...I can't believe it sometimes. </p> <p>Sometimes we're really good at staying on budget and other times not. But, right now we really need to be. It will help with all of the tips everyone wrote about and just being more mindful about spending habits. Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785751 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 18:55:17 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 1785751@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winter_wonder: I totally understand how you feel. It was really hard seeing what we worked really hard for as a down payment for a house just dwindle down due to us having to pay out of pocket for IVF. I just have to keep reminding myself its just money and making a family is more important.</p> <p>Some things we did was take advantage of our work Health flex spending account when you can put a certain amount of money in it that is rep taxed for medical bills. I picked up extra shifts at work and my husband took on some freelance projects to off set the cost. Not sure how close you live by a budget but every time we are super strict with a budget its amazing how much less we spend on food, nonsense stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785743 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 18:49:19 +0000 BSB 1785743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winter_wonder: Oh, if you are a student, YNAB offers the software/app for free. Sometimes they have deals where they offer the software for $15. There's a lot of HB users who use and love YNAB, so you can search HB and find those threads. </p> <p>@gingerbebe: Oh, that is a great tip to put the IUI &amp; IVF price list on the fridge! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785736 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 18:45:25 +0000 winter_wonder 1785736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@theswisswifestyle: Thank you ;)</p> <p>@mrswin: I should look into info about grants. I just skimmed the surface last night, I will definitely do more research. Thanks!</p> <p>@bluestriped bee: I haven't heard of the YNAB app, I'm intrigued and will check it out. </p> <p>I have an appointment with a consignment shop next week to try to sell some of our clothes. </p> <p>We'll definitely be looking into lowering car insurance and cc interest. </p> <p>@gingerbebe: I think you make a good point, I'm freaking myself out over all of the potential expenses. I keep thinking well if this IUI doesn't work, and the next one, and the next one how will we ever afford IVF? </p> <p>I don't think DH has FSA coverage through work, but I do. I'm going to look into this a bit more to max it out. </p> <p>Great idea about putting the price list on the fridge! It will be a gentle reminder when I need to say no. </p> <p>Thank you everybody, great ideas! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785580 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 16:18:29 +0000 FaithFertility 1785580@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsMcD: With out<br /> The meds were $30 per cycle (clomid)<br /> Day 3 ultrasound $200<br /> Trigger shot $87<br /> Day 13 ultrasound ($200)<br /> Maybe one more ultrasound if things didn't look ready<br /> IUI $450 w/sperm wash.....<br /> My RE does back to back IUIs so<br /> IUI the next day $450 w/sperm wash<br /> 1 week after blood work to check progesterone $45</p> <p>This is with zero coverage.....our insurance stinks when it came to infertility :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785276 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 13:24:31 +0000 gingerbebe 1785276@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winter_wonder: First of all, don't think about all of the money as one big mountain. Just think about it as one expense at a time and break it into pieces.</p> <p>If you or your husband have FSA coverage through work, I would elect to enroll in those and max those out for next year, which should allow you to save $2000 each in pre-tax dollars that you can use towards IF treatments. Its good timing, considering most employers are going to be doing open enrollment soon.</p> <p>The only caveat on the FSA is that you have to use it or lose it! We missed out on enrolling for my FSA, but maxed out DH's for IF treatments which sucked at the time, but a blessing in disguise because we ended up getting pregnant spontaneously a month later. So now we're trying to use it up before the end of the year on random things. But luckily virtually ALL breastfeeding equipment and related supplies are an eligible expense, so you should be able to spend a good chunk of it on that. If not, you can get lots of dental work, glasses, etc. :)</p> <p>Our initial plan was to look at IF treatments as a 2 year process. In 2014, we were going to max out DH's FSA (since we missed the boat on mine) and then save as much as we could during the year and try to cash flow Clomid, IUIs, etc. We planned to cut travel, holiday visits, etc. If the less invasive stuff wasn't working by the fall (when our next open enrollment period began) we'd max out BOTH FSAs for 2015 and just keep at it for IVF the following year.</p> <p>Some people also elect to have a lot of taxes withheld from their paychecks so they will get one large refund in the spring instead of thinking about saving every month. It depends on how good of a saver you are.</p> <p>Other tips I have are to try and coordinate certain IF services with your OB/GYN. A lot of times, the initial testing is stuff your OB/GYN can do but that you get charged full price for if an IF clinic does it. So sometimes IF clinics can arrange for your OB/GYN to prescribe some tests for you under your existing insurance coverage and then release those results to the clinic. It doesn't always work, but it did for us. We got 2 sperm analyses, hormone panels, and blood tests done through our regular insurance coverage when I was expecting to have to pay for them outright. I would have gotten my HSG and a follow up ultrasound covered too, but we got pregnant before that was scheduled. I think some of the prescription drugs would have worked out the same way, particularly for common drugs like Clomid or Metformin.</p> <p>The other thing is to ask for a price sheet from the clinic and stick it on your fridge. This way it will make it easier to say no to things when you can quantify the expense. Its easier to cut down a $160 cable bill or a weekend getaway when you know that's exactly how much _____ will cost, etc. </p> <p>Menu planning saved us a LOT of money. I plan a menu based on what's on sale, repeat the same sides or veggies a few times during the week, and try to find 2 or more recipes that share ingredients. At our most intense, I could feed us on $25-40 a week based on what I already had in the pantry and freezer. Even though we had only been eating out at "cheap" restaurants or grabbing lunch here and there, it was shocking how much money we saved when we buckled down. Crockpots are your friend.</p> <p>For household expenses, we got rid of cable and just got Netflix and Hulu and the NHL hockey package for DH. We watch it off an Apple TV that someone got us for Christmas. I even got rid of Netflix recently because there was a lot of overlap with the Amazon Prime videos we were getting with our Prime subscription. I put my Hulu account on hold after the seasons were over too, so I'm not paying for that now. </p> <p>Check to see if your employer gets a discount for your cellphone service. DH and I found we both get 15% off Verizon from our employers and applied to have those discounts added.</p> <p>We put our electric/gas bill on that plan where they average the cost out every month so that the expense is more predictable and easier to budget for. </p> <p>We checked our insurance policies again to see if we could get more competitive rates or if we could move some deductibles around. We double checked our credit card benefits to see if they offered certain services for free that we were currently paying for and found a couple that we could cancel.</p> <p>DH and I stopped caring about clothes and switched to "uniforms." Before I got pregnant, I wore 3-4 different pairs of black slacks with some kind of top and a cardigan just about everyday with 1-2 pairs of sturdy shoes. DH wore slacks, a button down, and Rockports every day. Same for outside work. We have a few outfits appropriate for each season and just wear them over and over. Everything I bought was on clearance or sale too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785175 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:43:33 +0000 deactivated_account 1785175@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FaithFertility: Were your IUIs $1,500 total per cycle and was that without any insurance coverage? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785169 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:41:49 +0000 BSB 1785169@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't have to budget as much anymore, though we should get back into it. But a few years ago, my DH had health issues and had to slowly quit working so we had to cut down our expenses and solely (?) rely on my income. </p> <p>We cut out cable and netflix. We couponed to save money. If you have a smart phone, you should download the Favado app. It allows you to compare local grocery store prices and then you can use coupons more efficiently. </p> <p>Call credit card companies to see if they will reduce your interest rate. </p> <p>Costco or Sam's club could save you money. You can share a membership with family or friends. Milk, eggs, fruit and frozen meals can be cheaper than grocery store prices. </p> <p>If you don't have a budget app, I would look into getting YNAB. Great app to track your spending and curb it. </p> <p>Joining cell phones to a family plan is good, too. You can go one step further and see if your cell phone plan is a mobile share plan. I just switched and it's saving us about $30 a month. (I have At&amp;T)</p> <p>I didn't do this, but I should. Try to sell anything and everything you can that you don't see yourself using again. Use craigslist or HB classifieds. That could add a few bucks. </p> <p>Bring lunch instead of buying lunch.</p> <p>See if you could cut down on your commute costs by taking a bus or vanpool to work. I cut down my car expenses, a lot, by doing this. I was putting 50 miles per day driving to work, and now I drive 10 miles to the vanpool pick up location.</p> <p>Re-evaluate your car insurance premiums. Is there anything you could do to make things cheaper? Raising deductible could save money. Shop around to other companies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785144 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:34:11 +0000 mrswin 1785144@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winter_wonder: It's so hard, we have universal health care here so for IUI's all my ultrasounds and blood work were covered but we paid $400 per cycle plus meds ($100-$200 per cycle) for them. We were able to cashflow this from month to month.<br /> Our IVF cycle was tough, meds went on CC because we are waiting for reimbursement from work benefits (no idea how this will work). We moved some money around from a trust I have and out general savings to pay for the procedure ($10,000).<br /> The money part of IF is super tough, just try to take it one day at a time. I know there are some grants in the US, I think Mrs.Tal was looking into this before she got pregnant. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785120 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:24:04 +0000 TheSwissWifeStyle 1785120@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winter_wonder: Hugs dear :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1785097 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:11:04 +0000 winter_wonder 1785097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you, ladies. I appreciate all of the advice and tips. I just had a breakdown yesterday feeling so upset about all of the money :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1784338 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 06:42:23 +0000 FaithFertility 1784338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We really had no insurance coverage once we started IUI cycles, just v am u/s was $200 per visit....IUI from start-finish was about<br /> 1,500 per cycle, I can't imagine IVF costs! </p> <p>We truly just were more frugal, $$ saved by just not spending causal and no crazy trips! </p> <p>Also just prayed, I know prayers don't put money in your account, but it helped me/us know we were not alone</p> <p>Prayers to you :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1783990 Sun, 27 Jul 2014 19:30:21 +0000 PurplePumps 1783990@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, I agree, it's not fair. I try to be sympathetic but when I hear people talk about how much they have to pay for day care, all I can think is at least you didn't have to pay years worth of day care to get knocked up in the first place!</p> <p>We've always been super frugal, so while we're not savings specifically for the IF treatments now, we generally save by...<br /> Always shopping the sales at the market, meal plan around it. Buy meat on really good sales and freeze for later. Stock up on non perishables a few times a year when they are super cheap. Same for all household items. Check slickdeals and fatwallet for super good deals on items. I never wait until I need things to buy then. I buy what I will need when it's a deal. Reuse grocery bags for trash bags. Use reuseable cloth towels instead of paper towels. Make coffee at home and bring lunch. Donate old items that you dont need/use for tax deduction or sell. I used to get holiday/season retail jobs for some extra money too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-savecut-down-other-costs-when-saving-for-if-treatments#post-1783961 Sun, 27 Jul 2014 19:01:07 +0000 winter_wonder 1783961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH and I are looking for creative ways to cut out some of other costs while trying to save more money for IF treatments. </p> <p>We cut the cable out this month and joined cell phone plans with his family to save a bit more. What else do others do?</p> <p>I just want to cry that we have to spend $$ on trying to get pregnant when others are prego so easily.... :bummed: </p>