That Time I Was Charged $100 For A Missed Appointment

See that? It happened. To me.

Earlier in November I missed my youngest daughter’s well child checkup, and I was slapped with a $100 fee. Crazy, right? Perhaps, but it is the policy of our pediatrician’s office, and I knew it. We love our doctors – we’ve been there 10 years – and while it absolutely STUNG, I took it like a woman and paid the fee. Well, not before whining about it and threatening to shop around.

Getting caught up in life, meetings, volunteering at school, working from home on this and this and this, teams at church, and trying to do an ounce of housework and a crap-ton of laundry – that’s my life. It’s my chaos.

But I’m human. And I will err.

Unlike many who follow a monthly cash budget, (gulp – can’t believe I’m putting this out there) we put nearly all of our purchases on our credit card.

{Gasp!}

Why, pray tell? Because we can track our expenses better than by paying with cash, and we earn cash back with our credit card. Cha. Ching.

And being the astute accountant-type that my husband is, we pay our bill off every month, avoiding fees.

Do I recommend doing what we do? Not at all; you need to figure out what works best for your family. For some, it’s setting a cash-only budget. For others, it’s looking for ways to earn rewards.

Spending and Black Friday

While our financial management system is working for us, it doesn’t work for everyone. And when you have the biggest shopping season of the year slapping you in the face everywhere you look, it’s easy to get caught up in great deals (ahem) and blow your budget.

Not to be outdone by major retailers, all of Capital One 360’s Black Friday Sale deals are designed to encourage consumers to keep their finances top-of-mind:

• Save $1,250 on closing costs for home loans
• Earn a $100 bonus for new checking accounts
• Earn a $100 bonus for new savings accounts
• Refer a friend for a $40 bonus
• New ShareBuilders can earn a bonus of up to $1,250

Visit Capital One 360’s Black Friday Sale to hopefully get a little more ‘cha ching’ back in your wallet.

And when you need it for beyond the holidays, there’s inspiration – with a side of hope.

Be sure to check out more of my frugal posts, such as:

• Black Friday Deals 2014
• Holiday Gift Guides
• Great gift ideas posted recently

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.