America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses rocks. As I said before, my light purple glasses I’ve been wearing for 7 years broke. I was able to hot glue the hinge back together to wear them during class but clearly this is not a long term solution. I started looking for a cheap way to replace them – cheap because I have no eye coverage with my bare-bones health plan and because we’re living on a student budget. Here’s the breakdown of what I found:

Eye exam:
Target = 55
Lenscrafters = 65
Walmart = 62
America’s Best = free with purchase (40 without)

Frames:
Target = start at 99
Lenscrafters = start at 99
Walmart = start at 19
America’s Best = start at 49, but buy two for 69, lenses included

Lenses:
Target = 100+
Lenscrafters = 125+ but had a half off deal through November
Walmart = 69+
America’s Best = basic lenses are included in the two for 69 deal. Upgrades start at 69.

So really no comparison. Any other place would total 255+ for the whole package, or just 69 from America’s Best plus you get a second pair. I figured if they didn’t have good frames then I would get the cheap exam and take my prescription to an online shop like zennioptical, where frames + lenses start at $8. But they had decent stuff and at least I could try them on. I’m glad I got some new ones ordered so quickly – not so glad I have to wait 7-10 days for them to arrive.

Those are the two pairs I ordered, but the one on top is purple/pink (I could only find a pic of the blue version). Miranda graciously accompanied me to offer much needed advice. She was very direct and honest and made me feel really good about my purchases. I’m pretty excited to have two pairs because I frequently leave my glasses in my school bag or my purse, and then when I get to the movies or lecture I realize I left them in my other bag. No more!

By the way, remember my shoe conundrum this summer? Just wanted to let you know how awesome my dansko clogs are. I would wear them everyday if that wasn’t so boring. They feel great on my feet and offer the most support I’ve felt outside of a pointe shoe. Amanda has been converted to the dansko love as well. If you need some good shoes I whole heartedly recommend them.

By the way, I got another A on my OB test today. So far I’m rockin’ the 4.0.