Glasses

I went to the eye doctor today for a regular eye exam and a contact exam. I have vision insurance through work, and it was still expensive!! It's been over two years since I have been to the eye doctor, so I decided I better go. I was debating between getting contacts or new glasses. I can only get one per year with my insurance. I ended up going with the glasses since my contact prescription didn't change, and I have a few boxes left. (I decided to get an exam even though I had some because I have been getting headaches and I wasn't sure if it was due to needed a different strength.)

The cost. I had a $15 copay. The frames were fully covered. The lenses were $54. I added anti-reflective and scratch coating which was $61. The total was around $133 after tax. I pay about $45 a year for my vision insurance premiums. I really debated about getting vision insurance. I priced out glasses elsewhere and decided that the insurance really did help me save money.

I also stopped by Hallmark when I was out today. I had a $5 rewards certificate. I needed some birthday and congratulations cards. I was able to get 5 cards and only spend $0.29 since I had the certificate. I am very excited about this!!

Side note - Gas prices have been decreasing here. I hope this trend continues.

Always Something . . .

It seems like there is always something that comes up. First, it was the hail damage to my car. I thought that was all taken care of. I paid my deductible and got my car back looking like new. Now today I checked my credit card statement only to find out the my insurance company did not pay my entire rental car bill. Of course, being Sunday, the people at the rental car place and the insurance agency are not able to help, and I have to call back on Monday. It's not like my Monday was not busy enough already!!

I feel like grocery prices are really impacting my budget. For medical reasons, I have to follow a special diet. This means that I can't always just buy what's on sale at the store each week and make it work in order to save money. I make a trip once a month to Trader Joe's to get certain items that are approved for my diet that I can only get there. I then shop at a lower end grocery store, Walmart, and Target the rest of the month. I have noticed an increase in price in a number of my basic food items I buy each month. I will either have to adjust my budget or adjust what I am eating.

I had two of my four cavities filled at the dentist this week. I have the others scheduled for a few weeks from now. It is so expensive to get cavities filled even when you have dental insurance. I brush multiple times a day, floss 4 times a week, and use mouthwash everyday. I guess I better get to flossing more or something. Good thing I have money set aside in savings for medical/dental bills. It still hurts though!!

I feel like I need to cut back somewhere to make up for all of these things, but I don't know where I can cut. I really try not to spend money unless I have to. I did rent two movies on Friday night from Redbox. I used a code though, so I only paid $1.07 total. I think I deserved that since work and finances are stressing me out lately.