Easter Brunch at 131 Main

OK, so this wasn't all that cheap and it certainly wasn't free, but I want to give them a shout out because they didn't jack up their prices simply because it was Easter. Plus, 131 Main is a nice restaurant with pretty nice prices, in my opinion, if you are looking to have a slightly fancier meal (Buddy and I love going on dates there).
Do you know that they were charging $50 per person at the Ballentyne Resort for Easter brunch? That's just preposterous to me! Three of us had brunch for less than that at 131 Main. Now, they weren't doing a massive buffet, we just got our meals, but do you really need all that food anyway. I know that I certainly don't. My fantastic Brioche French Toast was plenty enough for me, and it was one of the most delicious things that I have ever tasted!

Dogswalk Against Cancer

How about a super fun time for you and your pet that also raises money for a very worthy cause. Well, that's what the Dogswalk Against Cancer is! It's $20 to register and you do get a cool shirt for that money, plus it's a donation to the American Cancer Society to fund research to find a cure for human and animal cancers. I have lost some close family members to cancer and am also a huge animal lover, so I participate in this every year. The walk starts at Metro Paws, where there were free Chik-fil-a breakfast biscuits, Starbucks coffee, and Monster Energy Drink. We then walked to Canine Cafe for free (dog) treats and mingle time and then we walked back to Metro Paws for playtime. Like any good walk, we picked up tons of swag. Free tennis balls pet food cups, pet food samples, key chains, magnets, pens, tons of great giveaways. This is one of my favorite events all year, can't wait until Dogwalk 2010!

Cocktail Class at Cantina 1511

I was so psyched when my friend Sharon invited me to this! It's funny how people have gotten into the fact that I will almost always be in for a cheap and/or free event. Here's how the cocktail class worked at Cantina: for $15 you got to learn how to make and then subsequently drink 3 differents cocktails and then there was food too. My first thought was, OK, how much food and drink are we actually going to get? Well, the answer is a ton! Let's just say that it's a good thing that I walked after having my cocktails and I was stuffed. There was even dessert, 2 of them! The other cool thing is that we all got copies of all of the recipes for the food and the cocktails. Plus, there were a few drawings too, and we actually won Bobcats tickets. How cool is that?

Free Wine at Polished

I haven't treated myself to a manicure and pedicure in forever, so when my friend, Sarah, decided that is one of the things that she wanted to do for her bachelorette party, I was doubly excited for the party. I booked us girls at Polished, a favorite place of my friends, Meigan and Leyf, that I had never been to. Well, for starters, a manicure and pedicure at Polished is only $35, not bad. Here's the best part, while you are there you get free wine (or beer, soda, water, etc.) It was so fabulous being with all of the girls getting pampered and sipping our wine. Congratulations and good luck, Sarah!

Free Arby's Roastburger

I love getting free food, especially in this crazy economy. Plus, Arby's is my favorite fast food, OK, it and Chick-fil-a are tied, but free is still awesome. I definitely recommend joining Arby's Extras. Basically, you just sign up on the website and they will email you offers and info about new products at Arby's. The best part is that immediately when you sign up the first coupon on your email box will be for a free Roastburger when you buy a soda. This is a perfect coupon for me because I don't like fries, plus, drinks are less than $2, so for less than $2 you are getting a drink and a sandwich. And, yes, the Roastburger is as delicious as it looks on the TV. Go for the Bacon/ cheddar variety. I loved it!

Birthday Party at Swoozie's

Swoozies's celebrated their birthday over the weekend, and that can only mean good things for their customers. My mom and I headed over to check it out and were happy to find out that we would get 20% off of anything we purchased and they were handing out free delicious cupcakes that Tizzert's had made especially for the occasion. My mom found a hilarious pack of napkins that say, "Does this napkin make my butt look big?" We were cracking up, so, of course, she had to have them. She is going to use them the next time her girls come over and I would love to be a fly on the wall to hear all of their laughter! Nothing for me, except for that free cupcake, but keep your fingers crossed for me that they call and tell me that I won one of their drawings!

IKEA

At long last, I was able to make it up to the new IKEA, and, boy, was it ever worth it! I immediately walked in and just let out a sigh. Wonderfully chic items for my home that are super affordable just make me happy. And, why shouldn't they?
The first thing that I saw and loved was a beautiful table runner for my kitchen table. I've been meaning to replace my current one, but haven't found one that I liked and could afford. Well, this one was $7.99, it went right into the cart. Next, I found the matching chair cushions, another thing that I have been wanting but can't justify spending the money. These were $5.99 each, and I only have 4 chairs. That's right folks, complete refacing of the table for only $32. What is better than that? The other items that I bought were kind of boring but amazing because of their cheap-ness. I got a bowl for my cat for $.49 (yes, you read that correctly) and a spray bottle that buddy uses for his laundry for $.99.
I've heard a lot of people buzz that the items at IKEA are not good quality and that is why they are cheap. Don't assume that things need to be expensive to be good quality (Google Mitchum deodorant, nobody bought it when it was cheap, so the company raised the price and now people buy it. How stupid we are as consumers) I have many pieces of furniture from IKEA that I have had for 5+ years and they are all in excellent shape. IKEA is the best and don't let anyone tell you any differently!