Pricey glasses, bras + undies, free ice cream, and more

I’m being careful with my expensive sunglasses

I have spent my life owning inexpensive sunglasses. In fact, maybe the most I’ve ever spent on a pair of sunglasses has been maybe $30.

I’ve always thought that was a wise choice, given how often I’ve lost them or dropped them or gotten them scratched up.

But in the last year, I got a pair of Burberry sunglasses*, which came in an actual case (!), and this has me rethinking the whole cheap sunglasses thing.

(*That’s a ThredUp link, and you can also find these on eBay.)

What I have discovered is that because I value these glasses more, I am being very careful with them.

I don’t just set them down in random places; I carefully put them in my little triangle case, and I put the case in my bag when I’m out and about so that I can make sure the glasses are protected.

So now I’m wondering if these glasses are going to end up being less expensive overall than my cheap pairs because I am not going to lose or break them.

Sometimes when we buy something at a “throwaway” price, we end up treating that thing less carefully, which only gets us to the throwaway point faster.

Food for thought.

Bra + Undies I’m liking

I briefly mentioned the bras before; they’re True and Co. from Target and I like ’em because they have no underwire! And they’re really flat and smooth underneath clothes.

For a similar undie experience, I am digging the essential no-show bikinis from Knix. They are pretty expensive, but if you don’t care what colors you get, you can usually find some deals in the clearance section.

(You already know that’s what I do!!)

For the days right before and right after periods, I like the light absorbency ones, which act kind of like a washable and reusable pantyliner. Like the Target bras, the Knix undies are very smooth, which helps to prevent obvious VPLs.

(VPL = Visible Panty Line)

And I am still loving the thigh saver Knix I got last summer, for wearing under dresses. So good for preventing sweaty thigh chafing!!

And those are AMAZING for preventing a VPL under a clingy or bodycon dress.

Click here to shop, and at checkout, you can use code thefrugalgirl-tryknix for 15% off a $120 purchase.

The “no need to be a tightwad stage”

I’ve been thinking about this since I wrote Monday’s Tightwad Gazette post. Amy was talking about a phase of life when your tightwaddery has paid off to the point where you don’t even need to be frugal anymore.

Due to some recent financial setbacks (divorce makes you more poor for sure!), that stage is probably a long way in my future.

But I don’t even feel bummed out about that because now that my divorce is done, I am in such better financial shape now than I have been for the past few years.

For one thing, I don’t have to pay any more divorce lawyer bills. Also, I got my 50% of the marital assets, which has given me a lot more wiggle room. I’m not teetering on the edge of being broke anymore. WHEW.

Plus: I am totally in charge of my finances now. It’s just me managing my money, and since I am very good at pinching pennies, this means I’m set up to make some really good financial progress, especially once I graduate from nursing school.

I don’t know…maybe I should feel more womp-womp about my financial state, but I just don’t. One day I’ll reach that “no need to be a tightwad” stage*, but right now, I feel both content with my present and full of hope for my future.

*not gonna lie, I probably will still do frugal things even when I do reach that stage. I don’t know if I could stop!

Free Baskin Robbins ice cream today

Reader Regina told me that if you order on the Baskin Robbins app today, August 14th, you can get a single scoop for free with the code MELT.

Here are more details.

I haven’t tried this yet, of course (no Baskin Robbins is open at 5 am) but if you try it, let us know how it goes!

Going back to the beginning: have you ever found yourself being way more careful with an expensive item?

(Or conversely, do you find yourself being careless with something that’s cheap? And of course, feel free to discuss any other miscellany in this post!)