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This time around, I decided to see how much I could save on purchasing both a new set of glasses and some prescription sunglasses.
[Tweet "See 6 ways how to save money on eyeglasses"]
1. Call around and shop the best deal on an eye exam
Costing out the eye exam required just a couple of phone calls. I first called Nationwide Vision, where my last exam was done. The full exam including dilation was $84. Walmart was next on the list and a full exam plus dilation would cost me $54. Costco was the final place I called and their price was $69.
My savings mind wanted to go to Walmart, but my husband talked me into going to Costco for the exam since the people working at our Walmart never look very happy.
Final savings on the eye exam came to $15
2. Don't be pressured into purchasing glasses right away
In the middle of the exam as I was waiting for my eyes to dilate, the doctor sent me out to the optical department. Have you ever tried to look at glasses with a whole bunch of florescent lights shining down on you from every direction while your eyes are dilating???
My eyes instantly started to rebel and started leaking tears out of the corners. I squinted and moved the glasses arms length to barely make out the prices. The cheapest frames I could find ranged from $44-60 while the cheapest sunglasses were $40-54.
I didn't even bother trying to find a pair which would look good on me, but the two or three frames which were the absolute cheapest were awful looking. The painfully bright lights were starting to make my head throb and I wanted to find some dark hole to hid in.
However, I did talk to the saleslady and asked the price for lenses, before darting back to the doctor's office where the lights were dimmer. You better believe I had the lady write everything down, I couldn't hold the paper far enough away to see!
Polarized lenses would cost $74.99 and single vision poly lenses would start at $68.99, plus the cost of the frames. But wait! If I purchased two pair of glasses in the next two days, there would be a $20 coupon off the price of the sunglasses and $25 off for buying two pair.
3. Price frames and lenses at a couple different places
I came home without buying anything and attempted to cook dinner with a very low light on while wearing those oh so stylish sun glass inserts the doctor had given me for the way home, making my husband wonder if I had lost my mind.
At Nationwide the cost of frames plus basic lenses will run you easily $150+ and sunglasses would probably cost close to a minimum of $200. Umm, no thanks. A money tree, I do not have.
Walmart does have cheap frames which are made well, so that was my next place to look. Sure enough, there were a couple of frames which started at $9 and sunglasses frames which started at $29. But... sadly I did not like any of the cheap frames nor did they look good on me. And the sunglasses weren't cute. Period.
Now, I certainly don't need name brand glasses, I simply do not care. However, I do want something which looks good on me and I like my 'movie star' sunglasses (as my husband calls them). The cheapest frames which actually looked half-way decent started at $50. Sigh.
Not willing to spend a lot of money and not happy with the selection, I left the store, a bit disappointed.[Tweet "Shopping around and comparing prices can save you lots of money when you are buying new glasses!"]
4. Look for bargain priced frames or frames within your budget.
My determination to save money bounced back the next day and I stopped in another Walmart on my way home from work. Lo and behold, the selection of $9 frames was quite numerous and their sunglasses frames started at $15, plus the styles were actually cute.
The only problem was the location of the store; it was way across town in an area I normally don't travel and there would be an extra fee to purchase the frames in one store and the lenses in another.
A super helpful lady came over and explained there were corporate owned vision centers and private vision centers inside different Walmarts. The first one was a privately owned shop and hence the reason for the very limited selection of bargain frames. You learn something every day!
She wrote down all the costs of the frames, lenses, and the add-on options, as well as the model number of the frames I liked and told me where the closest corporately owned Walmart was located.
5. Evaluate the add-on options
Up-selling is part of a salesperson's job, however there were a couple upgrades suggested, such as having the lenses filed, so the barely discernible white at the edge wouldn't be seen, which were not necessary in my opinion and definitely not worth the $10/lens.
My prescription is light enough to get away with using the basic plastic lenses, so I was able to save money by not buying the more expensive poly-carbonate lenses.
All my lenses did come with scratch resistant coating and I did pay to add the UV protection, otherwise, there were no other upgrades.
6. See if there are any discounts which apply
At the final stop, the corporate owned Walmart Vision near my house, I found out there was a buy one pair, get 20% off a second pair deal going on. Sweet! Even though my sunglasses were more expensive, the optometrist applied the discount to the sunglasses.
I walked away paying $124 in total, including a $9 frame for regular glasses with basic plastic scratch resistant, UV protection lenses, a $15 pair of stylish sunglasses with polarized, scratch resistant lenses, and two basic cases.
Final savings for glasses $70-$225, depending on the comparison.
While you may not have the same eyeglass stores in your area, you can apply the same principles to shopping for new eyeglasses.
See 6 ways to save money on eyeglasses
1. Call around and shop the best deal on an eye exam.
2. Don't be pressured into purchasing glasses right away, there may be a better deal waiting if you take your prescription elsewhere to fill.
3. Price frames and lenses at a couple different places (check if chain locations are privately or corporately owned).
4. Look for bargain priced frames or frames within your budget.
5. Evaluate the add-on options and don't buy them if you don't need them.
6. See if there are any discounts which apply.
Taking the time to shop around for both the eye exam and the glasses paid off big time by saving $85-$240+, despite the extra work involved in comparing prices.
Next time you need to purchase some new glasses, see how much money you can save and shop around!
How do you save on eyeglasses?
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Hi! I’m Charissa. I’m on a mission to help hardworking women overcome money struggles and gain financial peace with a Biblical perspective so they can have the freedom to impact their families and communities. Ready to make some changes that will impact your finances in 2020? Click here to get a free worksheet to help you make it happen!
I use greateyeglasses.com and save a bundle on glasses. I have bifocals, and can get a great pair of glasses for $75 to $95! I’ve used them for years, and have purchased about 4 pairs of glasses from them. The frames are very good quality, and the lenses are great, too. Shipping is fast and their customer service is top notch.
Awesome tip Susan, thanks for stopping by! I will have to check out that website next time I need glasses, thanks for sharing your recommendation. You are getting a great deal, especially for bifocals.
Last Saturday I ordered new glasses. Until now, I only had one with filters to use with the computer, but now I need the real deal.
I did it at a different shop. The same place where my partner goes. The owner does everything himself which cuts a lot of the extras. And to my major surprise my new “real” pair of glasses cost pretty much the same as my previous ones that I bought about 5 years ago!!! 😮
With some research one can really get better deals.
That is another great tip, Debbie, find someone who does everything to make the glasses on his own. I can see how that would drastically reduce the price. I am so impressed you were able to pay the same price for more as you did five years ago! Nice work!
I was shocked too, Charissa. And I even got a paper to request some small refund from my health insurance.
Thanks for sharing this post on #TipTuesday!
That’s awesome Debbie! It is such a nice surprise to get refunds from health insurance companies.
I always end up spending more than I want to on eyeglasses. These are great tips and I didn’t think about shopping around for lenses or frames. Thanks for sharing some great tips with us at #AnythingGoes see you next week.
I’m a lifer when it comes to wearing eyeglasses — started at 5 years old. These are great tips, especially not buying frames right away. I can never see straight after an exam either, lol.
The past few years I’ve been buying from http://www.zennioptical.com, and have scored glasses for as low as $12. I’m recently into bifocals, but even those are only $45 or so each, even though the selection isn’t as great as all the crazy colors for regular glasses.
Wow Amy! You have found some great prices. I’ll have to save the link for future reference. Haha, I am glad I am not the only one who can’t see straight after an exam. Thanks for stopping by!
I used to use Wal-mart’s vision center for glasses/contacts/exams. A couple of years ago, I started going to America’s Best. Since I wear contact lenses mostly, I had to get yearly exams. They have a club where you pay $99 and get eye exams (up to twice a year) for three years for that price. When one exam is $79, it was worth it!
The glasses…well they weren’t so cheap since I have a strong prescription and got talked into those extras!
What a great way to save on exams, Kristina, thanks for sharing! Hopefully those savings helped balance out how much you had to pay for the glasses.
I have an eye appointment coming up. I won’t switch doctors, since i have a lot of issues with my eyes, but I will definitely shop around for the glasses.
Definitely keep your doctor if you know them and have a relationship with them, having a doctor you trust is priority! I hope you get a great deal on glasses, Michelle. Thanks for stopping by!
I always go to Costco for my contacts, they’re the best place to get them. But I am picky about my eye exam. Since my insurance fully covers it, I prefer to go with the doctor I’ve known for a while.
Hi Kimberly, thank you for the tip about contacts at Costco. Hey, if your insurance covers the exam and you have a doctor you trust, no need to change something which is not broken.
This post came at a great time since I was just thinking I need to get my eyes checked and buy some new glasses. Thanks for the great tips.
I’m glad you found this post helpful Valerie! I hope you get a great deal on your purchases.
A good reminder to shop around and find the best deal available at the time. We are lucky that our eye exam is free. Our frames seem more expensive than yours though.
Thanks for the great tips Charissa,
Kathleen
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Kathleen, you can’t beat a free exam! Since I’ve been shopping around lately for the best deals on glasses (and other purchases), I am on a roll to see if I can challenge the quoted price for anything and find a better deal. It is so easy to just accept the price without shopping around.
Checking around at different places is a great idea. Also, doing the research online can save you time and hassle. Plus, when you are online you can find online companies that don’t have a physical location. I always get my glasses from an online company.
Online research is so easy to do now-a-days. Phillius, thanks for the tip about finding companies online which don’t have physical locations and getting a good deal from them.
My cousin just found out that he needs glasses and he isn’t happy about it. He’s mainly concerned with the cost of these glasses and is nervous that he won’t be able to afford them. This has some good points that I think can help him know how he can save money, and still look good by finding glasses that fit his style.
Thanks for stopping by Jason. Glasses don’t have to be super expensive and there are ways to get what you need without spending a lot of money.
I like that you said to call around for the best deal on an eye exam. My friend has glasses and it can get expense to keep up with all the eye care. Thus, looking around at different deals and offers is the best way to go when trying to save money. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for stopping by James. Calling around and shopping for the best deal can apply to many things, not just glasses. I am now wanting to take a little time to research where to find a good deal, instead of just going with the most convenient option.
I agree that you shouldn’t be pressured into buying the glasses right away. While optometrists often have glasses available, it’s better to shop around for different prices and styles instead of deciding on a pair right away. There may be special offers or deals available, too, so looking around and considering your options is essential. Thanks for the article.
While buying glasses, one must not be pressurized since, one it will going to effect the eyes.
Specially buying prescribed sunglasses…
Doing survey first is a must; this is the reason why I liked your post. The tips you have mentioned are way to be considered, as these tips will help in getting the right eye glass on an affordable amount.
I will certainly share this post with my known circle.
Thanks you for sharing these tips with us.
You have some great ways to save money on glasses. I like the second one you mentioned, about not giving into pressure. It’s always a good idea to check multiple shops to make sure you are getting the best deal. That’s what I need to start doing!