I recently bought another year supply of contacts. Most years in the past I just bought my contacts from 1800 Contacts just because that's the company that I've always used. This year I did some shopping around and I was surprised by what I found.
I have astigmatism in both of my eyes, and my old contacts had started to bother me. So I decided to change to Acuvue Oaysys for Astigmatism lenses. These lenses are bit more expensive because they use newer technology and are for astigmatism.
In total, I checked the price for an annual supply of my lenses at nine different suppliers. (I ignored any coupon codes or other discounts that they offered because I'd be reimbursed for anything under $200 anyway.) The cheapest supplier came in just a hair under $200, and the most expensive was $332.
Had I not shopped around, I would have spent $130.96 over my VSP allowance at 1800 Contacts. By shopping around, I was able to find a supplier that kept me under my allowance and I didn't have to spend any of my own money at all.
I've recorded the results of my comparison shopping below.
| Supplier | Box Price | Boxes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frames Direct | $24.80 | 8 | $198.40 |
| Contact Lens King | $29.95 | 8 | $239.60 |
| Walmart | $36.50 | 8 | $292.00 |
| Lens Direct | $38.34 | 8 | $306.72 |
| Coastal | $39.99 | 8 | $319.92 |
| 39 Dollar Glasses | $40.95 | 8 | $327.60 |
| 1800 Contacts | $41.37 | 8 | $330.96 |
| Vision Direct | $41.50 | 8 | $332.00 |
| Contacts Direct | $41.50 | 8 | $332.00 |
I was surprised by the results because I think of contacts as medical supplies, and I thought of medical supplies as having a fixed price. Clearly I was very wrong, and medical supplies can have widely varying prices.
What kinds of things have you saved money on unexpectedly by shopping around? Let me know in the comments!