A few months ago, I decided to get LASIK since my insurance would cover most of the cost. In the end, I ended up getting PRK instead of LASIK at my doctor’s recommendation to reduce the chance of dry eye issues after the surgery.
It’s been almost two and a half months since the surgery, and my eyes are doing well. For the most part, my vision has been great. It’s hard to explain how awesome it is to not have to deal with contacts or glasses wherever I go. Occasionally, I still get a little confused because I can see clearly all of the time now.
While I’ve been reaping the benefits of my laser eye surgery for over a couple of months now, my wallet has been hurting as I’ve been waiting for my insurance company to process the claim. Last week, I finally received my insurance claim check for the surgery, and I promptly deposited it into my checking account. Over the weekend, I checked my net worth through Mint, and I’m out of the red. For the first time since I took out my student loans, I have a positive net worth.
How did I do this?
I think the biggest key has been to make saving automatic. I have a portion of each paycheck automatically put into my Roth 401(k) and Roth IRA accounts. Honestly, I haven’t even noticed that the money is missing, and it’s great when I check my net worth because it just keeps on growing.
Another key factor is that I’ve continued to live like a college student since entering the real world. Until I save up more money, I’m going to continue to share a place with roommates and borrow furniture until I find a more permanent place to live. Thanks to my frugal lifestyle, I should have enough saved up to move somewhere with more privacy by the end of this year.
Of course, having a backup plan is always a good idea. Ever since I decided to reduce my student loan payments, I managed to build up my emergency fund. At the moment, I have enough in my emergency fund to cover 3-4 months of living expenses. It’s great knowing that I have that safety net to fall on now in case of the unexpected.
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That’s Awesome!
I can’t wait until we reach the same goal… unfortunately it will be a little while.
I just got back from a free consultation to have this done. The add said from $499 an eye and it turned out to be $2700 and eye. ouch. I would love to have this done but I may have to do some shopping around.
Niki: For the latest procedures, I don’t think you’ll find anything less than $2000 per eye. Mine was $2400 per eye, so it’s definitely not cheap. However, I’m lucky to have insurance that covers a big chunk of it to make it more affordable. I’m not sure if I would have even considered it if it wasn’t covered.