Andie emailed me to ask for some tips on how to save money on contacts.
“Do you have any hints regarding buying soft contacts, or do you have readers who could hook up the rest of us?”
Unfortunately, I don’t wear them myself, so I don’t have much in the way of money-saving tips on this topic.
So do you have any tips on the best way to save on contact lenses? I’m looking forward to learning from your tips, and I’m sure other readers will benefit greatly!
I recently talked about how computers have affected my childrens’ lives. I believe they’ve had a positive impact on my kids thus far, but Melody made an important point about some of the negative aspects she’s seen. She mentioned that her daughter wants to spend all of her time on the computer, so I wanted to share how we are attempting to steer our children away from this even at an early age.
I feel that it’s important that we as parents be vigilant about teaching our children about balance in all areas of their lives. For example, my children do not get any TV, computer, or video game time until their homework is done, and we make a point of taking them outside to play whenever possible. As they get older, their computer time will be monitored closely and limited accordingly. If we set a good example now, it will be that much easier to keep them on track as they get older. And if your children are already older, well, it’s never too late to lay down some rules.
How do your teach your children to maintain balance in their lives? Do you have rules around computer usage?
Alyssa over at Keeping the Kingdom First posed a really interesting frugal dilemma tonight. She’s in the market for a new pair of sunglasses, and she’s wondering when is it worth it to buy a more expensive item? I had to laugh when I read this, because I struggled with the exact same problem just last spring.
I had a pair of beloved JCrew sunglasses that I wore for, I kid you not, 9 years. That’s like EONS in sunglasses life!!! Though I bought them on clearance, I would have obviously gotten my money’s worth even at full price. They finally bit the dust last spring when I dropped them walking in the door from outside. They landed just the wrong way and the hinge broke off in such a way that repairing them wasn’t even an option.
So my hunt began. I looked at every store we went to for a cheap pair, but well, they were also cheaply made. The plastic wasn’t smooth, they felt flimsy, and they just didn’t feel like they fit properly. I just wasn’t happy with anything I found.
Finally after much insistence on the part of my husband, I went to a Sunglass Hut at our local outlet mall. There I found a really nice pair of Ralph Lauren glasses for about $90. Now, that’s definitely not cheap, but I could have done a LOT more damage, so I was pretty satisfied with my find.
Since I wore my last pair for 9 years, I expect for this pair to last me roughly that long. I could have purchased a cheap pair for roughly $10, but I probably would have had to replace them much sooner, possibly even annually. So when you break it down, the yearly cost for wearing the quality item versus the yearly cost for wearing the cheap item is about even.
Given those figures, I’m perfectly happy with my decision to invest in a more expensive item.
What’s your take on whether cheaper is always better? Even if you disagree with my decision, I’d love to hear from you. I find these kinds of discussions so interesting, and there’s really no right or wrong. It’s what works best for you in the long run.
Leslie posed a very interesting and important question in the comments on this week’s CVS Scenarios post about the $2/$10 CVS coupon that’s available in Richmond Parents Monthly.
The $2 off $10 coupon I have is from a Richmond publication and it clearly states one coupon per person, not per transaction. I am curious if anyone else has a problem with not conforming to the coupon regulations? To me this seems like a blatant misuse of the generosity of a store and will ultimately make them change their policy so people will have to conform to the rules and regulations.
I would welcome your thoughts.
Because I’m working under a deadline on a transcript and I’d like to hear various opinions, I’m throwing this one out to my readers to get your points of view.
So what do you all think??? Please be respectful of others’ opinions in your comments.
