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This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Last year, my aunt underwent dental surgery that could have cost her thousands of dollars. The cheapest quote she got in the U.S. was $45,000. To get affordable health options, and save money, she sought out-of-country care. She told me she saved more than $20,000 when I told her about my dental emergency.

I was surprised to learn she’d had her teeth fixed because all I’d heard was that she’d gone on vacation to Mexico during the summer. I interrogated her over the phone.

“What did you get done?”

“Gum surgery and implants” she said.

“Ouch! Guess bad teeth run in the family. How did you pick the dentist?”

“I got quotes last time we went to see your grandma.”

“So how much did you end up paying in total with travel?

“The round-trip cost $500, which we already planned to pay to go visit. The bill was $24,250. Everything was $24,750.”

“What if there would have been complications?”

“That’s why we stayed over the whole summer just in case I had to go back. But everything went well. Plus the dentist studied and worked here [in the U.S.] so I knew he had experience.”

Things worked out well for my aunt. She didn’t have to worry about losing hours at work since she gets the summers off. Housing was also not a problem since she stayed with relatives. These are all things you must take into consideration because they will add to the expenses.

Would I travel to another country to get inexpensive dental or doctor care? I’m not sure. I guess it depends on the kind of care I needed. I wouldn’t do it to take care of a cavity or two. Normally, I’d jump at the opportunity to save that kind of money. But I’m hesitant to say yes because I’d be scared something would go wrong and I’d find myself in a country I know little about.

My aunt’s surgery went without a glitch, but if something had gone wrong her health and dental insurance from work wouldn’t have covered expenses. Since all her expenses where covered out of pocket, she would’ve had to fork over more money. Not only that, according to this NPR story, if something goes wrong in surgeries abroad there may not be much you can do. At least, in the states we have malpractice laws and medical standards that can help right a wrong.

Would you consider going out of country to get low-cost medical or dental care?

Stop! Medical expenses can lower your taxes. Credit: TruthOut.org/Flickr

Keith Mendonsa, a tax expert from eHealthInsurance.com, shared the following four ways to reduce your taxes with health-related expenses. Consult an accountant or certified tax professional for more information about how these four tax deductions apply to you.

1. Health tax deductions: A new deduction this year and only this year let’s self-employed persons deduct the cost of their health insurance premiums from their self-employment taxes on Schedule SE. 
2. Got self-employment income? “You may also be able to deduct health insurance premiums you paid for yourself and your dependents as an ‘above the line’ business expense (that is, without itemizing) on your federal tax return,” Mendonsa said in an email. You cannot deduct premiums paid during any month in which you could have used employer-sponsored health insurance. Plus, the amount you deduct cannot be greater than your net self-employment income for the year.  “Also, keep in mind that you may not be able to include what you paid toward your monthly premiums as an ‘above the line’ expense AND itemize it as described in the next tip. Talk to a tax professional to learn more about the different types of self-employment status and the tax implications of each in your state.”
3. Itemize your health insurance and medical expenses: If you itemize your federal return, you may be able to deduct medical expenses. Check out IRS Publication 502, which lists these qualifying medical expenses: co-payments, deductibles, dental expenses, and costs for some services not covered by your insurance plan. “Keep in mind: you can only deduct the portion of your medical expenses that exceeds 7.5% of your adjusted gross income,” Mendonsa wrote.
4. Get an HSA: A Health Savings Account (HSA) holds pre-tax dollars you can use to cover certain medical expenses in conjunction with your HSA-eligible health insurance plan. “If you have an HSA,” Mendonsa wrote, “be sure to deduct your contributions up to federally prescribed limits.” Make a contribution before Apr. 18, 2011 and it can count toward your 2010 federal taxes. HSA contributions for the 2010 tax year are capped at $3,050 for individuals and $6,150 for families.

SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget/Flickr

Angela shared a tip for a site where she found good prices on home care items. She writes:

As I’ve become an expert on incontinence items since my grandma’s stroke, I wanted to pass along a great website I found where consumers can find all different kinds of incontinence items at reasonable prices. It’s called www.wellspringdirect.com. They also offer free shipping on orders over $50.

I’ve not used this site but wanted to pass along Angela’s experience. Got a money-saving tip? Email me your story.

MyGymworkout.co.uk/Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

About two years ago, I knew it was time to take better care of myself so I shopped around and found a gym that was perfect for me. It is two miles away from home so I can ride my bike, and my monthly fee is on the low end – $39 a month plus a $200 initiation fee – and includes many amenities.

Lately, I haven’t been working out as much between school and two jobs. Needing advice about whether to continue my gym membership, I turned to BargainBabe.com facebook followers and boy, did they respond! The advice ranged from people telling me to cancel my membership to people criticizing my “luxurious life” for having a gym membership and an iPhone.

Kathy suggested I “Take to the hills! Walk/running is the cheapest workout ever!”

Sola understood my dilemma. “As far (as) the gym membership goes, I am way too cheap to pay for my membership and not use it, even though mine is also only $39 (…) However, if you ever decide to get a new contract at the gym, it’s doubtful that you will get a rate that reasonable, so it’s worth taking that into consideration too.”

Since joining the gym, I rarely get sick and I can climb up flights of stairs without huffing and puffing. Janna  suggested putting my membership on hold until I could hit the gym on a regular basis but I am not motivated enough to work out at home.

Cindy Crucifer summed up my feelings about my dilemma. “Make time to work out. It’s important.”

After weighing the pros and cons of my gym membership, I decided to keep it. I’m hitting the gym at night after school and work. I much rather pay a monthly fee now than doctor’s bills in the future. Do you think a gym membership is worth the fees?

Related posts:

Get a fit body on a budget

Money not an excuse not to exercise

Evil_Erin/Flickr

Although cigarette smoking has become less cool than it used to be, there are still millions of people who are addicted to a $5-$8/pack a day habit. You have already heard smoking is bad for your health.  I’m here to tell you it is bad for your budget, just as BargainBabe.com blogger Mike Barclay did last month. This post is for anyone who is a smoker or knows a smoker who really wants to stop.

First of all, let me tell you that I was a THREE pack a day smoker. How can anyone smoke that much? If you live on cigarettes and coffee and have a cig burning at all times. I know about smoking and quitting smoking.

A recent study found the cost of cigarettes nationwide is $5.28, plus local taxes. There are places online where you can buy them for less (no…. I am NOT going to put a link.) How much does your pack-a-day habit cost?

365 x $5.28/pack = $1,927

Egad! I’ve has passed out from excessive waste of money. Over twenty year’s time, that would be $38,544 or enough to put a 20% down payment on a $192,720 home.

I wouldn’t write this if I didn’t know about a solution. Allen Carr wrote a book called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. Every person that I know who has wanted to stop smoking who read this book stopped smoking and never started again. (I did not use Allen Carr’s book to stop smoking.  I wish I had known about it, it would have been easier for me than the way I did it.)

Carr’s book has sold over 12 million copies so you can certainly find a copy for free through Freecycle or a paperback swap site. Carr’s website has celebrity testimonials on the power of this simple, yet extremely effective method to quit smoking. Check out Carr’s website and book if you truly want to quit smoking.

Have you quit smoking? What method worked for you?

CarbonNYC/Flickr

It is legit to take advantage of prescription transfer coupons that mainstream pharmacies offer from time to time. Here are all the transfer coupons I found.

Rite Aid offers $25 gift cards for prescription transfers, up to two. Page three of yesterday’s flyer (in the April 25, 2010 newspaper) also had two $25 prescription transfer coupons.

Kmart offers $25 per transferred prescription up to $100 through May 22, 2010.

Walgreens issued a few prescription transfer coupons last month but I did not find any fersh ones.

Target occasionally issues $10 prescription transfer coupons in their weekly flyers.

CVS also issues prescription transfer coupons but I could not find any.

Do you have a link to a prescription transfer coupon?

At Lauren’s Salon Spa in Los Angeles you can get one of the following treatments for $50: 60 Min De-Stressing European Facial, Waxing Package including Full Leg and Bikini Wax, Sassy Highlights for the Holidays, or Wash, Cut, Condition and Blow-Dry. That’s a great price for LA!

At Le Petite Rose in San Francisco you can get a 50 min relaxation massage for $55, normally $65, 60 min relaxation massage for $65, normally $75, or chocolate rose facial for $58, normally $68.

At Salon Roi in D.C. you can get a color or partial highlights with blow dry, or any 50 min facial or 50 min massage for $50, normally $90 – $163, or manicure and pedicure for $35, normally $58.

At the Skin Therapie Spa in Coral Gables, FL, you can get a Valentine’s spa package including a rose aromatherapy facial, full body swedish massage, and manicure and pedicure for $165.

At the Veria Wellness Center in Chicago chose from 10 classes including yoga, pilates, meditation, or mommy and me for $10, or get a 50 min signature facial or massage for $50 each.

You can find the deals I mentioned above and look for ones near you on this page.

Thanks, Tina!

krossbow/Flickr

I’m not sure if getting six colds this flu season makes me more or less capable of writing this post. Yes, I get sick a lot, but that means I’m always testing home remedies to get better on the cheap. Either way, I know first hand that getting sick eats up valuable time off and costs a lot of money. Here are a few remedies to recover your health.

Note, I am not a medical professional and this is not intended as medical advice!

1. Avoid sick people. Seems simple but it is hard to pull off because sick people hide their illnesses like the plague.

2. Drink orange juice or take Vitamin C. I like the powder Emergen-C packets but they are expensive.

3. Get extra sleep. Even if it’s only 30 minutes, extra rest always helps.

4. Wash your hands. My doctor told me last month that it is the vigorous rubbing that washes off bad bacteria, not that I’m giving up water and soap just yet.

5. Drink tea. You can make pots of super cheap tea with fresh slices of ginger, lemon, and honey. Tasty!

6. Avoid extra sugar. Not sure how true this one is because organge juice has a lot of sugar in it, as does honey (obviously).

7. Gargle with salt water. Years ago my doctor told me to use hot water (though nothing close to what would burn your mouth) because the heat takes away tonsil soreness temporarily.

8. Rinse out your nasal passages with a Neti pot, which is becoming more popular thanks to Oprah. Running salt water through your nose to loosen mucus is not fun, but it’s better than getting a bacterial infection due to a clogged nose!

9. Make a heating pad for sore backs. Get a small towel very damp then microwave it for 30 seconds. It should be pipping hot. VERY carefully apply it to a sore or aching back, making sure that it does not burn the skin. Add more water and re-heat as needed.

What do you do to stay healthy? Do you make your own throat lozenges? Do you eat fresh garlic? Do you use a cloth hanky instead of disposable tissues? I’d really like to try your suggestions!

UPDATE: Readers shared a lot of great suggestions, some of which I’m pasting below.

Jenni Porter has an unusual suggestion:

When anyone in my house (four kids and 2 adults) has the sniffles, we swear by sticking cotton swabs in the hot/warm salt water and swabbing out the snot in our noses. Salt shrinks nasal passages and kills bacteria: excellent for snotty noses that might lead to something more sinister. NO ONE in our family has been on antibiotics since I started doing this last spring at the onset of the Swine flu.

Carol Lee said:

mikebaird/Flickr

This is a guest post from John Rowley, a fitness and nutrition expert at the American Institute of Health care & Fitness. His tips to get a million dollar body on a budget are quite practical. I just signed up to ride a 56-mile leg of a triathlon in May, so I’m going to need his advice!

1. Productive Activity

You do not need special equipment for an aerobic workout. Activities most take for granted can become part of your exercise routine.

•    Brisk with no risk. Walking is still one of the best and safest forms of cardiovascular exercise that almost everyone can take advantage of.  Take a brisk walk every day, through your neighborhood or take laps in a local mall.

•    The real stair master. A stair master machine costs thousands of dollars but climbing real stairs is free.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or make a full workout of climbing the stairs at home, work or a close by stadium and you will master the stairs.  This is the real deal when it comes to stair masters. 

•    Get in the game. If you have children, don’t just watch them play, get in the game.  Play tag or kickball and have fun and get fit at the same time.  Take a walk to the park, dance around the living room with the kids or take a family bike ride.  Don’t have kids?  Try chasing your puppy around the park, backyard, house or apartment for a very challenging work out.

2. A modest investment for lifetime fitness

If you’re looking for fitness on a budget, these exercise products may be the ticket:

•    Adjustable Dumbbells. PowerBlock makes an adjustable dumbbell that takes up the space of two dumbbells but are adjustable.  Pull the pin and you can raise the weight from 5 lbs to 100 lbs. or more depending on the set you get.  You can use them for a full body workout and they have free online videos to guide you through various work outs. Dumbbells cost less than most gym memberships and once you own them you don’t have to pay for them again.

•    Resistance tubing. These stretchy tubes offer adjustable resistance when you pull on them. Use the tubes for a full body work out and when you are done they fit in a draw. Choose from varying degrees of resistance, depending on your fitness level.

•    Jump-ropes. Skipping rope can be a great cardiovascular workout.

•    Exercise DVDs. Turn your living room into your own private health club.  There are plenty of options to choose from so you are sure to find one you enjoy.

3. Be creative

If you’d rather not spend a penny on exercise equipment, use ordinary household items for a full body work out:

•    Canned goods. Turn caned goods into custom dumbbells.

•    Milk, juice or water jugs. Fill empty containers or jugs with water or sand and seal the top with duct tape.  When your fitness level increases,  simply add more water or sand.

•    Step stools. Use a sturdy step stool for step training — an aerobic exercise resembling stair climbing.

•    Kitchen Chairs. Turn chairs into a dipping station, use the chair for incline push ups, etc.

•    Parks.  Many parks have trails that you can walk or run and the have various stations that allow you to work every body part.

4. Great deals

If you’re interested in a specific exercise class or piece of equipment, shop around.

•    Check out your local recreation department. Many town recreation departments offer discounted fitness classes to local residents. If you live near a high school, college or community center with a fitness center, ask if the facility is available to community members.

•    Used equipment. With this economy many people are selling things they don’t use or never have.  Some sporting goods stores specialize in used equipment, or you can check out listings for exercise equipment in your local newspaper.  You can find incredible deals on used exercise equipment online, many times never used.  Just make sure the cost of shipping won’t put the item out of your budget.

•    Cost share. Outfit your own gym with a friend or neighbor or simply trade exercise DVDs or equipment with a friend so that neither of you gets bored doing the same workout over and over again. Find a personal trainer who’ll let you share the cost of a session with a friend or two.

•    Garbage is garbage regardless of the price. Some fitness products aren’t worth buying, no matter how low the price.  Steer clear of those machines that promise abs over night or great legs or butt with no effort.  You get out of exercise exactly what you put in, put nothing in, get nothing out of it. Very simple. 

•    Expensive Urine. Also don’t waste your money on supplements or other products that claim unbelievable fitness benefits overnight or promise to melt away pounds without diet and exercise.   If it sounds unbelievable it is unbelievable.

5. Think more than just exercise

Take advantage of your insurance and see your physician or other health benefit centers on a regular basis.

• See your Physician: Your Physician can offer specific health/nutrition tips geared towards your body and overall wellness.
• Drink plenty of water: This essentially costs nothing and will help your fitness regimen and boost your body into full gear.
• Sleep, sleep, sleep: Another overlooked free essential, sleep. Get 8 or more hours of sleep a night, and your body will be recharged to take on any level of fitness the next day.

Exercise and your overall wellness can help transform every area of your life, but be careful not to get caught up in the sizzle, look for the steak!  Don’t get caught up in memberships or purchases you can’t afford, fitness doesn’t need to break the bank. Concentrate on your fitness goals — and how to achieve them without breaking your budget.

It’s officially summer and that means late sunsets, beach days, and sit ups. Time to get in shape! I called Helen Ryan, a personal trainer and a single mother of two who is conscious of saving time and money. Here are Helen’s tips.

1. Use your own body weight. “Everyone underestimates the power of the pushup,” she said. “It works every muscle in the upper body.” Put your knees down to start and build up slowly.

2. Take advantage of free equipment. Using a park bench, lower your body with your arms braced behind you. This works the back of your arms, a flabby-prone spot.

3. Purchase a stability ball for under $15. Helen says it is one of the best – and cheapest – pieces of equipment. Place the ball between your back and a wall and roll down into a squat. Lean into the ball to find a comfortable position. This strengths your butt, thighs, inner thighs, hamstrings, and quads. (Stability balls on sale are priced around $10, or check garage sale listings.)

4. While lifting an appropriate-sized weight to curl your biceps, stand on a fluffy pillow. (By comparison, a stability board costs about $130, Helen says). This engages your stomach and core, making it more challenging for your whole body. The more unstable your body is the harder your body has to work.

5. Instead of buying gliding disks (~$15 a pair) use paper plates. In plank position, which is like the start of a push up but your forearms are on the floor, put a paper plate under one foot. Drag the paper plate foot toward your chest to work your core. Carefully work up to 8-10 on each side. To work your butt and outer thigh, drag the paper plate  foot out to the side as if you were outlining an arc.

6. Lunge with paper plates. Standing next to the kitchen counter (or something else you can grab onto), make a slow, smooth lunge by sliding the foot that is on a paper plate forward. You can also lunge out to the side. Hold onto the counter and go slide out and back very slowly.

7. Go for a walk.

8. Buy a piece of exercise equipment called tubing. Tubing comes with handles and costs $10 or less. Mount it in your doorway and use it to work your upper body, front and back. You can wrap the around feet and do biceps pull ups. Here is a list of tubing exercises.

9. BONUS TIP FOR VERY FIT FOLKS! With your arms in push up position put your toes on your stability ball and do an advanced push up. Or pull your knees toward your chest for a tough ab workout. Make this exercise slightly easier by putting your elbows on a coffee table or bench.

For more tips, visit Helen’s web site, FlexYourBody.com.

“People must have gone to the retail clinic for treatment of some acute condition – sinus infection, strep throat, urinary tract infection – before becoming unemployed to be eligible for free health services,” says a story in the Columbus Dispatch. “Spouses and other dependents are eligible for free services, too.”

There are Take Care Clinics in 32 cities across the country. None in LA, unfortunately. Find out more about the free health care, including eligibility.

Here are some free exercise resources to fight flabby arms. (You can avoid buying weights by using canned goods to start.)

The American Council on Exercise has workout suggestions for every body part, including arm workouts. Each exercise has detailed directions, pictures, and a graph that indicates how difficult it is. Nifty!

Web MD suggests four basic arm exercises (modify the last two if you don’t have a bench).

About.com has a slew of exercises if you have a home gym or membership.

And of course there is my favorite: a video workout from the guy in 80s spandex who created eight minute abs. (below)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSby1UUhyts

To qualify for the Citgroup Homeowner Unemployment Assist program, you must be 60 days or more past due on your mortgages or in foreclosure. “The house must also be the customer’s primary residence,” according to an AP story.

Unemployed workers can also pay significantly less for health insurance because of the stimulus package. Previously, COBRA allowed workers to continue coverage for 18 months if they paid the entire premium plus a 2% administrative fee. Now, the stimulus package will cover 65% of the COBRA payment for workers laid off between Sept. 1 and the end of 2009.

“If you delayed signing up for COBRA coverage when you lost your job, you have 60 days to re-enroll after you receive a notice from your employer,” says a USA Today story. Keep reading for more details.

• food (though generally not at a restaurant unless you call ahead and make a special deal)
• travel arrangements through an agent
• clothes
• shoes
• electronics
• home goods
• services like hair cuts, massages, and spa treatments
• anything at a garage sale
• monthly contracts including your cell phone, cable/Internet, newspaper, magazine
• health care (especially if you can pay upfront in cash)
• oil changes and car maintenance (if you negotiate ahead of time)

What else have you negotiated a discount for that is not on this list? Leave a comment!

Thanks, Dan!