FAQ
These are the questions I get asked the most, answered the way I'd answer a friend. Short and plain. Where I've written a whole post on something, I link to it.
About Normaltown USA
What is Normaltown USA?
It's a plain-English guide to money and health for regular people. I write about why you feel broke on a decent income, why medical bills surprise you, and how to save in something that holds its value. No jargon, no hype, no talking down to you. Just how the stuff actually works.
Who's behind Normaltown USA?
Me, David. I spent 25 years in web design and marketing, and 25 years making music and touring. I've got a wife and two little girls, and I got tired of how money and healthcare get explained to normal people. So I started writing it down the way I'd tell a friend. More on the About page.
Is this financial or medical advice?
No. I'm not a financial advisor, a doctor, a tax pro, or a lawyer. I'm a guy who did the homework and takes good notes. I explain how things work so you can make your own calls.
How does Normaltown USA make money?
Honestly, not much yet, and the site costs almost nothing to run. The one way it earns: my family uses a health sharing service called CrowdHealth, and if you join 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, and I always say when a link pays me.
How often do you post?
A new post most days. Each one is short and covers one idea. If you're new, the Start Here page has the three I'd read first.
Money
Why do I feel broke when I make good money?
Because your bucket is filling and leaking at the same time. When your income goes up, three things quietly go up with it: what you spend, your fixed monthly bills, and the price of everything. So the raise lands, but the water level barely moves. The fix is to send part of any raise straight to savings before your spending grows to eat it. Full post: Why You Feel Broke on a Good Income.
Where should I start with my money?
Save your first $1,000 and don't touch it. That small cushion keeps a normal surprise, like a car repair or a medical bill, from landing on a credit card. A bigger fund of a few months' expenses is a later goal. A thousand bucks is a finish line you can actually reach. Full post: The First $1,000.
Why doesn't my raise feel like more money?
Because a raise lands on a moving staircase. Taxes take a bite before it hits your account, your spending grows to match it, and rising prices mean what's left buys a little less. To keep a raise, move part of it to savings the day it starts. Full post: Where Your Raise Actually Went.
I pay my credit card every month. Why won't the balance go down?
Because you're bailing a boat with a hole in it. Your payment is the bailing. The interest is the hole. If you only pay the minimum, most of it goes to interest and the balance barely moves. That's how the card is built. Pay more than the minimum, and if you have more than one card, hit the one with the highest rate first. Full post: The Real Cost of a Credit Card Balance.
Do I need a fancy budget?
No. Most budgets die because they take too much work. Mine is a short list, not a spreadsheet. Know what comes in, what has to go out, and what's left. Then decide what to do with what's left before the month decides for you. Full post: A Budget That Survives a Busy Week.
Where does my money leak out without me noticing?
Usually the same few places: subscriptions you forgot about, small daily buys that add up, fees, and bills that quietly went up. None of them feel big. Together they can be hundreds a month. Full post: The 5 Money Leaks Busy Families Miss.
The news says inflation is down. Why do prices keep going up?
Because "inflation is down" means prices are climbing slower, not that they're falling. Last year's price hikes don't get undone. They become the new normal, and the next round stacks on top. Your grocery bill is telling the truth. Full post: Why Prices Climb but the News Says Inflation's Down.
Health insurance and medical bills
Why did I get a big bill when I have insurance?
Because insurance isn't an all-you-can-eat pass. It's a "you pay first" deal. You pay full price until you hit your deductible, and even then you usually still split the bill. Go out of network and the discount can vanish. Deductibles reset every January, which is why bills sting most early in the year. Full post: Why You Got a Big Bill With Insurance.
What's a deductible, in plain words?
It's the amount you pay out of your own pocket each year before your insurance starts helping. If your deductible is $5,000, the first $5,000 of care is on you. Full post: What a Deductible Really Means.
What's the most I can be forced to pay in a year?
For 2026, in-network costs are capped by law at about $10,600 for one person and $21,200 for a family. Once you hit that cap, your plan pays the rest of your covered, in-network care for the year. That cap is real, but it's also a lot of money for most families. Full post: What a Deductible Really Means.
How do I get a lower price at the doctor?
Ask for the cash price before you hand over your insurance card. A lot of care has two prices: a high sticker price and a lower price for people who pay directly. Ask "what's the cash price if I don't use insurance?" Then compare it to what you'd owe with insurance and pick the smaller one. Full post: The Cash Price Secret.
Why does the same blood test cost $30 in one place and $300 in another?
Because there's no one real price in medical care, just a menu. The same test costs way more at a big hospital than at a standalone lab, and the sticker price is inflated on purpose. Where you buy decides the price, not the test. Full post: Why the Same Blood Test Costs $30 or $300.
Can I negotiate a hospital bill myself?
Yes, and regular people do it every day. Ask for the itemized bill and check it for mistakes. Ask for the cash price. Ask if they'll do better if you pay today, or if they have a financial help program. Then get the final number in writing before you pay a cent. It takes a few phone calls and can save thousands. Full post: How to Negotiate a Hospital Bill Yourself.
Why does it feel like nobody in healthcare is on my side?
Because nobody in the chain gets paid to make you well or to make your bill smaller. Insurers make money when premiums come in and claims go out slowly. Hospitals get paid more when they do more. You're the only one at the table who wants a small bill. Full post: Nobody Gets Paid to Make You Well.
What's an HSA?
A Health Savings Account is a jar for health costs that the tax man doesn't touch. Money goes in untaxed, comes out untaxed when you spend it on health stuff, and it rolls over year to year as your own money. The catch is you need a high-deductible insurance plan to open one, so the two come as a pair. Full post: What an HSA Actually Is.
Health sharing
What is health sharing?
It's a group of regular people who agree to pay each other's big medical bills instead of paying an insurance company. You pay a flat monthly fee, and when something big happens, the community pitches in on the bill. Full post: What Is Health Sharing?.
Is health sharing insurance?
No, and I'll say that every time it comes up. There's no legal contract that guarantees your bill gets paid. You're joining a community that agrees to share costs by a set of written rules, not buying a legal promise. That's the trade you make for the lower cost. Full post: Health Sharing vs. Insurance: The Honest Trade-offs.
Is health sharing legit?
Yes. It's real and legal, and the group my family uses, CrowdHealth, has funded tens of thousands of bills, including single bills over $600,000. Complete bills usually get funded in about a week. A long track record is not the same thing as a guarantee, and a smart person holds both facts at once. Full posts: Is Health Sharing Legit? and Can You Trust Health Sharing With a Big Bill?.
Does your family actually use health sharing?
Yes. My wife, our two girls, and I have been on CrowdHealth, and I write about what we actually do, not what a brochure says. I'll also tell you who it's wrong for, because it isn't for everybody. Full post: A Healthy Family's Year on Health Sharing.
What does health sharing cost per month?
With CrowdHealth there are three numbers. A flat $60 a month per person for the app, the bill negotiators, and a real human who helps you. A small monthly amount that goes to other members' bills, which moves up and down and is usually modest. And $500 out of your pocket when you have a health event. No deductible in the thousands waiting to bite you. Full post: What Health Sharing Actually Costs Each Month.
What's a "health event" in health sharing?
One thing that happens to you. A broken arm, an appendix that has to come out, a trip to the ER. You cover the first $500 of that event, and the community shares the rest of the eligible bills. Full post: How One Health Event Gets Paid.
What if the crowd doesn't fund my bill?
It can happen, and I won't pretend otherwise. Most of the time a bill isn't funded, it's because it fell outside the written guidelines, like a pre-existing condition still in its waiting period, or paperwork that wasn't complete. Read the guidelines before you join, keep your $500 ready plus a small emergency fund, and use the appeal process if something gets declined. Do that and the worst case is a bump, not a disaster. Full post: What If the Crowd Doesn't Fund Your Bill?.
Who is health sharing wrong for?
Anyone who needs a legal guarantee that bills get paid. Anyone with a serious, active condition that needs expensive ongoing care right now. Anyone who takes a pricey brand-name drug every month. And anyone who can't keep $500 set aside for an event. If that's you, a regular plan is the right tool, and there's no shame in that. Full post: Who Health Sharing Is Wrong For.
What about pre-existing conditions and health sharing?
This is the biggest limit, so hear it before you join. A condition you already have isn't shared right away. There's a waiting period of a couple of years, and after that it can be shared with a yearly cap. Something minor and well-controlled from years ago is treated very differently from something you're being treated for today. Read the exact rule for your condition before you decide. Full post: Pre-Existing Conditions and Health Sharing.
How do prescriptions work with health sharing?
You pay the cash price instead of a copay. For everyday generics, that's often a few dollars a month if you shop around with a free discount tool. Medicine tied to a health event, like pain pills after surgery, rides along with the event. The one real limit is an expensive brand-name drug you take every month. Sharing isn't built for that. Full post: Health Sharing and Prescriptions.
What doesn't health sharing cover?
Routine dental and vision. Cosmetic work. Expensive ongoing medications. Pre-existing conditions until the waiting period is up. Some elective and lifestyle stuff. None of it is hidden, and it's all the same idea: sharing is for the big unexpected things, not the routine and predictable ones. That's exactly why the monthly number stays low. Full post: What CrowdHealth Doesn't Cover.
What happens if I have a real emergency on health sharing?
Go to the ER. Don't stand in the parking lot doing math. Afterward, you pay your $500, a care advocate works the ER bill down to the cash price and lower, and the community shares the rest. Keep your $500 ready and save every piece of paperwork. Full post: Health Sharing and the ER.
What's a care advocate?
A real person on your side when you have a health event. They help you find fair-priced care, negotiate the bill down, and handle the back-and-forth with the hospital so you don't have to. Members often see 25 to 85 percent knocked off the sticker price. It's the part of health sharing that surprised me most. We pay less and get more human help than we ever did with insurance. Full post: What a Care Advocate Actually Does.
What about having a baby on health sharing?
Maternity is its own event with a set commitment of about $3,000 for the whole pregnancy and delivery. The rule you can't skip: you have to join before you're pregnant. If you're already expecting when you sign up, that pregnancy counts as pre-existing and won't be shared. Plan ahead and it works well. Full post: Maternity on Health Sharing.
What do I do about the dentist and glasses?
Pay for them directly. Cleanings and eye exams aren't surprises, so you budget for them like car maintenance. Ask for the cash price at the dentist, and shop for glasses online instead of at the shop next to the eye doctor. If your family needs a lot of dental work, a cheap standalone dental plan is a normal thing to add on top. Full post: Dental and Vision Without Insurance.
I'm between jobs. Is this better than COBRA?
Depends on your health. COBRA keeps your old work plan but charges you the full price, often well over a thousand a month for a family. If you're healthy and just need a bridge, health sharing usually does the job for a fraction of that. If you're in the middle of treatment, keep COBRA. Real coverage mid-treatment is worth the price. Full post: Health Sharing vs. COBRA.
I'm self-employed. Does health sharing work for me?
Yes. Health sharing isn't tied to a job, so it works the same whether you have an employer or not. That's a big part of why it's popular with people who work for themselves. Full post: Health Sharing for the Self-Employed.
How do I sign up, and what's the deal with your code?
You can see what your own number would be at CrowdHealth (opens in a new tab) with code NORMAL. New members get their first 3 months at $99 a month, and Normaltown USA earns a referral bonus if you stick around. It costs you nothing extra. Read their guidelines first, and read my post on who it's wrong for before you switch. If you want the whole decision in one place, it's Should You Switch? A 5-Question Guide.
Bitcoin and saving
Is bitcoin saving or gambling?
It depends on how you treat it. Buying a pile hoping to double it by Friday is gambling. Putting away a small amount you won't need for years and ignoring the price swings is closer to saving. Keep it small, use money you could afford to lose, and know which pile it came from. Full post: Saving vs. Gambling.
Why does money lose value over time?
Because more of it can always be made, and things that are easy to make more of lose value. Front-row concert seats hold their worth because nobody can print more of them. A dollar buys a little less each year for the opposite reason. Full posts: The Dollar's Slow Leak and Why Hard-to-Make Money Holds Its Value.
How do I buy a small amount of bitcoin safely?
Start with about $20 of money you'd be fine losing. Use a big, well-known app you can find real reviews for. Buy your small amount, then leave it alone instead of watching the price. The point of a first buy is to learn how it works, not to get rich. Full post: Your First $20 in Bitcoin.
How much bitcoin is too much?
A small slice. Money you won't need for years, in an amount that wouldn't wreck your month if it went to zero. If the price dropping by half would keep you up at night, you own too much. Full post: How Much Is Too Much?.
Should I wait for a better bitcoin price?
I don't try. Nobody knows where the price goes next week, and guessing turns saving back into gambling. A little each week, no matter the price, beats betting it all on one day. Full posts: Why I Don't Try to Time the Price and A Little Each Week Beats Betting It All.
Why does the bitcoin price swing so much?
Because it's still young and small compared to the dollar, so news and big buyers move it a lot. The swings only hurt if you need to sell soon. If your amount is small and your timeline is years, a wild week is noise. Full post: Bitcoin's Wild Price Swings, Explained Calmly.
What's a bitcoin wallet?
Not a place that holds coins. It holds the keys that prove the bitcoin is yours. Think of the bitcoin as a mailbox everyone can see, and the wallet as the only key that opens it. Full post: What a Bitcoin Wallet Actually Is.
What does "not your keys, not your coins" mean?
If an app holds your bitcoin for you, the app controls it, not you. If they get hacked or shut down, you're stuck. For a first $20, an app is fine. As your amount grows, learn how to hold the keys yourself. Full post: "Not Your Keys" Explained.
Got a question I didn't answer? Read the Start Here page, or find a post that's close and start there. I add to this page as new questions come up.