Our sense of sight helps us perform many everyday activities. We need it to drive, read and do countless other things. It’s one of those things we take for granted until it starts to fail.
Some people are born with vision problems. Those who aren’t usually develop them at some point in their lives. Yet many of us don’t take care of our eyes like we should. We don’t get eye exams as often as recommended, and that means that we may need vision correction or adjustments in our current correction method and not know it.
Often, the main reason that people do not get glasses or contacts is cost. Many insurance plans do not cover vision. Those who are uninsured must usually put a higher priority on other health problems than vision. But there are ways to save on glasses and contacts if you need them. Here are some ideas.
1. Check with your insurance provider. Even if vision is not included in your health insurance policy, some carriers offer separate vision discount plans that can save you money. Sometimes these are offered at no additional charge. If you can’t find information about vision coverage in your policy, ask your agent or employer about it.
2. Look for vision discount plans offered by organizations. AARP, for example, offers its members a discount of 30% on eyeglasses and up to 20% on contacts. If you belong to any clubs, organizations or co-ops, check to see if they offer similar programs.
3. Keep an eye out for coupons. Vendors of eyeglasses and contacts often run ads with coupons in newspapers and magazines. And don’t forget to check the coupon section of your Sunday paper. Sometimes these coupons are quite valuable.
4. Check prices online. Buying contacts online can save you a great deal of money, and sometimes you can find manufacturers’ rebates that will lower your total cost even more. You might even find printable coupons for franchise stores with locations in your area.
5. Look for discount eyewear stores. These are most often found in medium to large cities. They tend to keep advertising to a minimum in an effort to keep costs down and prices low, so look for them in the Yellow Pages or ask around.
Our vision is not something that we can easily live without. Yet it’s not uncommon for people to go years without so much as an eye exam because they do not feel that they can afford it. There are deals to be found on glasses and contact lenses, however, if you’re willing to do some research. Taking advantage of them could allow you to see much more clearly.
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Going on vacation can be fun, relaxing and rejuvenating. But one thing it usually isn’t is cheap. Just paying for a place to stay and admission to attractions can add up to hundreds of dollars. And by the time you factor in travel, dining and shopping, your vacation could cost a small fortune.
The good news is that if you know where to look, you can find coupons and discounts that will significantly reduce your costs. It’s entirely possible to go on a trip and not pay full price for anything. Here are some places to look for vacation deals.
* Visit Free-Attractions.com. This website lists lots of things you can do for free all over the United States. There are zoos, museums, parks, festivals and more, and they’re all organized by city and state.
* If you’re interested in visiting a specific place, visit the area’s official tourism website. Many such sites offer coupons for local attractions. Some make printable coupons available online, while others will send you a coupon book for free or for the cost of shipping and handling. If you pay for coupons, however, it’s important to be certain that you will use enough of them to make up for the cost.
* Get your hands on a newspaper or guidebook from the area you plan to visit. These are great sources of coupons.
* Check the official websites of attractions you plan to visit. They may offer coupons or have details of promotions that are going on. Some offer reduced admission or two-for-one deals on certain dates.
* Consider a season pass. Amusement parks often sell them for the price of two to three days’ admission. If you’re planning to visit for a week and go to the park each day, a season pass might be the cheapest way to go. And if there’s an attraction in your area that you might visit several times in a year, a season pass is definitely the way to go.
* Look for package deals. These are often available from travel agencies, and include airfare, accommodations, admission to attractions, and often dining and shopping gift certificates. It’s important to add everything up to make sure you’re getting a good deal, but such packages can save you big bucks.
* Are you a member of an organization such as AAA or AARP? They offer discounts to their members for lots of things, including vacation expenses. Even some credit card and insurance companies offer special discounts to their customers.
There are numerous ways to save money on a vacation. If you plan well in advance, you may be able to knock hundreds of dollars off of your expenses. That’s money that you can use to pay off debt, put into savings, or put away to go toward next year’s vacation.
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It seems that most of us became savvy shoppers during the holidays, as is shown by the decline in revenue for most department stores. This is not a bad thing, but it seems clear that we have been forced into becoming smarter purchasers in lieu of the current economic crisis.
With so much uncertainty about our economic future, here are some tips to help you trim down the costs of shopping regardless of whether it is for groceries, clothing, or other essential items on your list.
1. Use coupons whenever possible. There are a myriad of online coupon sites that offer discounts and printable coupons. The Sunday circulars have a variety of grocery coupons as well. Get the scissors out – it’s time to start clipping.
2. Before making any purchase online, sign up free with Ebates. They have a comprehensive list of stores where you can save up to 8% on clothing, electronics, and other items.
3. Prepare a list before you go to the supermarket. There’s an old saying, “Never shop on an empty stomach!” It is a fact that when you shop without having a bite before you go, you tend to buy more than on a full stomach. Only buy those items on your grocery list. Take inventory of your pantry closet to ensure you are not buying that which you already have.
4. Utilize consignment shops in two ways – bring your new or used clothes to them to sell and collect a commission, and shop there as well. You can be assured their clothing is of the finest quality. Use the commission earned to buy what you need.
5. Before taking trip to a particular department store, check out their online sales. Ascertain what discounts are being offered first. Then move on to comparison shop that same item with other online stores. You can save quite a bit of money shopping online instead of wasting gas trying to find a parking space at the mall.
6. If you do decide to head out to a department store on a sale day, go early in the morning before the crowds descend on the place. Go directly to the department where the item is located, buy it and then leave. Don’t waste time looking around; the temptation to buy something else is always there.
7. Just as you made a holiday list with a budget attached, utilize the same philosophy when shopping during the year. Stick to the budget. If you can’t pay for an item with cash, you can’t afford it.
8. Leave the credit cards at home. With interest rates climbing, the last thing you need is to add more debt to your expenditures.
9. If you are an online shopper and want to save money, become an Amazon Prime member. For $79.00 a year, you will not have to pay shipping for purchases of $25.00 or more. It is worth the savings.
10. Buy in bulk. But, ensure that the items you do buy will be used and are not purchased just because the price is attractive.
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