Wellness is Expensive
Life is expensive. And wellness is too. Period.
I know this has been a topic my followers have been asking for. I get so many questions about how I afford everything, how I budget everything, and how I keep track of it all.
Here’s the truth of it - tracking my wellness-related finances is pretty much a part-time job. I don’t say that to discourage you from the exercise. But rather establish my own credibility here. It's my money on the line whether it's tax incentivized or out-of-pocket. There will be no dark spots or lack of clarity about what I spend on my care. Remember, I see providers with more frequency than most people.
To humanize this conversation, James and I are putting off undertaking larger home renovations while we work to level out my care costs. I know on the gram you see pretty, aesthetic photos of us, our trips, and so on. We opted to prioritize travel and our first few years of marriage, instead of immediately jumping into home renovations. There’s always truth behind the photos.
And here is ours. James has been such a safety net for me these last 3 years. He’s been the reason I’ve been able to settle in and get comfortable with where I am, presently, versus constantly hustling (maybe too hard) towards the next step. Don’t get me wrong the hustle is still there, but I’m not operating from a place of high cortisol and fight or flight. TBH - I operated that way for my first 4 years in corporate America. I was so concerned with making a home for myself in Auto, while also balancing my healthcare struggles, alone and in silence.
Literally, I had a boyfriend in 2016 and knew I had an excision surgery scheduled - I dumped him because I knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with my recovery and I'd suffer. I made decisions like this with my relationships all the time. Oftentimes without including the other person in the discussion...whoops
With James, I was finally able to breathe and lean on someone else, who loves and respects me and happily takes on as much of the burden as I will give him.
James and I comingle our finances to a degree. We have our own 401ks and investment accounts where we are each other's beneficiaries, and we have our own checking accounts. We’re in the process of making sure I’m not only on the mortgage but also on the title to our home, in addition to making sure the estate is in order. We’re working towards paying off debt (mortgage, my master’s degree, etc..,) so we can effectively live off of his salary, the bank most of mine, and play with the rest. That’s the goal, and it will take a bit of time for us to get there. I want you to remember goals are not immediate, and they take work to get to.
When it comes to my health, there really isn’t a limit. Now, let me explain. This does not mean I am running around at MedSpas, or loading up on botox and pedicures. It means, there are things that are vital to my wellness and things that support my wellness. Since I am both recovering from surgery and working on restorative and proactive physical therapy, this year has been more expensive than most.
So what do I classify as wellness?
In my book, that’s everything medical and self-care. And I think self-care also includes hobbies...
So here's the non-exhaustive list:
Annual Appts (ob, dental, vision, derm., gp, etc.,)
HS-related care - this is almost exclusively my derm & STAT Wellness
Restorative and proactive care (PT & Chiro)
Mental health
Facials
Aesthetic upkeep game
IV/Injections
Nails
Hair
Massage
Travel/hobbies
These categories are non-exhaustive. I'm sure there are others I'm missing.
I recently had a conversation with a friend that is a Sr. Nail Technician. She’s married and both she and her husband have health insurance. But through our many conversations over the basic bitch colors I rotate through for my nails we’ve uncovered some interesting things.
Not all insurance is created equal
Understanding what things should cost and how your provider's bill is unavoidable
Just because your FSA or HSA is empty does not mean your insurance has run out - in fact, the two plans are not dependent on each other
Network deductibles and co-insurance levels
Organizing appointments and billing, making new appointments (becoming an established patient), and talking about boundaries you have with new providers is daunting
Neglecting self-care often exasperates when clinical care is needed
Knowing what medications you may likely need over the course of the year
So I asked her - what could I write about that would be most helpful. And her response was, “How do you stay organized,” How do you get mentally ready for appointments”, and "How do you look at your budget". There are sub-questions within these questions like finances and types of appointments and I’ll get into those.
Here’s the truth of it - I didn’t become vigilantly organized and disciplined in keeping up with my healthcare until recently. I’m not really sure why it happened - I think I just became enraged at the cost of care and had more time to devote to it because of the pandemic. Either way, there’s a benefit for all of us. There's a tremendous amount of research that talks about a healthy workforce being a productive one, you can google it and you'll see it for yourself.
So here’s my closing ask -
I’m taking on a small group of folks who are interested in answering those questions for themselves. Understanding the care limits, and setting themselves up for success. I’ll provide you with all the templates, organization tools, and general knowledge possible to best navigate and budget for your wellness journey. If any of this is relevant to you, or you just want to grow your knowledge, or you're unsure where to start, send me a message at info@curatedandcollected.blog or DM me on Instagram.
With brutal honesty, wrapped in good intentions.
@yasmeenemilia