Priorities

This morning....

NZ: "Honey, you think you could swing by the pharmacy and pick up my prescription?"
Me: " Yeah, I will. I have one to pick up for myself anyways."

This afternoon...overheard while waiting my turn in line at the pharmacy..

Clerk: " Ma'am, that will be $30."
Woman: " What?! For 'effin antibiotics?...No way in hell I'm payin that."

The woman went on with huffs and puffs and sighs and really really gave the poor clerk a difficult time about asking for payment.

Woman: " Isn't there a generic or some free samples you can give me instead?"
Clerk: " Unfortunately, no, there aren't any free samples and this IS the generic."
Woman:" So what am I supposed to do? I can't afford $30 for a prescription."

At this point I think the poor clerk wished the woman would just pay the damn money or step aside so she could help the rest of us.

I couldn't help but give the woman a once over, then a twice over and pretty much make a rash judgement about her based on my brief observation of her..As this woman is raising hell about a measly $30 prescription, she is holding one of the newest COACH purses out right now..And no, it wasn't a knock off, believe me..I can tell the difference..has her nails freshly filled ( pink & white, of course) and flowers on her pedicured toes... She also has a Blackberry Storm, which I am going to go out on a limb here and ASSUME she has internet connection...

Hmm...so a quick calculation of her $350 purse, $25 fill, $20 pedi plus $5 per toe for flowers, the couple hundred dollar Blackberry storm and $100 per month service..oh and lest I forget she is tanner than a spring breaker in Panama..thanks to tanning bed sessions which usually average between $5 and $10 per visit...

I'm thinking to myself...She has all that and can't afford a $30 prescription? WTF?! She ended up walking out without the prescription and of course, nosey me had to see what kind of car she drives...it was a middle of the road sedan, but....drumroll, it had slick rims and the really expensive low profile tires...

It's now my turn at the register. Two prescriptions for my husband and I came to $87 dollars, our responsibility with the insurance plan that we have due to deductibles on prescriptions. Sure, I think that's a lot of money ( neither Rx can be generic), but am I going to bitch about it to the poor clerk?

No. It's our insurance plan, and if our prescriptions cost that much per month, then that's what it's got to be. So, maybe I won't pull the trigger on that new pair of shoes I've had my eye on, big deal. It's about priorities.

No one owes us anything. I/ We pay for our own things, and our responsibilites...If we have a big expense, we cut the fat elsewhere in our budget..It's the adult thing to do. Would I like new duds vs. something my husband and I NEED? Sure. But if moneys tight, guess what? NEED comes before WANT.

What irked me most about that woman, was that she has all the money in the world to buy the material things, but then sits and bitches about not having money to pay for what I consider a cheap prescription. She wants things given to her, for free...like the pharmacy owes her that..Pshhht, whatever. She'd rather put her health on the line than skip getting flowers painted on her toes a few times.


I have the same issue with people who forgo health insurance in lieu of saving a buck. Yes, health insurance is expensive, but if you're saying you can't afford it, and I find out you own a ranch full of thoroughbred horses, I'll call your bluff. On the other hand, I'm sick of those on government insurance ( here in CA it's medi-cal) who claim to not have money, yet appear to have enough money to pay for the nail salon, designer jeans/ purses etc..

Being an American may grant you the right to fair treatment, but I've got news..Fair doesn't necessarily mean equal. I don't want my taxes paying for someone else's healthcare, while they're out shopping for things they can't afford and I'm busy working and paying an insurance premium. We're a country full of people who have built themselves into something from nothing, but not without a ton of blood, sweat and tears...

Somewhere along the way, whether it be my generation of the one before, traded the "Hard work =success and pride" mantra in for " gimme gimme gimme, I want it now."

It all boils down to personal accountability.

If only we all held ourselves to higher standards, we'd each pull our own weight and not be owed anything by society.