This time of the year I usually get a reminder in the mail to go get my eyes checked out. This year I made the appointment just before using my last pair of contacts -because I wanted to delay spending the money as long as possible. After the doctor completed my exam, they asked me about ordering contacts. I told them, I would call them back. Later that week, I did just that after
I checked the balance on my flexible spending account. I asked them exactly how much would be covered by Insurance and then asked them the price of the contacts that I usually wear: $43 per box.
Then I went online and checked my favorite website to see if there were any contact lens companies affliliated with them: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=lDgHmLL72rIoUkPX%2FmFpww%3D%3D
Sure enough, lensmart is listed with a 7% rebate. I checked the prices for the contacts on lensmart and they have the same lenses for $37.99 per box. That is $40 saved right there! However in order for this to be profitable, I have to also compare taxes and shipping. Lensmart is offering free shipping on all orders over $99. Plus as a first time customer, I can save an extra 20% and $20 for the bulk discount! That brings my price down to about $30 per box.
They accept flexible spending accounts so I will still be able to use that. In the end I spent less than $30 per box on contacts and received over $16 from ebates on top of it all!
If you have vision insurance then it would be worth it to let insurance pick up the tab, but if paying out of pocket, I would definitely recommend doing some research yourself and saving some money on your contact lenses.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
I am dreaming of Paris
I am dreaming of Paris in Spring and Venice and London and Madrid too. I can't seem to think small when it comes to traveling. In fact, I would postpone purchasing a new car in favor of a grand European tour. While my dreams are big, my budget is not. This will be my second "grand tour" of Europe and once again I want to spend as little as possible.
I went to Europe 2 years ago paying my way primarily with airline miles. This time, I didn't have enough miles, but I still got a really good deal on airfare. I started looking for fall sales offered by various airlines. Delta was offering Madrid for $269.00 each way -that is a deal! However as I mentioned before, I dream big so I wanted to go to Madrid and then take the train to various other places and Delta was coming out to be too much. So I started trying out different itineraries. It turned out that flying to Madrid was the cheapest, but coming back from London allowed me take the detour through Paris. A train ride from Madrid to Paris is 13 hours and a train ride from Paris to London is only 2 hours. In the end, I was able to get my fare for $405 each way! Still a pretty good deal.
Some useful tips on saving on airfare:
If booking for multiple people -open separate browsers and get them each to the point of payment and pay separately for each ticket. Airlines will sometimes offer better deals to solo travelers and not a family/group.
Rework your itenary if traveling to several destinations. I found that it was cheaper to return from London compared to Paris.
Look at leaving during the week as airfares are cheaper during those times.
Of course it goes without saying, go off-season. I like this better anyways because I get better fares, better hotel rates and I get to sightsee without being overly crowded.
Use miles to purchase tickets from the US to Europe (the more expensive part of your trip) and pay for inner Europe travel on budget airlines. My previous trip to Europe (Paris, Milan, Venice and Istanbul) cost me only $600 when I used mileage for the ticket from the west coast to Paris.
I went to Europe 2 years ago paying my way primarily with airline miles. This time, I didn't have enough miles, but I still got a really good deal on airfare. I started looking for fall sales offered by various airlines. Delta was offering Madrid for $269.00 each way -that is a deal! However as I mentioned before, I dream big so I wanted to go to Madrid and then take the train to various other places and Delta was coming out to be too much. So I started trying out different itineraries. It turned out that flying to Madrid was the cheapest, but coming back from London allowed me take the detour through Paris. A train ride from Madrid to Paris is 13 hours and a train ride from Paris to London is only 2 hours. In the end, I was able to get my fare for $405 each way! Still a pretty good deal.
Some useful tips on saving on airfare:
If booking for multiple people -open separate browsers and get them each to the point of payment and pay separately for each ticket. Airlines will sometimes offer better deals to solo travelers and not a family/group.
Rework your itenary if traveling to several destinations. I found that it was cheaper to return from London compared to Paris.
Look at leaving during the week as airfares are cheaper during those times.
Of course it goes without saying, go off-season. I like this better anyways because I get better fares, better hotel rates and I get to sightsee without being overly crowded.
Use miles to purchase tickets from the US to Europe (the more expensive part of your trip) and pay for inner Europe travel on budget airlines. My previous trip to Europe (Paris, Milan, Venice and Istanbul) cost me only $600 when I used mileage for the ticket from the west coast to Paris.
Counting Pennies
In this economy, the cliche that every penny counts has been coming true for many in a very personal way. I have been looking for ways to save money and make a little extra on the side when possible. I am not embarassed to admit that I clip coupons, get a massage when its 20% off and delay purchases when I can buy things on sale.
One wonderful money saving tool that I found is ebates. I have been a member since 2008 and love it so far! You can expect to save about $100 every year. I know, its not a lot of money, but once you hear how it works, you will agree that its return for minimal effort. Ebates shares referral income with its members. Depending on what you are looking to purchase you can save a little extra on something you were already going to buy anyways.
Lets say you are in the market for some baby gifts. I look for the highest percentage cash back from macys, baby gaps, etc and select the one that has the best return. I place my order and ebates tracks my clicks through its website. When it results in a purchase, the promised cash back amount is deposited in my account. Once I have collected a certain amount, the cash will be deposited in my paypal account. Easy!
Sign up here: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=lDgHmLL72rIoUkPX%2FmFpww%3D%3D
I would love to hear from you about your ebates experience! Mine has been positive so far. I once misplaced a check and they mailed me another one. After that, I switched over to paypal.
One wonderful money saving tool that I found is ebates. I have been a member since 2008 and love it so far! You can expect to save about $100 every year. I know, its not a lot of money, but once you hear how it works, you will agree that its return for minimal effort. Ebates shares referral income with its members. Depending on what you are looking to purchase you can save a little extra on something you were already going to buy anyways.
Lets say you are in the market for some baby gifts. I look for the highest percentage cash back from macys, baby gaps, etc and select the one that has the best return. I place my order and ebates tracks my clicks through its website. When it results in a purchase, the promised cash back amount is deposited in my account. Once I have collected a certain amount, the cash will be deposited in my paypal account. Easy!
Sign up here: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=lDgHmLL72rIoUkPX%2FmFpww%3D%3D
I would love to hear from you about your ebates experience! Mine has been positive so far. I once misplaced a check and they mailed me another one. After that, I switched over to paypal.
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