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6 steps to managing your type 2 diabetes

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Do You Need Durable Medical Equipment or Diabetic Management Supplies-Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to be the end of your life. While it may be tempting to panic and cut out everything enjoyable from your life, it is not necessary. With proper planning, you can live a happy, healthy life with type 2 diabetes. While it may feel like a big step to start monitoring and managing your blood sugar, your new regimen may improve your life in other ways too.

Here are six steps to improving your lifestyle, and your diabetes.

  1. Mind your diet. This is obvious, but arguably the most important part of managing your diabetes. Avoid red meats, cheeses, sodium-heavy foods, and sugars. This doesn’t have to be tortuous, though! Try finding recipes online to make your transition easier.
  2. Exercise. This is something few people want to do, but it’s just as important as eating right and taking relaxation time. No matter who you are, a brisk walk or a run on the treadmill can vastly improve your health, on top of helping you manage your diabetes.
  3. Quit smoking. While you’ve probably heard the lung-cancer bit before, cutting your habit will also benefit your diabetes as well. Within months, you can see the symptoms of your diabetes lessening and even disappearing altogether, on top of many other minor health problems.
  4. Monitor your blood sugar. If you feel yourself dropping, test it! Keep a journal, and make a habit of checking you blood sugar multiple times a day, with a reliable diabetic monitoring system. Collecting results can be satisfying, especially if you see yourself improving over the course of a few months.
  5. Drink in moderation. While this is something everyone should do, getting heavily drunk can really affect your diabetes. Talk to your doctor if you plan on partying, and be sure to go over the effects it may have on you and your glucose levels.
  6. Take your medicine. A few simple pills can make your life and health much easier, so be sure to follow the guidelines your doctor gives you. Set alarms and build habits, and before long if will feel like an everyday part of your life!

If you are newly diabetic, or just want a head-start for the new year, one of the best commitments you can make is towards a plan that will truly help you in the long run.  With 2BenefitU’s diabetes program, you can save hundreds of dollars in time, money, and hassle.

5 unusual ways to save money

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save money with your business piggy bank

save money with your business piggy bank

If you’ve ever lived paycheck-to-paycheck or wanted to sock back money for the future, you may know the struggle of finding ways to cut corners. You don’t have to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of your life to save a few dollars, however. Enjoy your fresh fruit and fancy cereal, and try other, less painful methods of saving money.

If you’re a little too close to throwing your calculator out the window, here are a few tips and tricks to saving yourself, and your wallet, from tons of stress. While none of these methods are foolproof, if you combine them with your existing ideas and tips from friends, you can put together a plan that will have your piggy banks stuffed in no time.

  1. Shop less. When you stop picking up extras from the store, you might just see the potential hiding in unlikely places. Force yourself to think about what’s in your pantry, and come up with fun new ideas for dinner. To spice things up, and try websites to find recipes for what you can find in your fridge.
  2. Stuck on delivery? Don’t feel ashamed! Many busy adults just don’t have the time to make meals or go on thoughtful shopping trips every week. Skip the pizza and the frozen foods, and try looking at online delivery services. If done right, these delivery services can actually save you money and time in the long run.
  3. On Wednesdays, we shop. If you’re trying to set a date for your weekly shopping trip, the middle of the week is always wise. Stores start to put out new deals for the end of the week, and coupons from last week may still be redeemable.
  4. Take an odd job for your next vacation. While may craigslist ads may seem strange at first glance, house sitting for an eccentric old lady may be interesting, as long as you’re not allergic to cat hair. Just be sure to water the plants, and spend your vacation relaxing on someone else’s couch.
  5. Utilize technology. Apps and price-saving websites exist for a good reason, why not take advantage? Use price-comparison tools on your browser when you do retail therapy, and be sure to check the store apps before you head in for a shopping spree.

Not interested in these methods, or want a package that includes even more? 2BenefitU offers a plan for the most frugal shoppers, so don’t miss out on all the great deals and discounts.

12 Savvy Entrepreneur Tips for Businesswomen

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Women make up a massive percentage of small business owners, leaving the oppressive workforce to set their own hours and do what they love. These tips for businesswomen can be invaluable.

  1. Dream big! If you have something in your life that inspires you, figure out how to turn it into a profitable pastime. There is always room in the world for one more passionate woman looking for a way to be her own boss.
  2. Network, network, network. Join women’s business groups, look for meetups in your area, and sign up for conferences that focus on women helping women succeed.
  3. Go social – media! Social media is now one of the fastest growing ways for networking online, and you can expand your reach exponentially when you network with other female entrepreneurs seeking to connect.
  4. Get a mentor. Having someone who has already fought and won the battles ahead of you can be invaluable when it comes time to fight your own. Having a mentor can teach you to learn and grow via constructive criticism.
  5. Be a mentor. You can also learn by teaching, so take another woman under your own wing and share what you have learned. Women helping women creates a culture and environment of strength and happiness.
  6. Learn to delegate. Doing it all yourself is fine at first, but as you grow you have to learn to let go. Surrounding yourself with smart people you can trust and handing off tasks that speak to their individual strengths is the best way to grow your business and not fall apart just as things are taking off.
  7. Use experts for important stuff. Things like accounting and taxes can only get you in trouble when you do it yourself without proper knowledge. 2BenefitU’s Tax Advice Benefit can give you access to experts, so don’t ignore this valuable help.
  8. Find balance. Being a workaholic can leave you depleted and burned out at a critical moment, so make sure you make time for other things outside of work.
  9. Practice self-care. You can’t help anyone else if your own oxygen mask isn’t firmly in place, so take care of your emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs.
  10. Seek inspiration everywhere. Your home life can inspire your work life and vice versa. You can see hope and inspiration in everyone around you and expand your mind. Never stop growing.
  11. Keep searching. There is always something new to learn, to try, to be. Don’t let yourself stagnate. It’s ok if the thing that drove your passion a year ago is something different today. Embrace change as long as there is growth.
  12. Rejoice! There’s nothing quite as amazing as being your own boss, so don’t forget to practice gratitude and joy for your new station in life.

Are you achieving your goals as a businesswoman? Send yourself a bouquet and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done!

9 Tips for Lowering your Medical Bills

9 Tips for Lowering your Medical Bills

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Even with the ACA in place, medical bills can quickly spiral out of control. How can you lower your costs? These tips can help.

  1. If you have a PPO, always double check to ensure that your doctor is in-network. This is particularly important when you receive a referral from your primary care physician, who may not be able to keep every insurance plan committed to memory. Before you leave the office, have them call and ensure the specialist is in-network. Our Health Advocacy Benefit could save you hours by helping check on these potential issues.
  2. Ask about options. If the cost of the treatment prescribed is overwhelming, find out if every test is strictly necessary. If test A could confirm or rule out a problem, perhaps getting it first instead of bundled with test B,C, and D is the smart move. Our Lab Testing and Scans Benefit could also seriously cut down on these costs.
  3. For items which are more expensive to pay your co-pay on, ask what your doctor’s office cash discount price is. You might be surprised at the difference. The Medical Bill Saver Benefit can often save you up to 60% off of services – better than your insurance company!
  4. Speaking of pharmaceutical costs, ask about generics. Sometimes it’s cheaper to pay out of pocket for a generic than to pay the copay for a 2nd or 3rd tier drug. There might even be an OTC option you can use some of your pre-tax health savings account dollars for. Our Discount Pharmacy Card Benefit can provide deep discounts even on generic drugs.
  5. Look at your medical bills. A whopping 9 out of 10 hospital bills have overcharges that are missed by the patient. Ask for an itemized bill and look for errors. Insurance companies incorrectly handle claims as well, so don’t be shy asking for an audit of your bill by your claim manager. Medical Bill Saver can be a lifesaver here, finding savings up to 60%.
  6. Make sure you are up-to-date on what is covered and not covered. You might be surprised that you have unused coverage you could be benefiting from, and you also might discover that there are certain areas you’d do better negotiating on your own for. Better yet, use our Health Advocacy Benefit to negotiate on your behalf and save yourself the hassle!
  7. Talk to your doctor’s office staff and make friends with them. They’ll be more eager to help you watch for errors and to help you with any discounts the office offers if they know you appreciate it – a basket of fruit or a box of homemade cupcakes or muffins can really mean a lot.
  8. Ask about payment schedules if you know a co-pay is going to be hard to manage. Have a number in mind that your budget can bear and go in asking for a slightly lower number so you have wiggle room. Medical Bill Saver can come to the rescue if you need a negotiator.

Obviously, if you have 2BenefitU plan, you can always use the mentioned benefits to help track down areas you are overpaying in and lower your healthcare costs. These are just several of the many money-saving benefits you get when you have a subscription!