Scrolling through your Facebook feed can create loads of different reactions. You can be thrilled to see your college friend welcome her new son into the world. You can be happy that your little cousin is engaged. You might even feel disgust when you see some of those news articles pop up, but there is another side to Facebook most don’t think about.

Keeping up with the Joneses.

You see only what your Facebook friends want you to see. Their new car, their fancy vacation, beautiful engagement ring and so on. You don’t see what’s behind the camera.

It’s like the fancy neighborhood in town, you drive by dreaming of what it must be like to live in that home. But what you don’t see is the bare furniture through out the home. They are barely keeping their head above water and can’t afford to actually furnish the home.  This is just an example.  Not everyone with big homes are drowning, but you get the idea.

We have to stop comparing ourselves to others. It’s severely hurting ourselves.

We start thinking how unfair it is that so-and-so can travel to the Bahamas while you’re putting every dime you have away to buy your first home.

What you don’t realize is that we are all in different stages of life. Sure you and your friends are welcoming kids into the world around the same time, but other than that nothing is the same. Your job is different than her job, your husband’s is different that her husband’s. You live in a rural community and she lives in a big city. Everything is different.

Money works differently for every person. What might be a priority to you, may not even cross the radar of another.

We have to stop comparing ourselves to others and work on our own goals. (Tweet that!)

Who cares if you aren’t where you think others are. They probably aren’t as accomplished as they are portraying in that staged Facebook post.

So how do you stop the money comparisons?

It’s hard since we have it thrown in our face every day. You have to remember that we don’t see what’s behind the camera. By remembering that one facet, it can really help stop the jealously.

I tend to not get too hung up on Facebook and Instagram images. I see a pretty picture and like it, but then I tend to let it go from my mind. I don’t get caught up on where they are or how they afford it.

You don’t know what others are saying or thinking about you. You may be the point of envy for someone else. Remember the grass is always greener.

If you are wildly focused on reaching your goals then you won’t have time to think about what others are doing. Just stay on your dream and keep working hard to accomplish it.

Having a baby back in April has really tapped out some of our funds. I have pretty good insurance, but I still have a deductible to hit and an out-of-pocket. So once Baby arrived, I knew we would be receiving some medical bills. Then when he went into the NICU, I knew there would be even more.  I had built up our emergency fund as much as we could to help with the costs of delivery.  I even treated the delivery as a sinking fund to really help get us off on the right foot.  

I kept being told to call the hospital and enter into a payment plan, but did you know a payment plan doesn’t stop them from sending you to collections?

Yep!

The hospital can still send you to collections even when you have a payment plan with them.

It happened last year when J had to see a specialist. We entered into a plan at the hospital and then about 3 months later I received a collections notice. I was furious! I called the hospital and paid off my balance immediately.

Then I did research. With the changes in the healthcare laws, hospitals can send you to collections sooner and even if you’re making sizable payments.

This time I called to see what options I had. I learned that if you pay in full then you receive a 20% savings.

20%!

I had 20% knocked off every single bill by paying them in full.

Even on the smaller ones that were less than $100. You just have to ask them for a discount if you’re willing to pay in full that day, over the phone. Then you actually have to pay them that day.

You can try to talk them down more, but I wasn’t successful once I got them down to 20%. I even tried with both hospitals and they stopped at 20%. But that was still a sizable savings in our books!

If you don’t have the money, then see if you could borrow it. It ended up being over $1,000 savings for J and I.  It would be well worth it, if you’re able to get the money in time.  I shared all about how we financially prepared for baby a few weeks back and it really helped out!

Just make sure you ask for the savings.  They aren’t going to willing knock off 20%. I would make sure to get a copy of a receipt or payment confirmation showing your account is satisfied.

How do you save on your medical bills?  Let me know!