Prescription Sunglasses at a Reasonable Price?

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Since summer is theoretically on its way, I thought I would talk about the wallet-draining experience that is purchasing prescription sunglasses.

My husband hated wearing contact lenses.  He wore them for all of 2 days.  Since he drives a fair distance to get to work, he needed prescription sunglasses so he wasn’t reduced to wearing the stylish “over the glasses” wraparounds favored by certain retirees.  But when we went to the optical store, there were two problems:

1. They were horribly expensive, even without his astigmatism correction factored in and

2. No one was willing to try putting his prescription in a wrap around-style frame that he wanted so that he could also play sports/ski with them.

So, as usual, I went online and found an excellent vendor: http://www.heavyglare.com/ Also known as Sun Ray Optical and based out of St. Paul, MN, these folks specialize in prescription sunglasses at a reasonable price.  His last pair (after he lost the first pair) cost $170, including lenses and a frame he actually liked.  Which, in the world of brand-name prescription sunglasses, is quite a good deal. 

We’ve been working with these folks now for several years and I have only had good experiences with them.  www.heavyglare.com has around 90 brands to choose from, including names like Ray Ban, Bolle, and Arnette.  They also do goggles.  And since I am usually the one dealing with customer service when there is a problem in the Delfau household, I can tell you their customer service is excellent.  At this time last year, they even offered to send my husband’s new sunglasses to France since we would be here visiting family when they would be ready to ship.  I was quite impressed!

And, of course, prescription sunglasses are reimbursable through your FSA and HSA, if you have one of these accounts!

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: health insurance, prescriptions, sunglasses
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When AAA is more than just towing your car

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Hello from a toasty day in Connecticut!  Since we had visitors last week (or was it the week before? I am losing track), I thought I would share with you some AAA savings that we’ve used while they were visiting…

Our friends came to visit us from overseas and they have a particular affection for Six Flags New England.  So instead of paying face value for the tickets, we go to our local AAA office and buy them there–for almost 40% off!  Usually, the day pass is $41, but at AAA, they are $26.  And they have a discount on parking as well.  All told, our group of 6 (Nicolas is free because he is under 2) saved $97 on park entrance and parking fees! 

Again, I am not a big membership person (note my lack of Costco member status), but even though AAA can seem expensive, I have found them to be worthwhile.  There have been times that my car battery died in our driveway after my husband left for work (thanks to me leaving the interior light on overnight) and AAA had someone out to jump the car within 15 minutes. 

Also, I believe I’ve mentioned this before but it bears repeating: if you have lost your prescription coverage at work, lost your health insurance all together, have a medication that isn’t on Walmart’s generic list, etc., get your AAA prescription discount card.  It’s free with membership and it just might save you a few bucks.  And the prescription card works for pet meds as well–as long as the medication can also be taken by humans.  So things like insulin, heart meds, etc. all qualify!

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: aaa, discounts, health insurance, prescriptions, saving money
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Medications

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Being February and all, many of us are either just getting another cold, battling through one, or hopefully getting over one.  Or the flu.  Or bronchitis.  I have talked to friends this winter in different areas of the country, and it seems like we are all sick or just getting over something!  Personally, I seem to keep catching new colds every couple of weeks.  Kleenex, doctors’ offices and Vicks are making a lot of money off of our family this year.

Which brings me to the topic of free antibiotics.  Many grocery stores and pharmacies (such as Stop n Shop, Publix, Meijer’s, etc.) are offering free antibiotics through the winter cold season.  With a prescription, of course.  But is this such a good idea?

My doctor seems to think not, because the overuse/misuse of antibiotics leads to stronger strains of bacteria that we ultimately have to develop new meds for, etc.  Also, he says it creates a situation where people demand antibiotics when they don’t require them (i.e. they have a virus) and put him in a difficult position. Other people don’t like the idea of companies using short-term meds to lure people into their stores…and want them to comp blood-pressure or cholesterol pills instead.

My feeling is that if it turns out that you truly need an antibiotic, this is not a bad thing, particularly if you are one of the many who have lost their health coverage along with your job.  Or if you don’t have any health benefits to begin with–it’s a way to get your family taken care of, at least in the short-term. And as for giving away other meds for free, well, companies can only do these things short-term and still turn a profit.  And supermarkets operate with razor-thin margins as it is…so this antibiotic offering is better than nothing.

However, the longer term prescription problem remains.  If you don’t have prescription coverage and take on-going medicines (or if you have an elderly family member in the same situation), be sure to check the lists online for Walmart, Target and any other store in your area offering generic prescription discounts.  There is much cross-over between the stores, but not 100%.  So if your med isn’t on one list, it might be on another.

Finally, you can also try www.pparx.org.  It is an alliance between prescription drug manufacturers to see if you are eligible for partial or full coverage of your medications.  If you know of someone who is elderly, on a fixed budget and many medications, do help them out and review it for them as well, because they might not be as computer savvy.  Saving others money helps us feel good 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: health insurance, prescriptions
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Flex Health Accounts – Enrollment Season is Now

Monday, November 10th, 2008

For those of you (or your spouses) who have employers that offer health, dental and/or life insurance benefits, November & December are usually the “open enrollment” periods when you have to choose which benefits you would like to have for the following year.

For some, Flex Spending Accounts (aka FSAs) are also offered.  For those with children in daycare or after-school care, usually the FSA for Childcare is a no-brainer–you max it out and it gets used up in a few months.  But what about the Healthcare FSA?

Healthcare FSAs are used to pay for eligible medical expenses not covered by your health insurance.  Since these accounts are funded by you with your pre-tax dollars, you can essentially save anywhere from 10-33% on eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses, depending on your tax bracket.  Out-of-pocket items include things like co-pays for doctor visits and prescriptions, dental work, etc.

The downside is that FSAs have “use it or lose it” clauses–if you don’t use up your contributions during the year, the money is lost. So many people either avoid the FSA entirely or underfund them (missing out on tax benefits) or overfund them (and lose cash).

So how do you make FSAs work for you?  You can sit down with a pencil, paper and calculator to determine how many times you go to the doctor, need a prescription, etc. each year. If you like, contact me with your name & email address at kristin@turbo-mom.com and I will send you a free FSA worksheet that you can either print out and write in your info or simply type right on the form and it will calculate your totals for you!

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: FSA, health insurance, open enrollment
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