Whatever Wednesday: Free Glasses from Firmoo

I like to call myself "Thrifty," but what I really am is "Cheap." I don't like to pay good money for something if there's an inexpensive alternative, and I'll go out of my way to find the least costly form of whatever I need. 

I've needed a new pair of glasses for a very long time, but those things are prohibitively expensive. Plus, I wear contacts any time I'm leaving the house. It's not that I don't like my glasses - actually, I think they're adorable.

Throwback Wednesday! That's VEB and I at Stone Mountain in 2010.

But when I switch between contacts and glasses, my depth perception goes berserk - which makes it hard to drive, walk, etc. Also, the lenses are so small that my peripheral vision is full of fuzzy stuff. Oh, and the prescription is three years old. Usually, I can wear them for a couple hours before I get a walloping headache.

Enter Firmoo, an online glasses shop.

Their prices are great, and they have a lot of really cute, fashionable styles.

a.k.a. Hipstery stuff.

The website's best feature is "Try it On." Once you create an account, you can upload photos of yourself and set your pupilary distance. It allows you to see what the frames will look like on your face. I was pretty impressed with the results - in each case, I was able to tell instantly whether I liked the fit. And since you can upload multiple pictures, you can get a variety of perspectives.

For instance, I now know that I should NEVER wear round glasses.


Wayfarers are pretty okay.



But square frames are the tops.

They even look good in the stupid picture!

So that's pretty great, right? Well guess what? It gets better: new customers get their first pair free.

Yes, free. All you have to pay for is shipping.

There's a section on the site for the free frames. Selection changes almost every day, so you can wait for a pair that you really like to come up, and snag them for free. The free section includes plain frames, prescription frames, sunglasses, and safety goggles (for nearsighted scientists). Just pick your poison, enter your prescription, choose optional extras (I paid $6 for a UV coating), give the coupon code you got at signup, and wait a week.

Yup, green detailing!

I am beyond impressed with my glasses. I cannot believe I got a pair of prescription lenses for $11. That is straight-up ridiculous. But they're on my face, so it must be true! I got these frames, but they're being phased-out by the manufacturer. Don't fret - there are a bajillion other options.

I'm definitely going to use this site again - probably for a pair of prescription sunglasses. Or just regular sunglasses. After reading Emily's advice about cheap sunnies (found in the comments of this post), I'm anxious to protect my corneas. 

The disclaimer: Firmoo is a Chinese company, so if you like to Buy American, this site is not for you. That being said, I did some research, and it seems like most eyeglasses sold in American stores (Pearl Vision, Lens Crafters, and optometrist's offices) are manufactured in China. So by buying from Firmoo, you're just skipping the middleman.

The other disclaimer: I wasn't paid or anything to express these opinions. I'm just really, really happy with my purchase, and I wanted you guys to know about it.

Have any of you used Firmoo before? Or do you know of any other sites that offer similarly amazing deals?