Not down with VSP...

When I first got my job, I signed up for the vision insurance plan that my college offered, VSP. I went to a local eye doctor, and even after what the insurance covered, I still paid around $350 for my glasses.

After talking to a coworker who paid for his out of pocket at one of those mall eyeglasses places and paid about the same as mine with the insurance, I decided to drop the coverage. I figured what I saved on premiums would make up for any extra cost out of pocket.

I've been putting off getting new glasses (among a lot of other health-related things) for the last couple years. My current glasses are kind of big on my face, since I've lost about 80 pounds since I got them. They have also gotten pretty beat up. So I finally decided that it was time to get new ones - they are one of the things I tend to notice is "wrong" with me when I look in the mirror, and I figured that new ones would make me a little more confident, in addition to not having to shove them back on every 5 minutes.

I considered going to one of those mall stores, but then remembered that one of the Target stores near me had an optical department. Since I buy pretty much everything at Target, including prescriptions, I figured I might as well get my glasses there too.

I wasn't sure how it would go. How would the optometrist at a Target be? And would I regret dropping my insurance and paying out of pocket?

I was pleasantly surprised by the Target optometrist, a rather cute Asian doctor - she was professional, polite, and knew her stuff. I was also happy with the frame selection and pricing. I ended up getting a pair of frames similar to what I had in mind going in, with photosensitive lenses, for around $350, plus $54 for the eye exam. Which is about what it cost me with insurance, but I saved several years worth of premiums.

Now, I haven't gotten the new glasses yet - they should be in next week - so we'll see if the follow-up is as good as the pre-sale. But if it goes smoothly, I think that I can say that I'm happy with the Target Optical experience.

And as a bonus, while I was shopping and killing time before my appointment, I managed to find a VinoTemp 28-bottle wine cooler on clearance, marked from $199 down to $49. Finally, my collection of two-buck chuck can live in style!