Red Cross Racing

Two things about me... 

1. I love Nascar and Greg Biffle is my favorite driver. 

2. I am blood type O+ and donate blood as often as I am eligible.

Did you ever honestly think that those two things could combine into something fabulously cheap and free? Well, they have. The Red Cross sponsors Greg Biffle, so Red Cross started a program where you can earn points to redeem for merchandise by donating blood. I've been saving up my points and today I redeemed my points and I can't wait to get my prizes. Here's what is coming my way: 2 1:24 Die Cast Cars, 1 T-shirt, 1 Koozie, and 1 pin. Pretty sweet, huh? The points will be resetting themselves soon, so let's see what awesomeness I can earn next year.

More Deals at Brixx

OK, OK, I know that I write about Brixx a lot, but there are truly some fantastic deals to be had at Brixx. I got an email from fellow cheap-and-free-er Courtney Disposti that there was a Brixx coupon in the back of the phone book, and you know how much I love a coupon. Sure enough, buy one get one free pizza right there in the back of the phone book. Thanks for the tip, Courtney! Of course, we went on a Monday, the best night of the week because of the $1.95 Domestic Drafts. Now, here's where the deals got awesome. So, while we were there, Buddy reached the point on his MBA Card where he had drank enough beers to earn a free pizza. Our fantastic server let us use the coupon from the phone book and redeem the MBA free pizza. So, the grand total for 5 awesome beers and 2 pizzas was $10.55. And that fantastic server? He earned himself a $10 tip that night! Remember cheap-and-free-ers, always tip your servers well!

So, no blogs for awhile...

I'll give a little Christmas apology to my dear readers, I've been in Oregon visiting family and still am, so, needless to say, I haven't been doing anything cheap and free in Charlotte. And, disappointingly enough, I had planned on doing a special Cheap and Free in Portland blog while I was here as an homage to this city out here that I love so much, but, would you believe it, we've been pretty much snowed in! I will advise all of you to check out the after Christmas sales, whatever city you are in. The deals are supposed to be just amazing! Let's all really stretch that Christmas money in this yucky economic time. Merry Christmas to everyone! This is my favorite time of year and I'm just going to savor it for a bit longer before it's gone for another year. When I get back into town on Monday, I promise to do a Charlotte blog and I'm also going to be posting a New Years Eve guide. Enjoy!

Outlet Shopping

So, the Gaffney outlets aren't in Charlotte, but they are our closest (other than Concord Mills, which I'm not all that convinced is truly that awesome of an outlet, it's more of a shopping plaza in my mind). I had to travel to a meeting Gaffney for work and was busy in the early morning and in the later afternoon, so what's a girl to do? Shop, and get some incredible deals. I was really in need of some new work clothes, so I headed to Ann Taylor first. All of their clearance was an additional 40% off, I mean, are you kidding me? That's awesome! I did the math when I got home and everything that I bought there would have been $571 at full price. Do you want to know what I spent? $143, unbelievable! I also got a deal on some great Aerosoles tall black boots, had been $90, I paid $30. This is my kind of shopping. I like to look good, but just can't bring myself to fork out the kind of funds to do this all in full price mode. And, really, why should I when these amazing deals are out there! Make the drive down to Gaffney, it's totally worth it!

So, I got these antlers at the Santa's Link to Kids Drop-Off Party

Every year my office does some sort of holiday charity giving, and, as the un-official organizer, I think we have found our annual event. 107.9 The Link sponsors Santa's Link to Kids. The police department identifies kids for them who maybe won't be getting a visit from Santa Claus, and then the listeners have the opportunity to adopt them. My office adopted 3 kids and we had a ton of fun with it and got them some really great presents. Our adopted kiddos are having a merry Christmas this year. Another awesome thing about Santa's Link is the drop-off parties. They host 2 of them. The one tonight was at the Arboretum Shopping Center. Santa and Mrs. Claus were there, pony rides, singing, sleigh rides, and, of course, lots of cookies and hot chocolate. Did I mention that 107.9 brought fake snow. You should have seen the kids dancing underneath it. It was awesome. The Christmas Spirit was alive and well at this event. Merry Christmas everyone!

*OK, then I went home and put the antlers that I got at the drop-off party on my dog, Mandy. She's such a good sport*

Christmas Tree Lighting at Freedom Park

I can walk to Freedom Park, so when I passed the sign that said there was a Christmas Tree Lighing Celebration there, I was totally in. There was a really great band there playing Christmas songs all rocked out, my favorite way. As an aside, if you've never heard the Sister Hazel Christmas album, it's awesome... anyway... A group was there collecting coats, hats & gloves for the homeless, and, I guess they are the ones who sponsored the band. They are trying to get one of each for every homeless person in Charlotte, so if you can help, they will continue the collecting at any Omega Sports location, I believe until December 21st. Santa, of course, was at the tree lighting, and a radio station sponsor. It was a great little Christmas spirit kind of event, I'm pretty big into having the Christmas spirit. The best part is that the park looks great! There are beautiful lights going around the lake, so if you need to catch a little bit of the spirit, take a fun jaunt around the lake. You'll be hearing subtle "Ho, Ho, Ho"s in your ears before you know it.

Bargain Book Sale at Joseph Beth

So, I got my Gives Back card, right? Well, now I'm finding out about all of these other great perks to having that card. Awesome, huh? Joseph Beth is having their Bargain Books sale, so the books are already cheap, but as a Gives Back member, when I buy 3, I get 2 more for free. How awesome of a deal is that. Now, my office has adopted 3 kids from the Santa's Link to Kids and one of them is a 7-year-old little girl who loves to read. Perfect! Plus, I got this great coupon book that is only good for Gives Back members and in it is a coupon for $15 off the perfect cookbook Christmas gift for my mother-in-law (no specifics sorry, she may be reading the blog). So, for roughly $40, I got the cookbook, 4 books for the Santa's Link little girl, and 1 for myself. Not a bad Saturday afternoon of bargain shopping if you ask me. I'm telling you, the Christmas season can be cheap and free and fabulous! 

Let the Troops know that you care this holiday season

Xerox is doing a really great thing for our troops right now, and I urge all of you to participate. It won't cost you a thing and it will take you less than 2 minutes. Go to www.LetsSayThanks.com, there you can pick out a card and a greeting and it will be sent to a soldier who is serving overseas. No matter your opinion of this war, these are men and women just like you and me who are far away from their homes and their families. Just take a small amount of time and make a huge difference in their lives.

Free Pie!

I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but I got a coupon from Earth Fare a few days ago for a free pie and a free pint of ice cream. No minimum purchase or anything like that, just free. I'm so all about that. I can't eat ice cream and neither can buddy (it's OK, you can laugh, we do), so I gave away the ice cream, but the pie is delicious. I had a yummy piece of apple pie for dessert this evening, and, of course, free food tastes better. I like to also think that free food has no calories. Shhh... let me be lost in my delusions...

Second String Santa

Second String Santa is seriously one of my favorite events all year in Charlotte. Have you been? It's a fantastic kick-off to the holiday season. Here's the deal, for $20 and a toy donation or $40 you get admission and then all you can eat and all you can drink wine, beer, and soda. It's a formal event, which I love. It's great to get those dresses out of the closet that there is never any reason to wear. 

It's a pretty good deal as is, but this year I discovered a way to make it even sweeter. I volunteered, for 1 hour of toy collecting, I didn't have to pay cover. That's a $20 an hour gig, pretty awesome. Plus, collecting toys was a great amount of fun. I love chatting with people, so it was the perfect job for me. 

After my volunteering, then it was time to party. I pretty much danced the night away with my girls, and we had a blast. 

Now, here are some amazing Second String Santa statistics: 4000 people attended, 3000 toys (including 3 bikes) and $54,000 were collected. There are a lot of kiddos who are going to have great Christmases because of the attendees and everyone involved with Second String Santa. Now, that's a great event. It's a good time, a good deal and a fabulous cause.

Give Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here's a great thing to do that is always free, giving thanks! I actually write down five things that I am thankful for every day in a journal that I keep by my bed. It's a great way to keep this crazy life in perspective. Here are a few things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving day: my buddy, that man can make me laugh like no one else on this earth; my dogs, it was a tough year with losing Maddie, but I'm glad that Ella found us and so is Mandy; my job, so many people are struggling with this right now, and I am thankful that, not only do I have a job, I really like my job; I'm healthy and everyone in my family is healthy; my new niece, Isabella Grace, I haven't gotten to meet her yet, but will for Christmas and just can't wait, my kitties, I love watching all of my animals hang out together. These are just a few of the fabulous things that I am thankful for. I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gives Back Card

Joseph Beth Booksellers has a fabulous program called the Gives Back Card. For $25 you get the card, and here is what the card gives you: $25 gift certificate to the Bronte Bistro (the fabulous restaurant attached to Joseph Beth), a free meal on your birthday, $10 coupon for every $200 spent in the bookstore, $10 coupon for every $200 spent in the bistro, ok, and really tons of other stuff. But, now why, you ask, is it called the Gives Back Card? Well, that is because 1% of all bookstore purchases are donated back to a local charity of you choice. I chose to have mine given to the Levin Children's Hospital. It's a pretty cool card and a fantastic deal all around.

Cheap and Free Date at Brixx with Buddy

We love Brixx, and I mean L-O-V-E! So, when I came upon a coupon for buy one, get one free pizza, of course, it was time to walk up to Brixx for the night. The very best night to go to Brixx is Monday for $1.95 domestic drafts. Their domestic drafts aren't what you normally think of. We're talking microbrews, the best kind of beer delicious-ness. If you go to Brixx, be sure to start working on your MBA. That's your Masters of Beer Appreciation. You get stamps for having different beers, and you get different prizes along the way, but the grand prize is the party. Oh yes, I will be earning a party!

Back for some more free wine!

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day! And, just try to keep me away from the free wine! My friend Sarah and I headed to Reid's today to see what the wine tastings were all about today during free wine week. Of course, they were pouring a Beaujolais Nouveau, which was amazingly delicious. It's a holiday that I always like to take part in. We actually had every intention to go up to the Mint Museum, but we were just having so much fun tasting the wines, and the pours were quite generous. I would say we both had about two full glasses of wine. I stuck to the Reds, but Sarah was tasting both Reds and Whites. Our favorite, though, was the Bliss Merlot. Plus, to make it even better, that's an $11.99 bottle of wine! Great wine for a great price, and the tastes are free? Fantastic!

Free Wine Tasting at Reid's

Reid's Fine Foods is kicking off the holiday season right, with free wine! I headed up to Reid's tonight with my friends, Erin and Anie and we were very happy to partake. Reid's is doing free wine tastings and free appetizer tastings all week. I would say that we probably each had enough samples to equal 1- 1 and a half glasses of wine. Did I mention that I love free wine?

Buddy Loves Samples

Buddy (that's what I affectionately call my husband, he calls me buddy too) hates going to the grocery store, and, I mean hates. There is one notable exception, and that is Earth Fare, and I'll tell you why he likes that store: free cheese samples. So, when I told him that Earth Fare was going to be hosting their Taste of Thanksgiving event and handing out samples of Thanksgiving dinner, he was so in. Of course, we had to enter the store near the cheese section, so we had our fill of the cheese, meandered and did some other shopping, and then made our way to the free Thanksgiving. It was delicious! My favorite quote of the day happened while I was then waiting to order our Thanksgiving turkey. Buddy said to me, "If this takes much longer, I'm going to have to get another plate." I told him to just go, and he was off and running before I got the last word of my sentence out. These plates were more than a snack too, a very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Giving back and getting something in return

Today I got to give back in a very awesome way... A friend of mine works at Hemby Children's Hospital and today was their annual Thanksgiving party for the patients and families. I was able to go and serve the drinks and mix and mingle with the adorable kids. This is a fabulous event that they put on, and they do a similar event for each holiday. Most of these kids won't get to spend Thanksgiving at home, so the hospital brings the Thanksgiving dinner to them and their families. It's a feel good time for everyone. The kids get some time to just be kids and eat macaroni & cheese and pumpkin pie. US Foodservice donated the food and the talented culinary students at Johnson & Wales cooked and served it. As an added bonus to the great feeling that I get to carry around in my heart after seeing these very special little people, I also got to eat this fabulous Thanksgiving lunch. And, let me tell you, those students can cook! This bumps up eating at the Johnson & Wales cafeteria on my list. I can't wait to help out at the Christmas party!

Yumm... Specials on Corona Light

Congratulations are in order for my one friend... She got a new job and today is that day that she actually got to quit the old job. Hooray! So, to celebrate, we all headed up to our favorite place, Ed's Tavern. And, wouldn't you know it, Corona Light's were only $2. It was a celebration for me too, that's my favorite beer, and I had completely forgotten that it was Corona Light night at Ed's. What a fabulous little surprise for me on a dreary Thursday night! As a side note, Ed's has a completely revamped menu, and it looks amazing. I haven't eaten from it yet, but I have been with a bunch of people who have gotten the sliders and they look fantastically delicious!

Donate $1 without spending a dime...

So, I just found out a staggering statistic... Did you know that coffee drinkers throw out 28 billion disposable coffee cups each year? That is about 100 million pounds of trash going into our landfills. Wow! Well, the folks at Good Earth Coffee are trying to do something about it. If you sign the "Brew at Home" Pledge and pledge to brew your coffee at home using a re-usable cup, they will donate $1 to the Trust for Public Land. I signed it and plan to keep my pledge. That's something that I can feel good about. While we're on the subject ladies and gentlemen, does your office have a coffee machine? If you're drinking that, you're halfway there by saving yourself some money. How about bringing in your own mug instead of using disposable? Then you can save the environment too! I also like the opportunity to express a bit of my personality with my mug selections. Favorite mug slogan of mine? "Proud owner of a rescued dog"

In-Home Testing Institute?

OK, so I'll admit it like a dork... For some reason, I like filling out forms and surveys, things like that. I think it has something to do with not really being able to sit still and pay attention while watching TV. I like puzzles too, but that's another issue. Well, today in the mail, I received a long consumer survey, and, with excitement, started filling it out. Wouldn't you know that a $5 bill fell onto my lap? That's not cheap & free, that's getting paid for something I would be happy to do anyway. I certainly can't wait to send it back to them and am anxiously awaiting my next one. Shoot me an email at ktamerlano@gmail.com and I can send you the contact info, maybe they have a website and you can try to get on their mailing list too.

The Gem of the Habitat Restore

I was about to title this post "The Hidden Gem of the Habitat Restore," but this gem really isn't hidden at all, I just hadn't yet noticed how awesome it was. What is this gem you say? The book section in Julia's Coffee Shop, attached to the Restore. They have some truly awesome used books for sale and at some truly awesome prices. Hardbacks are either $1.98 or $3.98 and paperbacks are $.98. Plus, they are very, very organized, alphabetical by author's last name and in different subject sections. If you know that you want a book, but don't have a title in mind, check out the employee picks, there were some great books there. I didn't actually buy anything on this trip because I'm making the vow (for about the 5oth time) to read all of the books that I own before buying any more, deal or not, but my friend, Erin, was with me and she had a huge stack of deals that she was getting!

Wine-down Wednesday

I seriously work across the street from Village Tavern, and, I'm ashamed to admit it, but this is the very first time that I have been to Wine-down Wednesday. Basically, all bottles of wine are half off. How great is that? You can get a whole bottle of wine for less than the price of two glasses. Now, just because I love you all, maybe take a drinking buddy to either help you finish that deal of a bottle of wine or to sit and watch you drink it and give you a ride home!

Another thing that I love about the Village Tavern is the patio. And, that I have taken advantage of many, many times. It is big and has a great view of Southpark. Plus, now that it's getting a little cooler outside, they bring in heaters, so the patio can really be enjoyed almost year-round, unless it's raining, of course!

Freebies for Voting

Happy Election Day, everybody! I hope you all voted today and I also hope that you all took advantage of some of the freebies to be had today. 

I got up early to vote before work and when I was all finished, I stopped first at Starbucks for my free cup of coffee. They were giving away a free tall coffee to anyone who came in and said that they voted.

I had also heard that Chick-fil-a was giving away free chicken sandwiches at work and even verified online that Charlotte was one of the cities particpating. Unfortunately, when I went to the Chick-fil-a at Southpark Mall, I didn't get a sandwich. They just said that they had been hearing it all day, but that, no, it wasn't true. I pass the Chick-fil-a on Woodlawn on my way home and was going to try again, but there was an accident and Woodlawn was closed right there (Hope those people are OK, the cars looked pretty smashed up) so I can't verify this one. I had no luck.

Ben and Jerry's was giving away a free scoop of ice cream to anyone who voted today, but only from 5-8pm. My plan was to go get the dogs, drop them off, eat a quick dinner, and then head out again to get my free ice cream. However, I started watching election coverage and got sucked in, so decided against it. I'm still thinking about that ice cream right now.

At least I got my free coffee! I think it's great that all of these places were supporting the election in this way!

Way to use that VIC Card!

I love a sale! Especially, when it is on stuff that I have to buy, like food... I got a wonderful email about a 3-day sale at Harris Teeter... Steaks are $4.99/lb; shrimp is buy 1 bag, get 2 free; and grapes are $.79/pound. What? Crazy awesome prices. Well, I went to Harris Teeter today, and the manager had to override my transaction because I saved more than I spent. No joke! My total at the store today was $88 and my VIC card savings was $94. Yeah, I got a ton of food too! We're eating steak and shrimp for awhile! 

Happy Birthday Dana at Dixies

I'm having to write this the following morning, had a fun night of cheap and free fun uptown last night! Yesterday was my friend, Dana's, birthday and, awesomely, I had won a party at Dixie's. Could it be more perfect? We all got free appetizers, $2 Miller Lites, $2 well drinks, and $3 "good" liquor drinks. To someone who loves Jack Daniels and Diet Coke, that $3 was a great thing to hear. The appetizers were really good too. I just had the chicken fingers, but there was spinach dip and meatballs also. The music at Dixie's is always so good too. They tend to play a lot of songs that get the whole crowd singing and dancing, a mix of today's best and the oldies but goodies. How did I win this party, you ask? By joining their email list, so check it out, there are so many fabulous deals out there! 

Meet Ella!

Hi all! Not something cheap and free, but I wanted to introduce you all to our new puppy, Ella! I went to drop Mandy off at her daycare, All Wags, this morning and they let me know that they had two puppies there who needed a home. One of their employees had found them abandoned in the middle of the road last Wednesday night. Miraculously, they are both unscathed by that and after a visit to the vet were both given a clean bill of health. Ever since, we lost Maddie, we have known that we would eventually be ready for another dog and little Mandy has been walking around the house giving us all the signs of being ready for a friend too. Ella has come right in and become a member of the family, you would think she had been with us forever. Right now I am sitting on the couch wrting this with Mandy on one side and Ella on the other, and I couldn't be happier!

Enter Contests!

Entering and winning contests is the greatest, most fabulous way to get something cheap and free. Well, I enter a lot of contests, and lately I've been winning a lot of contests. 

One thing to do is ti sign up for email lists, lots of bars and restaurants have some sort of incentive to join their email list, like be entered to win a gift card, etc. I've recently won happy hour parties at Dixie's and Howl at the Moon. The one at Dixie's is actually going to be my friend Dana's birthday party this Friday night, so more about that later. 

Another fabulous contest source is Creative Loafing Fun & Free Stuff. I personally check their website every Thursday. In the past I have won concert tickets and movie passes, and more recently, I won a DVD of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which is so awesome if you haven't seen it. I'm psyched about that. I just went and picked it up today and can't wait to watch it. 

One other cool contest source that I have found is to join bands' street team's. Most bands have a link of some sort on their web page or go to a site like Reverbnation and search for your favorite bands. The bands will have frequent contests and tasks with prizes. I recently won a contest that Simplified, my favorite local band was having and my prize is on it's way. Super cool!

Hands on Charlotte Day

I had a fabulous Saturday today! I got up bright and early to help with registration and set-up for Hands on Charlotte Day. While I was at the kick-off celebration at the Epicentre I had the most fabulous muffin, as a side note. 

Then, I headed with my group off to my project at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. We did some fantastic tasks at the ReStore, lots of pricing, rearranging, and moving items to their appropriate places. I've written about the ReStore again, but as an overview, it's a place where one can take their old home goods, fixtures, building materials, etc. and donate them to be resold as a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. Plus, they also get donations of new items also. It's a great place to check out every once in a while to just see what they have. 

After we did our feel-good volunteering, we went to the Comet Grill for another sort of feeling good, good food and some well-earned beers. Comet Grill was running a special just for Hands on Charlotte Day volunteers, 20% off all food and $1 domestic drafts. A $1 Yuengling never tasted so good than one drank after lifting, measuring and pricing large rolls of carpet for three hours. 

If you are in Charlotte and have never participated in Hands on Charlotte Day or any of the Hands on Charlotte projects, definitely check it out. It's a huge amount of fun and helps to make Charlotte a better place to be.

Shutterfly.com

OK, call me crazy, but I already have my Christmas cards. I love using Shutterfly.com to create the little photo cards. I know I adore receiving them, so I think others enjoy receiving mine. Get this, when I ordered 50 cards, I got 25 for free, plus 90 free address labels. No joke! The key is shopping early. I discovered this and started ordering my cards early a couple of years ago. The holidays can be a pricey time, so I love to cut costs in every way that I can.

Import Night at Brixx

Thursday nights are a fabulous night to go have a beer at Brixx, so we decided to take advantage of the record high temperatures and enjoy some $2.50 imports on their patio. To top it all off, we had a coupon for buy one, get one free pizza. What could be better? Coupons and beer specials, two of my favorite things. Let's just top it all off with getting my Brixx MBA card stamped four times (yeah, the weather was really nice and sitting outside was very enjoyable) so I'm that much closer to earning my t-shirt, free pizza, and free party. It's almost cheap and free stuff overload, but, honestly, is there really such a thing as that?

The New Trader Joe's

Hooray! At long last, the new Trader Joe's at the Metropolitan has opened up! I have been waiting so long for this.  The food and household items at Trader Joe's are cheaper and better than at your regular grocery stores. Plus, in addition to normal items like green onions, apples, and bread, you can find some incredibly cool and unique stuff. For instance, today I picked up some crunchy green beans. They are snack that looks like a dried green bean, that is salted. I haven't tried them yet, but it sounds like a winner to me. Another not-to-be-missed item at Trader Joe's is the 21 Seasoning Salute. It's this incredible spice blend that makes everything delicious, and it's only sold at one fabulous place. Did I mention the cheap wine at Trader Joe's? It bought three bottles and the most expensive one was $4.99. Also, I had received a coupon in the mail last week, so I received a free reusable shopping bag. You know I love that!

Check out Simplified!

Simplified is a great local Charlotte band and also one of my favorite cheap and free things to do. They play all around the city, very frequently at Mac's BBQ and the Visulite. Have a litte listen to them, you'll love it.

Musicovery.com

Here's a fun free thing for everyone, not just those of you in Charlotte. Musicovery.com is my new favorite way to make being on the computer all that much more enjoyable. It is free online radio with emotion. Think of this as your musical psychologist. You log in and make a few selections about your preferences; favorite artists, favorite songs, favorite eras, favorite genres... Then, tell musicovery.com how you are feeling that day and it will play songs that will completely tune into you. You'll just sit there and be amazed at how every song just is perfect and "exactly what you needed to hear." Now, if only I could listen to online radio at work, then life would be all good.

Southend Gallery Crawl

Tonight, I volunteered at the Charlotte Art League for the Southend Gallery Crawl. I did a lot of helping out with the food and answered a lot of question, plus I saw a lot of fabulous art. There was a juried art show going on also called into "Fall Into Art 2008" and the winners were announced this evening. The 1st place winner was a fabulous painting of a rooster. I know what you are thinking, a rooster? But, it really is just amazing. The show will be there until October 24th, and I definitely reccomend checking it out. The Charlotte Art League is also a great place to go if you are looking to buy some local art. Many artists have their studios there and on Saturdays you can walk through and watch them work. If you are an aspiring artist or are just looking to let your creative juices flow for a bit, Charlotte Art Leauge also offers many different classes. It definitely inspired me to get in tune more with my creative side!

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

So, I totally just treated myself to a very not good for me lunch on a Friday... it's been a long week... Five Guys Burgers and Fries is delicious! This new place just opened up on South Blvd., right near where the new Lowe's is going up. It's super cheap and super good! The menu is very limited (burgers, hot dogs, fries), but they do what they do very well. I ordered the regular cheeseburger with tons of toppings. Here's the thing that I didn't know, a regular burger is actually a double cheeseburger. I just assumed that the small burger on the menu was kids size or something, I was wrong. Plus, all toppings are free, no additional amount for extra toppings, and I pretty much had a salad on top of my burger. Fries are additional and I'm not a huge fry fan, so I didn't order any. My friend, Kim, who I was with did and, of course, the small portion of that was huge also. So, if you are looking for large portions of delicious food for not a lot of money, check out this new place, sure to be a Charlotte favorite very soon!

Getting paid to taste food? Um, OK...

Probably about a year ago, I filled out a questionnaire online to get myself registered with AOC Research here in Charlotte. They are a research company that does mostly taste tests. Oh, and you get paid. I have been called a couple of times for taste tests and haven't qualified based on my answers over the phone, most disappointingly for a beer taste test. Well, this time I qualified, and I was psyched. I can't tell you about what I tasted because I had to sign a confidentiality agreement, but I will tell you that it was all delicious. I was there for just a little under and hour, ate enough food for it to be my dinner, and... wait for it... I got paid $40. That's what I'm talking about.

Free Tickets to the Opening Night of Motherload

I absolutely love, love, love going to the theatre! However, it's not usually the cheapest ticket in town, so when I saw on the Charlotte Culture Guide website that free tickets were available for tonight's opening night performance of Motherload, I jumped on that opportunity. All I had to do was call the box office and they mailed two tickets to me, easy as that. I also have a good friend, Meg, who is pregnant and due in December, the perfect friend to accompany me, the perpetually childless woman, to the play. We pretty much cracked up the entire time. Motherload is a one-woman show basically about being a mom. She talked about all of the things that you "should" do and all of the things that real people are actually doing. It was especially hilarious for Meg because just this past weekend her and her husband went to their parenting class sponsored by the hospital, and everything that was mentioned in the play was dead-on!

Mega Sale at J Crew

I went to Southpark Mall today searching for a dress to wear to my friend, Sarah's, bridal shower. I had looked online and I was liking the selection at J Crew the most (I like to enter the mall with a bit of a plan). Well, little did I know that fantastical deals were awaiting me at J Crew. I popped over to the sale section first and saw a magnificent sign "Additional 40% off all Women's Sale." What? Amazing! Great! I even went so far as to verify the sign with one of the sales girls, and with the very knowing smile of a fellow bargain shopper, she confirmed that what seemed too good to be true was indeed true. As a bonus, they also had a ton in my size. It's usually my luck that in these situations, I can't find anything that fits. I ended up getting three fabulous dresses, all contenders for the shower and all great to wear to work also. Score! Here's the best part. My three dresses would have been $450 at full price. Would you like to know what I paid? $109. Now, that's a great shopping day. I actually like the clothes better knowing that they were a good deal!

Great American Dine Out

It's a great day when something as simple as getting a latte and a scone can help to feed hungry children. This week the Great American Dine Out is going on. Restuarants around the country are participating and all you have to do is go and eat and a portion of what you pay will be donated to Share our Strength. This morning I went to Caribou Coffee on my way to the gym, and that simple act helped out a very worthy organization.

Heart Walk, Community Mosaic Project & a Yard Sale

I started my Saturday morning off bright and early by participating in this year's Heart Walk. I did this last year too, and I really enjoy it. Something about getting up early and walking with the big crowd is just exhilarating. I also enjoy checking out the Frazier Park neighborhood that this walk goes through. Plus, my walking helped to raise over $300 for the American Heart Association, a very good cause.

Once, I was done with the Heart Walk, it was time to run home, do a quick change, and then head over to Ciel Gallery in Southend to work on the Community Mosaic Project. I've blogged about this cool project before, but I just can't say enough about how awesome this is. This is every person in Charlotte's chance to leave their mark on Charlotte. There will eventually be 30 mosaic's rounding the brick building that houses the Charlotte Art League and you too can place some tiles. Really, how cool is that? 20 years from now, you will still be able to walk by and point out the part that you did. Want to get involved? Check out www.communitymosaicproject.com.

Finally, and then I did do some resting on my Saturday, I checked out some yard sales on my way home. My rule for yard sales is that if people with a nicer house than mine are getting rid of their old stuff, then I'm in. And, wouldn't you know, I scored at the yard sales. I have been looking for a new magazine rack for weeks and haven't found a thing that I like. Well, found one, and I love it, and it only cost me $5. That's what I call a fabulous Saturday!

Free Loaf of Bread & Free Cookie at Great Harvest Bread

Have you been to Great Harvest yet? If not, get on over there and you will never want any other bread again. If you have, then you know what I am talking about. Their Honey Whole Wheat is delicious and they have a plethora of other specialty breads, such as Cinnamon Chip. Today went I was there I got a loaf of Whole Grain Pesto Asiago and a Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie. Now, you may be asking yourself, how was my bread and cookie free? In addition to their delicious bread, they also have an awesome frequent shopper card. When you have purchases six loaves of bread, you get a free cookie, and when you have purchases 12 loaves of bread, you get a free loaf of bread. I just happened to not redeem my cookie yet, so I had a card sitting in my wallet that was worth a free cookie and a free loaf of bread. Friday was a good day!

Free Smoothies at Smoothie King

Yes, you are reading that correctly, they were handing out free smoothies at Smoothie King this morning. Now, it wasn't just any smoothie, though. This morning they rolled out new coffee smoothies, and, let me tell you, they are delicious. I chose to go with the caramel coffee smoothie, and I loved every bit of it. Plus, get this, I got a free cup too! Now, you may be asking yourself, how in the world did I even know to go get my free smoothie? I'm on their email list. Trust me, just sign up. I get at least one coupon a week and advance notice of things like this. Can't wait for the next free smoothie day. You know I'll be there!

The Dog Bar

One of my favorite places in Charlotte is the Dog Bar! Really, are you surprised? I love anywhere that I can spend time with my dog.  The great thing about the Dog Bar is that you can bring your dog and your dog can go off leash, a fantastic concept. All of you dog-owners out there understand how key it is that they can go off-leash. They don't sell food there, so that is how they get around the whole health code and dogs thing. They do charge a $10 membership fee that is good for 2 years, and that really just is because it is technically a private club since they serve alcohol but not food. You can, however, bring your own food so that makes it cheap, a bonus! Plus, they have a different beer special every night. 

Some friends threw a memorial party for Maddie tonight at The Dog Bar and it was just fabulous and so fun. They brought food and goodie bags and the whole thing was so sweet. I loved being able to have everyone remember my girl while having so much fun. Maddie would have wanted it that way!

Free Entertainment at the Outback

I went to dinner tonight with some friends tonight at Outback on East Blvd., and, actually, I wasn't planning on blogging about it because Outback isn't really all that cheap. However, we got a free comedy show at our table and that is worth blogging about. Our waiter, John, was absolutely hilarious! He kept just naturally going into comedy routines when he would come back to check on our table, and it was just kind of how he talked. He was joking about all sorts of things from his baldness to what he likes and dislikes on the Outback menu. If you get dinner and a show at Outback for just the price of dinner then that counts as a cheap activity to me!

Cheap & Free Weekend with Mom & Dad

My parents came to visit this weekend and we did so many fabulous cheap & free things!

We started the weekend off on Friday with a delicious dinner at Cantina 1511, and, of course, we used a coupon. Charlotte Citipass strikes again, and we got buy one get one free entrees. We were supposed to then go the the Glue Fest for the Community Mosaic Project, but unfortunately the timing just didn't work out. 

The first order of cheap and free business was a free breakfast. My parents were staying at The Hampton Inn at Phillips Place, and if you have ever stayed at the Hampton Inn, you know that they have a fantastic breakfast. No reason to go out for breakfast! 

We then went and picked up my dog, Mandy and headed over to the Tailgate Farmer's Market to have our starstruck time for the day by meeting Spike and Andrew from Top Chef. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get tickets for the cooking demonstration, but we got to meet them, and I got my cookbook signed and photo taken. They were so super nice and they loved Mandy, which, of course, I loved. This is one of my favorite shows and these two were my favorites from last season, so this is definitely the coolest thing I have gotten to do in a long time!

There's nothing better to me than when someone loves my dog! From there, my dad went and got himself some lunch at Price's Chicken Coop. For $8 he got a ton of food, 3 pieces of chicken, hush puppies, tater tots, slaw, and a roll. My dad is a huge lover of fried chicken, maybe even a connoisseur, so this was awesome for him. 

Next stop was uptown for the Blues, Brews & BBQ festival. We took the light rail so we could save money on parking, plus it's just a great thing for out-of-town guests to get to experience. The festival was a ton of fun. I won a free UNC Charlotte 49ers T-shirt and I entered to win a Saturn car, so I'm crossing my fingers on that one. My mom and I ate delicious BBQ plates from Mac's and we stuffed for not much money. While we ate, we got to enjoy some fantastic blues music too. It was a ton of fun!

On our way walking back to the light rail, we noticed that the Levine Museum was free so decided to head on in. My dad is a big history buff, so this was great for us to get to do. They both loved the museum, and I just think it's a great one.

We were pretty tired after all of that and decided to chill at home and watch some college football for the rest of the day. I definitely love that I got to show my parents so much of our fabulous city!

Winestore

Have you been to Winestore over near Southpark? If not, you should go, it's like nowhere else. Basically, you can try before you buy everyday. You purchase a rechargable card and pop it into the machines they have around the store, push a button, and your taste dispenses into your glass. The tastes vary in price and depend on the cost of the actual wine. There are also very cheeky sections of wines that will just make you smile. Having a girls night out? There's a section for that. First date? There's a section for that too. The owners are always happy to help you out and are very knowledgeble about wine. On this particular night, they were having a free wine tasting, no card necessary. Now, here's the coolest part of this tasting, the winemaker was there, all the way from South Australia, and he was just a delight. The wines were all delicious, Shiraz', my favorite. And, having the winemaker pour them for me and tell me about his winemaking process was an amazing experience. Awesomeness too, is that he signed my bottle. How cool is that? I'll be saving that bottle for sure.

Ed's Tavern

Tonight I found out that I had really been missing out. I go to Ed's all the time, sometimes a couple times a week, and I have never had their infamous burger special. On Wednesdays, you can get a Cheeseburger with fix-ins, homemade chips (we're talking thick-cut and fresh, delicious), and a Coors Light Draft, all for the very low and fabulous price of $5.95. I'm normally quite the optimist, but for that price, I was expecting a small burger, chips from a bag and a smaller than normal beer. I decided to order it anyway, figuring that I could write to you all about what Ed's affectionately calls it's "Recession Buster." This meal was such a very pleasant surprise for me. I'll be getting that burger again, no doubt!

Mint Museum & Hawthorne's Pizza

Tuesday night means free admission to the Mint Museum, so I went last night to check it out again with some friends. I don' t think I mentioned it in my last post about the Mint Museum, but all you need to do to get in is give them your zip code. It's that easy. The exhibits were the same from the last time I was there but still amazing! There is an Warhol exhibit coming soon that I plan to check out.

From there, we headed up the street to Hawthorne's Pizza. I had heard from many people that this was the best pizza in Charlotte, and let me tell you, all of the people who told me that were absolutely correct. I had the House Special pizza: Mozzerella Cheese, Spinach, Broccoli & Bacon w/ tomato sauce. It was unbelievably delicious and the crust is absolute perfection! Plus, my $9 pizza is definitely two meals. I can't wait for lunch tomorrow! Not to mention, my favorite part, on Tuesdays, all draft beers are only $2.50. That meant I was able to have a fabulous Blue Moon for super cheap. That's my kind of deal!

The Greek Festival & East Blvd. Bar & Grill

I needed to get out of my house today and have some fun. What's more fun than the Yiasou Greek Festival? I had actually picked up a bunch of free passes at my gym, so my friends and I didn't even have to pay the $2 admission. There were rides, entertainment, and great food, not to mention some absolutely adorable babies. One actually licked my dog, Mandy, after Mandy licked him. Seriously, that's adorable. 

After some spending some time at the Greek Festival, we decided to move on down East Blvd. to East. Blvd. Bar & Grille. This is one of my favorite little spots. Their patio is perfection and they always have beer specials. Today's special was $2.50 Tecate, delicious for a hot day like today. A little secret about East Blvd. Bar & Grill... they are usually cool with you having your dog there outside, so Mandy got to come with us. Yes, there is a sign that says "No Dogs Allowed," so keep in mind, that puts all of the resposibility onto you, so just be courteous and smart. You know if you have a dog who can handle sitting outside at a bar/restaurant. I also like to try and limit trying to take a dog to when they are slow, just because I wouldn't want to bother their other customers, since they are bending the rules a bit. 

I hope you all are enjoying the borrowed nice weather, woohoo to Hanna curving!

How to say good-bye to a best friend...

Hi Cheap and Free-ers... I'm not going to dwell on it because this really isn't the mission of my blog, but I also think that part of this blog is you all getting to know me... So, I thought that you all should know that I lost one of my dogs yesterday. Miss Maddie Sue started to not feel well about a week ago and we never imagined that it would end this way. She ended up having to have a surgery and just didn't recover. I guess her little body was too sick... She was only 3 1/2 years old and we rescued her at 4 months (or rather she rescued us), so I would have loved to have had more time with her. You know what they say, "Only the good die young," and she wasn't just good, she was great. To all of you pet-owners out there, give them an extra little squeeze from me. Maddie would have wanted it that way.

Tropical Storms are such a bummer...

Hi all! A note to all who read my event calendar on Cheap & Free in Charlotte, the Roman Army Festival has been cancelled for this weekend. This event was going to take place in Fourth Ward Park, so you can see their hesitation. Be careful this weekend, and if I hear of any other cancellations, I'll be sure to post them. 

Creative Loafing Fun & Free Stuff

Something that I do every week on Thursdays is check Creative Loafing Fun & Free Stuff. I honestly have a reminder set on my Outlook Calendar at work to check it. This is a fabulous source of, just as the title says, fun & free stuff. Usually, the "stuff" are showings of movies before they actually open in theatres. There have been concert tickets that they are giving away and even trips. Sometimes, you just enter your name and it's a drawing. And, yes, people actually win these drawings. I actually got an email today that I won passes to go see "Clone Wars", so I'll be going to pick up my prize tomorrow. Other times it's one where they ask you to stop by their offices during a certain time and on a first-come, first-served basis you can pick up free passes. It's definitely always worth checking out. You never know what treasures you might find.

My Challenge is over!

The challenge is over for August, but the fun is just beginning. I gained a new appreciation for Charlotte during my month-long challenge. This truly is an awesome city with awesome people in it. There are so many wonderful and fabulous things to do here, even I am still surprised at all that I discovered. I hope that you will be inspired to get creative and discover all that Charlotte or, for those of you not in Charlotte, your city, has to offer. I'd love to hear about your adventures too. If you haven't already, check out my website at www.cheapandfreeincharlotte.com. There is a forum on there where I would love to get some "conversation" going about what you all are enjoying that is cheap and free. The Blog isn't over, it's actually just beginning, as is the website. Please continue to check both and I promise to keep giving you info about all of the great things in Charlotte. September is an amazing month for cheap and free stuff.  Charlotte Shout and also the Cultural Free for All are going on. All of the details are on my website. Enjoy!

Challenge Day 31- Howl at the Moon

Challenge Day 31 brings the very first negative review. I was absolutely psyched to go to Howl at the Moon. I hadn't yet been and they were having a luau tonight. Free buffet from 6-9, free admission with a Hawaiian shirt, $3 Heineken Lights (my favorite beer), and all of the great entertainment of the dueling pianos.

Things started out alright, I wasn't about to wear a Hawaiian shirt, so I wore a floral dress, and they did let me in for free. When we walked in, we passed by the buffet and it looked really good. I wasn't hungry, but if I had been, I definitely would have eaten from the free buffet. Bravo to them for actually making a free buffet even worth mentioning. The piano players were incredibly talented, like really amazing.

It was all downhill from there. We went up and ordered a Heineken Light and a Miller High Life Light. I about fell down when the bartender said, "7 dollars." Now, either one of two things happened: A. he wasn't honoring the posted special price for Heineken Light, or B. Miller High Life Light is $4/bottle. Both situations are ridiculous and awful. Really? Are you kidding me. As if that's not bad enough, we arrived at 8pm and there was absolutely no place to sit. A dueling piano bar really is no fun if you're standing.

Now, when I say there was nowhere to sit, there actually were empty tables. These were roped off and reserved, right in the front, the prime seats. Um, there really needs to be a point that if you aren't there, you lose your reserved tables. Howl at the Moon was losing paying customers to people who may or may not show up. That's really just dumb. So, we finally saw two tables open up as we were walking out and decided to give Howl at the Moon one last chance, and this is where it got awful. We had a group of 10 people, so there little 4 tops just weren't going to cover it. Logically, we decided to move two tables together. Enter, the rudest "bouncer" I have ever come across. He actually yelled, "You can't push together tables!!!." OK, we are adults, you can just speak to us calmly. We're happy to oblige by your rules no matter how illogical they are, so there really is no reason to yell. A waitress came over and asked us how many people we had, clearly trying to smooth things over from the rude oaf of a bouncer. But, we had just had it at that point and left, likely never to return.

Boo to you, Howl at the Moon. It's time to get it together.

Challenge Day 30- Pigskin Party

So, what's cheaper than the bar specials at your favorite local bar for some football watching?Watching the game at home with friends, of course. So, for Challenge Day 30, opening day of college football season, that's exactly what I did. My friend, Leyf, gets the credit for thinking up the cute name, and she was my host for this evening. She did it up right, too, very low-maintenance and relaxed. They got a bunch of food and asked everyone to bring whatever they wanted to drink. Turn that television on to your favorite game, and you have yourself a party. I chose to bring my new favorite, the Wine Cube, and it was a hit, and there was plenty of it to go around. 

Challenge Day 29- East Blvd Bar and Grill

I had to put my challenge activities on hold, once again, to take care of my poor, hurt little puppy, but that's OK, I'm glad to do it. 

I was going to go to East Blvd. Bar & Grill and grab a few beers, but I'll just do that later. I've been many times before, though, so I'll tell you what I know for sure. We'll just pretend like I went today. 

Their patio is awesome, definitely sit outside. Also, they have great beer specials. When you are ordering be sure to ask what the specials are. They also have them posted on a chalk board if you enter from the back, not the front patio entrance. Often good beers, are on special for $2, like Widmer Brothers. 

They also have a daily food special, which is worth checking out. The food isn't expensive, though, so if you're going to go with just anything on the menu, I highly recommend the quesadilla. 

This place is a Charlotte tradition, so go be a part of Charlotte and enjoy the delicious food and beer.

Challenge Day 28- AMC Special Prices

I had to take today off of my challenge because one of my dogs fractured her "wrist," and she needed me to just hang with her. See the photo to check out her sad-but-cute hot pink cast. I was going to check out Epicentre at 5, but I'll do that next week instead, so stay tuned for that. 

Instead, I want to let you all know about some special prices that AMC Theatres is running (www.amctheatres.com). The great thing is that this isn't just a Charlotte thing, my out-of-town readers, this is all nationwide. AMC is doing A.M. Cinema, a very cute name if you ask me. Basically, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays movies that start before noon are $4-$6/ ticket. These are first-run movies too. Usually for prices like that you have to wait and see the movie at the second-run theatres. Going to a movie before noon may not be what you do every weekend, but every once in a while, it's a fun little option. 

Now, here's the cool part, the special is a little different, and as best as I can tell from the website, there is no end in sight for this special. At the Northlake and Carolina Pavilion locations, all movies are $5, Monday-Thursday all day and Friday- Sunday until 4pm, excluding holidays. I'm sorry to say, but I'm going to have to say goodbye to Regal Cinemas at Phillips Place. Matinees are $7.50 there!

While you are at the AMC Theatre website, also be sure to join Moviewatchers. This is their frequent movie-watcher program that is free to join. You earn points for buying movie tickets at concessions and earn movie tickets and concessions. It's a great thing! 

There are some great movies out there right now, so enjoy your movie watching at a serious discount!

Challenge Day 27- Camille's and The Members Project

For today, Challenge Day 27, I got a free lunch and I got to contribute to changing the world, also for free. 

Have you been to Camille's yet (www.camillescafe.com)? I'm telling you, it's delicious. I had the tuna salad for lunch today and it was absolute perfection. Another great things about Camille's is that there is an abundance of coupons out there for the. The particular one that I used today (Buy one, get one free menu item- I had 2 co-workers who also ordered lunch) came from signing up for their email list at the website. I definitely recommend this as I recommend all email lists. They will periodically send coupons, etc. to your email. They also have a couple coupons in the fantastic Citipass book. But, my very favorite Camille's coupon is one that you can print at www.360charlotte.com. This coupon is for "Free lunch for the office gopher who picks up lunch for the office." The one catch about this one is that your order has to be a $50 minimum, but, still, how cool is that idea? As someone who is often the gopher, I think more places should do that. 

Another thing to note about Camille's, when you look at the menu, it seems that your only side option is chips and salsa, but it's not. There are many fruit options and also cottage cheese available for no additional charge.

I also today found out about a cool thing that American Express is doing right now, The Members Project (www.membersproject.org). People can nominate different projects that they want to do, anyone can go and vote for their favorite and then American Express will provide the finds. It's that easy. So, go on out there an check out the projects.

Challenge Day 26- JT Posh

I really love anywhere that calls itself a savvy consignment boutique, and that's exactly what I got to experience for Challenge Day 26. JT Posh (www.jtposh.com) opened up last year, and I really love this place. They only take designer/couture clothing and accessories. Since it's "used" the prices are drastically reduced. I use the term "used" very loosely, though. Many of the items still have the tags on, no joke!

This particular day, I walked up to the store only to see a sign bearing one of my favorite words, SALE. Really a sale at a "savvy consignment boutique," what could be better? I mean this stuff was super cheap. Unfortunately on this particular trip, I didn't find any treasures. There was one dress that I really liked, and that would have been $12, but it just didn't fit quite right, and trust me, I tried. That's the nature of shopping at a consignment store, though. It's hit or miss, but definitely worth it. I try to pop in once a month just to see what they have.

Another thing that I really love about this place as an animal lover, is that they don't take real fur. I know that my pets thank them for being so chic!

Challenge Day 25- Brixx

For Challenge Day 25, I went to Brixx for one of the best deals in town, $1.50 Domestic Microbrew Drafts. We're talking the good beers here. If $1.50 Coors Lite is a good deal, then this is other-worldly. On this particular night, I had a fantastic Highland Gaelic, I love anything that brewery puts out, and also tried a new beer, Bell's Summer Ale. Both were delicious. 

Did I mention that I had a coupon from my favorite coupon book, Charlotte Citipass, for buy one, get one free entrees, so the food was a great deal also. Especially since, I can't ever eat a whole pizza there, so I have lunch all ready for tomorrow.

I also started my new Brixx MBA card (Masters of Beer Appreciation, I know, it's a great name) while I was there. The program is simple, try new beers. You get a card and they check them off for you as you go. 8 beers, you get a bottle-opener key chain. 16 Beers, you get a free pizza. 24 Beers, you get a t-shirt. And, 32 Beers, you get a Brixx Bash, $50 in free appetizers and food for you and your friends. How much does it cost you to join this program? Nothing. Now, how Cheap and Free is that?

Challenge Day 24- Chicken Parmesan & a Wine Cube

Every good cheap and free-er knows that the best deal in town is a great night in. For Challenge day 24, I chose to hang at home and make a fabulous meal of Chicken Parmesan and some delicious Chardonnay from a wine cube. Let's talk wine cube first. Have you seen these things? They are only sold at Target and for $12.99 you get this fabulous cube with a spout on the side that is the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine. That's right, wine on tap in your very own fridge. You do the math, that's a little over $3/bottle, almost as cheap as the famous two-buck Chuck, but much more yummy. OK, next making dinner. I know that many people scoff at cooking, but it's actually something that I really enjoy. I subscribe to many food/recipe magazines, and the Chicken Parmesan in question was out of the latest Bon Appetit. It was delicious and easy, no joke. If you'd like a copy of the recipe, shoot me an email at ktamerlano@gmail.com. I'd be happy to share.

Challenge Day 23- Whitewater Center adoption event with 'A Rare Breed of Love'

For Challenge Day 23, I did something fun that also helped some homeless puppies get a chance to find a home. I wrote about it earlier this week, but today at the Whitewater Center, Jana Kohl, the author of "A Rare Breed of Love" (www.ararebreedoflove.com) came out with her dog, Baby, who was rescued from a puppy mill to help to educate the public about the horrors of puppy mills. Does that sound like a gloom and doom kind of event? Good news! It wasn't. There was festival style atmosphere with Bryan Harrell (www.byranharrell.com) singing bluesy songs about Baby's story, Park Road Books (www.parkroadbooks.com) selling copies of "A Rare Breed of Love," and Jana signing the books and posing for photos. Also, Project Halo (www.projecthalo.net) brought out some of the cutest adoptable puppies around. I held a 3 month old Beagle mix and a 4 month old Border Collie mix all day, and, yes, they found some prospective homes. It's only a matter of time before they get to go to their forever homes. All of this was going on with the beautiful Whitewater Center (www.usnwc.org) as a backdrop. The weather was beautiful and the cause was beautiful. It was a great day.

Challenge Day 22- Frazier Park Dog Park, Public Art Walking Tour

For Challenge Day 22, I really just couldn't work 5 days this week, so I took Friday off. 

My day started out at the new dog park that just opened up last week at Frazier Park in Wesley Heights. I love that I can take my girls to do something fun and it is less that 10 minutes from my house. No more driving out to Pineville-Matthews Rd. for me. Needless to say, the ladies loved the new dog park. It had everything that they need, namely grass and water to drink. 

Once I had snuggled with my thoroughly tired puppies, I went uptown to do the public art walking tour. If you all haven't noticed, there is a ton of art in uptown. If you go online to the Arts & Science Council's website (http://www.artsandscience.org/) you can get the map & script, which gives you full info on the pieces in uptown. My favorite, I think, was the Writer's Desk, which is in front of Imaginon. The pieces all had literary references, which I loved. I also really liked the Wind Silos which are near the 7th Street Station. I'm sure you all have noticed these, they are shiny and really beautiful and now knowing that they are supposed to be silos, I'm sure I'll be hearing a collective, "Ohhhh." 

Charlotte has really done a lot of work to make uptown beautiful and even more is happening. Stay tuned, Charlotte is getting cooler by the day.

Challenge Day 21- Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Are you looking to do some remodeling on the cheap? Or, maybe you just want a new couch? Well, then Challenge Day 21's place is for you, The Habitat for Humanity ReStore (www.charlottestore.org).

I went to check it out and was super impressed. The idea behind the ReStore is that, let's say, you are remodeling your kitchen. You rip out the cabinets which are still fine, just not your style. Well, you then donate them to the restore and they can sell it to someone who does like that style. The ReStore is a great fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. So far this year, the Charlotte ReStore has funded 8 houses, which is awesome.

Maybe you don't need cabinets or a bath tub. How about checking out their great selection of furniture and home accessories. I definitely almost left with a couch, chair, and ottoman that looked brand new to me and was only $450. Too bad I just don't have the space. I'll keep checking back, and I'm sure that I'll find a great deal for me.

OK, so maybe you don't need a single thing for your home, then how about a cool place to hang out. Check out Julia's Coffe, attached to the restore. It's a funky little coffee shop with an incredible vibe, and second hand books. There truly is something for everyone at the ReStore.

Shopping with a conscience? What could be better!

Challenge Day 20- McCormick & Schmick's

For Challenge Day 19, I was able to partake in one of the best hidden secrets of living life cheap and free. Some friends and I went to McCormick & Schmick's for drinks and appetizers. They have unbelievable happy hour specials! 

I had $1.95 hummus. Yep, $1.95! And, it was a large portion too, large enough to make it my dinner. Hummus isn't your thing? How about a Half Pound Cheeseburger with fries or a Pulled Pork Sandwich with fries for $1.95. Is that more your idea of a meal? There are also $3.95 and $4.95 appetizers, but for those prices you are getting amazing things like an Ahi Tempura Roll. Just try to find those prices for sushi anywhere else. And, you know it's good quality fish. It's McCormick & Schmick's, a great seafood restaurant. 

Now, how about those drink specials? I chose a $2.75 Coors Light Draft. Yes, more expensive than my usual Coors Lights, but, really, the $1.95 Hummus evened that out for sure! If you're in the mood for something a little more on the classy side, for $5, you can choose Sangria, wine or classier bottled beer.

If you're free on a Tuesday, there is more great stuff going on than just the appetizer and drink specials. They also have a lobster special. Yes, lobster! For $11.95, you can get a steamed 1 lb. lobster w/ cole slaw and drawn butter. Also, if you sit out on the patio on a Tuesday, they have free live music.

And you thought you couldn't afford to go to McCormick & Schmick's...

Challenge day 19- Arpa Tuesday Night

Today, Challenge Day 19, I went with some friends to Arpa for, seriously, the best deal in Charlotte. On Tuesdays at Arpa, pitchers of Sangria are $10 and Tapas are 1/2 off. For the 3 of us, no joke, our bill was $28! I'll tell you all of the deliciousness that we ate. We had: Hummus and Pita, Tzatziki & Pita, Chicken Souvlaki, yummy mushrooms, and Chicken and Manchego Croquettes. Really? So good! That $10 pitcher of Sangria gave us 4 glasses, and a glass of Sangria is usually $6 there. Plus, the added bonus of the pitcher of Sangria is all of the wine-soaked fruit in the bottom. It was so good, my favorite was the apples. Yes, we were super classy and were sticking our forks in the pitcher to get the fruit out. I'm pretty sure that's not OK, but we were doing it anyway. Sometimes, you just have to go for it.

Challenge Day 18- I have a meeting, so I'm plugging a great event!

Hi all! I have a meeting after work today, so no fun challenge event for me today, but I did want to take the time to plug a very cool event that I have been working on for Project Halo (www.projecthalo.net), an animal rescue that I work with. This Saturday, August 23rd from 5-7 come on out to the Whitewater Center (www.usnwc.org) for an evening with Jana Kohl, Bryan Harrell & Project Halo. Jana Kohl is the author of the fabulous book A Rare Breed of Love (www.ararebreedoflove.com) and is a huge advocate for animal rescue as well as being against puppy mills. She will be doing a book signing and a talk. You can also meet her adorable dog, Baby, who was rescued from a puppy mill. Bryan Harrell (www.bryanharrell.com) is a musician who has written an album titled A Rare Breed of Love inspired by the book and by Baby's story. He will be performing an acoustic set. Last, but certainly not least, there will be Project Halo dogs available for adoption along with a raffle to benefit Project Halo. Come on out for a kid and dog-friendly event!!

Way to use that VIC card!!

I had a very cheap and free time at Harris Teeter today! The manager actually had to be called over to approve my transaction because I spent less than my VIC card savings. I spent $83, but saved $86 (so, yes, I still qualified for week one of the luggage giveaway). Run, don't walk, if you like shrimp. Right now, frozen raw shrimp which is normally $26 a bag, is buy one, get two free. Quite the savings, and a huge driver in my massive savings today. I felt quite accomplished as I walked out of the store having used fabulous grocery shopping skills!

Challenge Day 17- Backyard BBQ

Day seventeen's cheap and free activity was all my friend, Mark. He was awesome and hosted a backyard BBQ. This is a fantastic cheap & free way to get together with a bunch of friends. I definitely recommend hosting one sometime soon. It is much cheaper than all going out to dinner, and, in my opinion, 10 thousand times more fun. Everyone brought something, so you get to try out different people's food, and the grill was going full force cranking out some delicious meat. The drinks were flowing as was the conversation. I also think there is something about making food with your friends that brings you closer together. Plus, we had the added bonus of getting to play with Mark's great dog, Gracie, always good when there is a little canine friend around. Thanks for the invite, Mark! What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday night!

Mustard

I adore coupons! That's not surprising to anyone, I would think. This little story about what happened to me today just reaffirms that adoration. So, I'm in Target doing my shopping and I needed to get lunch meat. It was on special, another thing I adore. On top of the package was a coupon for $1 off any French's mustard. I'm a big fan of the Spicy Brown and am almost out, so I'm considering this to be my lucky day. I didn't even know the half of it! I get to the aisle and the delicious Spicy Brown mustard was on special for $.95. No joke, Target ended up paying me $.05 to get mustard. That's about as fabulously cheap and free as you can get! 

Challenge Day 16- Farmer's Markets Galore

Day sixteen of my challenge was all about produce (OK, dog treats, crumb cake, and eggs too). Once again, my Saturday started out at the Tailgate Farmer's Market with my little Mandy in tow. You've already heard me rave about this market, so I won't go on again (A little... it's awesome!), but they are doing a really cool thing through Saturday, August 30th. The market is doing a cookbook exchange. Do you have cookbooks that you aren't using? Doesn't everybody? Well, take them over to the market and you can swap them. It's all on the honor system and any books that are leftover when it is all done will be donated, a super fantastic idea. 

Mandy and I were able to pick up dog treats and produce, all at great prices. If you enjoy spoiling your dogs, like I do, check out My Sugar Bean (www.mysugarbean.com). These treats are all healthy and homemade, not to mention adorably decorated. You just look at the packaging and know that these treats are made with love. The prices absolutely can't be beat, and they get Mandy and Maddie's paw of approval.

From there, I dropped Mandy off at home and headed to the Kings Dr. Farmer's Market (Corner of South Kings Drive and Morehead) This is truly a great market. They have pretty much any type of produce that you need and the prices are amazing. I was able to get avocadoes for $1.19 each, and I paid over $2 each at the grocery store last weekend. Also, I love that for most of the items there, you can pay all together. There are usually some vendors on the side who are separate but their items are so fabulous, it's worth opening your wallet more than once. 

If you have a favorite farmer's market, let me know. I am also a big fan of the Center City Green Market. I'll try to get uptown next Saturday to write about them.

Challenge Day 15- Grand Opening Party at Plan B

For the fifteenth day of my challenge, I went to Plan B's Grand Opening with friends. Yes, Plan B has been open since May, but this was the official Grand Opening Celebration. It was a fantastic time, as most grand openings are. 

There were a couple of great bands that played, plus, as an added bonus, we got to watch Michael Phelps win the 100M Butterfly, a truly awesome moment to be in a bar. Plan B couldn't have planned that bit of entertainment any better for their party. The drink specials were in full effect, with the delicious $5 Plan B shot being introduced, a bit pricey, but it's the size of 2 shots, so not actually too bad. 

A beer distributor was there handing out freebies. I left with a Smirnoff t-shirt that is pretty cool and that I actually would wear. They also gave away an all-expense paid trip to Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, my free challenge hasn't yet resulted in me winning a cool trip, but my day will come. Refer back to my tips, enter every contest that you can. Winning them is awesome. 

I'm going to add a new tip, keep on the lookout for grand openings. They are always a fabulous cheap & free thing to do. As soon as you hear of or see a new, cool place start looking on the Internet. Likely, the website will have a link to be added to an email list for updates. I know that with each of the grand openings in the Epicentre, they were ticketed events. Act early, get on those email lists and, you too, will be a ticket holder. Look at you being all fabulous in Charlotte!

Challenge Day 14- The Common Market

For day fourteen of the challenge, my friend Dana and I went to my new favorite place in Charlotte, The Common Market. If you have never been there, get in your car right now and go (or walk if you are lucky enough to live super close), except for the middle of the night, there is something awesome going on at The Common Market. 

On Thursday nights (today) there is a free wine tasting starting at 7pm. If you

 get there early, spend plenty of time perusing the store. Right now, they have their back-to-school wine tasting going on, which is 10% off any wine over $10 and 15% off 6+ wines over $10. They also have a fantastic selection of organic wines that are $7.99/bottle or $12.99/2 bottles, a wonderful deal.  

I also have to give some major props to The Common Market for carrying Wailua Wheat beer by Kona Brewing Company. I was in Hawaii last month and was at the Kona Brewing Company and they told me that this beer was not available in the mainland. Well, The Common Market has it. I told the cashier as I bought it ($9 for a classy six-er, not bad) my story and he replied, with a very cool, "we know." 

If you drive by, it looks like nothing special. If you go in, you'll know that it's like nowhere else that you have ever been. Dana and I chose to sit at the bar and the bartender was an absolute delight. He let us know that in addition to the fabulous Thursdays, Wednesday is even better with a beer/food tasting. 

The best thing about this place, is that they have this wonderful wall of novelties next to the bar that are for sale. Keep drinking those beers, and the "smoking baby" will be the funniest thing 

that you have ever seen in your life. I will be back there as often as I possibly can. Everyone in Charlotte: GO, GO, GO!

P.S. Dana and I had the time of our lives. We talked, we laughed, and as Mama P. likes to say, "Friends are like pennies. The more you have, the richer you are." Go out and have an awesome time with your friends!