Living frugally without hardship: let's share actionable suggestions

I order my prescriptions online. OPTUM Rx out of San Diego, CA.

Sign in to myUHCmedicare.com or call 1.877.889.6358

3 months supply, works very well for me.

Costco mail order if you’re paying cash. I don’t think they work with insurers that have their own mail order divisions.

First stop would probably be your healthcare plan provider. Ours is through OptumRx but they are VERY hit or miss. Actually more like 75% miss.

There are supposedly savings to mail ordering 90 day supplies but their prices often stink compared to what I’ll get using GoodRx app. Many times their prices are higher, even if it’s supposedly only a copay, than paying cash via GoodRx. I guess there are costs to mail those prescriptions but still I can’t recommend them much.

A few years back, we were using ExpressScripts mail order and they were better. But I don’t have a choice which to use currently.

Same here with ExpressScripts. But I disagree on OptumRx, My fee is just a co-pay. It probably depends on your healthcare plan. So everyone has his own opinion. :wink:

Oh HAPPY DAY !!

Panda Express is again offering their special $20 online deal. 3 large entrees, 2 large side dishes. Good until May 17.

LOVE this authentic Chinese Food… :relaxed:

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Authenticity is overrated.

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Would you say Chinese food in China is authentic? As an American in China I really didn’t care for most of the food. Maybe that is why I enjoy “Panda Express”.

I guess a true authenticator of American Chinese food would be a native of China here in the USA. We all would rate our idea of good Chinese food on own opinion. lol :wink:

That’s because you didn’t have traditional Chinese food cooked for you as a child, and as a result you have a different palate and preferences. Opinions are like assholes – everyone has one – but some are worth more than others, and on this subject your opinion is not worth anything.

Panda Express is Chinese-inspired American food. It’s made for the Western palate. It’s not authentic Chinese.

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And most of the Chinese food in America is probably not very authentic. That does include a lot of food made by many first or seond generation Chinese Americans. What you can order off the menu may differ a lot from what the cook will make himself.

More authentic Chinese can be found easier in Chinatown in SF, NYC or Seattle etc

Rude, very rude!!

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You’ve been unkind to many of my posts for quite some time, I’m just responding in kind.

More specifically, you said:

To each his own food preferences, but whether Panda Express is authentic Chinese food is not really a matter of personal opinion, certainly not of someone who isn’t qualified to make the distinction.

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Here you go again.

Right, I’m not Chinese, but it’s my opinion of what I like to eat. So I enjoy Panda Express. I’ve read about the owner’s of the company & they are Chinese. It’s their recipe’s & that is good enough for me.

Anyway, let’s forget it. I don’t think I have been unkind to you, deliberately or on purpose.

Agreed. There is a sushi place by me that makes great rolls. 2 of the sushi chefs are Hispanic. Doesn’t seem to affect my enjoyment one bit.

@pattyb53 Keep giving your opinions. No complaints here! :slight_smile:

I never said it doesn’t taste good, only that it isn’t authentic! :slight_smile:

From personal experience, sushi is almost always excellent with a proper Japanese sushi chef or owner (regardless of who else may work there). Otherwise it’s a hit or miss. Even though my current favorite is Korean-owned/run, I’ve had enough negative experiences (taste, freshness, cuts just aren’t as good) at non-Japanese-owned/run sushi restaurants to try to avoid them.

Sushi is probably as much about picking the right fish as it is about preparing it, and picking the right fish is an art form that takes decades to master (according to the documentaries I’ve seen anyway).

I understand it also isn’t authentic if there are “empty fish tanks”. I remember a restaurant in China with live animals in cages also filled :wink: fish tanks inside & outside the establishment. :wink

For people in high sales tax states, where do you buy stuff tax free? Even Aliexpress.com charge tax now LOL. I know dhgate.com is still tax free. A few questionable electronic sites in New York is tax free. Anything else?

I live on the WA side of Portland OR, about 15 to 20 min drive to Portland. I’ll usually drive accross the bridge to buy $200/$300+ items as it then is usually worth my time to save on sales tax. Sort of a sweet spot. I don’t pay income tax living in WA and can get some sales tax savings shopping in OR.

I honestly don’t usually save much more than $200 to $300 per year in sales tax though so it’s not a huge deal. Any OR contractors or places that do deliveries such as appliances will still charge me sales tax for services in WA so the really big ticket remodel/delivered items are still taxable. Still have to pay taxes to register vehicles in WA too.

I am in the market for 2 new phones and other stuff. Sick of the 9% tax everywhere.

Yeah and I understand that you can’t “gift” a car for $0 value in WA now either. I bet there were a lot of car “gifts” in WA for some time before they put a stop to that.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but … My understanding is that now almost all states with sales tax will charge it from any out of state merchants of any considerable size. Supreme court got rid of the ‘physical presense’ requirement for sales tax in 2018. Before that companies had to have a physical location in the state for the state to charge sales taxes. But they got rid of that. So now the only ways around sales tax are dealing with merchants that don’t obey the law (not a safe route for you) or buying from small enough merchant that they’re exempted from the rules.

p.s. I’m in Oregon which has no sales tax so I don’t know what I’m talking about …