My first post of 2015 mentioned some nifty new glasses I've been sporting from Firmoo.com. They are a pretty sweet deal if you ask me, and are much cheaper then ordering from an optical store. I know how this feels from both ends of the spectrum because I am an ABO certified optician and sold eye wear for many years. As an optician you want your patient to get the best options for their needs and sometimes this gets costly, especially if you do not have insurance.


Today I want to share with  you some tips on ordering eye glasses online. It can be quite daunting if you are unfamiliar on how to read your rx (prescription) and what information they are asking for in the ordering process.

The most important thing you need to do BEFORE ordering glasses from an online shop is make sure you have a current prescription. In most states that I am aware of, prescriptions are good for 1 to 2 years. If you haven't had your eyes checked for over 2 years, please do this first. It will save you in the long run.

Once you have had your exam and your doctor is recommending new glasses, I recommend still working with the optician. Try on as many shapes, sizes, and colors as you'd like. This will help you get a feel for what works best for you. Remember when ordering online you cannot try them on. So pay close attention to the sizes you are trying on as well as the shape when you're in your doctors office.

Most frame information can be found either on the temple (or arm if you will) or on the bridge (the area where your nose goes). The pair I have has this information on the arm. Pay special attention to these numbers, as they will help you immensely when selecting a frame online. Here is what each of those numbers mean:

F048: This is the frame style or name.
49: This is the eye size or the area you are looking through when the glasses are on.
18: This number is the bridge; or the size of the area that sits on your nose.
140: This number is the length of the temple (arm).
C1: This is the color of the glasses according to the company that makes it.

The next step is also important and I feel necessary to be done by a professional. The online ordering form is going to ask for your PD (pupillary distance). This is the measurement of the distance between one pupil to the other. Most online ordering companies will instruct you on how to do this but from personal experience, letting the professional do it for you is the better option.

Once you  have your PD measurement, make sure you get a copy of your prescription. Now you should have all the tools you need to order your new pair of glasses online. Once you have picked out the glasses (Remember to write all that info down when you're trying on glasses at your doctors office!) you want you will come to a screen that will look like this:

Source: Firmoo.com

This part is SUPER important and very sensitive to your final product. Please make sure you transcribe your prescription EXACTLY as it is written on the paper provided by your doctor. One little tiny typo can cause you big problems. And most of the time that problem will cost you. If you made the mistake; an online shop normally will not remake these for you without payment. The same thing goes for the frame. This is why you must pay close attention to the details.

Once you have put in all of your prescription items, the site will ask you if you want any other options. These options include things like Anti-Reflective Coating, Transistions (The ones that get dark in the sun), Scratch protection, and so on. Most of the time these things are just options to preference. You do not have to add them.


 Now you just hit send, pay, and your glasses will be on your doorstep in no time!

So what do you think? Will you order your next pair of glasses online?

It wouldn't be the holidays around here on The Trish List without talking about freebies. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't tell you all that there are LOADS of freebies and giveaways around the holidays. Companies new and old want you to buy with THEM and them alone. They will offer up all kinds of goodies and shiny discounts to nab your attention. Now I'm here to show you how it's done.


First thing you want to do is "like" all of your favorite brands on Facebook and "follow" them on Twitter. This will let you be the first to know when they are giving away stuff or offering amazing discounts. You aren't anyone until you have tons of social media friends. #AmIRight? This is one of the main sources for those free holiday gifts. True story. I have won many of my presents over the years.

Next thing you want to do is Google "25 Days of Christmas". Yes I know I am little late on this post, but you still have plenty of time to get in on some pretty sweet giveaways. Many companies host these types of giveaways along with Advent Calender type offers. Every day they "open" a new gift for you. The good news is, is once you are registered for these events, all you need to do is enter your email each time you enter.

The last thing I highly recommend if becoming members of a couple of sites. These sites are always looking for people to review products and will offer up some pretty cool swag. The holidays seem to be a good time to come out with a bunch of neat things. On Monday alone I received 2 boxes full of goodies to try and review, all free.

Check out Influenster. They offer up "VoxBoxes" that come with an assortment of products and have been know to send out Keurigs!

Another favorite is BzzAgent! They have been giving out lots of toys for the holidays.

And FINALLY check out Smiley360. They have some pretty cool campaigns and I have certainly been included in a lot of great studies.

So what are you all waiting for? Get out there and get some freebies!

The holidays are quickly approaching and as you scramble to get your shopping done, you see that huge rack of assorted gift cards. You can practically buy a gift card for anything you could think of these days. They are great for that person you have no idea what to get for or that person who has everything. Have a picky teenager on your list? Get them a gift card! How about that best friend who changes her mind often? Gift card! These cards are a lifesaver and the perfect gift when you get stumped.


Now gifts cards are great as gifts for others, but why can't they also be used in other situations? Today I am going to give you other ideas for using gift cards outside of the holiday season.

#1 Saving Money:

•  Eating out: Do you go out to lunch EVERYDAY at work? If you are trying to save some money, cutting back on eating out will save a lot. Buy yourself a gift card to the place you frequent the most in the amount of 1 meal and use it as a treat. You still get to pick the day you go out, but you will cut out 4 days saving you up to an average of $40 that week. 

•  Coffee Fanatics: Do you frequent Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts to much? Buy yourself a gift card in the amount of 2 drinks that you love. This will allow you to still enjoy your favorite treat, but it becomes just that: A treat. It will save you cash in the pocketbook and cut down on the "crack" that coffee tends to become.

#2 Fitness:

• Rewards: We all reward ourselves when we are on a fitness journey. When we hit those milestones its nice to buy ourselves something nice. Come up with an amount that works for you and when you meet that milestone use your gift card. It is a motivator without breaking the bank. 

•  Treats: You are allowed to treat yourself to a not so healthy snack once in awhile. This is where the gift card comes in. Use it similar to the saving money category. Load enough on the card to buy 1 treat. You can do this weekly or monthly. Your choice. Either way it saves you money and calories!

#3 Kids:

• Allowances: Money is fine, but kids sometimes are impulsive and buy things they don't need. Set them up with a gift card for something you know they want. This will help from frivolous spending and allow them to buy that item they really want.

#4 Online Shopping:

• A reloadable visa/mastercard is great for online purchases. You can shop online and ease your mind knowing you aren't handing out your credit card information.

• If you like to sign up for free offers or trials, it's a good idea to use a prepaid card so you don't get charged if you forget to cancel. I often use this option for my freebie addiction and I ALWAYS forget to cancel if I don't want to continue with the service. 

So there you have it. So many options to use a gift card outside of gift giving for others. What would you use them for? Leave me your ideas below!
 

I just love a good Halloween party! But what I love more is decorating. Over the weekend I threw a little party to get in the Halloween mood. I put together my whole party for under $40 including food and decor. Let me show you what I did!

I have a great entry way in my apartment. I wanted a way to greet my guests to introduce them to the party. Since I really love wine, and drink it regularly I picked out some empty bottles with spooky art on them. I then went to the dollar store and found light up LED wands and stuck them in the bottles for a spooky look. I also picked up some LED tea lights and a black gauze curtain to tie it all together. Voila! A simple (and cheap) entry way for my guests!


Next I wanted to make sure I had a focal area for the party. For me that was the drink table. I decorated a table with spider webbing and plastic spiders (Again from the dollar store).


 On the table I needed to add more focal points. I had a beautiful wood bowl I got somewhere and never used so I went to the local pumpkin patch and picked up some small pumpkins and squash. It was a heck of a lot cheaper to purchase from the farm and I will still use the squash for food later on. It's a win/win. I also stopped in to Pier 1 Imports where they had all of the Halloween decor on clearance and I picked up those cute little mummy and bat ornaments along with those cute as heck cups. I closed the look with some dollar store lights to wrap around the bowl to give it a more festive look.

Next I needed a great drink for my guests. I really wanted to make an apple cider sangria, but did not have a big enough pitcher for it, so I used what I had. I had 3 carafes ranging in 3 different sizes. I decided to make it a "mix your own" drink. In the largest carafe I poured some cheap pinot grigio, honey crisp apple, a cinnamon stick, and 3 mini bottles of caramel vodka. In the second carafe I poured more pinot grigio, and in the third I made hot cider and let it chill. Now my guests could pour the wine mixture into the wine and add cider if desired.


So there you have it, some cheap ways to decorate! Shop the dollar stores, use what you have, and make it work! Some of the best ideas come out of what you already have. I hope you have a great Monday!

I have always thought of myself as a crafty do it your-selfer. I can navigate myself through the craft stores like its nobodies business and if there is a sale on sparkly things, its all over! Once Pinterest was born, it became even more evident that I could make stuff and have it come out well. There have been numerous projects I have taken on and surprisingly succeeded at. No Pinterest fails yet...

So over the weekend I decided to get all my crafting stuff out. We are only a few days into August and I am already starting to think about Christmas presents. Yes I said the "C' word. I craft my way right through the holidays using my ninja crafting skills. Homemade gifts to me are more personal and tend to get more use. I find it more successful to make something for my friends and family rather than trying to pester them into telling me what they really want.


This year I wanted to get started early because I have SO many great ideas. I need to plan out my ideas in order to get them all done in time for the holidays. Homemade gifts can sometimes take some time, but that's the magic of the gift. Seeing the person fall in love with something you made for them. Something you put your time and energy into just for them. If that is not a gift, I don't know what is.

Everyone has a skill. Whether you realize it or not, you probably can do something that your friends can't. Use this to your advantage when thinking about gifts. Just in case you can't think of something right off the bat, here are so ideas for gifts using different skills..

*Are you crafty? I'm sure you own some scrap booking paper and modge podge. Use these items to make coasters! There are so many variations to them online. Find one you like and get to it!

*Do you like to bake?: Who doesn't like food around the holidays? Whether you decided to bake cookies or throw together one of those cute little jars with all the ingredients, its sure to be a hit with everyone on your list.

*Are you an artist?: Do you paint or draw? You could always frame some of your prints and give them as gifts. People love art, but a lot of time won't spend the money on it. Pay attention to your friends when you show them your latest master piece. They may be hinting they want something for their living room. Instant gift idea!

*Do you like to take photos? Same concept from above. People love stuff with great images, but not everyone  has the eye for a really great shot. Use your photos to make personalized gifts.

*Can you knit or crochet? Make scarves!  These a great gifts for the holidays and people love them! You can personalize these into colors you know the recipients will love.

 Now those are just a few ideas. There are so many options. Search Pinterest and you will have more ideas than you have time for. Spend some time looking and planning and you will have yourself some great homemade gifts come Christmas time!