A Frugal Tip for Broken Eyeglasses

Over at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, he mentioned that his wife’s eyeglasses suffered a blow from a kickball game and broke her eyeglasses in two. So, I thought I would share a frugal tip with everyone.

The last time I had an eye exam, I just bought new lenses for my frames. My frames were still in good shape, so I figured, why not? I loved the style and it will save some money.

Wouldn’t you know it – the frames broke right on the side of the bridge a few months later. The frames are titanium, and no one could sauder them back together. (NOTE ADDED 5/6/05 – someone left a great comment on this post mentioning that some titanium frames have a lifetime warranty. So, make sure you take your glasses back to where you purchased them from and ask. And next time you shop for glasses, make sure that you ask about any warranties – they could save you some money down the road)

As I wondered what to do, because at the time I was not working and income was super tight – I had an idea. What about using a pair of sunglasses? It turned out that I had an old pair that looked like they would almost work. So I got out a pair of pliers and started shaping the sunglasses in the shape of my lenses. I placed the lenses in, and voila – I had glasses again.

To the naked eye, you can’t tell they are sunglasses. They are actually quite stylish too. Just a note – this method works best with frames that only use a plastic wire for the bottom. Then you only have to shape the top of the frames

Total Savings – over $100.

My frugal glasses on the left, my broken glasses on the right.
Yes, I am so frugal I kept the broken pair

Posted by Tricia on May 4, 2006 at 10:52 AM in Saving Money | 12 Comments »
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Anonymous responded:
Posted: May 6th, 2006 at 5:15 pm
Titanium frames once came with a “lifetime guarantee” … look for your purchase receipt or a credit card receipt/bill for the purchase and go back to the place you bought them … a friend in Montana had his replaced … and picked them up a week later, brand new!
Tricia responded:
Posted: May 6th, 2006 at 9:17 pm
After they broke, I did take them back to where I purchased them from. They said that nothing could be done (and I’m not as agressive as I probably should be – so I walked away).

I could try again, but those frames are about 6 years old (I believe) and I doubt I kept the records back then. Just in the past three years I have been good with keeping papers.

Thanks for the comment – I am going to add that the original posting so it may help others
mapgirl responded:
Posted: May 7th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
I hate buying new glasses. It’s such a scam that places don’t keep the templates to re-grind you new lenses when you need them. I am very attached to my current pair, but I can’t get new lenses ground for them. It seriously cheeses me off.
Tricia responded:
Posted: May 7th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
I have to agree. I dread anytime I have to purchase new frames. You get so used to a pair I find it hard to change unless you absolutely have to. Plus, you save so much with keeping your frames for a few more years (as long as they don’t break like mine, of course
Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » An Interesting Thing I Learned about Aflac responded:
Posted: July 20th, 2006 at 12:00 pm
[...] I was surprised to see that you can obtain policies through Aflac as an individual! Last I knew you needed to have an employer participating to obtain a policy. I spoke with the representative this week and and received a few quotes on Term Life Insurance, Accident Insurance and Dental Insurance. Unfortunately, Vision is not available to individuals and that was one policy I was interested in (remember how my frugal glasses broke? I still haven’t bought new glasses yet). [...]
Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » Good News…and Bad News… responded:
Posted: July 20th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
[...] My frugal glasses took a major blow and are damaged beyond repair. Right now my damaged lenses are in a pair of very ill fitting frames just so I can see to function. I can’t wear these ones out of the house. I do have some older pairs of contacts that I have kept for occasions such as this, so will bring them out of retirement and wear them when I need to. Come Monday morning I will be making an appointment for an eye exam and paying the money for a new pair of glasses. [...]
Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » Frugal Glasses No More… responded:
Posted: September 28th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
[...] Back in May, I revealed a trick I used when my glasses broke. I called them my frugal glasses. [...]
Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » You Know What They Say…You Get What You Paid For responded:
Posted: October 6th, 2006 at 7:48 am
[...] After taking a closer look at my glasses, I see that there are gaps between the lens and the frame on the right side. It sticks out to me like a sore thumb, especially after taking the time to bend and shape my old frugal glasses. It appears that the lens is the incorrect size for the frame. [...]
Jockey responded:
Posted: May 28th, 2007 at 9:57 am
You can buy new glasses over the internet for ridiculously low prices compared to what you would find in the shopping malls.

http://www.Goggles4U.com will sell you single vision glasses with all of the coatings for less than $25 when you use a promo code. They have free shipping worldwide, free tinting, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

I bought my spring-hinged progressive bifocals from them for under $59. Use promo code “arcaro” at the checkout to save yourself an extra 5%.
arcaro responded:
Posted: August 7th, 2007 at 1:02 am
I purchased military eyeglass frames at retail and they came with the templates ! make the condition of purchase getting a set of templates.
Rachael responded:
Posted: April 15th, 2008 at 11:59 am
After they broke, I did take them back to where I purchased them from. They said that nothing could be done (and Iâ€™m not as agressive as I probably should be – so I walked away).
Amanda responded:
Posted: July 15th, 2008 at 6:20 am
offering my own experience… My old, tender frames broke on the bridge. I panicked because frames were not in the budget. Stopping by a local eye doctor to see if they could be repaired, my stress was showing. They had a rack of “discontinued” frames, all for $40. They were the demo-frames that everyone tries on, in styles that were no longer being offered. The clerk was very kind and helped me to find a pair that would fit my current lenses. They were perfect, and the price was right. She popped the old lenses out and put them in the new frames. Those lasted me until my next exam and beyond. I don’t know if this is an option everywhere, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.