Category Archives: Health

Pedicure for a Man? Best $30 I’ve Spent.

I am confident enough in my masculinity to admit that I had my first pedicure today and it was AWESOME!   Easily the best $30 that I’ve spent in quite some time.

I walk around barefoot constantly and over the years have developed very callused feet.  A couple of years ago they started cracking and looking pretty bad.  My heels eventually developed deep, painful fissures.

I thought I could fix the problem myself.  I spent a good amount of money on countless PedEggs ($10 each), pumice stones ($5 each), foot files ($5-$10 each), lotions ($10-20 each), etc.  My wife even gave me a hydro-therapy foot massager.  None of it worked.

On multiple occasions, my wife suggested that I visit a nail salon to have the calluses removed.  Honestly, I was too embarrassed to go.  It’s weird enough for a guy to go to a nail salon, let alone asking them to scrub your nasty feet.

Well, today I manned up and went to the local nail salon.  Initially, it was awkward.  I had a room full of women staring at me as I explained that my feet are gross and need attention.  One of the lady’s receiving a pedicure shouted, “Your feet can’t be any worse than mine were and look at them now”.  I glanced down at her pink, soft feet and told the nail technician, “I want that.”

I paid $30 ($25 + $5 tip) for a pedicure with callus remover and a sea salt scrub.  Not only did it feel great, but I had a blast hanging with the women in the salon.  I’ve always heard that women talk about some crazy stuff at nail salons and found out today that they weren’t kidding.  Best of all, I am now the owner of two adorable, soft feet.

Guys, if you have nasty feet, do yourself a favor and visit a nail salon.  I wish I would have years ago.  I would have saved money and had better feet.  It’s now going to be a monthly routine and the wife is coming with me next time.  Maybe we will get a mani/pedi…

Health Savings Account (HSA)

My wife’s has severe allergies and recently began getting weekly injections to help. It’s not cheap, so she opened a Health Savings Account (HSA) through her new company.

The HSA is a tax-advantaged medical savings account that allows her to pay for the shots (and other medical costs) using pretax dollars. Unlike a Flexible Spending Account, funds roll over and accumulate year over year if not spent.

She’s having $50/check taken out and pays for the doctor visits using a “debit” type card. The HSA should help save us a good chunk of money on the injections.

The Cost Of Not Flossing Enough

During my visit to the dentist six months ago, I was informed that I needed to floss more because my gums were in bad shape, and might require special deep cleaning. The dental hygienist told me it can cost ~$1,000 to have the deep cleaning performed. Needless to say, I was scared into submission. Since that visit, I have been flossing every other day or so.

I visited the dentist again last week and was told that my flossing had paid off in all but one area, the upper left-hand side of my mouth. In that area, my gums have accentually worsened. With my insurance, it’s going to cost $165 to have the deep cleaning performed. I have a call in with a friend of mine who is a dentist to get his opinion, but, it looks like I’m going to have to have it done. Learn from my mistake about the cost of not flossing enough.

I am so paranoid, I now bring floss with me to work.

The Benefits Of Acupunture

My wife has suffered with severe allergies her whole life, and none of the prescriptions her doctors have provided gave any lasting relief. She began going to an acupuncturist a little over a year ago on the recommendation of a friend. I’m a bit of a skeptic, so I didn’t expect results from such an unusual field of medicine. Acupuncture seemed so foreign to me and more of a novelty than anything. However, after a few visits, she was able to reduce her allergy medicine and, eventually, quit taking the medicine altogether. I was surprised at the results – there was no doubt that she was feeling much better.
Fast forward to March 2007 (when we combined our finances): My wife quit going to the acupuncturist because she was feeling better and wanted to help us save the money. As a result, her allergies have begun to worsen again. That being said, we have decided to add the $60 acupuncturist visit to our monthly budget beginning this month.
Although I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it, this is money well spent.