10 unexpected ways you can use up your FSA dollars

Story highlights

• A Flexible Spending Account or FSA is a benefit that many employees receive
• Spend those bucks at the FSA Store, which guarantees all its products are FSA-eligible

A Flexible Spending Account is part of the benefits plan that many employees receive. Essentially, it lets you spend a certain amount of pretax dollars on eligible health care expenses. And while having money in your FSA account is a great way to stock up on some important products, you have to spend the funds in order to reap the benefits.

While the deadline to use these funds is at the end of the calendar year, many employers have a grace period of up to two and a half months in place. That gives you until March 15 to spend the money in your FSA account, but be sure to double check with your employer since some grace periods may be shorter.

The easiest way to spend those bucks quickly? By shopping at the FSA Store, a site that guarantees all its products are FSA-eligible or your money back. With over 4,000 products, we've taken it upon ourselves to curate some creative and unexpected health products you can shop that go beyond bandages and thermometers.

1. Be a well-prepared traveler

A lot of helpful travel products are FSA-eligible, which is great if you have any upcoming trips planned. If you're going camping or hiking, stock up on the Caring Mill 35-piece Travel First Aid Kit ($9.99, fsastore.com). If road trips or cruises make you a little queasy, try the Sea-Band ($8.99; fsastore.com) or MotionEaze ($7.19; fsastore.com) -- two products geared toward alleviating motion sickness. And for those who prefer to take to the skies, there's the Imak HappiNeck pillow ($32.99; fsastore.com).

2. Get a better night's sleep

Try out the Imak Pain Relief Eye Mask ($13.99; fsastore.com) or the TheraPearl Hot or Cold Therapy Eye Mask ($9.99; fsastore.com) if you think you could benefit from sleeping with an eye mask on. If you have poor circulation or cold feet, you might think about investing in a product like the Battle Creek Bed Warmer ($79.99; fsastore.com). The FSA Store even has products like the Kanjō Aroma Lavender Pillow ($49.99; fsastore.com), which aims to both help you relax and reduce pain at night.

3. Stock up on skin care

From a fast-absorbing sunscreen like the La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral Sunscreen ($33.50; fsastore.com) to a body butter like the Supergoop! Forever Young Body Butter SPF 40 ($34; fsastore.com), medicated lotions and sunscreen are FSA-eligible items. The FSA Store also has acne treatment and prevention products available, like the reVive Light Therapy Poof Portable Acne Treatment ($19; fsastore.com) and the Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Treatment Mask ($39.99; fsastore.com).

4. Goodies for those with glasses

If you're not blessed with perfect vision, you can use your FSA funds on a new pair of glasses or sunglasses like the Ray-Ban Highstreet ($189; fsastore.com) or a sleek set of frames from Calvin Klein ($279; fsastore.com). Just make sure you have an updated prescription from an optometrist. You can also stock up on goodies like Opti-Free contact lens disinfecting solution ($22.99; fsastore.com) or Flents Wipe 'N Clear lens wipes ($12.99; fsastore.com).

Note: The prices above reflect the retailer's listed price at the time of publication.

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