When she was 19, writer Emily Maloney found herself facing about $50,000 in medical debt after hospital treatment for a mental health crisis. The debt followed her throughout her twenties, hurting her credit and leading to stressful calls from collection agencies.

Her experience is all too common: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports that about 1 in 5 U.S. households carries medical debt. People with medical debt are more likely to face anxiety, stress or depression and avoid filling prescriptions because of the cost.

The risk of “medical debt looms over every consumer and impacts their lives,” says John McNamara, assistant director of consumer credit, payments and deposits markets at the CFPB. He adds that recent changes to the way medical debt is reported by credit bureaus should help consumers: Paid medical debts will no longer show up on credit reports and no new medical debt will show up until 12 months have passed (up from six months). In addition, in the first half of next year, the credit bureaus will stop reporting unpaid medical debts under $500.

Eventually, Maloney’s debt was resolved through a combination of a helpful customer service representative and exceeding her state’s statute of limitations. She wrote a book, “Cost of Living,” based on her experiences. She wants to assure others facing medical debt that they can take steps to reduce it.

“It takes time, but you can appeal the insurance company’s decision or ask [the provider] for a discount, so it’s worth a shot,” she says.

In other words, consumers might have more power than they think. Here are some ways to exercise that power over your medical debt.

Review your bill closely

It can be tempting to shove a large bill into the trash in frustration. But Dan Weissmann, creator of “An Arm and a Leg,” a podcast about the cost of health care, instead recommends checking closely for errors made by the care provider or insurance company.

“It’s an unfair amount of homework for us to do, because if you find an error, then you have to complain and invest your time, but some medical bills have errors,” he says.

Weissmann says it’s also worth checking your rights under the No Surprises Act, which went into effect in January 2022 and protects consumers from some types of unexpected medical bills.

Ask your provider for assistance

Many hospitals offer financial assistance to those who meet income thresholds. “If you get an amount you weren’t expecting, call the hospital and say, ‘Am I eligible for a discount? What is your policy on financial assistance?’” says Richard Gundling, vice president at the Healthcare Financial Management Association, an association of financial executives in the health care industry.

Hospitals often have “charity care” policies to grant a lower price or even forgive the debt altogether, but consumers may have to be aggressive in asking for them. Eligibility for the programs varies by state and hospital, but nonprofit hospitals are required to have financial assistance policies. Hospitals may also offer payment plans, so you have more time to pay.

Hospitals can also connect you with financing options such as personal loans and medical credit cards, which can be helpful but also pose risks. The CFPB’s McNamara warns that credit cards, for example, can accrue additional interest charges.

Be persistent and enlist support

Lorraine Coughlin, president of LMC Medical Claims Management in West Palm Beach, Florida, helps people work out medical bills with insurance companies for a living. She says the number one strategy is persistence.

“You have to make the phone call and ask questions. Don’t just make payments if you get a surprise bill,” she says. Sometimes it might take an hour or more, but making that call can save you thousands of dollars, she says.

Medical billing advocates like Coughlin can do that work for you, but they typically charge a fee and a percentage of any savings. McNamara warns there are predators who call themselves billing or consumer advocates but in reality, they could take your money without providing any real assistance. He recommends doing some research before sharing any personal information or paying upfront fees.

If you are struggling to get satisfactory answers from your insurance company and are employed, Gundling suggests asking your company’s employee benefits contact for help. “They can be your advocate,” he says.

Get ready for the next medical bill

The ideal time to work on handling medical debt is before you have it, Gundling says. With the rise of high-deductible health insurance plans, even people with insurance will increasingly face pricey bills, which makes an emergency fund even more important.

“If you know you have a plan with a large deductible, have the cash in the bank,” he says.

You could try setting money aside through automated deposits into a high-yield savings account or taking advantage of a health care flexible savings account if your employer offers one.

Similarly, Gundling suggests asking questions about what your insurance covers and which providers are in-network before seeking care whenever possible.

The bottom line is that attacking, not ignoring, medical debt can be your best hope of eventually putting it behind you as Maloney did.

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Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet.

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In some ways, feeling “rich” is less about how many zeroes you have in your bank account and more about knowing how to use them to get what you want out of life.

For author and certified financial planner Tom Corley, feeling rich comes from having an Irish pub-style structure in his backyard in New Jersey that allows him to invite friends over for outdoor drinks. For Liz Gendreau, founder of the website Chief Mom Officer, that feeling comes from taking advantage of free, fun activities like visiting local state parks in her home state of Connecticut. And financial counselor Andi Wrenn in Raleigh, North Carolina, finds that feeling when she climbs into her RV and goes for a road trip.

“Richness comes from having small, tangible financial goals that you’re working toward,” says Megan McCoy, assistant professor of personal financial planning at Kansas State University. Those goals could be paying off student loan debt, buying a house, or something unique, like Corley’s backyard structure.

We asked financial experts to share their tips for how to feel richer today, given the current levels of financial uncertainty and stress. Here are their top suggestions:

Reflect on what you value

Gendreau knows that cars aren’t important to her but family time is. So instead of spending money on a new car, she puts her money into family activities. She stretches her budget on those, too, by taking advantage of free museum passes, local libraries and free state parks.

“It’s all about finding fun things to do that don’t really cost much money but bring a lot of joy and happiness,” she says. Indulging in those kinds of adventures gives her that feeling of being rich, even though they aren’t costly.

Corley, author of the book “Rich Habits,” calls that strategy “value-based spending.” He encourages people to think about what’s really important to them, such as travel or spending time with friends and family, and to focus on directing money toward those areas, instead of material goods that might not provide as much joy.

Pick healthy role models

That joy-focused approach can also help with feelings of financial envy. “If you don’t have value-based spending, then you can fall victim to comparing yourself to others and lifestyle creep,” which is when spending grows along with income, Corley warns.

McCoy says that when we constantly compare ourselves with richer neighbors or influencers on Instagram, it’s easy to be dissatisfied. “We need healthy comparisons. Is there someone else you could compare yourself to, such as your past self, or your aunt who worked so hard and got the retirement of her dreams?”

Gendreau suggests hiding posts on social media from people who inspire feelings of jealousy or putting your own spin on them. “If I see something that looks like a lot of fun at a fancy place that’s outside my budget, I might think, ‘Can I do something similar at a lower price point? Do I need to go to a fancy beach place or can I go to a closer place?’ I don’t need to go to the Caribbean to have fun on the beach.”

Cultivate resilience with savings

“You are going to make mistakes,” says Heath Carelock, a financial counselor and coach based out of Prince George’s County, Maryland. To move past them, he says, it’s important to forgive yourself and to build up a financial cushion. When he was starting out in the working world, he gave himself what he called the “1-2-3-4-5” challenge: He saved $123.45 out of every paycheck.

“Watching your money accumulate is a major way to double down on resilience,” he says. Then, if you face a sudden unexpected expense, you have a financial cushion to protect yourself, which evokes a feeling of “richness” or comfort.

“People are a lot more relaxed if they have emergency savings so they know they can pay off whatever bills they need to every month,” Wrenn says. She says that even having one or two months’ worth of expenses can provide that elusive feeling of financial well-being.

Create a budget and pay off debt

“If you don’t track where your money is going, you will feel financially insecure because you’re worried all the time about, ‘Where is my money going?’” Gendreau says. She suggests using a budget to track your spending, especially given current inflation levels.

Debt can prevent people from pursuing their dreams, Carelock says, because instead of putting money toward starting a new business or taking a vacation, you have to put it toward debt payments. “If it’s not a dream killer, it’s a dream delayer,” he says. Using an online calculator to make a plan to pay off your debt can help.

Celebrate your progress

When McCoy finally paid off six figures of student loan debt, she celebrated the first withdrawal-free paycheck. But she says she would have felt even better if she had celebrated her progress along the way instead.

“I had just one moment of happiness that quickly dwindled. If I could do it over, I would celebrate every $10,000 I paid off — then I could have celebrated 10 times.”

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The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only.

Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet.

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When Brandy Baxter needed to replace her home’s entire heating and air conditioning system several years ago, she asked contractors if they offered deals at certain times of the year. She learned that if she waited until February, the slow season for such work, she could get a lower price. Baxter, a financial coach based in Dallas, says she saved around $6,000 as a result.

When it comes to saving money on big purchases, sometimes timing really is everything. Taking advantage of certain holiday weekends and seasonal discounts can lead to significant savings, which is especially helpful with inflation continuing to push prices higher. Consumers can also consider their own cash flow fluctuations and shop for big-ticket items when they can better afford them.

“There are two overarching principles: Purchase items in the offseason and purchase items during holiday weekends,” says Kimberlee Stokes of Orlando, Florida, the founder of ThePeacefulMom.com, a website aimed at moms who want to save money and get organized. “It does require some planning.”

Here’s how to time your shopping to get the most out of your budget.

Shop the biggest sales weekends

Traditionally, three weekends of the year — Memorial Day, July Fourth and Labor Day  weekends — are the best for deals on appliances, furniture and mattresses, says Trae Bodge, smart-shopping expert at TrueTrae.com, which offers savings tips. For electronics, Black Friday in November is the ideal time to buy, followed closely by Amazon’s Prime Day sale, which is typically in July.

Bodge adds that some specific items have unique sales periods. Televisions typically see their lowest prices in late January and early February — right before the Super Bowl.

If you miss a specific sale, Stokes says not to worry. The key is to plan ahead and track prices so you can make purchases during price dips, such as seasonal lulls. Buy winter sports gear in summer, or outdoor furniture in fall, for example.

“If you can have some self-control and wait, you will get better deals,” she says.

It’s also worth looking out for markdowns associated with inventory buildups, as supply chain issues continue to cause hiccups. When chains like Target and Walmart have excess stock, they tend to offer big sales, sometimes at unexpected times.

Use tools to track prices and apply coupons

You don’t need to track prices manually — apps and browser extensions can take care of that work. The Honey browser extension pulls in coupons from across the web; CouponCabin alerts you to cash back and coupon opportunities; and Rakuten activates coupons and cash back from online stores at checkout. Amazon Assistant lets you know if Amazon offers a lower price when you’re shopping elsewhere.

“If you don’t have at least one extension installed on your computer, you’re leaving money on the table,” Bodge says. By tracking prices before sales weekends, you can make an informed decision about how good a deal is, she adds.

Baxter recommends saving items you’re tracking on a wish list, a service offered by many online retailers as an alternative to placing items in your cart.

“If I need retail therapy, I put it on the list, and then I can see when the price goes up or down,” Baxter says. “You can satisfy that desire for consumerism without separating yourself from your cash.” Sometimes, the retailer will alert you when the price of an item on your wish list drops.

Check for sales tax holidays

Many states offer sales tax-free holidays, which can be an ideal time to buy expensive items that aren’t otherwise on sale, Baxter suggests. Her state of Texas offers a sales tax holiday in early August, which coincides with back-to-school shopping, making it easier to pick up school supplies and other eligible items at a discount.

Consider your own cash flow

There are times of the year when you may experience increased cash flow from sources such as a tax refund, annual bonus or birthday and graduation gifts. If that’s the case, those can be ideal times to make large purchases without taking on debt, says Kevin Mahoney, the Washington, D.C.-based founder of Illumint, a financial planning firm for millennials.

Conversely, certain months tend to see more expenses for items like annual insurance payments, summer camp fees or holiday gifts. Avoiding other significant purchases during those times can help your budget absorb the many demands on it, Mahoney advises.

“It’s important to be aware of the times when costs come up and perhaps hold off on purchases until after those points have passed and you see how your budget has weathered those time periods,” he says.

Whenever possible, take your time

While sometimes you have no choice — for instance, buying a water heater replacement because yours broke — in many cases you can plan your purchases in advance. This lets you take advantage of sales periods, as well as gives you more time to research exactly what you want.

“Waiting to buy can give you more clarity,” Mahoney says — another reason to add items to a wish list before adding them to your cart.

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Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet.

The article How to Afford Big-Ticket Items for the Year originally appeared on NerdWallet.

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Like many shoppers, I’ve noticed my grocery bill getting bigger each week: February food prices were 7.9% higher than they were a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. To compensate for my family’s busy spring schedule, I’d also been turning to shortcuts like prepackaged snacks and meal kits, which further added to our total bill.

To counteract these pressures, I applied all my go-to savings tricks: opting in to my grocery store’s loyalty program for extra discounts, using a credit card that gave me bonus cash back on grocery purchases, and planning our weekly menus around sales. Still, shopping for my family of five continued to give me sticker shock.

For extra guidance, I turned to budgeting and cooking experts with experience making food spending more manageable, as the USDA predicts food prices will continue to increase, growing 4.5% to 5.5% in 2022. Here are their best tips for saving money on food:

Control what you can

While so much about the economy can feel completely outside of our control, including rising interest rates, inflation and supply chain challenges, our food spending is actually one area where we hold a lot of sway, says Erin Lowell, a Bowdoin, Maine-based lead educator at You Need a Budget, a budgeting app. By spending more time cooking or substituting cheaper ingredients, you can feel an immediate savings impact, she says, unlike with other costs, such as bills or rent, which can be harder to change.

Lowell suggests assessing how much effort you’re currently putting into minimizing your food spending and taking that effort up to the next level. For example, if you currently order pizza for delivery, then consider buying a nice frozen pizza for a quarter of the cost. If you already buy frozen pizza, then consider making your own from scratch for just a few dollars’ worth of ingredients.

Plan your meals

“When people are overspending on food, it’s almost always because they’re eating out too often,” says Jake Cousineau, a personal finance teacher in Thousand Oaks, California, and the author of “How to Adult: Personal Finance for the Real World.” He says planning ahead is key to combating the temptation to order takeout at the last minute.

“If you meal prep on Sunday and make six to seven meals, you’re not faced with that decision of ‘Should I order out or prepare food?’ every night,” Cousineau says. He typically cooks meat for Sunday that he can use in tacos, pasta and salad later in the week, for example. “You can do the heavy lifting Sunday, then mix and match throughout the week.”

Planning also helps you avoid food waste, which is another budget killer, warns Rob Bertman, a certified financial planner and family budget expert in St. Louis. “Buy in bulk for things you know you will go through, but if food sits in the freezer or pantry and gets thrown in the trash, that gets expensive.” He and his wife keep a list of the potential side and main dishes they have on hand in the freezer, fridge and pantry so they don’t forget to use those ingredients.

Be resourceful in the kitchen

Maggie Hoffman, a Brooklyn, New York-based digital director at cooking website Epicurious, suggests substituting recipe ingredients for ones you already have at home. “Be confident in your cooking: If you have farro, use that instead of brown rice. Use hot sauce or vinegar instead of lemon.”

Hoffman also recommends “next-overing,” which is transforming the previous night’s dish into something new. Roast chicken one night can become enchilada fillings the next, for example.

Beans, which are generally inexpensive, are also a flexible staple, she adds. You can serve them on their own or add them to salads or soups. “Beans are still the greatest thing around. Just give them a little marinade, add garlic and make sure they’re seasoned.”

Keep your pantry well-stocked

Investing in staples can end up saving you money because then you can quickly make last-minute meals instead of ordering in. “I try to keep five to 10 easy, budget-friendly meals in the house at all times,” Lowell says. For her, that list includes ingredients for homemade pizza, frozen fish with fries, and a pasta dish. “It’s never expensive, and I’m always happy to eat it.”

Lean on your community

While some local food banks have eligibility requirements, many are open to all members of the community who need the support, says Willa Williams, an Orlando, Florida, area financial coach at Trinity Financial Coaching and co-host of “The Abundant Living Podcast.” Some neighborhood gardens similarly offer the community vegetables and other produce at harvest time. “The food is here, so come and get it,” she says. “It keeps you from spending your food budget.”

My grocery bill is still higher than I’d like it to be — even the savviest shopper can’t outsmart this level of inflation — but it’s more manageable with these tips. And my children have learned some frugal habits of their own, such as the simple pleasure of cooking lentil soup for dinner and the savings that come from packing their own snacks.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

The article To Fight Inflation, Take Down Food Expenses originally appeared on NerdWallet.

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