So, I started using budgeting software and I realized that I'm spending a lot of my money on mental illness related things, which include therapy visits and medication. We're talking $130 a month, or $1560 a year. Ouch. Here is a breakdown:

• Therapy: 4x a month, $20 copay each session -- $80
• Medication: $30+ a month
• Medication appointment: $20 copay, 1x a month

My monthly pay is fine, but I have student loans and a car loan. I can't even afford to move out of my house because the cost of living is insanely high (Boston). Like, $1100 a month for a 500 sq ft apartment, then $300-400 a month for overnight parking (depending on the season). Utilities not included. Too much for too little.

I would do a roommate, but I don't trust people, and when I did have roommates before, they stole from me... repeatedly! So that is part of my problem. Major anxiety.

Moving out of the city would make no difference. Sure, I could get the apartment down to $900 a month instead, but then I'll spend $200 a month in gas probably. (I was a moron and bought an SUV in 2014.) And I'll still have to pay for parking. Company doesn't pay for it. And then there is the added stress of getting in/out of the city.

What would you guys suggest? I need therapy on a weekly basis (4x a month), but I guess it's not something I can afford anymore if I ever want to move out. At best, I can do 1x a month to save myself $60... which is good because my health isn't so great recently and I tend to spend $60 a month in copays between GP/specialist visits and temporary medication. So I have to save every penny I can.

BTW, I *do* need a car. I have two offices at my work now: one in Boston itself and one about 40 mins away from Boston. (But I'll have to stay in Boston more often than the other office... so it's cheaper to stay in Boston. Plus, apartments outside of Boston have surged in price. Everyone is moving out of the city instead of living in it, so inside the city is cheaper.) I don't want to give up the SUV; it's almost paid off and I love it too much.

[growlycat]

I grew up in Boston so yes I understand the cost of living. I hate to say it but you actually have a nicely controlled set of mental health costs. I don't think that is a lot to pay. I guess you will get all kinds of thoughts about this.
My deductible alone for any healthcare for me is 1500 a year. I pay full price for all healthcare until I meet that number. After that only 80% is covered.
I'm guessing I spend up to 3k if not more a year in all of my healthcare. I am however lucky to have an rx plan that seems to completely cover tier 1 meds

Point being that if it helps you live your life it might be worth it?

Your costs per month for therapy and meds is actually quite low. You basically need to find $60/month or $15/week to stay in therapy once a week. $15 might be found somewhere else in your budget. Keep dissecting where your money is going. I bet you can find that $15/week.

[LonesomeTonight]

One thought is, do you absolutely have to do the monthly medication appointment? If you're stable on your medication, could you switch that to, say, every 3 months unless you're having issues? I did that at one point. Also, is there any way to reduce the medication costs? Like if you're on name brand, check into generics. Also, some pharmacies offer certain generics (including some psych meds) for only $4 or so if you don't go through insurance--might help to ask the pharmacy about that. (They won't tell you this--you'd have to ask.) Or does your insurance have a mail-order option? That could be cheaper.

[Keyplayer]

Hi bluebicycle ,

I grew up in Ayer !! , I know the old Boston , but it has changed so much I probably would start to get lost by the time I got to Cambridge !!

I would tell you T , and may be possible lower your therapy cost.

I have just started therapy , however I can already see how important it is.
I am also on meds , most are PRN , but still must take some amount so I know exactly what you are going through.

Perhaps telling your T what you are facing , if there is compassion , then your rate should be lowered. Just my opinion , I do now if you are or can afford to pay cash for each visit , then more than likely your T would lower the cost for the simple fact they get paid immediately , no forms to send to the insurance companies , they are the true problem.

Most of the time , therapist and doctors don`t get reimbursed there actual fee , the insurance co.`s always want to pay the least they can , and sometimes it can take 6 months or more before they get paid.

So if you can swing it , try an offering of cash , it might work in your favor.

Take care , and be well , all my best

KP 

[RaineD]

Get a side gig that nets you $60/month.

[LonesomeTonight]

Any chance of carpooling or taking public transportation to work some days to save you money on gas? Or working from home?

[satsuma]

I spent as much on therapy as on rent, for four years. I don't regret it, that was my priority. I think we have to look at our budget, prioritise, and then budget accordingly.

For me, the main questions to ask are firstly, what can I afford. If I can't afford all the things I currently am committed to, where can I cut and which is my top priority?

I think housing always has to be a priority, but even with this there are choices - can I move into a shared house, can I move further out where it's cheaper and then commute, etc.

For me, the amount I spent on therapy has put me years back on saving a deposit to eventually buy a house. It might even mean that by the time I've saved my deposit I will be too old. But I won't regret this even if I am renting for the rest of my life, because therapy made such a huge difference for me and my experience of living from day to day is incomparably better compared with before.

On the other hand, if you feel annoyed about spending money on therapy and you wish you were spending it on something else instead, maybe that's a sign that therapy is not a top priority? Can you imagine living quite happily without going to therapy?

When I cut down to only once or twice a month, one of the ways I knew this was right was that I wanted to spend my time and money on other things. Therapy was/is no longer top priority number one, for me. I can't quite live without it yet, but I can certainly live with less of it.

Btw, for budgeting and how to cut your budget and save money, I recommend the Uk website money saving expert. Some of the things may be UK-specific, but not all, and there are lots and lots of great ideas.

[Anne2.0]

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

BTW, I *do* need a car. I have two offices at my work now: one in Boston itself and one about 40 mins away from Boston. (But I'll have to stay in Boston more often than the other office... so it's cheaper to stay in Boston. Plus, apartments outside of Boston have surged in price. Everyone is moving out of the city instead of living in it, so inside the city is cheaper.) I don't want to give up the SUV; it's almost paid off and I love it too much.

If you sold the SUV and bought a hybrid car (like a Prius), you would save a ton of money on gas given how much you drive. Would more than pay for the $20 you pay for each therapy session. For me there would be no question about it (and I've done my own version of buying too expensive and too impractical of a car), I'd rather have therapy as it does much more for me as an individual than driving around in a car.

It seems to me like you can afford therapy, you just want to preserve a certain lifestyle for yourself and not have to change in order to do so. Nothing wrong with that, but at only $20/session (most people have to pay much more for therapy), it's really not an expense that makes much of a dent in your overall expenses compared to others.

[anais_anais]

I am in Boston too and came up against the same issue last year.

My income is highly variable and there's not much about that that can change, nor many corners I can cut elsewhere. I ended up changing my weekly therapy to 3 weeks on, 1 week off. I consider myself to be a person who needs weekly therapy currently, but to be honest, the week off has yet to spark a major crisis, and the 3 weeks in a row provide some semblance of continuity. It does suck sometimes, though. I would still do weekly if I could.

[growlycat]

I was actually looking at several used Prius when I was in CA. Even used ones are not cheap. One was 17k but it had 100k Mikage already on it. If you can find a reasonable used Prius jump on it if you can

[ruh roh]

I think the idea to pick up a side job is great, something super parttime, like dog or cat sitting or Uber/Lyft driving. If you have trouble working around other people, the pet sitting is easiest. You wouldn't need to work much for the extra $20 a week.

I also think your costs are extremely low. I don't have insurance for my therapist, so it's the full fee for me, no discount.

[Salmon77]

I gotta agree with others, $80/month for therapy seems not that steep and like you could find it if you really wanted. But I don't know your budget. If the $80 really seems like too much or if it's not worth it to you, maybe you could look into alternatives, like free support groups, or reducing sessions as Anais mentioned. It's worth discussing with your T, too, they might have ideas.

[Argonautomobile]

Life is expensive. Life in Boston sounds INCREDIBLY expensive. I could never do that kind of money on rent!

Sorry you're in this situation. I hope you find a way to pay for what you need.

I've considered selling plasma when things were tough. That's one way to make 50 bucks a week. I'm terrified of medical settings - so I guess it's like free exposure therapy

Talk about killing two birds with one stone...