5 Ways to Spend Less and Stay Well

5. Take Advantage of Free Screenings

With so many of us working full-time yet underinsured or uninsured, it's easy to let things go. Like that little mole on your arm that seems to have grown bigger this summer.

You don't need us to tell you that letting it go is not a good idea.

If you have a history of skin cancer, spend a lot of time in the sun or have a suspicious mole, you really need to make a habit of getting your skin checked for skin cancer -- insurance or no insurance.

"See Spot, Check Spot" is the slogan of the American Center for Dermatology. It has partnered with dermatologists across the country to offer free screenings. Just go to the extremely user-friendly www.melanomamonday.org to find a convenient location.

Blood pressure: Getting your blood pressure taken may seem as mindless as stepping up on the scale when you go to the doctor's office for a sore throat, but doctors say the measure of the force of your blood pumping from your heart through your arteries is one of the most important ways to monitor your overall health.

Blood pressure for most healthy people falls below 120/80. See how you measure up by taking advantage of one of the numerous free blood pressure machines in pharmacies and malls. To locate the one nearest you, go to www.lifeclinic.com/locator/search.asp.

Mammograms, pap smears and more: The National Cancer Institute advises most women older than 40 to get annual mammograms, and many health care providers across the nation now offer free mammograms, as well as a host of other free screenings.

A few examples:

The Center for Women's Health at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland offers free pap smear exams, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol screenings. Call to make an appointment.

The Women's Community Clinic in San Francisco offers free annual exams, including breast exams and pap smears, while the Reading Hospital and Medical Center in Reading, Pa., offers free mammograms and pap smears, as well as blood pressure, cholesterol, skin cancer and heart disease screenings at its many health fairs throughout the year. Visit www.readinghospital.org to check upcoming dates.

More than 100 health care providers throughout Missouri offer free breast and cervical cancer screenings to underinsured Missouri women. Call 800-422-6237 to see if you qualify.

If you live in New York, free mammogram screenings are available in Manhattan at the Harlem Hospital Center every Thursday and Saturday. Also in New York, the Women's Imaging Center at the Metropolitan Center's Spa de Salud offers mammograms, blood pressure screenings and blood sugar screenings.

In Illinois, the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program offers free pap smears and mammograms. Call the Women's Health Line at 888-522-1282 to sign up.

In Washington state, the YMCA of Seattle has a program called the Women's Health Outreach. It provides free or low-cost mammograms and pap tests. Contact Ingrid Berkhout at 206-436-8671 for more information.