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.