Every year my husband and I buy an Enjoy the City coupon book for our area. For $20, we get hundreds of coupons for restaurants and attractions, many of which are buy one get one free. In our area there's minor league baseball, ski resorts, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and some theater companies that put coupons in the book. Usually it pays for itself by the time we use the 2nd or 3rd coupon. We also love restaurant.com, especially when they're having a sale. Typically, you can get a $25 gift cert for select restaurants for just $10, but a few times a year they have an 80% off sale, so that same gift cert goes for $2. Time to stock up!
Running is pretty cheap. Once the cost of clothing is sunk, the marginal cost is just the opportunity cost of the time running. I've started to do more intervals and fartlecs to reduce the time of running required to get about the same amount of exercise.
Symphony tickets can be expensive, so instead, attend one of their open rehearsals. Most symphonies will open up some of their rehearsals to the public, which gives you the chance to hear the great music, and even see the work that goes into it. And it's free!
I recieved one of these netspend cards in the mail, while waiting on a walmart money card. At first i thought it was the same card and activated then realized the fees on this card were out of this world. I cant figure how they got my information and not to happy with it either while the moneycard only charges $3.00 a month for use this netspend has a fee everytime you use it. Beware of this evil card.
I always check for student discounts or any last minute deals on theater, shows, concerts, etc. And for classy dining, wait for Restaurant Week in your city.
Enter me for both please! Wishful Drinking sounds interesting =)
College productions are often quite good (and often quite bad), and are often very cheap.
I'm not huge on broadway/offbroadway shows, more an Opera type. Many Opera houses have student pricing, and the Met offers live HD broadcasts to theaters across the country for much cheaper than going to a show in person.
Until public buses have individual travel pods, I can't see myself getting zen about my morning commute, no matter how hard I try.
By the time I get on, it's usually standing-room only, which is not the end of the world, but what really kills my peace is all the shifting and squishing and knocking around. I end up squished between a backpack and a pointy elbow, reading the same sentence in my book over and over. I find myself needing to stick in my earbuds, close my eyes, and zone out, or else go completely mad.
I subscribe to a local FunSaver newsletter that offers discounted tickets to music, theater, museums and more! I haven't had to pay full price for entertainment in a long time!
In NYC the TKTS stands offer discount last minute tickets. I prefer the one near the Seaport, because it is a lot less crowded than Times Square. I also have a membership to a papering company. For $100 a year I receive access to last minute tickets to various shows (most are not on Broadway) for $3 per ticket, and I can buy up to 2 tickets at a time. I also am subscribed to mailing lists for free movie tickets. I have previewed movies for free, before they even open!
Being from the suburbs, every chance I can get to visit local theater productions and even high school performance offer cheap and entertaining productions that, although not on a grand scale such as Broadway, offer good performances for a night out. When I do plan to visit Broadway productions, I visit the box office the day of the show for last minute discounts and half price tickets for a limited amount of seats they sell each day. This leaves us with extra money for transportation and dinner downtown.
If there is an opportunity for Broadway in Chicago tix, that would be wonderful. If not, I would love to win a Amazon GC.
Haha. I used to be a coupon stickler, but gave that up for some of these same reasons. Sometimes you really end up working harder to save that extra 5 cents on TP. We had a recent post on tips for saving cash at the grocery store that might make it easier than coupons (http://tiny.cc/umYBi). I had never heard of this KMart promotion, might have to get back in the habit...
I absolutely love going to theater productions, but tickets can get pricey. Instead, we dress and go to a small local theater show. The tickets are a fraction of the cost of a broadway show, and you usually get better seats!
I would love to be entered to win tickets to Phantom of the Opera. I have seen it once before, but my husband has never seen it and I am dying to take him!
Thats all great advice, but unfortunately not very practical (for me anyways). I'm generally squashed in to the subway like a sardine can, so doing anything besides standing still and avoiding the heavy breathing of the guy next to me is about the only thing I can do.
I have always wanted to take a trip around the world but, your options by airlines are limited - without changing planes a zillion times (and doing a lot of backtracking) which is WAY TOO expensive. Would you please give some optional routes and names of passes to use, as I have never traveled by train before when in Europe - always with a tour group, except in 2 countries in Africa with friends who lived there. Looking forward to your posts - I thoroughly enjoy them as they are very informative, no matter the subject. I love to travel but am too old to backpack. Also, would be interested in your knowledge as to whether bus travel in some countries after you debark the train for a few days (as in Eastern Europe)would be safe, say for 2 or 3 women, and what about car rental while there?
Ooh I love the *idea* of Zen Road, but I can never keep my monkey mind quiet for long. :-(
I have some more tips for your readers, Sharon:
1. Read work material
2. Read for pleasure
3. Read blogs – you can download them into a reader
4. Listen to podcasts
5. Listen to audiobooks
6. Listen to music
7. Meditate
8. Work on your laptop
9. Prepare for your day – make a to-do list, go through your diary, center yourself.
I used to think about all the things I could be doing while stuck in two hours of gridlocked traffic each way. I wish we had a public transit option when I was doing that commute.
I did read somewhere that Mpls was putting free wifi on their buses.
Great examples of how to economize. I think they work for every place. We always bring our own snacks and bottled water! that's a huge money sucker. And living in Central America, you cant just go and drink out of the faucet because you will end up with some parasite:) so we are now stocked with water to the ears!
Great one, Sharon! I love the point about turning it into part time job time. Since I now work at home, I've noticed the time pockets in the opposite direction. For example, how much more I get done now that I don't have to both get ready, pack lunch and drive to work. Either way, the time adds up, as you've addressed. So great to have you here on Wise Bread.
this is a realistic post. you know, this is what i tell my friends. public transport is not only more convenient but cheaper. but the thing is that most of my peers are caught up with idea that a college grad has to look rich and so a competition ensues as to who will have the most toys. its a stupid game but boys will be boys. i am glad that i am not the only level headed guy in the world. nice work
I never thought I'd miss my commute. I've been unemployed since April, and the thing I miss most is the commute. Now, I didn't use public transportation (I imagine that would have turned my 25 minute commute into a 2 hour one), but I have an efficient car, so I don't feel too bad. What I do miss is the podcasts I used to listen to. I can't get into the audible thing, but I do miss my podcasts.
I've tried the SuperDoubles and plenty of other promos (usually Catalina deals) at KMart, and it is astounding how badly it goes. The cashiers are difficult, uninformed, and occasionally rude. The manager tries to help but has no idea how Catalina promos work. I'm sure this is not true at ALL Kmarts, but in my town it's not worth shopping there. I hope that others are doing better.
I have a 1998 Chevy Malibu. I used the hair dryer and compressed air method. The dent in my car is like a double dent. It basically goes in then out then in again. I don't know how it happened.
Every year my husband and I buy an Enjoy the City coupon book for our area. For $20, we get hundreds of coupons for restaurants and attractions, many of which are buy one get one free. In our area there's minor league baseball, ski resorts, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and some theater companies that put coupons in the book. Usually it pays for itself by the time we use the 2nd or 3rd coupon. We also love restaurant.com, especially when they're having a sale. Typically, you can get a $25 gift cert for select restaurants for just $10, but a few times a year they have an 80% off sale, so that same gift cert goes for $2. Time to stock up!
I'd prefer the Amazon gift card.
Running is pretty cheap. Once the cost of clothing is sunk, the marginal cost is just the opportunity cost of the time running. I've started to do more intervals and fartlecs to reduce the time of running required to get about the same amount of exercise.
Symphony tickets can be expensive, so instead, attend one of their open rehearsals. Most symphonies will open up some of their rehearsals to the public, which gives you the chance to hear the great music, and even see the work that goes into it. And it's free!
I recieved one of these netspend cards in the mail, while waiting on a walmart money card. At first i thought it was the same card and activated then realized the fees on this card were out of this world. I cant figure how they got my information and not to happy with it either while the moneycard only charges $3.00 a month for use this netspend has a fee everytime you use it. Beware of this evil card.
I always check for student discounts or any last minute deals on theater, shows, concerts, etc. And for classy dining, wait for Restaurant Week in your city.
Enter me for both please! Wishful Drinking sounds interesting =)
College productions are often quite good (and often quite bad), and are often very cheap.
I'm not huge on broadway/offbroadway shows, more an Opera type. Many Opera houses have student pricing, and the Met offers live HD broadcasts to theaters across the country for much cheaper than going to a show in person.
Until public buses have individual travel pods, I can't see myself getting zen about my morning commute, no matter how hard I try.
By the time I get on, it's usually standing-room only, which is not the end of the world, but what really kills my peace is all the shifting and squishing and knocking around. I end up squished between a backpack and a pointy elbow, reading the same sentence in my book over and over. I find myself needing to stick in my earbuds, close my eyes, and zone out, or else go completely mad.
I subscribe to a local FunSaver newsletter that offers discounted tickets to music, theater, museums and more! I haven't had to pay full price for entertainment in a long time!
I would love tickets to see Chicago!
In NYC the TKTS stands offer discount last minute tickets. I prefer the one near the Seaport, because it is a lot less crowded than Times Square. I also have a membership to a papering company. For $100 a year I receive access to last minute tickets to various shows (most are not on Broadway) for $3 per ticket, and I can buy up to 2 tickets at a time. I also am subscribed to mailing lists for free movie tickets. I have previewed movies for free, before they even open!
Being from the suburbs, every chance I can get to visit local theater productions and even high school performance offer cheap and entertaining productions that, although not on a grand scale such as Broadway, offer good performances for a night out. When I do plan to visit Broadway productions, I visit the box office the day of the show for last minute discounts and half price tickets for a limited amount of seats they sell each day. This leaves us with extra money for transportation and dinner downtown.
If there is an opportunity for Broadway in Chicago tix, that would be wonderful. If not, I would love to win a Amazon GC.
Thank you,
Ryan
Haha. I used to be a coupon stickler, but gave that up for some of these same reasons. Sometimes you really end up working harder to save that extra 5 cents on TP. We had a recent post on tips for saving cash at the grocery store that might make it easier than coupons (http://tiny.cc/umYBi). I had never heard of this KMart promotion, might have to get back in the habit...
I absolutely love going to theater productions, but tickets can get pricey. Instead, we dress and go to a small local theater show. The tickets are a fraction of the cost of a broadway show, and you usually get better seats!
I would love to be entered to win tickets to Phantom of the Opera. I have seen it once before, but my husband has never seen it and I am dying to take him!
Thats all great advice, but unfortunately not very practical (for me anyways). I'm generally squashed in to the subway like a sardine can, so doing anything besides standing still and avoiding the heavy breathing of the guy next to me is about the only thing I can do.
I have always wanted to take a trip around the world but, your options by airlines are limited - without changing planes a zillion times (and doing a lot of backtracking) which is WAY TOO expensive. Would you please give some optional routes and names of passes to use, as I have never traveled by train before when in Europe - always with a tour group, except in 2 countries in Africa with friends who lived there. Looking forward to your posts - I thoroughly enjoy them as they are very informative, no matter the subject. I love to travel but am too old to backpack. Also, would be interested in your knowledge as to whether bus travel in some countries after you debark the train for a few days (as in Eastern Europe)would be safe, say for 2 or 3 women, and what about car rental while there?
Ooh I love the *idea* of Zen Road, but I can never keep my monkey mind quiet for long. :-(
I have some more tips for your readers, Sharon:
1. Read work material
2. Read for pleasure
3. Read blogs – you can download them into a reader
4. Listen to podcasts
5. Listen to audiobooks
6. Listen to music
7. Meditate
8. Work on your laptop
9. Prepare for your day – make a to-do list, go through your diary, center yourself.
(They're from my post:
http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2008/11/time-management-organize-...)
It sounds lovely but it isn't realistic for people who live 50 or more miles away from work (which is a 90 minute commute for me, round trip.)
I'd love to have tips that people in the Midwest can follow.
I used to think about all the things I could be doing while stuck in two hours of gridlocked traffic each way. I wish we had a public transit option when I was doing that commute.
I did read somewhere that Mpls was putting free wifi on their buses.
One year I made chocolate truffles. I bought a pack of gift boxes to put them in. They went over very well.
Great examples of how to economize. I think they work for every place. We always bring our own snacks and bottled water! that's a huge money sucker. And living in Central America, you cant just go and drink out of the faucet because you will end up with some parasite:) so we are now stocked with water to the ears!
Slamming post, Margaret! They are all great ideas, but I especially love the tea bag bath goodies. Very, very clever.
Check out my various projects and services at Itinerant Tightwad. I also have a monthly education newsletter.
Great one, Sharon! I love the point about turning it into part time job time. Since I now work at home, I've noticed the time pockets in the opposite direction. For example, how much more I get done now that I don't have to both get ready, pack lunch and drive to work. Either way, the time adds up, as you've addressed. So great to have you here on Wise Bread.
Check out my various projects and services at Itinerant Tightwad. I also have a monthly education newsletter.
this is a realistic post. you know, this is what i tell my friends. public transport is not only more convenient but cheaper. but the thing is that most of my peers are caught up with idea that a college grad has to look rich and so a competition ensues as to who will have the most toys. its a stupid game but boys will be boys. i am glad that i am not the only level headed guy in the world. nice work
I never thought I'd miss my commute. I've been unemployed since April, and the thing I miss most is the commute. Now, I didn't use public transportation (I imagine that would have turned my 25 minute commute into a 2 hour one), but I have an efficient car, so I don't feel too bad. What I do miss is the podcasts I used to listen to. I can't get into the audible thing, but I do miss my podcasts.
I've tried the SuperDoubles and plenty of other promos (usually Catalina deals) at KMart, and it is astounding how badly it goes. The cashiers are difficult, uninformed, and occasionally rude. The manager tries to help but has no idea how Catalina promos work. I'm sure this is not true at ALL Kmarts, but in my town it's not worth shopping there. I hope that others are doing better.
I have a 1998 Chevy Malibu. I used the hair dryer and compressed air method. The dent in my car is like a double dent. It basically goes in then out then in again. I don't know how it happened.