About

Howdy, I'm David Dewese. I've spent the last twenty-five years working in web design and marketing while also making music and touring (twelve albums, shows on five continents). After starting a family, I got interested in finding ways for us to thrive, not just survive, on an artist's income.

I've always been underwhelmed by how money and healthcare get explained to regular people. It's buried in jargon and seems built to confuse. So I started Normaltown USA to share what I've learned in plain English, the way I'd tell a friend. No hype, no bait-and-switch, just what I've actually figured out.

I'm not a financial advisor, just a guy who's doing the homework.

What you'll find here

Three things, one idea per post, short enough to read with your coffee.

• Money: why you feel broke on a decent income, where it leaks out, and small moves that actually help.
• Health: why medical bills surprise you, how to pay less for care, and an honest look at health sharing.
• Bitcoin: why the dollar loses value and where bitcoin fits as savings, not gambling.

If you're new, the Start Here page has the three posts I'd read first.

How I do the homework

I use the stuff I write about. My family of four left regular health insurance for a health sharing service called CrowdHealth, and I write about what we actually do, not what a brochure says. Before I publish a number, I check it against the source, usually the company's own published guidelines or the government's own figures, and I note when it was last checked. When something has a catch, I say so in the same breath as the upside. If I get something wrong, I fix it, and the post shows the date it was updated.

How this site makes money

Honestly, not much yet, and it costs almost nothing to run. The one way it earns: if you join CrowdHealth through my link with code NORMAL, you get your first 3 months at $99 a month and I earn a referral bonus if you stick around. It costs you nothing extra. I only point you to things I'd tell a friend about, I always say when a link pays me, and I'll tell you who health sharing is wrong for before I tell you how to sign up. No ads, no sponsored posts, no selling your email.

What I'm not

I'm not a financial advisor, a doctor, a tax pro, or a lawyer. Nothing here is financial, medical, tax, or legal advice. I explain how things work so you can make your own calls. Health sharing is not insurance.