Insurance Claims & Storm Chasers

In mid 2015 a hail storm hit our town and the wind and hail caused damage to houses and vehicles. Some people only had minor damage, with just a few dings here and there... but others had major damage with broken windows on houses and vehicles and thousands of dollars worth of damage

We had damage to 3 sides of our house and our roof so we needed new siding and a new roof (among some other minor items). I'd never had experience with home insurance before and so we had no idea of the process involved in making a claim. Hopefully this post will help others when and if the time comes (and I hope, after all this stress, that we never have to deal with this again).

1. Check 
2. Report
3. Inspection/Loss Report
4. Quotes
5. Repair
6. Finalize

1. First, check your home and make sure there isn't any damage that allows the elements to enter your home. In our case we had a hole in one of our roof vents that was allowing rain to enter the roof. Fix any such issues and make sure you mention them specifically to insurance as in some cases they may deem your case more emergent.

2. Once you've determined the damage, call your insurance company and report it. If you have a mortgage, call your mortgage company as well and ask what the process is. Any insurance payments will be made payable to the insured and your mortgage company. Depending on your Lender (Bank) they might not need to do anything yet, or they might need to open a claim.

3. Your insurance company will send out an Inspector to assess the damage and they will generate a "Loss Report". This report shows where they think the damage is and how much you're entitled to in terms of Actual Cash Value (ACV) and Replacement Cost Value (RCV). They will usually send the ACV amount (typically much smaller than RCV) pretty close to the Loss Report being sent or at the same time.

4. I cannot stress enough that you should get multiple quotes, especially if you're getting a lot of work done, before settling on any one company or signing any contracts. Your insurance company/lender typically don't care what company you use so pick someone you're happy with and the cheapest isn't necessarily the best! Check their credentials, look them up online and make sure they're insured.

5. Once you've selected someone, get repairs started. My suggestion is to keep an eye on the work they're doing, take photos before, during and after the process. This probably isn't necessary but you'll be happy you did :) IF something comes up during the repair process that wasn't mentioned in the Loss Report your insurance provided, get a quote for that to be repaired and contact your insurance company to ask them to include this amount in your claims (as a supplement).

6. Once the work is complete, submit the invoice to insurance so that they can release your final check/cheque and finalize the claim. Pay your contractor and go on your merry way!

Unfortunately, because most everyone in our town was affected by this storm, I also had my first experience with storm chasers (unsavory companies that will sometimes come from states away to try and take advantage of the situation).

We had so many people and their vans emblazoned with their logos driving around town. They promise to help get your home fixed quickly, and make sure insurance paid for all of it (and then some) because they know how. They offered discounts for putting signs in your yard, discounts for referring other people and also offered to negotiate with insurance directly and work only for your insurance settlement, some in violation of Iowa Code 103A.71 (not that they seemed to care).

The standard scam is that they will offer to do the repairs for the insurance payout. While this in itself isn't necessarily a scam on you, they will often try and inflate claim amounts by charging for things they didn't do, charging a higher price than normal, or claiming more material was needed than actually was... all with the aim of getting your insurance company to pay more than they initially quoted in their Loss Report. They "chase storms" because the large volume of claims that a storm like this generates has the chance that the insurance companies aren't paying as close attention as they normally would and they instead just want to get claims processed and finalized and thus the contractors make a pretty penny!

Unfortunately for us we didn't totally escape unscathed. The actual contractors were never supervising the work, they covered over our dryer vent (located it later when I pointed it out), they broke our crawl space door (I fixed it), trapped what was left of that door under siding (and later released it - messily). They forgot to remount some things, didn't connect our front light correctly and needed to come out again (luckily my husband was home in time to stop them mounting a completely different light), split a wire in the doorbell (it's wired in and we had to get it fixed by an electrician), didn't clean up all the nails so we got a puncture in a tire... and the financial side of things was just absolutely ridiculous. We're lucky we had a great insurance adjuster to work with. The positive is that our house looks great, but as it took almost 4 months to get things "done", I'm definitely not wanting to get anything else done for a really REALLY long time!!

I hope none of you need to go through this, but if you do, I hope this helps you navigate things a little bit easier :)

5 Years - Updates, Myths & Facts

Another year has drawn to a close (HAPPY NEW YEAR!!) and September 2014 marked 5 years since I moved to the U.S.

Five years ago, in September 2009, I moved myself, and whatever I could pack into 2 suitcases (22kg/50lb limit), to the U.S.A to start a life with my then American fiancé.  I moved over here having only visited in the past, and as it turns out, with no actual idea what life would be like in the Northern Hemisphere, let alone the United States! Movies can only teach you so much (and it turns out they sometimes lie!)

A lot of things have happened in 5 years, and I've learnt (learned :P) a lot. I thought this post would be a good chance to talk about some beliefs I had before coming here that have since changed, and also to give you all a quick overview of things have happened in the 5 short years since I moved (and doing those things as an expat), starting with the latter.

~ ~ CHANGES ~ ~

Marriage:
Aside from moving here, obviously the biggest change was getting married, it was because of our impending nuptials that I moved from Australia, and it was because of that move that I have had so many changes in these 5 years.

Logistally speaking, planning from an ocean away wasn't easy. We got married in my husbands home state but were living in another state in the interim and that wasn't any easier (except finally being in the same timezone).  It was only with the assistance of my in-laws that I got anything done as they kindly took photos of venues and helped plan and of course the wonder of the Internet helped as well.

Personally speaking, getting married overseas often means that some/many loved ones can't attend, and because I was only able to visit the U.S once, I didn't know anyone at our wedding very well (except 2 of my family members that were able to attend). I had hoped to have a reception in Australia but life got in the way and it just wasn't viable.

Family:
I'll address this is the"Beliefs" section.

Driver's license:
The hardest part about getting my license was not only driving on the other side of the road and sitting on the other side of the vehicle (can't tell you how many times I went to the wrong side) but also looking over my right shoulder instead of left (muscle in my neck and all that) and changing gear with my right hand instead of left (and I only whacked it on the door about a million times) but I did it in one go so I was very proud!  I won't mention u-turns and roundabouts... scary scary

FYI - I try not to drive when I go back to Australia because it's just too scary and I'm worried I'll have an accident by driving on the wrong side, funny how things change.

House:
This is my first time owning a piece of land, and the idea that I own property in a "foreign country" was, in the beginning, just bizarre and awesome at the same time!

Getting a mortgage in my name was hard for one main reason, credit score and history. It's entirely possible for a foreign national to own property, but getting a bank loan from a US bank can often prove to be difficult. As it turned out they would have given me a loan, but the interest would have been quite large due to my lack of credit history so it was better not to bother.

It was a lengthy process with a lot of learning curves but it's still great to own our own little corner of the world, rather than rent. We’ve gradually made improvements and have plans for more and a bonus to owning rather than renting also means when stuff breaks, YOU pay to fix it!! Oh what joy I've been missing out on.

Pets:
Just under a year after arriving my husband and I got our first dog.  This was the first time either of us had a dog that was all ours, rather than a family dog, and I must say it is a different experience, a good one of course.

With the dog came the experience of picking a vet, knowing what shots they need, microchipping, spaying... and of course their diet among other things. I wish they'd allow me to dress them in costumes, Halloween would be so much fun!

Job:
First I had to learn where to look for work (agencies, internet, word of mouth, newspaper) and then I had to make sure my resume/CV was appropriate for here (making sure it complied with their rules and also layout). 

I also had a little trouble finding an employer that was willing to accept my foreign work experience (a few did not), who understood my qualifications (I didn't want to pay the expensive fee to "translate" it) and who didn't think hiring a foreigner was too much work (paperwork etc).

It got a lot easier once I had my greencard and someone took a chance on me about a year after arriving. I will admit though that I didn't try for work in any other field except the one I worked in back in Australia, and I also didn't start looking until I had been here about 6 months for personal reasons.

Doctor:
Thankfully I haven't needed to see a doctor for anything too horrible (just your regular strep throat, tonsillitis etc) but I still struggled to pick a "family doctor" and late last year I finally picked another one closer to home (my first choice ended up being awful) but have only met her for the "meet the doctor" visit so will have to see how it goes! 

I've also learnt a fair bit about the insurance system here (and I swear I'm working on a post still!).

~ ~ MISTAKEN BELIEFS / IDEAS ~ ~

Traveling Back
In the beginning I thought I would travel home every other year, or maybe people would come here one year, me there the next, but it simply hasn't worked out that way because:

• I underestimated how expensive flights would be in comparison to wages;
• I hoped flights would reduce in cost as time went by and they haven't;
• there have been some surprises pop up here and there that meant we simply couldn't afford to spend $5K or so for a 2 week holiday (taking into account flights, accomodation, food, attractions etc);
• getting enough time off work hasn't been possible except for emergencies. Time off work varies from employer to employer but my previous employer only liked us to take one week at a time and given how expensive it is, it's simply not viable to travel that far for only a week.

Friends
I really thought that I'd have trouble keeping in contact with friends once I moved but thankfully that's mostly shown to be incorrect.

With smart phones, facebook, viber and skype, it's pretty easy to stay in contact with people, however there are some who aren't online that often who I don't speak to as much (not to mention data costs etc). Of course like all things, these things require effort and conscience thought, but technology certainly is a good thing and I'm very thankful for it.

Shipping
Just like traveling back, shipping has proven to get more and more expensive over time. Again I'm thankful for the internet which at least allows for gifts to be bought online in their respective countries because otherwise it costs a bomb!

I also had plans to bring my personal property back with me when I traveled back and forth, and also when friends/family visited, and that worked to some extent, but there were still a lot of things I still don't have and, like gifts, shipping is expensive!!

Just recently a friend and I shared the cost of shipping a package of comfort food from home and the shipping cost was $120 for 5kgs. I suppose in the grand scheme that's not a lot but when all you want is chocolate (for example) and you add on the cost of shipping for that weight plus the cost of the product themselves, it doesn't really seem that viable. But sometimes all you want is food from home and screw the budget!

Family life
Changes from afar is probably the hardest thing about it all.  While I've been here two major changes, one from each end of the spectrum, were that I lost my father, and that one of my sisters has had children.

It's hard to be there both emotionally at the time of need because of time difference, but mostly I notice not being there physically and unable to be an actual shoulder to lean on and help out in those hard times. You can't just rush in and help out.

Then of course you have the fact we miss birthdays, Easter, Christmas and other special events...

These are all things that you expect as an expat, but it's not until they happen that you realise how hard it is sometimes... and thankfully (for me at least) it's not something I feel every day.

Having friends and family understand these things is what keeps you going though... plus having a place for them to stay when they visit overseas :D

---

Please let me know if you'd like me to expand on anything any further, otherwise, till next time (I'll really try harder to not let it be so long next time!!)

High School Graduation Parties

Invitation Example

May is high school graduation season.

Around a month ago, people started receiving their invitations to the graduation parties of high school seniors they know. While there might be a "friend only" party later, this invitation is the "everyone I know" party (family, friends, friends of family, etc etc).

If you have a child who is a high school senior, you could end up attending (or your child attending) a lot of these parties as, in my experience, it's not common for them to be combined.  You might have one or two seniors celebrating at the one party, but most likely each person would have their own party.  Because there's not an infinite number of dates available, you may have more than one party on the same day, one a long time before graduation or a long time after graduation. 

The invitations (like the example above) are often made up with professional senior photos that seniors have done. The ones that I've seen are glamour shots, scenic, styled around hobbies or a combination of them. Aside from the invitations, the photos can also be wallet sized pics that friends hand out to each other to remember each other by. They will also use one of these photos to put in the Yearbook. I think it's a great idea to have these sorts of photos taken and hopefully because it's the norm it wouldn't be stupidly expensive either. I had a quick look and one I looked at charged $200 for the basic package and $300 for the deluxe plus $180 for the CD of images with exclusive rights. Another charged $180 for the shoot and had a $275.00 minimum for the images. From just those two examples you'd expect to pay about $400 - $500. Seems a little too rich for my blood but the pictures are a one time thing.... worth it? I'll let you decide :)

The parties themselves, that I've been to, involve cake (of course!) and/or cupcakes, chips, dip and other finger food as well as hamburgers (sloppy joes normally - have I explained what that is yet?) or brats (bratwurst) and things like that. Over the years parent's have keep everything you've ever done from when you were little until you were graduating. Projects, awards, ribbons, class photos...

As for what you do at these events... In my experience they're during the day (5pm - 8pm being the last one I went to) and you walk in, sign a guest book, hug the graduate and hand them a card with money in it. Some people then walk around and chat to people, sit and eat, look at the displays (of photos and awards etc) and that's it. It's also considered a bit of a congratulations for the parents as well.

I asked around and other common things are kegs and bonfires (depending where you live of course). These things sound more like what I'm used to in Australia but large parties for everyone, no cake and no money/presents involved (and of course most of us we were of legal age to drink!).

I have to admit that when I first found out that you're supposed to give money as a present it was weird to me. Mostly because it makes it seem like graduation is such a surprise or such a rarity that money (i.e. a bribe) needs to be involved in order for it to happen. In my opinion graduating IS the reward but I'm all for something that gives people an incentive to graduate. It's a huge deal in someones life and definitely something I believe everyone should have the opportunity to do.

Congrats to all the Grads!

Sleep Apnea & My CPAP Machine

In October 2013 I had a sleep study done here in the US. Why? Because I snore. There, I said it. I admit it. When I'm sick, it's bad, when I'm really tired, it's bad. Sometimes I don't snore, usually I do. It's gotten worse over the last few months so I decided (as my husband's tired eyes silently pleaded) to do a sleep study to see about getting help.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Before you ask (or think it) yes I tried nasal strips and a mouth guard (not together) and neither affect my snoring in any way. I found out from my sleep doctor that this is a good indicator that my snoring is an indicator of sleep apnea, as were my other symptoms of daytime tiredness, and regularly (several times) waking up during the night.  The reason the strips and sprays don't work is because it's not my nose that makes me snore, it's because I have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). During the night, as I fall asleep, my airway collapses and partially closes causing it to vibrate (called hypopneas) which results in snoring. Sometimes it will close all the way and I will stop breathing all-together (called apneas). My brain then wakes me up (sometimes I'm aware of it, sometimes I'm not) to start me breathing again. During the 6.8 hours of my sleep study my oxygen saturation dropped from 99% to 88%, and this was simply from it collapsing, apparently it never closed fully.

Side-effects of sleep apnea can be pretty bad, including death. This is because when you stop breathing you are putting a strain on your heart, and it can result in strokes as well. The lack of oxygen kills brain cells, messes with your metabolism and hormone levels and can result in daytime tiredness, weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

It's incredibly important to get tested if you have any of the symptoms.

The Sleep Studies

Not me but this is what it looked like

A sleep study I'm sure probably varies from place to place but in my case I had to go to the hospital where the sleep clinic was at 7pm and fill in forms and get "hooked up". The hooking up consisted of nasal prong, sensors (and icky conductor gel) in my hair line, forehead, neck, arms and legs, as well as bands around my chest and ribs and an oxygen clip on my finger. Once all connected I had to lay down while they spoke to me through the intercom to make sure all the connections were working. Things like, "open your eyes", "close your eyes", "blink 3 times", "hold your breath", "flex your foot", "hum"... It was incredibly uncomfortable with all those wires and felt like I got no sleep at all. I did, as it turned out, sleep long enough for them to determine I had sleep apnea and I had to go back another time to sleep again, this time I got to try out CPAP masks.

The second sleep study I arrived at 7pm again and a girl went through the different types of masks (and there's a lot!). I tried a nasal mask (hated it), and settled on a full-face mask (I'm a mouth breather so this works well for me). I then got to sleep and while I slept they adjusted the flow of air through the mask until I stopped snoring.

Once I was done with that I had an appointment with the DME (durible medical equipment) provider to give me my machine and show me how to use it (clean it etc as well). Fun fact: DME isn't counted in your bag count when traveling so if I went back to Australia I could take a handbag, laptop AND my CPAP as carry-on.

The CPAP Machine

ResMed S9 Autoset

So, after being diagnosed, on November 11, 2013 I got my very first CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), a RedMed S9 Autoset with H5i heated humidifier an an oh-so-sexy full face mask (a ResMed Quattro FX for her). A CPAP machine is continuous air pushed from the machine, through the hose and into a mask (I have a full face mask but there are other kinds). This air is set to a level that is enough to keep your airway constantly open which should result in a better nights sleep (no more waking up to breath) and also a better nights sleep for your sleeping partners because the snoring stops!  Some people really struggle with their machines, especially in the beginning, while they get used to having a mask on their face.

Quattro FX for Her

I've had my CPAP machine now for just over 5 months. In the beginning I really struggled (though I still slept pretty well really) with changing my sleeping position and being more aware of now rolling onto my side and burying my head in my pillow. When I do that it nudges the mask and air escapes, making this annoying hissing sound and blowing into my eyes.

I found the change in sleeping position hard on my back but I've adjusted now and am still able to sleep on my side as well as my back. It's pretty funny really that I sleep on my back, often considered the worst snoring position, because I'd spent so many years avoiding doing so to lessen the snoring.

Some people report feeling congested or dry mouthed in the morning, even with the humidifier, but while I've noticed a difference, it's not to an uncomfortable level.

Cost wise, we got the machine through insurance and had to pay co-insurance (our deductible was paid thanks to the sleep studies). I will address how health insurance works (in general) in another post.

Anyway, there you go. My first big experience with the US health system.

Thanks for reading!

**Edit - I forgot to add, my husband sleeps much more soundly now I have the CPAP machine :) I still snore on a bad night but he said it's not very constant and is also muffled by the mask so it doesn't bother him! The exhaust sometimes blows on the back of his neck though, or he hears the hissing when the mask shifts and leaks and it will bother him but the benefits far outweigh the occasional issues!

Cinco de Mayo - Mexican Celebration

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

Monday, May 5, 2014 was Cinco de Mayo which quite literally means "fifth of May" in Spanish.

Here in the US, Cinco de Mayo is celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, but you don't get the day off work!

I admit I was confused my first year here... it's not like America celebrates Australia Day or any other countries "special days", so why are we celebrating a Mexican holiday?

My source of confusion it turns out was due to misinformation. I had been told that it was "Mexico Independence Day" but it's not (that's in September). Instead, it commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, where the Mexican Army won the battle despite being smaller and ill-equipped.

Spanish dancers

Cinco de Mayo originated during the first years of the Civil War in Mexican-American communities living in the American West (California specifically) to celebrate freedom and democracy.

In many cities in the United States, there are parades and festivities featuring mariachi music, dancing, and Mexican food (mmm nachos!).

The celebration is actually a bigger deal in the United States than in Mexico and has become a drinking celebration here in the U.S, apparently nicknamed Cinco de Drinko and even Gringo de Mayo (though to be honest I haven't heard either of those nicknames, I hear a lot of people talking about getting drunk on tequila and margaritas). In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is observed with political speeches and battle reenactments.


I don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo myself but I did have enchiladas for lunch :)

Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo
- http://wqad.com/2014/05/05/understanding-cinco-de-mayo/

Easter 2014

I blogged about Easter last year (post here: Easter - Holidays, Candy & Toys) but as time goes on and I learn more, I want to blog again, so here goes.

As with last year, we didn't have Friday or Monday off but we did get to finish at noon instead of working all day. As discussed in my previous blog, toys and candy, rather than chocolate, are the typical gift received by kids here. This time though I was able to take photos (at my local Wal-Mart) of some Easter Baskets available for purchase:

Wal-Mart $5 baskets

Wal-Mart $15 baskets

Wal-Mart $20 basket

Easter Candy

The baskets aren't very expensive, as you can see by the price signs, but I'm not 100% sure I'd buy one of those instead of making my own up. They do seem good for if you have lots of kids to buy for though... just grab and go.

It seems to me though, from seeing what other people have posted or blogged about, that many prefer to buy an empty basket and buy their own fillers. Fillers can be anything from clothes, to crayons, DVD's and almost always some candy.

Candy, as explained in my other blog, is usually just regular candy that's available (M&M's etc) but it's packet would have been changed to include Easter themed things (like rabbits or eggs or chickens etc) or spring colours. Peeps (the yellow things at the top of the photo to the left) are synonymous with Easter. You might be able to find them all year but I can't say I've looked!

This year, for myself, I had a Godiva egg and some Russell Stover rabbits for Easter (4 in total but I had eaten one before the below photos were taken :P). The rabbits were less than an inch or so thick and one was filled with caramel, one had little "crispies" in it, one was "cookies and cream", and the other was just solid chocolate. All yummy  :)

Godiva egg

Russell Stover rabbits

Russell Stover rabbits

I was actually pretty pleased to find the above kinds of chocolate. The Godiva egg was the first hollow egg I'd seen (had to be bought just for that!) and both are kinds of chocolate that I like. This isnt going to be the end of my Easter gorge though, mum is sending me some hollow bunnies and other lollies with a friend that's visiting in a couple of months so I'm really excited about that as well!

Easter Lily

I also saw a Lily for sale at my local grocery store labelled as an "Easter Lily". As you can see from the photo it looks like a regular Lily but with a little rabbit stuck in it. It was a decent size and from memory was being sold for $20.00. I didn't buy one (by the time I saw it it was Monday so there was little point) but I have been thinking about getting one as a house plant... we'll see!

The other thing I noticed more this year (most likely I wasn't paying attention before) were Easter Egg hunts! Lots of different organisations have their own hunts with different prizes or charities involved. I saw another one in the news where it was for adults only and the winner won a car!

This year, on Easter Sunday, my husband and I had lunch with his Aunt, Uncle and his cousins and that was good too. We had ham, mashed potato, buttered corn and bread rolls. Some of the others had stuffing and brussel sprouts but not me! For dessert we had a choice of cheesecake, apple pie and fudge (the latter of which I made - that should be in another blog!). It was good to catch up.

Anyway, there you go. Easter 2014 done and dusted!

Dawn of a New Theme...

Swifts Creek
(pretty, but nowhere near me)

It's been a while (well okay several months) since I last posted and I'm sorry about that but I've been finding it a little hard to find topics to talk about.  That's not to say I don't have some to post, I do, just in draft form, the problem is some of them require a fair bit of research and preparation so I thought I might try posting about life here in a more personal way. 

I will still continue along the same vein as previous posts (the difference between the US and here) but in a more personal "how this affects me" way. As time passes on life here, it's hard to remember what is and isn't in Australia, and because it could be there now and I'd have no idea!

I truly hope you enjoy this change and I hope this will mean I will be able to post more often (or at least have something to ramble on about more often!).