If you’ve made the move to a HDHP, paired with an HSA that is sponsored by your employer, there is a health insurance “sweet spot” that nobody ever really talks about that you should aim to hit. And it’s significant. Why? When you hit it, health care costs will effectively be zero for you and it will be one less thing you’ll have to stress about financially.

This sweet spot that I speak of occurs when your HSA balance (fed by employer’s contributions) exceeds your annual out-of-pocket maximum for the first time. When this happens, your health care expenses are limited only to the HDHP premiums that you pay for your insurance – which should already be less than a traditional health insurance plan because of the high deductible.

At this point, your cost of health care expenses that you will personally pay out-of-pocket are zero, and since HSA’s roll over from one year to the next, each subsequent year that you don’t have a major medical issue should also lead to zero health care expenses out of your pocket. On top of that, any additional contributions will continue to add up, extending your protection beyond one year.

Pretty nice, eh?

Here’s how to figure out what you need to do to hit this health care “nirvana”…

1. Find out what your Employer Contributes to your HSA

The amount your employer contributes to your HSA will vary, so you will need to find out what your employer offers. Most employers offer an annual contribution because HDHP’s save them cost on premiums versus traditional health insurance plans and they want to encourage their employees to enroll in them.

I’ve seen employers contribute up to the annual deductible amount. The annual deductible amount varies per the plan your employer offers, but the minimum allowed by the IRS is $1,200 per individual and $2,400 per family in both 2011 and 2012.

The annual deductible is the annual amount you are responsible for before your insurance kicks in. Once you hit this point, your expenses for a given year are limited since the HDHP will kick in and cover a large percentage (usually 90%-100%) of additional costs.

When your HSA balance exceeds your annual deductible, your risks of significant out-of-pocket expenses are pretty limited, but they can still occur. This is a great milestone to hit, but we want to take it one step further, which leads me to the second component…

2. Find Out what your Annual Out-of-Pocket Maximum is

Again, this will vary by employer. The maximum out-of-pocket allowed by the IRS for a HDHP per year is:

• 2011: individuals – $5,950, family – $11,900
• 2012: individuals – $6,050, family – $12,100

This is the most that you are ever responsible to pay out of your pocket for health care expenses in a given year. Once you hit this point with your HSA balance, you will no longer have any out-of-pocket expenses, so long as you stay on your employer’s plan. Even if you switch employers or become self-employed, you can take your HSA with you and if you sign up for a new HDHP you still may be safe from out-of-pocket expenses if your balance exceeds your new out-of-pocket maximum.

This amount may vary based on whether the medical services you receive are in-network or out-of-network. In-network will always be lower, so make sure that you stay in-network, if at all possible.

3. Calculate your “Sweet Spot” and Start Working Towards it

The equation is pretty simple. You will hit the sweet spot when:

HSA Balance – Out-of-Pocket Maximum >= $0

Whether that takes one, two, three, or more years, it’s a worthwhile milestone to set out to achieve.

My HDHP & HSA Example

1. My employee contributes $2,400 annually for the family plan
2. My out-of-pocket maximum is $4,800 annually for the family plan
3. So, technically, if I have zero health expenses over a two year period: ($2,400 x 2) – $4,800 = $0

It would only take me two years to hit health insurance nirvana. Having zero health expenses over a two year period is possible, if not likely, but you get the idea. What’s more likely is that I hit this point when my employer contributes at the start of year 3.

Health Care Nirvana Discussion:

• Have you reached this health care expense sweet spot?
• How much of an HSA balance would you need to exceed your out-of-pocket maximum?

Related Posts:

• Where to Get the Cheapest Flu Shots
• 6 Open Enrollment Season Must Do’s
• How to Buy Glasses Online
• 5 Part-Time Jobs with Health Insurance Benefits
• Over-the-Counter FSA, HSA, & MSA Changes

How to Reach Health Insurance Nirvana with your Employer’s HDHP & HSA is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

Why? I’m young, healthy, and I haven’t been to the doctor more than a few times in the last few years (knock on wood). As such, a HDHP offers me lower premiums than a traditional health insurance plan.

That was a huge selling point, but the other big selling point of the HDHP was the access it permitted to the HSA it is paired with (which my employer contributes to).

HSA’s are a key component to HDHP’s, so it’d only be prudent to give more detail on what they are, how to use one, and what medical expenses are covered.

What is a HSA?

HSA’s, or health savings accounts, are tax exempt accounts that allow you to contribute tax deductible funds that you can later use to pay for qualified medical expenses. Many HSA’s come with a debit card that makes the payment and accounting easy.

Unlike FSA’s, you own the HSA and can take it with you when you leave an employer. And when you turn 65, you can use HSA funds on not just medical expenses, but anything, without penalty.

HSA’s are very similar to traditional IRA’s or 401K’s in many ways:

• you can contribute tax deductible contributions through your employer, much like a 401K.
• you can invest the funds in the account.
• there are annual maximums.
• your employer can contribute to the account.
• the entirety of the balance rolls over from one year to the next.

The main difference is that you can cover qualified medical expenses with the account. Many HSA’s come with a debit card for you to use to cover these expenses.

What expenses does an HSA cover?

HSA Qualified Medical Expenses

There are a lot of medical expenses that you can use your HSA funds to cover. Some of the most common include dentist and doctor visits and procedures, prescription drug costs or co-pays, laser eye surgery, eye exams, contacts, eyeglasses, chiropractor, and birth control.

If you have any medical conditions that require special equipment or treatment, these expenses are typically covered as well.

For a full list of what medical expenses are covered by a health savings account, check out IRS publication 502.

What Expenses are not Covered by an HSA?

Publication 502 also has a list of items not covered as well. But two of the biggest expenses you may be wondering about are insurance premiums and over-the-counter drugs.

Generally, you cannot use your HSA to cover insurance premiums. There are some exceptions:

• COBRA premiums
• Medicare
• insurance premiums while you are unemployed

A new over-the-counter FSA, HSA, and MSA change in 2011 under the Affordable Care Act dictated that you can no longer use HSA’s to pay for over-the-counter medicine. Ironic that it was part of the Affordable Care Act, no?

Despite these two downers, HSA’s still offer incredible benefits over traditional insurance plans when it comes to covering medical related expenses.

If it’s not in Publication 502′s covered list, you can probably assume it’s not.

HSA Contribution Maximum Limits

Much like IRA’s and 401K’s, HSA’s have annual contribution limit maximums that are adjusted every year with inflation.

It’s likely too late to start contributing to an HSA in 2011, but the 2012 HSA contribution limits are:

• $3,100 for an individual
• $6,250 for a family

There is also an HSA catch-up contribution for those over age 55 of an additional $1,000 per year.

One big difference in HSA contribution maximums vs. 401K’s is that any employer contributions must be subtracted from the maximum contribution, whereas employer 401K contributions are completely separate.

For example, if you have an individual plan and your employer contributes $1,000 to your HSA during 2012, the maximum amount you could contribute would be $2,100 ($3,100-$1,000)  if you were under age 55.

Who is Eligible for an HSA?

In order to be eligible for an HSA:

What Happens to your HSA when you Switch Plans? Can you do a HSA Rollover?

When you leave an employer or end your participation in an HDHP, the HSA belongs to you. HSAs can be rolled over from one HSA to another if you are trying to consolidate, much like IRA’s can. You cannot roll over an HSA into an IRA or 401K.

Contributions made to an HSA belong to the participant immediately, regardless of who contributed (you or employer).

If you move back to a traditional insurance plan and stop using an HDHP, you can still use your HSA funds to cover qualified medical expenses.

HSA Vs. FSA: What’s the Difference?

If you’ve had an FSA in the past or are considering one, you are probably wondering how FSA’s differ from HSA’s. There are a few key difference between HSA’s and FSA’s.

• You own an HSA, your employer owns the FSA.
• You can roll over HSA funds from one year to the next, you cannot do this with an FSA.
• You can invest funds in an HSA, you cannot with an FSA.
• Contributions maximums between the two differ.

More Health Savings Account Info?

Check with your employer, as details around what they will contribute, HDHP premiums, and other factors may vary.

Also, check out IRS publication 969 for more on HSA’s. Also, check out my previous HDHP post for tips on determining if an HDHP makes sense for you.

Do you have an HSA? How has it worked for you?

Related Posts:

• Where to Get Cheap or Free Flu Shots
• How to Buy Glasses Online
• Part Time Jobs with Health Insurance

What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)? is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

I have had a few questions since around that declaration from people who were curious to know more about HDHP’s and I thought it may be beneficial to dedicate a post towards the topic.

What is an HDHP?

An HDHP is a type of health insurance plan that offers lower monthly premiums than more traditional plans like PPO’s or HMO’s in exchange for a higher deductible – hence the name “high deductible health plan”.

They are usually paired with a health savings account (HSA) that allows you and/or your employer to make tax deductible contributions to. You can later use the HSA to pay for your medical expenses, tax free.

More on HSA’s later.

What is a Health Insurance Deductible?

A health insurance deductible is the amount that you must pay before health insurance kicks in and starts paying. The deductible is an annual amount that usually resets at the beginning of the calendar year.

Once you’ve hit your annual deductible, then your insurance kicks in and starts helping. The HDHP may pay 80%, 90%, 100%, etc. of your health care costs at that point – it will vary based on your individual plan.

The minimum deductible amount for an HDHP as dictated by the IRS is $1,200 per individual and $2,400 per family in both 2011 and 2012. In other words, if you have an HDHP, your insurance will not kick in until you hit at least these minimums. Some HDHP’s may have higher deductibles than this.

What are HDHP Maximums?

A HDHP out-of-pocket maximum, or OOP’s, is the maximum amount you or your family are required to pay in any given year, before the HDHP covers any additional medical costs 100%.

This is important because if you have a high cost event or series of events (i.e. car accident, heart surgery, maternity), your out-of-pocket maximum protects you from serious financial hardship and possible bankruptcy.

The IRS HDHP maximum out-of-pocket limits are:

• 2011: individuals – $5,950, family – $11,900
• 2012: individuals – $6,050, family – $12,100

Your plan’s maximums may be lower, each plan varies.

Is a HDHP Right for me?

It depends. HDHP’s are generally great for those under 50 who have no serious documented health complications because the monthly premiums can be significantly lower than traditional HMO and PPO plans.

And if you’re in good health, your out-of-pocket expenses are likely going to be low. I ultimately made the switch because I am young and haven’t had more than 1 or 2 doctor visits in any given year in the last decade (knock on wood). This means that I probably haven’t spent more than a few hundred $ in any given year on health related costs.

I’m also in the situation where my employer offers an HSA with their HDHP and contributes an amount equal to my annual deductible to it. Anything I don’t spend rolls over every year, and in a few years I would have enough to cover an annual out of pocket maximum. Plus my premiums are lower with the HDHP vs. a PPO. So it makes a lot of sense for me.

These are the things you should be considering when deciding to switch to a high deductible plan:

• What is my present health?
• What will my annual deductible be?
• How do the premiums compare to a standard plan?
• What is the maximum out-of-pocket?
• Where can I find a HDHP?

If you are young and healthy, it is generally financially beneficial to view health insurance as a means to cover you in the event of very high cost events versus a way to cut the costs that may occasionally come up because you may end up paying more for your premiums than you are saving.

Where can I Find HDHP’s?

Check to see if your employer offers a HDHP and what the associated premium, deductible, and maximums are. Some employers offer HDHP’s, others do not.

Even if your employer does offer one, ALWAYS compare it to what is available on the free market. In many cases you will be able to find a cheaper alternative than what your employer offers.

The best source for comparing HDHP’s that I’ve found is eHealthInsurance.com. It’s an aggregator that compares the prices of dozens of insurers, which is key because prices can vary wildly based on age, gender, and health history. You need to shop around. I found my term life insurance plan there and have compared HDHP’s there too.

HDHP Discussion:

• Do you have an HDHP? How long have you had it? What has your experience been?
• What are your HDHP premiums, deductibles, and maximums?

Related Posts:

• Where to Get Cheap or Free Flu Shots
• How to Buy Glasses Online
• Over-the-Counter FSA, HSA, & MSA Changes

What is a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)? is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

November is open enrollment season (a.k.a. “annual enrollment” or simply “open season”) – an important time of the year for employees to review their benefit elections.

Open enrollment usually rolls around just once a year because it involves a ton of administrative work on behalf of employers to orchestrate. Employers like to have everything situated by the start of the new year, so open enrollment usually occurs within the October through December period. My employer’s open enrollment period is the first two weeks of November.

There are exceptions – if you start with an employer at another time of the year or you have a life changing “qualifying event” like a marriage, divorce, death in the family, or birth of a child.

The urge to simply stick with the benefits you’ve had will be tempting, but it is extremely important to carefully review your employee benefits as they usually change every year. It will be to your… BENEFIT.

1. Review your Health Insurance Plans

First and foremost, always review your employer’s health insurance options every year. In a given year your employer could add or drop a new health insurance option or prices could go up or down for some of the options.

For example, my employer launched a new HDHP (high deductible health plan) that is paired with an HSA contribution that is pretty significant. It offered lower premiums and if I don’t use all of the HSA contributions, it rolls over and I can take it with me if I were to leave my job. For someone who is young and in good health and has no kids, it seemed like the perfect fit.

There are other considerations than price, of course. Model out the cost in a best and worst case scenario for each plan before making your decision.

If you have a separate dental and vision plan, review these as well.

2. Review your Voluntary Group Insurance Options

Many employers offer their employees some sort of life and disability insurance coverage (i.e. 2X annual salary). On top of that, some will offer employees an option to voluntarily buy additional insurance coverage.

It is definitely worth looking at the group insurance rates to see if they are more competitive than what you can get on the open market.

If you do opt for additional coverage, the cost of the coverage is deducted from your paycheck.

3. Update your Beneficiaries

Ideally you will have updated your beneficiaries during a qualifying event. If you haven’t, however, open enrollment is a great reminder to do so.

4. Review your Withholding Tax Exemptions

Most employers allow you to update your withholding tax allowances, or exemptions, at any point in time. Who’s good at remembering to do that? Not me. Open enrollment offers an opportunity to update your exemptions.

If you have or will come across a big change in income during the year, it’s wise to review your number of exemptions to see if it makes sense to contribute more or less taxes throughout the year. You don’t want to get hit with a huge tax penalty or get too big of a refund come tax time.

5. Change your Retirement Savings Contributions

Another year will hopefully bring higher income, and as a result, potential for you to raise your retirement savings contributions. The IRS just announced that the 2012 401K maximum contribution has increased to $17,000 for individuals, presenting an opportunity to increase your contributions if you were already maxing out.

The 2012 maximum IRA contributions will stay the same, but income limits have increased due to inflation.

6. Elect your Annual FSA, HSA, or MSA Contributions

During open enrollment, you can elect what kind of contributions you would like to add to your FSA, HSA, or MSA for the year. These contributions will then be deducted from your paycheck.

If you’re making first-time contributions, review the big FSA, HSA, and MSA changes made last year (no more over-the-counter).

Also, keep in mind that FSA’s contributions do not typically roll over from one year to the next, so make sure to use it or lose it! Eye-glasses/contacts are a big expense that should be covered. Check out my post how how to buy glasses online if you have never done it and would like recommendations of where to do it. Flu shots are also covered.

Open Enrollment Discussion:

What changes did you make this open enrollment season. Why?

6 Open Enrollment Season Must-Do’s is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

On average, approximately 5% to 20% of U.S. residents get the flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications each year. Over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.

And consider all of the medicine you will be buying if you do get the flu and lost income from work if you are not on salary or lost personal days that would have been your winter or summer vacation. Not to mention the potential cost of doctors visits or hospitalizations. Despite all of that, less than 40% of Americans get flu shots each year, which just blows my mind. It is a smart financial decision to get a flu shot, especially since the most you should ever have to pay is $30 or less. In many cases, flu shots are free!

Flu Shot Effectiveness Rate & Time Before it Takes Effect

I just got my flu shot this past week at my employer for free. After watching both of the aforementioned cashiers blow their nose in front of me after having handled my purchases, I started wondering how long it takes for a flu shot to take effect. According to the CDC’s flu.gov site, it generally takes about 2 weeks for the flu vaccine to protect you from catching the flu virus. Great. Needless to say, I washed my hands after unpacking my groceries.

Flu shot effectiveness rate is widely disputed. There are many variables – age, severity during that year, new strains, unreported cases, and even effectiveness by manufacturer – that make it hard to nail down an effectiveness rate. I’ve seen it reported as anywhere from 40% to 90%. Regardless of effectiveness rate, there is no risk in getting the flu from a flu shot, so sign me up.

Getting Free Flu Shots

There are a number of places to get a free flu shot:

1. Your Employer

My employer offered free flu shots to all employees this year. They also offered free flu shots to family members, for the first time. My wife and I jumped at the opportunity. Check with your employer to see if they will be offering free flu shots this year. If they are not, offer up this feedback – the overall economic impact of the flu in the U.S. is $87.1 billion each year. According to the Center for Prevention and Health Services, the flu indirectly costs your employer about $76.7 million, on average, in missed work and other indirect costs like healthcare.

2. Your Physician through your Health Insurance

Indirectly, through your employer, your health insurance will likely cover free flu shots. In most cases, you will only have to pay your co-pay for a visit to your physician. If you don’t have a copay, it’s essentially free.

3. Your County Health Department

Many county health departments offer free flu shots to children and the elderly. However, increasingly they are offering this service to everyone. The only downside is the potential for long waiting lines. Check out your county or cities website for more information.

The Cheapest Flu Shot Locations

If you don’t have health insurance, or an employer or county health department offering free flu shots, there are a number of retailers offering fairly cheap flu shots. If you do have health insurance that covers flu shots, it might even be more convenient than going to your doctor and in the case of CVS, you will even get a $5 gift card back.

• CVS Flu shots: Costs $29.99. You also get a $5 gift card if your insurance doesn’t cover the flu shot.
• Costco Flu Shots: Costs $20. The cheapest on this list if you don’t have insurance.
• Walgreen’s Flu Shots: No cost listed. Insurance acceptance varies. Usual co-pay applies.
• Rite Aid Flu Shots: Costs $27.99. Insurance acceptance varies. Usual co-pay applies.
• Meijer Flu Shots: Costs $24.99. Insurance acceptance varies. Usual co-pay applies.
• WalMart Flu Shots: Costs $25. Insurance acceptance varies. Usual co-pay applies.

Also, check out the CDC’s Flu.gov flu shot locator website, which will provide a map of locations by you that offer flu shots.

Free or Cheap Flu Shot Discussion:

• Are you getting a flu shot this year? Why or why not?
• Did I miss any locations or ways to get a free flu shot? Share in the comments!

Related Posts:

• What is an HSA?
• What is a High Deductible Health Plan?
• 4 Things to do Before Open Enrollment Closes
• How to Achieve Health Insurance Nirvana

Where to Get Cheap or Free Flu Shots is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

I was on this high-protein, low-fat, low-carb kick, and she was still eating a meat and potatoes type diet. My low-fat meals got her thinking about what she was eating and she decided to take things a step further and start looking into a vegetarian diet.

We tried out some new dinners and decided that this veggie thing wasn’t half bad. I educated myself and overcame my fears about not getting enough protein in my diet (just about everything has protein, except for fruit).

Today, I very occasionally eat poultry, seafood, and if in an ‘eat it or miss a meal’ situation, I’ll still eat just about anything. For the most part though, I’d classify myself as a non-strict vegetarian. Here’s some food for thought (pun-intended) on becoming vegetarian…

The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

There are a lot of positive benefits to eating a mostly vegetarian diet:

• It’s much more sustainable and low-impact on the planet: According to Thom Hartmann in The Prophet’s Way, it takes 16 pounds of grain/soy and 5,214 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of edible beef (the same amount of water one American uses on showers in a year, on average). Tomatoes, for comparison, only need 23 gallons of water per edible pound. Another fun fact: You can produce 30,000 pounds of carrot on an acre of farmland, but only 250 pounds of beef. How about this? It takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of protein from beef, while only 2 calories of fuel to produce a calorie from soybeans. Another? The amount of pesticide use per acre of corn (the main feed for livestock), has increased 100,000% since 1945. Meat also strongly contributes to global warming. You get the idea.
• It’s humane: Every meat eater should watch video of a slaughter house or caged chickens with their beaks cut off so they don’t peck out each other’s eyes, to at least appreciate the hell that animal went through before it ended up on your dinner plate (if not the physical condition the animals are in). I’m not going to sit on a soapbox and label meat eaters as bad people or make them feel guilty about eating meat, but I do think that this world would be a better place if everyone was conscious of the conditions their food came from, demanded better conditions through their purchasing decisions, and appreciated the sacrifice from the animals.
• It’s more sanitary: There’s just something unappealing about the thought of eating dead flesh that has been passed around and is rotting and growing bacteria with each passing day. Check out the videos on the previous point, if you’re not convinced of the unsanitary conditions that most of our animal products come from. Out of sight isn’t out of mind for me.
• Time & Effort: Vegetarian dishes, on average, are a lot easier and quicker to cook. With meat you have to thaw, prepare, slow cook, and there’s usually more of a mess to clean up.

The Two Reasons I have Stayed Vegetarian

The previous four positive benefits have definitely helped keep me on course, but two other benefits really stand out as being the keystones behind my continued vegetarianism:

• Taste: It just tastes better to me. Meat and potatoes is extremely boring to me now. Getting rid of both has opened up a world of new flavors and a variety of foods to me. Just as many meat eaters can’t imagine what a life without meat is like, I cannot imagine what a life of going back to eating a lot of meat is like. People always ask me, “Don’t you ever just miss a big juicy steak?”. No! I’ve been on both sides, and I have absolutely no desire to go back, if for no other reason than veggie dishes just taste better to me.
• Health: I don’t have to worry about consuming growth hormones and antibiotics and eating all of the saturated fats and cholesterol. As a result, I feel healthier than ever. And “we all die someday” is not a legit argument to eat a bunch of crap, in my opinion. It’s a cliche phrase usually given by people who don’t want to come to grips with their unhealthy eating habits. A 50% reduction in meat consumption reduces your risk of heart attack by 45% (source: The Prophet’s Way).

The Cost of a Vegetarian Diet

You knew I’d be getting around to this at some point!

In my latest stroll through the supermarket, an average pound of  ground beef costs around $5 and a pound of chicken breasts $4. Prices vary widely by cut, but these were just the standard, non-organic, hormonal varieties.

A pound of canned black beans, on the other hand, costs just under $1.

What follows is a VERY SIMPLE illustration, but assuming a couple consumes a pound of meat combined per meal and eat meat in 14 meals per week – and then made the switch to the same amount of beans or some other low cost vegetable, grain, or legume as a substitute – they could potentially save $2,200-$3,000 per year. Just making the switch away from meat for four meals a week would save them roughly $600-$800 per year.

Yes, you can be a cheap vegetarian.

If you’re married or living with your significant other, I strongly recommend that you consider this a joint decision. It’s hard as hell for one person to be a vegetarian or vegan and the other to be a meat lover. Food is such a huge component of a healthy relationship. That being said, if your significant other is not on board, win them over by working in a few meals per week, and gradually increase from there. =)

The money itself would not be reason enough for me to switch from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian diet, but it surely re-affirms that choice. For someone in a financial pinch, perhaps it is strong enough reason in itself. When you add in all of the other benefits, it seems like a great choice for someone trying to save money.

Vegetarian Discussion:

• Are you a vegetarian? Why or why not?
• If you made the switch to being vegetarian, how much did it save you on your groceries?
• Have you considered making the switch to vegetarian simply to save money?

Related Posts:

• Bottled Water vs. Tap Water Cost
• 10 Ways to Save Money on Food
• My 4 Favorite Grocery Store Chains
• How to Save Money on Groceries without Sacrifice

Frugality through Vegetarianism: How to Save $2-$3K Per Year & the Planet by Moving Away from a Meat-Based Diet is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

One week a year, the U.S. National Park Service hosts ‘National Park Week‘. This year, during the week of April 16-24, 2011, more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance or use fees are waiving them.

For a complete list of the parks that are waiving fees, the NPS has put together a ‘free park entrance‘ list. It’s worth noting that many of the most popular parks are on this list, which includes:

• Everglades National Park (Florida)
• Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
• Yellowstone National Park (Idaho)
• Acadia National Park (Maine)
• Yosemite National Park (California)
• Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
• Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

Almost three-quarters of national parks do not charge entrance fees. Note that ‘free’, in this case, refers to entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation fees. It does not cover tours, camping, concessions, or third-party fees, unless the individual park states otherwise.

Since it’s still going to be pretty darn cold in late April in the northern half of the country (particularly those at high altitudes), you might want to check with the park that you’re interested in visiting to make sure that roads are open.

2011 Free National Park Days

If you can’t make it out in April, the other free national park entrance fee days in 2011 include:

• Tuesday, June 21 (the first day of summer)
• Saturday, September 24 (Public Lands Day)
• Friday-Sunday, November 11-13 (Veterans Day weekend)

Free Entrance to National Parks Year-Round

Believe it or not, national park passes are often of of the free things you can get from the library. Your library might have restrictions on how long you can reserve the pass, and you’ll probably want to book the passes far in advance.

For more updates from the National Park Service, they have a fairly active Facebook page with 70,000 fans and an even more active Twitter account.

National Park Discussion:

• Have you been to a national park during free National Park Week or on a free day? Which one, and was it overcrowded?
• What is your favorite national park or the next one on your hit list?

Related Posts:

• How to Train for Backpacking
• 20 Backpacking Tips
• Backpacking Gear & Supplies Tips

Start Planning Now for a Free National Park Week Trip in April is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

If you have contributed funds to a flexible spending account (FSA) this year, you have approximately two weeks left (December 31 deadline) to use the funds before they vanish into thin year. And that would be a true shame, since it was your money!

On top of that, 2011 FSA changes present another interesting dilemma. As part of the Affordable Care Act, you can no longer purchase over the counter medicine or drugs without a prescription with your FSA funds starting in 2011.

Here are three ways that you can use up this year’s remaining FSA balance before it’s too late (make sure your employer’s plan allows each of the following).

1. Eyeglasses or Contacts

If you have a decent balance you need to use up, eyeglasses are an FSA eligible medical expense that you can use your FSA to pay for. I’m a big fan of purchasing glasses online because they are usually one-tenth of the price and you can purchase a few different pairs and pick out a favorite. A while back, I wrote a guide on how to buy glasses online. A few of the better online glasses retailers include:

• BestBuyEyeGlasses.com
• FramesDirect.com
• GlassesUSA.com
• EyeBuyDirect.com
• 39dollarglasses.com

Contacts are FSA deductible as well.

2. Over-the-Counter Drugs/Medicine

Due to the 2011 FSA changes mentioned earlier, you will no longer be able to purchase over the counter drugs and medicine with your FSA funds. But what is stopping you from loading up on the items that you consistently use in the remaining days in 2010? Nothing. So go for it. Just make sure you take proper precautions when doing so, so that down the road you aren’t using expired medicine because you bought so much of it.

Yeah, your pharmacist might be a little concerned when you walk up to the counter with 10 bottles of Nyquil and 10 boxes of pain killer, but it’s your money, so go for it.

3. Dental Visit/Annual Physical

If you’re past due for a dental visit or annual check-up with your physician, you can try to squeeze in an appointment before the new year and use your FSA to cover your co-pay or any additional charges.

4. Prescription Medicine

If you do visit your doctor, you can ask them if they will cut you a prescription for an extended quantity. For example, if your prescription is for the standard 30-day supply, you could ask your doctor if they will make out a prescription for a 90-day supply. This way, you can pay for everything up front and use up that leftover FSA money instead of using funds next year for the same prescription.

More FSA Eligible Items

Check out IRS Publication 502 for a complete list of IRS FSA eligible medical expenses.

FSA Discussion:

What are some clever ways you have used to deplete your FSA funds?

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• How Does the Economy & Your Income Impact Health?
• What is an HSA?
• What is a HDHP?
• How to Reach Health Insurance Nirvana

4 FSA Eligible Expenses to Make Before it’s Too Late is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

August is almost over, and that means there’s about two good months of summer left if you’re in a northern climate. Live it up before the cold and snow rolls in, and the regret that comes with it for not getting outside and having some fun while you had the chance.

Unfortunately, a lot of traditional outdoor summer activities can really cut into your entertainment budget. A round of golf, day at the amusement park, the ballpark, and outdoor concerts can run between $50-$100 per person. And other than going for a walk or sitting on your porch, there aren’t really any truly ‘free’ things to do when you factor in transportation costs.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun.

Here’s a list of 10 outdoor summer activities that will cost you no more than $10. Many of which, you’ve probably done at some point, but may have forgotten how cheap and fun they really were.

1. Pick Berries

U-Pick berry farms are awesome. You get ripe berries right off of the vine for 25-50% of what you’d pay in the store, you support a local farm, and you can have fun doing it. Two tips: Wear a mosquito net or bring bug spray (I got eaten alive the last time I did this), and try to find a local farm that does not spray insecticide on their berries.

Total Cost: $9 for 3 quarts

2. Dog Park!

If you have a dog (and even if you don’t) the dog park can bring hours of cheap entertainment and socializing – with humans AND dogs. Unless you have a super-submissive dog that is always getting beat up or an agressive dog that is always beating up others, it’s hard to leave the dog park without having a good time. Just make sure to bring plenty of cold water to keep your dog hydrated and cool, plus a poop bag (or three).

Total Cost: Free

3. Potluck BBQ

Invite your friends or neighbors over for a backyard BBQ. If you’re the host, buy $10 worth of hot dogs and burgers and use Google Docs to create a collaborative sign-up sheet with a list of stuff that people can choose to bring so that you have everything covered.

Total Cost: $10

4. Fly a Kite

If you’re a jaded, bitter adult, this may sound ridiculous. If you’re not, there’s something that brings the kid out in you when you get that cheap $7 kite you bought from Meijer or Wal-Mart up in the air for the first time.

Total Cost: $7 for a cheapie

5. Bike Ride

Mapping out a good bike ride to places you haven’t biked before is never time poorly spent. I have recently re-discovered by love for bike riding as a means of transportation to and from work. Going new places, getting that exercise, and building up a good sweat is a great way to spend a weekend afternoon in the summer.

Total Cost: Free,  minus the wear and tear on your bike

6. High School Football Game

High school football will be starting up soon and whether you recently graduated or not, it’s pretty good Friday night entertainment at a cheap price (if you like the game of football). Be careful though, those $4 cups of soda will really get ya.

Total Cost: $10/pair of tickets

7. Take a Dip in the Community Pool

Not every community has one, but those that do can provide a day of fun. My city has a 50 meter lap pool with a water slide. Admission for adults is $4/each and kids 3 and under are free. Don’t forget your towel, sunglasses, and sunscreen!

Total Cost: $8/pair

8. Walk a Dog or Comfort Cats at your Local Humane Society

Before we brought home our wonderful duck tolling retriever from our local Humane Society, my wife and I would volunteer dog walk every weekend for about a year. It was a great way to stay-in-shape, feel good about yourself, and give the animals a temporary reprieve from their stressful shelter environment. Most shelters also have ‘cat comforting’ as well (imagine being a cat in a shelter full of hungry, barking, stressed out dogs).

Total Cost: Free

9. Bottle of Wine at Sunset

I’m not advocating getting busted for public open alcohol container, but if you don’t have a view from your yard, you’ve got to go somewhere, right? Just make sure you have a way to get home safely.

Total Cost: $6-$10 for a decent bottle

10. Build a House

Habitat for Humanity is always looking for additional volunteers to help build houses. In doing so, you are demonstrating good will in your community, getting outdoors and meeting other like-minded folks, and learning or refining some pretty handy skills.

Total Cost: $3 for a good pair of work gloves

What cheap fun summer activities have you done this summer?

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• 55 Marketable Hobbies you can Get Paid for
• An Introduction to Urban Homesteading

10 Fun Summer Activities for Under $10 that you May Have Forgot About is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.

When playing the ‘is it still good?’ game with your food and its shelf life, it’s fairly easy to jump to your own conclusions about what ‘Sell by’, ‘Use by’, and ‘Best if Used by’ mean. For example, one may fear that they will get sick and drop dead if eating something after the ‘use by’ date, but not feel the same fears about the exact same product if it had the same date on it, but was instead stamped with ‘sell by’.

But what does each guideline really mean? And is it really safe to eat the food after the use or sell by dates versus throwing it away?

Food Waste is a Huge Problem

Why does it matter? According to an 8-year University of Arizona study on U.S. Food Waste, “Americans are tossing out at least $75 billion in food each year…The average American family throws away 14 percent of their food. In terms of money, that’s almost $600 every year in meats, fruit, vegetables and grain products.” Other estimates pin U.S. food waste as high as 33 percent.

That’s a lot of money and a lot of waste. Cutting this waste would save you money, lower overall food prices, and lead to a significant reduction in carbon impact and other environmental damage. And knowing what shelf-life dates mean is the first step in cutting food waste.

Lax Federal Regulation on Food Shelf-Life Dating

Believe it or not, food dating is only required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) in the United States for baby infant formula and some baby foods, in the form of a ‘use by’ date. Other than that, there is no uniform food shelf life dating system. Food dating, at some level, is required by 20 states. However, many states have no food dating regulations at all.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some consistencies and rules that you should follow around food shelf life.

Use By Date

A ‘use by date’ is the product manufacturers recommended date to use the product in order to still get peak quality. After that date, the product quality could decline, and if proper storage measures aren’t used, your health could be at risk. Many manufacturers voluntarily include ‘use by’ dates because they want their customers to experience their food at its highest quality, in order to grow customer loyalty. They also serve as a ‘we told you so’ warning if you consume the food or drink after the date and it has gone bad.

It is generally recommended that you use a product by its ‘use by’ date. However, products can be kept for much longer periods if refrigerated below 40 degrees F or frozen.

Best if Used By/Best Before Date

‘Best if used by’, aka ‘best before’ dates are recommended use dates as determined by the manufacturer to get the highest quality version of the product, but are not aligned to food safety dates as ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates are.

Sell By Date

‘Sell by’ dates are intended to serve as a guideline for grocers to sell the manufacturers products. Foods with expired sell by dates can still be at their best quality and safe to eat if stored properly. However, as a consumer, it might be wise to buy inventory at your grocer that has a further out ‘sell by’ date versus one that has already expired.

There might also be an opportunity to bargain with grocers to get a lower price on foods that are at or past their ‘sell by’ date. Many grocers automatically mark down foods that are approaching the ‘sell by’ date, and it never hurts to ask those who do not for a discount.

Sell By Storage Guidelines

Here are some FSIS Guidelines for refrigerated products sell by dates. FSIS recommends that you follow ‘use by’ dates, and recommends freezing or cooking the fresh foods by the following timeline with ‘sell by’ or no dates.

They also recommend the following storage times for processed foods packaged at a food plant.

Using Common Sense on Shelf-Life

These are some great guidelines, but it also pays to use some common sense guidelines around food expiration:

1. If you’re not going to eat something with a few days, just freeze it.
2. If it smells bad, don’t eat it.
3. If it looks bad, don’t eat it.
4. If it has mold on it, don’t eat it.
5. If it is perishable, at least refrigerate it.
6. Perishable food doesn’t like air. Keep things covered and sealed.
7. Wash your hands before touching perishable foods

Shelf Life Discussion

• What rules do you follow around shelf life?
• Do you ever bargain with grocers if a food is at or has passed its ‘sell by’ date. What kind of response do you get?

Related Posts:

• 10 Food Rules to Save you Money & Improve your Health
• Save on Groceries? Don’t Sacrifice these 6 Food Characteristics
• 4 Tips to Saving Money on Groceries
• 4 Best Grocery Store Chains

How to Navigate ‘Sell by’, ‘Use by’, & ‘Best Before’ Dates in Order to Cut Down on Food Waste is copyrighted by 20somethingfinance.com without consent to republish.