For awhile now, I’ve been thinking it’d be fun to have a feature called “How I Saved Today”. This would just be a short post about a specific way I had saved money that day. I can’t promise it will happen every single day, but I’m going to try it out here (hopefully a few times per week) and we’ll see how it goes.
I wear contacts almost full-time as they seem to work better for my eye sight. But I also wear these special glasses when I use the computer.
{The optometrists here will know what I’m referring to, but I’m not sure of the official name of these glasses. I just know that my eye doctor prescribed them to me while I was writing my last book and said they would cause my eyes not to get focused and locked in — which was causing my eyesight to go downhill. I get so focused on what I’m doing that I’ll forget to look up occasionally like you’re supposed to do to help your eyes not get locked in on any one thing. So these glasses are supposed to help with that. Anything to protect my eyesight from going downhill while I work on the computer and write books? I’m all for it!}
Last week, the screw fell out of my glasses. We searched high and low and could not find the screw anywhere.
I wore the glasses without the screw, but the lens kept falling out. I knew I needed a long-term solution, but I also knew that I don’t have an eye doctor here in TN yet. So going somewhere to get my glasses fixed would kind of necessitate having to also schedule an eye exam. Which would cost money out of pocket that we didn’t need to spend since I’m not due for another eye exam for a while.
I thought about taping the glasses together, but knew that would just bug me. So instead, I bought an inexpensive eye glass repair kit and fixed the glasses myself.
It took me all of 5 minutes and they are good as new. Best of all, the eye glass repair kit came with extra screws so I can fix the problem in the future if it happens again to my glasses or Jesse’s glasses.
A simple solution, a few minutes of time, and quite a bit of money saved = totally my kind of thing!
How have you saved money today? Also, would you be interested in me regularly running a How I Saved Today feature here? Leave a comment and let me know if it’s something that would interest you.
I love this idea! You should definitely do it! I spent this money a few days ago but I picked it up today so I saved today, right? I love to shop online at shopgoodwill.com. It’s a bidding process like ebay, but stuff starts out cheaper and is nicer than in Goodwill stores. Lots of brand names and still in the package items. If you’re willing to dig and take some risks you can get great stuff! I lucked out with a Monopoly game that turned out to still be in plastic wrap, so all the pieces are there! The box was bent so I’m thinking a store donated it when it didn’t sell. I saved more $ since Nashville is a hub city and you can pick things up locally that are already on site rather than paying for shipping! So a 10 minute drive vs. a per pound shipping rate is how I saved today.
I learned something new today! I didn’t know this existed! Thank you for this great tip!
This would be a great additional feature. The little savings may not seem like much but they can add up quickly 🙂
Didn’t spend any money yesterday. Can it be considered a saving? #iamsilly 🙂
Absolutely! Not spending always can be considered saving!
I saved today (well, yesterday) by looking under the hood of the car with my husband. The car started smoking when he came home. It only took less than 10 minutes to figure out that the thermostat and radiator cap were not working. (No tools were needed for this diagnosis!) Then, he called Advanced Auto to check on the parts and the sales clerk told him about an online coupon for 15% for a store pick-up order. I also used Swagbucks Shop and Save and got 4 bucks per dollar. The total cost was less than $16 and I don’t even want to think about how much a mechanic would charge!
I LOVE this!
Most opticians will repair your glasses for free with hopes you will return later for an eye exam with the eye doctor. This free service includes Wal Mart and Target. They will give you screws & pads and adjust the glasses to fit your face.
I also have bought the repair kit myself and repaired sunglasses and store bought reading glasses.
I LOVE the idea of how I saved today with DIY repairs or anything creative! looking forward to the new feature.
Love this idea! Keep ’em coming! 🙂
I would love to see more of these posts. Today to save money we ate leftovers for lunch and and supper. Husband took leftovers to work too.
Personally, I love this idea for a blog post! I hope to contribute soon! Thank you Crystal!
My husband had the same problem recently with his glasses; I pulled out my stash of old glasses (which I save in case I need a back up pair) and he used a screw from a pair of those. Saved us time and money!
Great feature, Crystal.
Great idea!
I happen to know one optometrist office you could visit for free repairs, because an optician there reads your blog 😉
I can’t remember where around Nashville you ended up, but if it’s south I know a couple of optometrists I can recommend.
Brush a couple of coats of clear nail polish on the head of the screw once you get it in there and tightened up. It will help keep the screws from backing out. I’m an optician and I do this all the time!!
This is BRILLIANT! I did this today — thank you for the tip!
When we share how we each saved $- a little or a lot- we all benefit from reading and gaining new ideas. I feature 5 Ways We Saved every week on my blog. The Prudent Homemaker also shares her Frugal Accomplishments and I have learned so much- now I know to prune the tomatoes and we have many more to eat!
I love the idea of sharing a weekly round-up, too! Feel free to link your weekly posts in the comments on these posts. I’m sure my readers would LOVE to check them out, too!
Just an FYI – most places that sell glasses will make adjustments to frames and do minor repairs (like missing screws) for free. With three children in glasses, we take advantage of this service often! 😉
I love tips like this and would love to see this as a regular part of your blog.
This might make me sound a bit snooty, but the coffee addict in me felt inclined to share.. I saved today by opting to go to Wendy’s for an iced coffee instead of Dunkin Donuts. W’s has a bigger coffee for a lot less money.
Hey, I think we all have something we like to splurge on. And if you can get the same kick out of getting your coffee from Wendy’s that you got from getting your coffee at Dunkin Donuts, then you saved a little on your splurge. That’s a plus in my book. 🙂
I’m all about budgeting for splurges and for finding creative ways to save on those splurges! 🙂
Crystal thank you for writing this I work with computers all day 5 days a week. I never knew that you could have specific glasses like that. When I go for my next eye exam I am going to ask about them. You might have just saved my vision from getting really bad.
Also I love the idea of these articles.
You are so welcome!
We have this problem with my son’s glasses frequently, and rather than have him go a day without them at school while I take them to have them fixed, we keep a repair kit on hand. Dollar Tree has a great one with screws, nose bridges, screwdriver, everything!
Yes! I get the kits from Dollar Tree each time I’m there (because I know they won’t have them if I actually need them!). I have them in my purse and in every room in my house.
Such a great tip!
I love the idea of ‘How I saved today’ as a regular post topic. I saved today by taking in our car to a local mechanic that was recommended to me by someone I trust rather than the dealer (as we’ve done in the past). They fixed five things on our car for less than the dealer quoted us to fix just one of those items!!! We saved a bundle and our car is as good as new again.
I also saved by taking my lunch to work today (which I usually do) rather than going to the cafeteria.
I like this. Even adding in a few reader’s stories on the subject might help with filling the content. But, yeah, definitely like this segment!
I think this type of post would be great!
How did I save today? Well, I managed to make a trip to a car dealership today (with a toddler) and had some under-warranty recall work done 🙂 The temptation was there to buy a cup of coffee (this dealership has a Chuck’s Produce coffee shop inside- who knew?) but instead I sat quietly using the dealerships Wi-Fi to check e-mail. I also made a batch of laundry soap today, rescued two of my husband’s work shirts from the scrap pile and removed the stains to make them wearable again (he’s happy) and made your Hamburger Vegetable soup for dinner (RAVE reviews!) Cant say I “saved” much, but I did practice restraint!
I’d say that by repairing your car while it’s still under warranty and not waiting until later when it may not be saved you quite a bundle! It’s not easy to say no to the coffee shops and fast food places of the world, so good job there too!!! I can’t say I have always been good about cooking dinner on the same day of dealing with the frustration of taking the car in for a fix, particularly if I had to wait around while it was being fixed. Go you!
Nothing big today but I forgot to set something to thaw for dinner. Instead of grabbing something on the way home or going out to eat we just used our eggs gathered that day from our chicks and had breakfast for dinner. The kids loved it!
I love this!
I forget who it was, but they would have irregular posts called, “five frugal things” and would list 5 things they had done that week that were frugal. It could be as “regular” as I made dinner from our freezer last night instead of ordering our usual pizza delivery, or a one-time thing like you posted here. She included when she would walk to her errands or when she carried a water bottle instead of purchasing something. I always liked them because it reminded me to look for the simple everyday frugal things I could do.
That’s Katy at the non – consumer advocate!
Such a fun idea for a weekly post!
I’ve always kept a glasses repair kit in my house. When I worked outside the home, I had one in my desk at work also. It came in handy several times for me and my coworkers. It only costs about $2 and you can find them at about any pharmacy or grocery store. I have terrible vision so if my prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses broke while driving, I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere!
Posting regular segments on how you saved money would be fun for your readers. Yesterday I saved money by buying picture frames at Dollar Tree instead of Wal-mart. They were 4″ x 6″ frames I am using to go along side of a much loved picture at the end of a hallway, but the Dollar Tree frames ( a gray shade) matched so well there was no need to spend more. Four frames for $3.96 versus maybe each frame at $3-4.00.
Great idea–I’d love those kinds of posts! Glasses are so expensive, it’s good to have some reasonable resources. One thing I’ve always done to keep the screws from loosening in my daughter’s eye glasses when she was little is to put a small drop of clear nail polish on the head of the screw. Works like a charm.
I think any optical shop large or small that wants a shot at ur future business should replace a lost screw or nose pad at no charge but the truth is if you didn’t buy from them places like LensCrafters charge for this now as policy.
Love this idea! Go for it!
I love the idea of “how to and easy fixes” for staying on budget. You should be able to go to any eye center and have a screw replaced at no charge. They will also put lenses back in if needed, but will let you know they are not responsible for any damages! We don’t have vision insurance, but we utilize National Vision (Eye Glass World, America’s Best, Vision Centers in Walmart) where I am in the Eye Site Club for my contacts. Its $99, but it is good for 3 years, which gives me an eye exam every six months at no extra cost! Plus you get great deals on contact lenses and eye glasses!
I think this is a terrific category with real world applications. We all want to save money. As an aside, some vision centers will give a discount on an eye exam with a AAA membership card. I save money most days that I clean an area of my place that hasn’t been re-organized in awhile. I will typically unearth useful items that I now don’t have to buy, like: lipstick, scissors, reading glasses or sunglasses, pads of paper, bookmarks, white-out, hairdryer, brush, beach towels, you get the picture…
I love the idea of cleaning out an area that needs to be organized and unearthing things you forgot you had!
FYI .. to prevent future accident with the glasses or sunglasses screws, put a little dab of clear finger nail polish on each sides .. it will keep those screws in place and no more loose screws!
GREAT tip!
I’m so glad you were able to fix them yourself! And I love the idea for future blog posts! 🙂
I think this would be a great idea. I also have one of these kits and have used it many time to fix my glasses or hubbies glasses. I shop at Target a lot and they have even fixed my hubbies glasses when we could not do it ourselves and there was no cost
I would love this! I saved by opening up all the windows and turning off/unplugging electronics we weren’t currently using. And by drinking water instead of other drinks. 🙂
In a pinch, a teeny tiny safety pin can hold your glasses together until you can get the screw replaced.
Crystal, I didn’t read all the comments this may very be a repeat comment …
Any optician’s office can replace a screw on your glasses. Probably free, or at best a very minimal charge. You don’t need an appointment with an eye doctor for that.
If they were prescription glasses (vs. an OTC pair of readers) and you lost a lens, then you’d need a prescription in order to get it replaced. If your current prescription is less than a year old, you can just take your prescription to any optical shop. You should have a copy of your prescription, but if you don’t, your old eye doctor should be able to email it to quickly. If it’s more than a year old, then yes, you’d need a checkup to get a new prescription.
Hope this helps.
I would enjoy a “How I Saved Today” feature.
I love the “how did you save today? Idea”. Our all glass shower door has been loose for awhile and really bothering me. I asked my father in law to look at it while he was visiting. I was sure it would require a handyman or plumber- he just looked at it replaced the anchor and it was fine! I am sure we would have paid someone around 100 to come out and fix it. It’s always best to try something yourself within reason first to see if you have something at home that will work first. It gives you great confidence to do it yourself the next time!
I know–those loose/broken shower doors can be a pain and be very expensive. This fix sounds expensive, but when our frameless shower door hinge was broken, I was afraid that we would have to replace the whole door which wasn’t in the budget. A similar door was over $1000. Instead, we searched high & low for a replacement part. Finally found one through the manufacturer for $119. Kept looking & found one through an on-line vendor for $90. Funny thing was that it direct shipped from the manufacturer. Then, we replaced the part ourselves. Good as new for 1/10 of the price. Win!
Saving the day can encompass more than dollars and cents — how about the smile from someone that made YOUR day better ? remembering you forgot the milk at the store, and dear hubby got some on the way home without being asked ? the kids picked up their room(s)… just because…? All these were day savers when raising my kids, and didn’t cost a thing……..
That’s definitely a different — and great! — way to to look at the phrase “How I Saved Today!” I was thinking for this specific feature just from the perspective of How I Saved {Money} Today. But I love the different twist you brought up with the words! 🙂
What a fun idea … I love it and hope to see more of ‘How I Saved Today’!
I recently went to LensCrafters to have my regular eyeglasses replaced and new lenses put in my prescription sunglasses. The price I was offered (on sale) was $550. The best offer they gave me was to replace only one set of lenses in my existing eyeglass frames for a simple $280! A coworker told me about ordering glasses online at Zenni Optical and so I declined my $550 glasses and went online. I was able to get a new pair of eyeglasses with a sunglass clip for $62. I even opted for the extra protection lenses! For a 90% savings I was very pleased with my purchase. They have a good return policy too in case you are nervous about buying online. I would definitely recommend this to people that have to buy glasses yearly like I do!
Would thoroughly enjoy “How I Saved” feature. I saved $2.00 by using a coupon on the salad I bought at lunch. ( I will make 2 meals out of the salad so I really saved) .
Way to go!
Love the idea of the “How I Saved” feature! And also agree that most great Optometry offices are happy to keep your glasses adjusted and fitting great for you. Before I retired to stay home with the kiddos, mine certainly did. And BTW, you have what we sometimes call an “occupational” or “task-specific” prescription there. And it’s “visual hygiene” that we need to practice, by taking frequent breaks from extended near work.
Just a little tidbit! – Melissa Gardner, O.D.
Thank you so much for these correct terms! I was hoping someone much more knowledgeable than me would help us out because, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember!
I love this idea, as I think the little things AND the big things are important, but the little things are often quicker and easier to implement. Thanks!
Any local LensCrafters will make repairs completely free of charge as well. As an above comment mentioned, they can’t make new lenses for you without a current valid prescription, but small repairs are no problem at all. You don’t even have to have gotten your glasses from them!
I love your posts. I would enjoy daily updates from you as well as readers of the blog. Maybe if you’re not able to do it daily, you could include a weekly summary
Job well done! I think your blog would really be neat! You never know what you might teach others or what others may teach you.
My husband had the same thing happen to his glasses recently; I dug out my box of old prescription glasses (that I have saved for some reason 🙂 ) and used a screw from one of the pair. Loved the easy fix and he didn’t have to spend time going to the store along with spending no money!
Brilliant!
Yes! That is a great idea!! It’s the little things that get us and our budgets!
Target will also do free eye glass repair. But if I had an eye glass repair kit already, I would rather save on gas and not drive somewhere to get them fixed.
I think it’s so satisfying to fix little things like this, especially when it saves money.
I was also going to suggest that most vision care places with repair your glasses even if they weren’t purchased there and you’re not a regular client. I’ve purchased two pairs of glasses online (Zenni and Coastal) and had to bring them in for repair after my kids have mangled them 3 times! They were very kind about it and very welcoming, they didn’t even ask if I am a customer.
I think those computer glasses are called “office lens.” I was just in for my annual visit, and I requested reading glasses. My doctor suggested another alternative (the “office lens” or glasses; I’m not quite sure, either. lol)
Love this idea!
Yes. Love this kind of post.
Yesterday I noticed a “mysteriously” plugged bathtub drain and had hubby check it out. (I’m not that handy with plumbing) and sure enough our 10 year old son had for some strange reason had put some bobby pins and some tissue down it. The drain is perfect now and our son was told he would be fixing it next if it happens again. (with dad’s help) I’d love this type of post too.
wonder why kids would do something like that? I have on e that did stuff like that when they were little. ( thank God, yes they do seem to outgrow ir)
I like the idea!
As a daily feature this would be great!! (or weekly-or whenever there is time!) Its inspiring and encouraging to remember the little things add up!
I love this idea!! I bought marked down sirloin pork chops at Sam’s Club this morning.
Yes, and maybe you could open it up with the question, “How did YOU save today?” I would also love to read the comments with everyone’s saving tips!
I second this! Asking at the beginning is a sure fire way for me to see it as I sometimes miss the question at the end of the post. I would also love to see the responses! 🙂 Great suggestion, Amy!
I think this is a great idea, too!
I definitely want to encourage everyone else to chime in in the comments with their savings, too! It’s so much more fun and inspiring that way!
{And I already learned some new-to-me tips in the comments section here on just this post!}
The post idea is a good one, as is the repair kit; however, most eye doctors are happy to tighten a loose screw or replace a missing one, even if you are not a patient. It’s just good PR. That doesn’t give you the satisfaction of a job well done, though! I only read about 3 online blogs and I really enjoy yours!
I have often had this happen and have stopped in the vision center (where glasses are sold, not the doctor) at a local Walmart or Sams Club and they have fixed my glasses in just a few minutes. Most of the time they did not charge me anything, but I think once when I offered, they charged me $1-2. Most of the time I just need a screw, but once it was the nose piece that had fallen off.
I like this idea. I saved money today using my clothes line instead of my dryer
I can relate to this story! I lost the screw from my favorite pair of sunglasses (just a cheapy pair from Kohls) and my Dad offered to fix them for me. Not perfect, but hopefully I can get another seson or two out of them while I search for another pair that I like.
I would be interested in reading posts about how you saved. Sounds like a fun feature like the what I paid cash for series.
I would enjoy posts like this. Unless the policy has changed, WalMart optical dept will make repairs on glasses free of charge. We have had things like that happen while out of town and just stopped at WalMart and were good to go in a few minutes.
This is a great tip — thank you!
I’d be interested in reading posts about how you saved 🙂
Me Too!
eyebuydirect.com has weekly deals on eyeglasses. Some are low paying eyeglasses.
Any eyeglass store should be willing to repair your glasses whether you have a current prescription or not. They just won’t replace your lenses. In the case of a missing screw, they’ll often do it for free, as it’s a simple fix.
It is good for anyone who wears glasses to own a repair kit or two, though. 🙂
Yep! I was going to say the same thing! I ended up in a desperate situation my first week of college and learned this valuable lesson!
Kind of off topic, but do you not have any insurance at all or just vision? If it’s just vision insurance, how do you save money on going to the eye doctor? Do you use a big company such as Pearle Vision or do you see a local doctor and work out a cash payment?
We don’t have vision insurance. My eye doctor is currently at Sam’s club and I shopped around a bit for my last pair of glasses. I have heard good things about zenni optical and plan to use them for a backup pair. (not brave enough to use them for my main pair)
I think it’s a great idea to include such posts!
I agree, I’d like to see more posts like this. Post ’em if you got ’em!