Kind of OT: Food and Supplement Budgets

Oh you guys are so good - I would not know a budget if it hit me in the face! I buy what I need and whine about the prices because I basically think I am afraid to know the real amount. I know I spend about $150 to $180 a week in Walmart but often spend another $30-$50 during the week buying bread, milk and fresh stuff - my cupboards and freezer are stocked full yet there is never anything to eat in the house ;-) We eat out maybe once or twice a week - well Bill and Connor do -  I usually have something small or wait until I get home and eat leftovers that are for me only. I do need to budget because gas prices have gone so high that I now spend in 2 weeks what used to last me a month - that I hate!! And it is not that I can afford to do what I want - but I prefer to fool myself into not adding the totals up because I will scare myself.... I will not compromise on my vitamins and supplements though - to me cheaper does not always mean best!  I really look vey hard at what protein I am taking and what supplemts I take and make decisions based on that. And it is not really being selfish - I firmly believe that these are helping me to feel so healthy and if I am not healthy, the medical bills and subsequent treatments will be far more costly than paying what I pay. I signed up to this for life so it is a lifetime commitment.  And of course the day has not come that I have to worry about all of that yet.... Botton line is - our salaries are not going up the same way that food is nowadays and I think the government has the power to do something about oil prices if they really wanted to - the oil companies are making way too much profit and it is time for them to put some of it back!! Okay - off my soap box now! Jackie

Jackie actually helped me out on this one earlier... Since we are both government employees with Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), I remembered seeing a message she'd written about her FSA covering her vitamins and supplements.  She pointed me in the right direction on how to find out if they were covered under my plan.  I called my FSA administrator and found out that if my doctor indicated in writing once a year that these are medically necessary then they could be covered by the FSA, which effectively gives me a 30+% break on the costs due to the tax break.  Since I'd budgeted a huge amount in my FSA this year, I've collected up over $500 in receipts already to send in for reimbursement. So... if you have an FSA, check to see if and how you can get your vitamins and supplements covered.  While it won't reduce your gas and food costs, it will help!