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Eyeglasses for kids at a reasonable price

My sister Margie with the “expensive glasses”

Mama Roxane would have loved this!

I remember the drama well; my sister Margie lost her glasses on the way home from elementary school.   We retraced our steps, checked with the school, and searched the playground for the missing frames. There was hell to pay! Eyeglasses were very expensive in the 1970s, and they still are. 

Two startups are offering new models of eyeglass delivery to parents and others, Fitz Frames and Lensabl.

 Start up Fitz Frames of Sherman Oaks, California has a subscription model for children’s eyeglasses.  For a payment of $185 you get two pairs of glasses and an unlimited number of replacement frames for the year.  After the first two sets of glass lenses, the extra lenses must be purchased as needed.  The new frames can be fitted with the previously purchased lenses.  The user needs to download an app which is used to provide precise measurements of the frames to the child’s face using 3-D technology.  Users report the app is simple to use and the frames are a good fit!  Fitz frames also has sunglasses and blue light coatings available.   

Another startup in the optical space is Lensabl of Culver City, CA .  Lensabl is an online service that will provide you with new lenses in the frames you already own or new frames and lenses as low as $77.  Progressive lenses, readers, blue light blockers, and sunglasses are also available from this company, as well as various protective and antiglare coatings.  Keep your eyes open as they will be providing contact lenses also.

Have you purchased glasses online before? What was your experience?

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Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

I felt my Mom had recognized my growing maturity at age 12 when she let me drink coffee instead of milk. In retrospect, she was probably pleased I was choosing the cheaper and more popular beverage in our Latino household. Milk was considered an expensive but necessary drink for growing children. We always had coffee at my home growing up, and it was a privilege to be old enough to drink it.

Coffee is a favorite drink for many nurses. , As a nurse I learned to drink it black and strong on the many night shifts I worked. Even when I worked in Salt Lake City, Utah, a historically Mormon and anti coffee stronghold there was always coffee available for the staff to drink.

My son recently brought home some commercially prepared cold brew coffee and I may never go back to drinking hot coffee again! I think cold brew coffee is the superior drink.

Picture this situation: Early am, preparing for work. Tired and bleary eyed I measure and grind the beans, placing them in the brewer. A few minutes later I have aromatic and hot coffee. First cup is good and I drink it immediately. Second cup is ok, but the flavor quickly degrades. The delicate aromas and volatile oils are quickly dispersed, and the coffee becomes bitter and undrinkable.

Cold brew coffee is easy and fast to brew. It stays fresh if left in the refrigerator and is good over ice or by the cup at room temperature.

Coffee has health benefits, aside from the energy boost it often delivers. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of liver cancer, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes type II and heart failure.

Its not all good news as high coffee consumption may increase the risk of bone fractures, pregnancy health problems and endometriosis.

A cup of black coffee only has about 2 calories. Coffee contains polyphenols (antioxidants), riboflavin, niacin, potassium and magnesium.

Great tasting coffee starts with a great bean. One of my preferred coffees is the whole bean Organic Mayan Blend by Jose’s gourmet coffee (available at Costco).

Here is my easy recipe:

Add six or eight scoops of freshly ground coffee to a quart jar and fill with cool, filtered water. Cap with a tight lid and shake well. Let it brew on the kitchen counter or in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.

Filter thru a fine mesh or paper filter directly into your cup or thermos. You can add sugar or creamer to filtered coffee to taste. One quart jar of the coffee water mix can last a few days as you can add more water, shake well and reuse the grounds.

Cold brew coffee is reputed to have more caffeine than expresso brewed coffee. It tastes smooth and doesn’t seem to have the high acidity and bowel clenching effects of hot coffee. I consider it the perfect drink for a long morning or afternoon commute to work.

Do you have a favorite drink at work or a coffee hack?

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529 Able for the Differently Abled

It seems everyone knows about the 529 Plans to save for college and post secondary school training. Now these savings plans can also be used for private school tuition and tutoring at the K-12 level. They are a clever way to have funds grow tax free and save for the education of just about any member of the family, as funds can be transferred between family members.

Now there is a related program for the disabled individual called the 529 Able plan. This plan became operational with the Tax Act of 2017. The purpose of the plan is to allow for disabled individuals and families to save funds to be used for the care and benefit of the differently abled. These funds can be accumulated (up to $100,000) and will not interfere with Medicaid or Social Security Disability eligibility.

529 Plans, our experience

We have saved for our son and daughter’s education in a 529 plan. When they began school we discovered they both have learning differences and neurological differences (our daughter). At the age of thirteen we discovered that her neurological differences were most likely autism and bipolar disorder of childhood. It is not clear to us if she will need these 529 funds for post secondary training. She might not attend college and both of them also qualify for state rehabilitation funding to prepare them for adult life and eventual work. Once we discovered that our children may not be going to college and that they might be eligible for assistance with post secondary training we backed off on the 529 educational savings plans. We made the decision to optimize our retirement savings and concentrated on taxable investment accounts for our remaining funds.

I was pleased to learn that the 529 educational funds can be transferred to a 529 Able plan. Our existing 529 Education funds can be rolled over incrementally to the 529 Able program with my daughter as the beneficiary. Our son is also able for the 529 Able program as he has a documented disability. If a disabled individual earns income the 529 Able account provides a way for them to save some of their income and allow their savings to grow tax free, potentially lowering their income and taxes. This arrangement also has a bearing on their eligibility to retain government benefits. To remain eligible for some types of disability benefits the individual cannot have savings of more than $2000. By transferring her 529 Educational funds to 529 Able fund our daughter’s educational savings can continue to serve her needs in different ways.

Another example:

My friend Kiera has a son who has a deformed hand and hearing loss. Throughout his life he will need updated limb substitutes and hearing aides which are quite expensive. The 529 Able plan is a way to accumulate funds that will grow tax free and be available for assistive technologies throughout this child’s life.

Eligibility requirements for the 529 Able Plan

This program is designed for individuals with a disability that begins before age 26. A person who receives SSI or Social Security Disability payments is automatically eligible. Individuals who are not eligible for SSI or Social Security Disability can still participate in the 529 Able program if they get a certification from a physician. This physician can be a medical doctor, an osteopathic physician, and in some states a chiropractor or optometrist.

California’s program began enrolling individuals in January, 2019.

Here is a link to a site with more information:

https://www.finra.org/investors/learn-to-invest/types-investments/saving-for-education/able-accounts-529-savings-plans