Back to School Eyeglasses

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Back to school doesn’t only mean new notebooks, rulers, and Cheetah Girls backpacks…it also means medical expenses.  Doctor’s visits, dentist visits and new glasses to name a few.  Wearing glasses since I was 8, every year was a new problem–I hated having glasses and the choices for kids were lousy.  And no doubt my parents hated the expense, and well, kids are rough on glasses.

 If you are in this glasses scenario (for yourself or your kids), visit your eye care professional as usual for an exam and a refraction, but don’t buy those glasses just yet.  Instead, try http://www.39dollarglasses.com/. Choice is decent; you will get a quality pair of frames and lenses for a fraction of the cost!  They also include UV protection and scratch-resistant coating to every pair, which is included in the price.  I tried these out myself, not wanting to drop $300 on my own glasses, particularly since I wear contact lenses most of the time.  What a great quality frame and lenses!  It was so much better than what I had previously spent a lot more money on at the eyeglass store.  I was thrilled.

But how can you tell what looks good on you or your kids?  www.39dollarglasses.com has a face-shape set-up so that you can try the frames on people with a similar face shape.  Or, you can cut out a template and try the glasses on in a paper version.

If you are looking for glasses for yourself, also be sure to consider http://www.eyebuydirect.com. This site actually has you upload your face onto their site and you can try the glasses right on your own head!  Also, they have a money-back guarantee in case you don’t like your glasses on your actual face.  What a great service!

Just be sure to request your Pupillary Distance (PD) from your eye care provider when you have your eye exam.  This is how the eyeglass maker knows where to center the lens so you (or your child) can see properly.

Now when little Johnny breaks his frames during recess again, you won’t have to figure out where that extra $200 is going to come from to pay for the replacement.

(Side note: For those of you caring for elderly family members or friends, this is also a great, inexpensive way to update their prescriptions as well!)

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: eyeglasses, medical
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Laptop Mishaps

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Last week, my 18-month old Acer laptop started up for the last time, apparently due to a fried motherboard.  I’m not sure what exactly a motherboard is or does, but all I know is that fixing it is as expensive as buying a new computer.  Thus, this post is being written on a new Toshiba.  Hopefully, it will last longer than the Acer did.

 So my Toshiba has come with lots of “pre-loaded trial software”, some of which perhaps could be useful.  However, there are some great but FREE basic programs that everyone should have on their computer, laptop or desktop.  All recommended programs below can easily be found on www.download.com.

1. Anti-virus: you hear this all the time, but if you are like me, you hate having to pay anywhere from $40 to $80 per year for virus protection that seems to take up a lot of computer memory and run rather slowly.

Instead, try the free home edition created by Avast.  The protection is stellar, comprehensive and FREE.  Oh, it won’t slow down your computer like Norton or McAfee either.

2. Anti-Spyware: Spyware comes attached to websites you visit or certain programs or files you may download.  Spyware tracks what you do and where you go online.  It also can make your computer run slowly.  To get rid of Spyware, try Ad-Aware 2008.  Another easy to download and easy to run free program that’s definitely worth it.  You’ll see your computer running faster in no time!

2. Malware: Malware programs are lousy viruses, trojans, worms, and other sorts of nasties that can infect your computer.  To safely get rid of them, try Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software.  It’s comprehensive library finds and dismantles the worst of these programs that can attack and infect your computer.  And it’s free!

 Again, all of these programs can be safely downloaded from www.download.com. 

 Now get that computer protected!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: computers, top 10
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Taking Care of Others

Monday, August 11th, 2008

This week I have spoken with several moms who are part of the “sandwich” generation…those who are taking care of their own children in addition to caring for their parents.  Those of you who are in this situation really need some help with saving money without wasting time, as you try to cram everything into a 24-hour day.  Here’s  a resource that can help:

 If you have an elderly or disabled parent (or other family member or friend) for whom you are caring, check out http://benefitscheckup.org/.  This website will help you find resources for your loved one on all levels: federal, state and local, which makes it one of the most comprehensive websites for government and private benefits programs around.

 Yes, it will take a few minutes to go through the questionnaire but it is definitely worth it.  At the end of the questions, you’ll receive a list of services and programs for which your loved one is eligible.  The list even comes with links so that you can go directly to the programs’ websites–saving you precious online search time!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: elderly, health benefits
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Getting Personal

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

I thought I would take a break from the usual posts and write something a little different today.  Now that the manuscript is submitted, my brain has had some time to unravel and my house is slowly starting to look normal again.  By normal, I mean that I can see my countertops.  I find that trying to keep myself organized is tough, but life sometimes gives you those little pockets of reprieve, when your house is neat, the weather is beautiful, and it is a great day.  Today is one of those days.

Since I started this book, my son, now 10 months, has grown so much.  He now has 6 teeth, with the top ones almost all the way in.  I love the little things of watching him eat like a little grown-up, or when he finally sort of understands that you have to be gentle if you don’t want the cats to attack you!  And a couple of days ago, he learned to share.  Of course, he was chomping on a bottle of shampoo in the bathtub and offered a bite to me, but that’s sharing all the same.   I just cannot believe how fast kids grow and how fast the time goes by. 

 Which reminds me, to mention: if you have any retirement savings, be sure to name the beneficiaries properly, because you must designate beneficiaries separately on each account.  If you have another child, you don’t want them to get left out!  This also goes for wills and trusts. 

Finally, if you have a special needs child, please do contact a special needs attorney.  They will be able to guide you through the trust process so that your hard-earned assets go to your children and not the government.  You can find one in your area at www.specialneedsanswers.com.

Take care and have a great week!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

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