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5 quick ways to spend your extra FSA money before it's too late

It's a use it-or-lose-it benefit, so spend your money now

SiNing Chan

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See updated list for the 2022 tax year »⁠

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If you’ve set aside money at the start of the year and put it into a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for medical expenses, in most cases all the money will need to be spent by the end of the calendar year, by December 31, 11:59pm before it’s forfeited, unless your FSA provider offers a

grace period,⁠

which ends on March 15, 2022. If so, the ideas on this page are for you!

Because every program is slightly different, it’s important you check your FSA administrator for more details.

People typically use FSA money for co-pays and deductibles for medical services, like doctor and dentist appointments. But if time is running out and you want to quickly spend the rest of your money, the easiest way to use your FSA dollars to shop for some health- and wellness-related products. In my experience, trying to spend $400-500 can be quite challenging. Stockpiling boxes of bandaids or antacids just doesn’t seem sensible. So, in recent years, I’ve gone for the purchase of fewer, more pricey items that are more valuable.

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5 last-minute FSA purchase ideas

☝️ The key is to find consumables you use often or higher-priced items you’d usually be more hesitant to buy. Remember to sort search results so the highest-priced items appear at the top so you can use up all your extra money more quickly—with as few purchases as possible.

Here are my top picks:

1. Contactless digital thermometer

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See example »⁠

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2. Health and wellness devices

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See example »⁠

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3. Personal humidifier

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See example »⁠

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4. Contact lenses, prescription glasses, or contact solutions

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See examples »⁠

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5. Baby, mom, and family planning expenses

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Baby video monitors, breast pumps, belly wraps⁠

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Pregnancy & fertility kits⁠

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More FSA shopping options:

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FSAstore.com | The One-Stop-Shop for Flexible Spending Accounts⁠

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Amazon FSA/HSA Store⁠

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1-800-CONTACTS⁠

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Warby Parker⁠

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CVS Pharmacy⁠

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Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Eligible Products | Walgreens⁠

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If you want to track your purchases so you don’t exceed the amount you have left in your account, make a copy of this doc to use the FSA Shopping List & Purchase Tracker

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Copy doc now

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My FSA Shopping List

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Start by entering the amount you have left to spend in US dollars:

$500.00

There are no rows in this table

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Estimate balance remaining:

$401.01

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Add new item

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Description

Item price

Quantity

Total

Sejoy Infrared Forehead Thermometer,

$98.99

There are no rows in this table

$98.99

Sum

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My FSA Purchase Tracker

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Actual FSA balance remaining: $

$354.86

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Add new item

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Description

Total purchase price

Purchase Date

Sejoy Infrared Forehead Thermometer & Humidifier

$145.14

12/31/2020

There are no rows in this table

$145.14

Sum

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