I Used to Completely Splurge on Sunglasses — Until I Found the Perfect Pair

Back in the day before I moved out of my parents' house and actually started forking over money for rent every month, I had an addiction that could drain my bank account in the blink of an eye: sunglasses.

Every single time I had saved enough of my tip money from waitressing or got a crisp Benjamin Franklin for my birthday, I beelined straight for the sunglasses display at the mall.

While my practical side is fully aware of the fact that, regardless of the label on the side of the frames, pretty much every single pair is made of plastic, I felt compelled to spend all my money on the latest designer sunglasses trend that would surely be out of style within the year. (I'm looking at you, tiny sunglasses!)

And despite the fact that I got an earful from my mom about "where all my money goes" every few weeks, my collection just kept growing and growing. After all, you can never really have enough sunglasses right? Actually, wrong.

Unfortunately for my bank account — which no doubt took a ton of abuse in the name of shades — I didn't come to this realization until I found a rogue pair of Sunski Yuba Sunglasses sitting on my desk. As any office freebie is a pleasant surprise, and I happily tossed them in my backpack and went on my merry way. But, once I slipped them on, everything changed.

For starters, let it be known that I have a gigundo, hot air balloon head, which I've completely come to accept. My condition causes a major inconvenience: my sunglasses continuously get stretched out from all the times I absentmindedly plop them on top of my head. But after stomping across the city for a few months in my free shades, I had a come-to-Jesus moment — they weren't stretching out at all.

Not only were these wayfarer-style sunglasses sleek as hell, but they actually didn't need to be taken to the store to be tightened every few months. As a chick who values her time more than anything, this was a huge win.

I decided to Google the free frames, and quickly found out that the polarized tortoise pair I have been wearing also comes in two other colors: a black-and-blue hybrid, and a "black flair" style that has tinted lenses. Each pair also comes with a lifetime warranty, and, according to Sunski's website, isn't too hard on the environment. The best part of the whole deal? They're only $55 a pop. Looks like I'll need to find a new addiction then, huh?