How would you spend $1,000?

Why would I spend it? When I was a kid and someone like my aunt gave me $20 on an occasion, she's ask, "What are you going to do with the money?". I was confused by the question, even then. What "do"? I'd likely put the money in the bank to keep/have or use as needed for living. When financial security is a goal, that goal means having money. To me, it seems that some people are allergic to money and think money is to spend ASAP. My goal is to use/spend 50% or less of what comes in.

$1,000 is not a lot of money. It's less than purchasing health insurance for this household for one month, which we don't do and would be crazy to do. It is about the cost of rent, utilities, internet, cable and phones for a month.

If our needs were covered and we wanted some gadget, we'd consider about $300 of it spendable.

Not that kind of hot flash

The last couple of weeks have found me getting very hot and sweaty several times a day, and once during the night(every night!), when it's been enough to wake me up. I thought it might be hot flashes related to menopause, which could happen at my age. It also occurred to me that I could have an illness that I don't know about, but since we don't have insurance and aren't millionaires, we don't use doctors. Then I remembered that I did make a change in my supplements about the same time that this began. I started to take an odorless organic garlic supplement as a natural antibiotic/cleanse. I quit taking it yesterday, and am back to normal temperature. So maybe it isn't that time just yet. I also thought that the sweating might be a great cleanse, getting harmful impurities out of my system.

All this sweating led to me running out of deodorant before I got my latest Watkins order. Quite a few years ago, when my mother was diagnosed with a cancerous breast lump, she had the idea that she got it from long-term use of a particular very strong deodorant. Those who believe this is a possibility consider aluminum to be the culprit. My mother was a strong person, and survived that medical incident, but I've always kept what she suspected in mind. My usual deodorant is Watkins Aloe & Green Tea, which doesn't contain aluminum. What I ended up doing to meet my immediate need was to go to the natural food section of my grocery store and buying Naturally Fresh Crystal deodorant in two forms, spray and roll-on. It's good to know that there are alternatives to aluminum deodorants, even for those who aren't familiar with Watkins products. If you're interested in learning more about Watkins, contact me for more information.

Brief Update

What is it about the 23rd that causes me to update? Must be the chaos, as I am swamped today with catching up, paperwork and household business.

I've made an Original Limu related change, in that I'm only obtaining the product for my local customers and our household. Our Limu Company website will probably cease to be at the end of next month. I don't expect to be renewing that site, as I am not focused on distributing online. Questions and comments continue to be welcome here, whether about Original Limu or any other relevant topic :)

Health Insurance vs Health

Back in the 1990's, I had health insurance through the California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program, aka MRMIP. The last premium I paid for myself alone was $408. for a month. This program gets funding from the huge tobacco taxes imposed on California smokers, but apparently those taxes are chicken feed to those collecting them. This chart shows that for my husband and myself to be insured under Blue Shield HMO (the best plan shown), we would have to pay nearly $2,300. monthly. That would give us the ability to go to a doctor and get services by paying co-payments, except for the limited services that do not require a co-pay. Gee, what a bargain those are! The upper level of this (full) chart is for individuals, and the bottom is for two people. This .pdf is the full handbook.



Those prices are extremely unhealthy, and there is something very wrong with the current health care system - in more than one way. It isn't only about money, but when it so garishly implies that it is, people fail to see the rest of the picture. Never mind that legitimate and appropriate care is extremely hard for anyone to find, when there are people who are begging for any care at all, because of the financial aspect.

I was very dismayed when it was suggested that our new leadership would impose the mandatory purchase of health insurance upon the citizenry. I do not want to purchase health insurance. It is not a value, and I cannot afford it at any price. This is not because of my income level, but because I do not wish to throw away money. I was so angry about this possibility, that I finally convinced myself to consider it a tax, if it does come to pass. It is a tax, but a wasteful one like so many others we are subject to. It is still easier for me to think of it that way.

Two common questions

When I first began distributing Original Limu, I put up Our Limu Story. That was in November 2007, and I haven't updated the page. I did find that people who came across the page were seeking the answers to these questions:

1) Can a person be allergic to Original Limu?

2) Why is Original Limu so expensive?

I believe that a person can be allergic to anything, either upon its first use, or at a later time after developing an allergy to the substance or food. The likelihood of being allergic to Original Limu is not greater than the likelihood of being allergic to any food, in my opinion. If one has a known allergy to seaweed, however, I wouldn't suggest that the person use Original Limu.

Apart from allergies, one can become sensitive to foods over time. I like cooking chicken with garlic & parsley seasoning, but after doing so for many years, I began to get severe, choking heartburn after going to bed. Fortunately, I solved this problem without seeking medical care, which today would mean being diagnosed with "acid reflux disease". Common professional treatment for that newly created disease often consists of expensive monthly prescriptions, to be taken before symptoms appear. I do not consider heartburn a disease. It is a common condition, and I would not think of prophylactically taking a newly marketed prescription drug for it. I now use less seasoning (it's the garlic that gets me) on my chicken, and I purchase generic Tums at Target. I do not take the Tums before I actually have heartburn. This means I don't take very many of them!

Original Limu is expensive for at least a couple of reasons. One is the fact that it is sold through a multi-level marketing plan. Pricey products seem to go with that territory. Those who are interested in using food supplements and natural products for health reasons ought to know that the goal is to enhance their health and minimize the necessity of using doctors. When you look at it that way, Original Limu does not seem so expensive after all.

These questions were my own, prior to becoming a distributor, although the first was resolved after I had been a customer, researcher and user of the product. The price still bothers me, because I believe everyone should have full access to both standard medical care, and the health-enhancing products they need - regardless of their financial position.

Comments, questions and discussion are welcome!

Profile

I'm a homemaker, wife, mom, grandma and distributor of Watkins products. I originally had in mind a different direction for this blog, but I decided I would put some focus into Original Limu, because people seem to have questions about the product and have trouble getting answers. I don't have all the answers, but am open to questions, discussion and sharing my thoughts and information. You can find wild claims and dramatic stories elsewhere - here you will find my opinions, ideas and experience. This is also not an Original Limu *only* blog, as I will likely have other things to share involving home, hometown, finance, human and consumer issues. I am glad to comply with the law by concluding with this disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and my opinions should not be construed as medical advice.