It can be tricky trying to pay for vision therapy when life has so many other expenses.
Here are a few of strategies:
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- Negotiate: Your optometrist may be willing to lower the price for your vision therapy or let you pay in installments. I would explain your situation to your optometrist and see if he or she will work with you. Also, I would keep in mind that your up-front costs might be higher than your long-term vision therapy costs. When I started, I had the initial cost of the evaluation, equipment, and vision therapy twice a week. Over time, I have been able to spend less because my visits are not as frequent since I am able to do most of my therapy at home with periodic check-ins.
- Have more than one job: First, I want to make note that I might work a lot to afford vision therapy, but I am extremely thankful for it because I would not be able to do any of these jobs without it. I work Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. as a course developer. I teach at night at a local college as well as online for a few universities. I also pick up random programming and illustrating work as needed to supplement my income. Having multiple incomes lowers my budgeting stress because I have more pay dates and income to work with. I also thought about becoming a part-time vision therapist to help pay for my therapy, but my current workload is enough.
- Save on your groceries:
- Aldi: Great prices on produce and eggs. No coupons needed. I save just by shopping there.
- Ibotta: This is a great app! You select the coupons; then after you buy the products, you upload the receipt and get cash back. They even have coupons for $0.25 off any item that you can sometimes double up on one item. Sign up with my referral link and get a $10 welcome bonus.
- Shopkick: I use this app when I just want to get out of the house but don’t want to spend money. You earn points by walking into stores and scanning products. I redeem the points for Amazon and Walmart gift cards. Try it here.
- Walmart: I live next door to Walmart, so I shop there a lot. I use Savings Catcher which is found in the Walmart app. With Savings Catcher, you scan the receipt barcode with the app. Walmart will compare prices with the competitors in your area for advertised deals on eligible items and if they find a lower price, you’ll get the difference.
- Target: I use a REDCard that links to my bank account to save an extra 5% in store and online. I also use the Target app to choose offers to knock an additional 5-50% off the price. Then when I check out, I scan my barcode at checkout for additional savings.
4. Save on online and in store purchases:
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- Ebates: This is a wonderful browser add-on for online shopping. You can earn 1-10 percent back on a purchase that you would already make. Ebates will also input all of the company’s existing coupons to see if one can be applied before you make your purchase. You can also save an additional 6 percent or so on your Groupon purchases when you use Ebates! Sign up here and get $10 to start!
- Buy Unused Gift Cards: This takes a little work, but I save tons of money by buying unused gift cards and using them for in-store and online purchases. I use Gift Card Granny to figure out where I can get the best the value vs price. Click here and to start earning points towards free gift cards!
If you have strategies, please fill out my contact form and I will add them to the list!
Until next time,