I Had to Tap My Emergency Fund - Flu + Pneumonia in the ER

Alright, this episode is gonna be real short because I'm still recovering from being sick, but I wanted to share what happened to me over the past week.

I had not only the flu, but pneumonia as well. Had to go to the ER, get on an IV, all these different things. It really sucked. But this experience turned out to be a really good learning experience for me - both physically and financially. So let's break it down.

First thing - health is wealth. I know nobody wants to hear that cliche, but nobody wants to hear it until you're sick in your bed and you can't do anything. Can't work, can't do shoots, nothing. I wasn't able to do any of the things I thought I was going to be able to do. Your health is your wealth.

Second thing - I learned I need to make a list of in-network emergency services in my area. When I went to the ER, I ended up paying a $75 copay for an out-of-network location when I could have gone ten minutes down the road and paid $20 at an in-network one. That's a $55 hit I didn't have to take if I would have just looked into that before I left.

But here's the thing - I was able to pull from my emergency fund to cover all the costs without having to touch any of the money I've made or my regular income. That's what emergency funds are for. This was an emergency. And because I had that fund, the hit didn't feel so heavy.

Real talk - in times where your health and sickness can cause you a lot of financial detriment, do your best to have money set aside for situations like this. So you can get the medicine, the help, everything you need to recuperate quickly and continue to work and bring in income.

This is my first time having a job with health insurance, so I'm speaking from that perspective. I understand not everybody has it. But having that emergency fund made all the difference.

I'm keeping this one brief. Still not fully back to 100%, but I wanted to share this while it's fresh.

See y'all later. I'm gonna go get some more rest.