Contact lenses can be expensive. After finishing up a trial run with my first pair, I was told it would cost $75 to order one box (a three-month supply) from my optometrist.
Knowing that most items are less expensive online, I wanted to see if I could take my prescription and get a better price elsewhere. I started out with ClearlyContacts.ca, an online optical store, and discovered that after shipping costs, I could get the same contacts for $10 less per box. Knowing the site offers a price match, I decided to carry on in search of a less expensive alternative. The best option for saving money online, I learned, is to order in bulk. This brings the price down and also reduces or eliminates any shipping and handling fees. From my optometrist, a year's supply of contacts would cost $340. At Lens.com, for example, the same supply would cost less than half of that price. And if your prescription changes halfway through, some sites, including 1800contacts.com, will take back unused contacts.
I searched through six online sites until I settled on one I was comfortable ordering from. If you go the web route, make sure you do your research as well: A reputable site will have a contact number, a solid return policy and usually a way to verify your prescription.
Now if only I could find a site that will reduce the ridiculous amount of time I spend in front of the mirror, holding my eyelids open, trying to put in and fish out the darn lenses.
Angela Self is one of the founders of the Smart Cookies money group. Read her weekly column on managing debt and saving money at globeinvestor.com .