Pinching Pennies - Glasses

     Pinching pennies!  I’ll pinch them boogers till they bleed over some things, others I’m a little more lax about.  I would like to say that I get a great deal no matter what I’m buying, but I’m not that good yet. 

     One of the largest expenses for some people are healthcare associated costs.  Some people don’t think about vision when they think about healthcare; although, if we can’t see that is a massive impact on the way we live our lives.  Some people opt out of vision, because they don't think it's that important.  But it really can be.  Cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc., can completely derail a person's way of life.  

     I am fortunate enough to have a vision plan that covers the cost of an eye exam every year or two.  I really ought to check on the frequency, but I believe I am allowed one eye exam annually.  After that?  I’m on my own.  Glasses are not covered.  Contacts are not covered.  Corrective surgery is not covered.  Not that I’d really consider surgery after the nightmare my husband has been through with his, but you get my point.  I think, and again, I really should check on this, that I might have coverage for what would be considered a more medical problem, like treatment of an actual condition, infection, etc., but refractive correction for poor eyesight is not one of the things that Tricare cares about, apparently.

     The last time I bought glasses from an optometrist’s office, they cost me over $300.  I was talking to my cousin the other day, and her most recent pair (bought this year) were in the same ballpark.  That’s a lot to me.  That's a car payment, a month's worth of groceries, or a trip back to Georgia to see family.  I can say to myself, “Self, that’s no problem.  Just put back $25 a month.  No big.”  Then something comes up and the car needs a battery, or the tire suddenly develops a slow leak, or the electric bill is unusually high, or the kid gets sick, and there went that $25. 

     And why are glasses so danged expensive anyway?  I started wondering if I *had* to pay that much money for a few bits of metal and some specially bent plastic.  I asked around, and a few people referred me to Zenni Optical.  They boast about having frames as low as $6.99, lenses included.  What?  Yep.  I was a bit leery.  I mean, how good could they be, right?> Turns out the super cheap ones are mostly kid sized or for people with teeny tiny heads.  I have to move on up to at least the $20 range to fit my big ole melon. 

     But how good are they?  Good enough.  I bought a pair of sunglasses and a pair of eyeglasses three years ago for $25 with a buy-1-get-1 coupon.  They’re still holding up.  The prescription is accurate.  The eye doctor I go to uses the old prescription as a jumping off point for the current eye exam, so my glasses were tested while I was there today.  The sunglasses have been left in the car for three years solid and had no issues with the heat or cold.  My cousin’s $300 glasses cracked in the heat of her car a week or so after purchase.  Unreal.  For $300, those boogers need to be indestructible, life-time guaranteed. 

     I just placed an order for glasses and sunglasses today, and I paid $64, shipped, with anti-glare coating, scratch resistant lenses, and the sunglasses tinted at 80% with UVA and UVB protection.  If I had bought them from my eye doctor, I probably would have had to cough up around $600 for the lot, or more, assuming I got the cheapest I could find and had a combo deal.  That’s 90% difference.  Yes, they can be more expensive than that, if you get the fancier bells and whistles on your lenses, like fingerprint resistant, water resistant, a higher rated UVA/UVB protective coating, or the super thin lenses, but it is possible to get single vision glasses for as little as $7 plus a few dollars for shipping.  That's hard to beat.  

     No, I am not getting any money for this.  There are no affiliate links in this blog post.  I just wanted to share, because having to come up with hundreds of dollars for glasses can be hard to do.  In the immortal words of Mrs. Lovett, times is hard.  If you do order from them, make sure that you have a hard copy of your prescription that you can photograph, scan, or in some other way upload and email to them.  Also, ask your eye doctor for your pupilary distance (PD) so you can find correct sized frames for your head and your lenses' prescription will be centered for your eyes.  

Pinching Pennies - Glasses

     Pinching pennies!  I’ll pinch them boogers till they bleed over some things, others I’m a little more lax about.  I would like to say that I get a great deal no matter what I’m buying, but I’m not that good yet. 

     One of the largest expenses for some people are healthcare associated costs.  Some people don’t think about vision when they think about healthcare; although, if we can’t see that is a massive impact on the way we live our lives.  Some people opt out of vision, because they don't think it's that important.  But it really can be.  Cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc., can completely derail a person's way of life.  

     I am fortunate enough to have a vision plan that covers the cost of an eye exam every year or two.  I really ought to check on the frequency, but I believe I am allowed one eye exam annually.  After that?  I’m on my own.  Glasses are not covered.  Contacts are not covered.  Corrective surgery is not covered.  Not that I’d really consider surgery after the nightmare my husband has been through with his, but you get my point.  I think, and again, I really should check on this, that I might have coverage for what would be considered a more medical problem, like treatment of an actual condition, infection, etc., but refractive correction for poor eyesight is not one of the things that Tricare cares about, apparently.

     The last time I bought glasses from an optometrist’s office, they cost me over $300.  I was talking to my cousin the other day, and her most recent pair (bought this year) were in the same ballpark.  That’s a lot to me.  That's a car payment, a month's worth of groceries, or a trip back to Georgia to see family.  I can say to myself, “Self, that’s no problem.  Just put back $25 a month.  No big.”  Then something comes up and the car needs a battery, or the tire suddenly develops a slow leak, or the electric bill is unusually high, or the kid gets sick, and there went that $25. 

     And why are glasses so danged expensive anyway?  I started wondering if I *had* to pay that much money for a few bits of metal and some specially bent plastic.  I asked around, and a few people referred me to Zenni Optical.  They boast about having frames as low as $6.99, lenses included.  What?  Yep.  I was a bit leery.  I mean, how good could they be, right?> Turns out the super cheap ones are mostly kid sized or for people with teeny tiny heads.  I have to move on up to at least the $20 range to fit my big ole melon. 

     But how good are they?  Good enough.  I bought a pair of sunglasses and a pair of eyeglasses three years ago for $25 with a buy-1-get-1 coupon.  They’re still holding up.  The prescription is accurate.  The eye doctor I go to uses the old prescription as a jumping off point for the current eye exam, so my glasses were tested while I was there today.  The sunglasses have been left in the car for three years solid and had no issues with the heat or cold.  My cousin’s $300 glasses cracked in the heat of her car a week or so after purchase.  Unreal.  For $300, those boogers need to be indestructible, life-time guaranteed. 

     I just placed an order for glasses and sunglasses today, and I paid $64, shipped, with anti-glare coating, scratch resistant lenses, and the sunglasses tinted at 80% with UVA and UVB protection.  If I had bought them from my eye doctor, I probably would have had to cough up around $600 for the lot, or more, assuming I got the cheapest I could find and had a combo deal.  That’s 90% difference.  Yes, they can be more expensive than that, if you get the fancier bells and whistles on your lenses, like fingerprint resistant, water resistant, a higher rated UVA/UVB protective coating, or the super thin lenses, but it is possible to get single vision glasses for as little as $7 plus a few dollars for shipping.  That's hard to beat.  

     No, I am not getting any money for this.  There are no affiliate links in this blog post.  I just wanted to share, because having to come up with hundreds of dollars for glasses can be hard to do.  In the immortal words of Mrs. Lovett, times is hard.  If you do order from them, make sure that you have a hard copy of your prescription that you can photograph, scan, or in some other way upload and email to them.  Also, ask your eye doctor for your pupilary distance (PD) so you can find correct sized frames for your head and your lenses' prescription will be centered for your eyes.  

Pinching Pennies - Glasses

     Pinching pennies!  I’ll pinch them boogers till they bleed over some things, others I’m a little more lax about.  I would like to say that I get a great deal no matter what I’m buying, but I’m not that good yet. 

     One of the largest expenses for some people are healthcare associated costs.  Some people don’t think about vision when they think about healthcare; although, if we can’t see that is a massive impact on the way we live our lives.  Some people opt out of vision, because they don't think it's that important.  But it really can be.  Cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc., can completely derail a person's way of life.  

     I am fortunate enough to have a vision plan that covers the cost of an eye exam every year or two.  I really ought to check on the frequency, but I believe I am allowed one eye exam annually.  After that?  I’m on my own.  Glasses are not covered.  Contacts are not covered.  Corrective surgery is not covered.  Not that I’d really consider surgery after the nightmare my husband has been through with his, but you get my point.  I think, and again, I really should check on this, that I might have coverage for what would be considered a more medical problem, like treatment of an actual condition, infection, etc., but refractive correction for poor eyesight is not one of the things that Tricare cares about, apparently.

     The last time I bought glasses from an optometrist’s office, they cost me over $300.  I was talking to my cousin the other day, and her most recent pair (bought this year) were in the same ballpark.  That’s a lot to me.  That's a car payment, a month's worth of groceries, or a trip back to Georgia to see family.  I can say to myself, “Self, that’s no problem.  Just put back $25 a month.  No big.”  Then something comes up and the car needs a battery, or the tire suddenly develops a slow leak, or the electric bill is unusually high, or the kid gets sick, and there went that $25. 

     And why are glasses so danged expensive anyway?  I started wondering if I *had* to pay that much money for a few bits of metal and some specially bent plastic.  I asked around, and a few people referred me to Zenni Optical.  They boast about having frames as low as $6.99, lenses included.  What?  Yep.  I was a bit leery.  I mean, how good could they be, right?> Turns out the super cheap ones are mostly kid sized or for people with teeny tiny heads.  I have to move on up to at least the $20 range to fit my big ole melon. 

     But how good are they?  Good enough.  I bought a pair of sunglasses and a pair of eyeglasses three years ago for $25 with a buy-1-get-1 coupon.  They’re still holding up.  The prescription is accurate.  The eye doctor I go to uses the old prescription as a jumping off point for the current eye exam, so my glasses were tested while I was there today.  The sunglasses have been left in the car for three years solid and had no issues with the heat or cold.  My cousin’s $300 glasses cracked in the heat of her car a week or so after purchase.  Unreal.  For $300, those boogers need to be indestructible, life-time guaranteed. 

     I just placed an order for glasses and sunglasses today, and I paid $64, shipped, with anti-glare coating, scratch resistant lenses, and the sunglasses tinted at 80% with UVA and UVB protection.  If I had bought them from my eye doctor, I probably would have had to cough up around $600 for the lot, or more, assuming I got the cheapest I could find and had a combo deal.  That’s 90% difference.  Yes, they can be more expensive than that, if you get the fancier bells and whistles on your lenses, like fingerprint resistant, water resistant, a higher rated UVA/UVB protective coating, or the super thin lenses, but it is possible to get single vision glasses for as little as $7 plus a few dollars for shipping.  That's hard to beat.  

     No, I am not getting any money for this.  There are no affiliate links in this blog post.  I just wanted to share, because having to come up with hundreds of dollars for glasses can be hard to do.  In the immortal words of Mrs. Lovett, times is hard.  If you do order from them, make sure that you have a hard copy of your prescription that you can photograph, scan, or in some other way upload and email to them.  Also, ask your eye doctor for your pupilary distance (PD) so you can find correct sized frames for your head and your lenses' prescription will be centered for your eyes.  

Mother's Day 2016 and our Mini-adventure

     I missed the Tolling last week, because Sunday was Mother’s Day, and I got to be a lazy bum, eat take out, and play all day.  I can’t believe it’s been almost three and a half years since my little guy was born.  Now he’s a big rotten turdmonkey with a lot of sass figuring out his independence.  He breaks my heart, makes me proud, and infuriates me all at the same time, sometimes literally all in the same instant. 

     We were going to go on a picnic, but weather didn’t permit that.  It rained off and on all day long.  During one of the off periods, we went out to the swing and played for a little while.

     Pa made this for me out of a bit of scrap wood and Little’s fingerprints.  I may or may not have leaked a bit around the eyes when Little brought it to me and said, “Happy Mother’s Day, Mama!  I love you!” Exactly how Pa had coached him to just a few seconds before LOL. 

     I’ve spend nearly every day this past week typing my fingers off.  I had an expedited job that had to be turned around in 24 hours, and I haven’t really had much time for even setting up blog posts, let alone fleshing them out and posting them.  Today, I decided was going to be a day off from paid typing, and maybe just a lazy day in general.  That didn’t quite work out as intended. 

     This weekend, the weather was nice, if a bit warm, and I decided just before lunch that we should go on a mini adventure.  Pa grabbed a quarter, we hopped in the truck, and off we went.  We flipped heads or tails to turn or not, then heads or tails for left or right.  In dash sat-nav makes this a lot easier than stopping at every intersection.  We could flip the coin well ahead of time.  We came across Pizza Hut right around lunch time, and since it’s Little’s favorite, we stopped in for the lunch buffet.  Of course, today was the only day ever that kid had zero interest in pizza.  He was, however, very interested in all the young ladies who were working.  He played peek-a-boo over the back of the booth with the girls behind the counter and made monster faces at them.  They made monster faces and peek-a-booed right back, which he loved. 

     When we got back in the truck, he asked very sweetly to go to the slide, so we took a roundabout route back to our own little town and went to the park.  He had a blast, up until two trains had a face-off.  The park is next to the tracks, and despite the fact that he is infatuated with trains, they scared the crap out of him with their repeated horn blasting.  It was a bit loud, but we’ve actually parked next to the tracks so he could watch the train go by before and he was okay with it.  This was his first time being so close without being buckled in his car seat.  That feeling of exposure may have made him insecure. 

     Around about that time, we figured it was time to head home.  It was over 80, and we were all getting pinkish from the sun.  That was when the day turned.  By the time we got home, I felt like it was way past adult beverage time, so Little man got sent to his room to chillax for a bit.  He was hangry, because a mango fixed it once he calmed down enough to ask nicely and not scream at me.  Whew lawdy mercy, this boy and his attitude.  I don’t know where he gets it.  *cough-cough*

     It was a good day, despite the bumps, but now Pa and I are both footsore and pooped, the child is in bed, and we are getting ready to put our feet up and have story time.  I read Pa bedtime stories.  He’s not a reader, but he’s discovered he enjoys being read to.  This allows me to share my rather ravenous love for books with him without him having to read the Cliff Notes. 

     I hope all the mamas reading this had a lovely weekend last weekend and were spoiled at least a little, and happy belated Mother’s Day!

Baked Cod and Tater Rounds

     My sister-in-law is a wonderful cook.  She has gotten me to eat fish more willingly than I ever have before.  Last time I visited her, she did a deep-fried dinner of cod filets and home fries.  It was delicious, but while I freely admit I will never be thin again, there’s no need to add cholesterol and heart problems to my list of problems.  So, I figured I’d try baking it.  This turned out to be quite tasty, and since both the potatoes and the fish cook at the same temperature, the majority of the meal is hands-off and frees you up for other things, like tickle wars with little boys!

Baked Cod and Tater Rounds

For the fish:

* Fillets of fish - I used cod tonight, but any fillet will work. 

* Butter, olive oil, or whatever floats your boat

* Seasonings - I love tarragon, dill, and garlic on fish, but simple salt and pepper are just as yummy.  Play around and mix-and-match.  Try cumin, chili, and lime zest. 

* Bread or cracker crumbs, or panko - optional

* If using the above, a couple of beaten eggs for an egg wash, also optional.

For the taters:

* Potatoes

* Seasonings - salt and pepper, a blend, ranch or Italian seasoning packet, play with it. 

* Butter, olive oil, or whatever floats your boat.

* Shredded cheese for the second half, if you like. 

     I was going to use a cookie sheet, but all the butter drained over to the sides, and that just wasn’t going to cut it, so I used a 9x13 cake pan for the potatoes and an 8x8 cake pan for my fish.  The two pans were able to fit side-by-side on the oven rack without crowding.  You’ll have to adjust your own baking dish sizes based on how much food you need to cook.  Since I am only cooking for three, I have some flexibility.  You can use two racks in the oven, just move your potatoes down for their second half of cooking and keep a nose out for scorching. 

     So first, start the oven preheating to 425.  Peel and slice your potatoes about ½ inch thick and rinse them.  Put some butter in the baking dish you’re using for them, and put it in the oven to melt.  You won’t need a whole lot, just a couple tablespoons for a 9x13 dish was plenty.  While that’s melting, pat your potatoes dry.  Normally I don’t bother with the pat dry step, but the water droplets in hot butter are not fun.  Trust me. 

     Season your butter.  That’s right, not the potatoes, the butter.  Just sprinkle all over the surface of the melted butter so that there’s a nice even coating of yum on top. 

     Put your potatoes in and shimmy them around a bit, or if you’re a bit compulsive like I am and need every potato evenly coated with butter, flip them all over once to get them coated.  It’s really not necessary, though.  You’ll be turning them half way through. 

     Put the potatoes in the oven and set the time for 20 minutes. 

     Sometime before that 20 minutes runs out, get out your fish.  Season it really well on both sides: garlic, salt, pepper, dill, lemon juice or zest if you like.  The seasonings are up to your imagination.  What sounds good tonight?  Just make sure you dust both sides well, particularly if you’re cooking a thick fillet, so they’ll have good flavor when they’re done.

     If you’re using breading, this is where you want to dredge your fish in the egg then roll them in your crumbs until they’re well coated.  I sprinkled mine with parsley after I coated them with crumbs because I think it’s pretty.  Unfortunately, I also used a bit too much, but it's still pretty, and yummy.  Put your fish in a lightly buttered pan.

     When your timer goes off, flip the potatoes and pop the fish in the oven.  Bake for another 15 minutes.  

     Half your meal is easily done all at the same time, and your stove-top is clear for cooking your veggies or other sides, but to me, the best part of it all was that my three-year-old actually ate it.  Even the potatoes.  He won’t touch a potato unless it’s a McDonald’s French fry.  Not Sonic, not home fries, not KFC, only McDonald’s.  I really do wonder if they put something in their food.  He won’t eat nuggets from anywhere else either, not even homemade ones with a Parmesan cheese crust.  *sigh*  

Monster!!! (jeans)

Hey, y'all! 

     Keeping it short and sweet again.  If you don’t keep up with us regularly, the court reporter I type for got a promotion, which means I vicariously got one as well.  It doesn’t mean more pay, but it means more work, which works out to more pay, so YAY!  Unfortunately, it also leaves me much less time to blog than I used to have.  Most of the down time I have from typing is usually spent either catching up on chores I’ve neglected while I’ve been swamped with work or with spending time with my two guys, who I see only for mealtimes when I have a heavy workload. 

     Anyway, this is a project I squeezed in a while back and haven’t managed to get around to sharing on the blog yet.  We are fortunate enough to get some hand-me-downs from Pa’s sister.  She has three boys, and her youngest is just a few years older than Druid.  They’re also pretty close in size.  I gave birth to the jolly blonde giant.  Boys use their clothes hard, and sometimes Sis will be like, “Sorry they’re stained,” or “Sorry, they might have a hole here or there.” 

     I’m like, what?  Are you kidding?  My child rolls in the mud and managed to find the one remaining cow pie leftover from last summer’s cows to sit in when he decided he had to get a closer look at whatever was on the ground.  I am thrilled to receive whatever she offers.  He’s three.  It’s not like I’m sending him off to a job interview in torn jeans and grass-stained sweatshirts. 

     Anyway, occasionally worn-thin becomes worn-through.  And then they can become AWESOME! 

A little felt, a little imagination, and ta-da!

     Make sure you cut the main patch a good bit larger than the hole it’s covering.  You want enough to be able to sew around the hole without missing the patch, even though you won’t really be able to see what you’re doing 50% of the time, unless you intend to turn the leg inside and right side out for every single stitch, which I didn’t.  I went round the mouth with large cross-stitches and twice on the eye knee for a bit extra reinforcement, because even though that hole was smaller, the entire knee is tissue thin, then trimmed the excess material off. 

     Before you commit and sew it, line up your teeth, if you’re giving your monster teeth, and pin everything really well so you can see how it will lay.  I used that heat bond interfacing stuff that you iron on for the teeth.  I cut it out in a random, jagged shape, pinned it in place, sewed around the patch, and then ironed over the interfacing to stick the teeth down.  It was much faster than trying to sew each individual tooth down, and I already had some laying around from a nursery upholstery project I did before Little was born.  Use whatever you have lying around, because scraps are all you need to make this work.  For the other knee, since it was so much smaller, I cut out a main patch and sewed it on, then I very sloppily appliqued a pupil and iris.  

     

     I was kind of going for Frankenpants, so the sloppiness of all the stitching was intentional.  After I got both patches on, I went back and put some eyes over the monster mouth, just for the heck of it. 

     Little loves them.  We’ve gotten nice comments about them while out, too.  I’ve even been asked where I bought them.  Pa says he wants a pair just like them when his jeans wear through the knees, too.  So I think they’re a resounding success.  Depending on how well the patches hold, they might even make it to another little boy once mine outgrows them.