bills, bills, bills
medical insurance
A few years ago I was fortunate enough to be on Medi-cal for two years, it was such a money-saver. Even with Covered California Premium Assistance, the lowest monthly premiums are around $40/month. Being on Medi-cal saved me at least $960 over two years, before even factoring in doctor office visit copays, prescriptions or blood tests.
Medi-cal takes a look at household size (1 if you’re unmarried) against monthly income. They do not look at assets (checking and savings accounts, property, stock, etc). Office visit co-pay fees are waived, prescriptions are free, access to Planned Parenthood is free.
Beyond just a standard annual exam, in January 2016 when I got peroneal tendonitis, Medi-cal covered my initial PCP visit who then referred me out to an in-network Orthopedist. That visit was also covered along with all scans, x-rays and customized prosthetic inserts for my shoes.
There’s so many of us in LA who freelance, work part-time or go to school and may be eligible. If you qualify, Medi-cal is such a great resource and nothing to be ashamed of. (Many times if you qualify for Medi-cal, you can also get SNAP - food stamps. I didn’t qualify, but you may).
Currently, I am no longer on Medi-cal, but I still qualify for Premium Assistance. This reduces my monthly premium by $156/month. I pay $70.95 ($851.40/year) for my plan which saves $1,872 annually. You can’t put a price on your health, but it helps when that price tag doesn’t financially suffocate you in the process.
You can apply online and will then make an in-person appointment. At the appointment, expect to wait upwards of three hours to meet with a social worker to go over your application and collect proof of income. Make sure to bring all necessary documents!! If you qualify, renewals thereafter involve a once a year mail-in form with the necessary info so they can update your records (submitting pay stubs, tax return, etc) and re-determine your eligibility.
electric bill
Take advantage of the SoCal Gas financial aid discount if you qualify. Socal Gas offers a discount to low-income households. If you qualify for Medi-cal, you can easily just submit a copy of your Medi-cal qualification proof to SoCal Gas. With all internet, water/trash, utility bills, it also never hurts to inquire about some kind of student discount, if you look the age.
grocery & household
Exclusive store coupons on the app or 10% off for buying a case of something/anything. They also have coupon booklets in-store (which vary from the ones on your app).
First-time users can do a free 30-day trial. I did the 30-day trial and would do a paid subscription to Thrive once they add more product and brand variety to their site. The annual subscription is $59.95.
Leane Vogel of Healthful Pursuit has a partnership with Thrive Market which offers $20 off your first 3 orders + free shipping and a free 30-day trial. Click HERE.
Amazon Prime and Jet.com
Both are great for pantry items that are shelf-stable like coconut oil, cacao powder, vitamins/supplements.
Amazon Prime has an annual fee of $99 (but access to FREE, UNLIMITED photo storage, free shipping and returns on Prime Orders, free streaming for a growing amount of tv/movies). If you’re a student, Amazon Prime is free for your first 6 months, with the annual membership fee being reduced by 50% for a period of time that you are still in school ($49.99).
Now with the Amazon x Whole Foods ownership, Amazon Prime will reward Prime members for shopping at Whole Foods by getting 5% back on every purchase with the new Visa credit card. Even if you estimated a modest $500/month on groceries, that’s $6,000/year which means you’d get $300 back in savings.
Jet has no subscription fee. Free shipping on all orders over $35. Your first three orders are an additional 15% off. The more you buy within one order, the cheaper the prices get for all items in your cart. I LOVE Jet! I’ve found such great deals on vitamins and supplements as well as pantry items like bone broth or household items like rubbing alcohol. Shipping is 2 business days.
It’s also worthwhile compare grocery store ad-prices (Sprouts, Ralph’s, etc)
car insurance
Use Groupon for Dental or Optometry packages. You can usually find a good deal or can at least be pointed in the direction of a business. Cross check reviews of a business with Yelp to make sure you are going to a reputable place. (Also check their Yelp page for any Yelp offers while you’re at it).
Frames are so expensive. I see the optometrist to check the health of my eye and vision prescription and then once I know that, I use Eye Buy Direct to create my own prescription glasses. You just need to know the strength of your prescription, the distance between your pupils (which you can measure yourself). You’re then able to simulate what you’ll look like with the “Try On” feature (Upload a photo of yourself. The “Try On” feature will place the glasses on your image to give you a general sense of what you’ll look like with them on). Use Promo Code “welcome” for 15% off your first order and free shipping. You can also order prescription sunglasses through this site.
Warby Parker is another company making a huge name for itself on the affordable glasses front. There are stores popping up across California (SF, LA). Frames for regular glasses and sunglasses run for around $95 - $125 and they can add your prescription to the lenses for free, unless you have really bad vision like mines (-4.75 and up) in which case you will need to pay an additional $30 for stronger corrective lenses. If you know your prescription, you are set. Warby Parker can also call your optometrist for you to retrieve that information or do an in-store vision exam.
Warby Parker will let you try on 5 sets of frames for free (by mailing it to you to try on) if you do not live by a store location.
Both options beat paying ridiculous amounts of money. On average, $400+ is now the going rate for glass frames with prescription lenses at an optometrist office. You should go to your optometrist for an annual check up of your eye health, but anything beyond that just no longer makes financial sense.
vision & dental
glasses
Are you an actor? The city is crawling with actors, so if you’re in the actor’s union, you can take advantage of this union offer from AT&T:
SAG-AFTRA members save 15% on wireless service from AT&T. Please note: For existing users, the enrollment form asks for a "Customer BAN." This is the nine-digit Account Number in the upper right hand corner of your AT&T billing statement. When calling, reference the FAN Number 3508840.
PHONE: (866) 482-4608
mobile plans