Easter Brunch at 131 Main

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

Dogswalk Against Cancer

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

Cocktail Class at Cantina 1511

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

Free Wine at Polished

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

Free Arby's Roastburger

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

Birthday Party at Swoozie's

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

IKEA

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

Earring Sale at Maddi's Gallery

Have you been to this wonderfully cute gallery on East Blvd? Everything is adorable and unique. Yes, there are many expensive items (remember these things are made, not manufactured) but the fabulous thing about Maddi's is that they have a special every month. This month all earrings are 20% off and when you buy 4 pairs, your 4th pair is 30% off. I found a great pair that I can wear with just about anything. With the discount, I came out of there with a beautiful new accessory for less than $20.
Now, I can't fail to mention the other things that I bought that weren't in the earring category. I found a great necklace on their sale table that was half off (always check the sale table in any store first, that's my tip for you) Plus, Miss Mandy got a beautiful new collar that was only $12. They cost at least that at Petsmart and I'm happy to have supported someone who made that collar by hand. Plus, she looks beautiful. Both of us got accessorized!

Community Health Services Casino Night

OK, so at $45 per ticket, this isn't exactly cheap, but it is definitely a good value. For that $45 we got all we could eat (delicious food too), all we could drink (Carolina Blond and great wines) and gambling. Plus, this was a fundraiser for Community Health Services, so it all benefited a good cause. My thought it that if you tried to go out to eat at a restaurant, drank and then had some form of entertainment, you would likely spend more than $45/person, and wouldn't be helping anyone out. Oh, and we had a blast! All around, a good night!

Free Milkbone Dog Biscuits

So, I was thumbing through this week's People (free mini subscription, of course) and between the info on the Oscars and Michelle Obama, I came across a Milk Bone dog biscuit ad. And, at the bottom of that ad there was a coupon, and do you know what it said? "Get a free box on is!" Well, don't mind if I do. I'm sure that this coupon/ad is running in other magazines also, but it's for sure in the March 9, 2009 People with Michelle Obama on the cover wearing the awesome pink dress. It's almost worth it to buy the magazine to get the coupon, really. The pups need their treats anyway, so you may as well get yourself a magazine in the process. Mandy and Ella are certainly going to be excited for their free box of treats!

Free Diet Dr. Pepper

Yep, that's all there really is to it, right up there in the title: Free Diet Dr. Pepper. Go out to www.freedietdrpepper.com, register, and they will send you a coupon for free Diet Dr. Pepper in the mail in 3-4 weeks. Yes, you have to wait, but, come on, it's free Diet Dr. Pepper!

Abita Beer Tasting at Brixx

Pizza. Beer. Both are delicious things that I love, and I now know that Abita Beer is delicious beer!

I went with some friends tonight to Brixx for a beer tasting, and for only $7 we got lots of beer and lots of pizza. Abita is a brewery out of Louisiana, so there was this whole Mardi Gras/New Orleans theme going on. In addition to wearing beads, we had little pimento cheese toasts and crawfish pizza and I have to say I will probably dream about that crawfish pizza tonight.

I loved all of the beers that we tasted, but I think the Amber was my favorite, then the Purple Haze. Oh yeah, and I won a prize. They did a drawing for an awesome Purple Haze pint glass, and, hooray, I won.

Also, for those of you who are working on getting your Brixx MBA, be on the lookout for when they are doing other tastings like this. It's now required to attend one to get that MBA. Buddy is only 8 away from his, I need 12! Free $50 worth of food, here we come!

Free Pancakes and Free Tacos

All I have to say is Happy Fat Tuesday! I didn't partake in any of these freebies because I am trying to be super good so I can look great in my friend, Sarah's, wedding in April... But, I wanted to give a shout out to iHop and Jack in the Box for the awesome deals today.

The Tuesday before Lent can be called a lot of things, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, etc, but it is also Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday. Years and years ago, Lent meant no flour, eggs, etc., so Shrove Tuesday became a great day to celebrate and eat pancakes to use those items up. Fast forward to today and iHop is serving free pancakes and just ask you to give a small donation to Children's Miracle Network if you so desire. There's nothing wrong with delicious pancakes and helping little kiddos.

Jack in the Box has a little different thing going on... I guess the story is that Jack Box (you know the guy from the commercals with the creepy cartoonish head and man hands?) was hit by a bus and is undergoing treatment. They are giving updates on the website www.hangintherejack.com and this is also where you could print a coupon for 2 free tacos, good only today. I suggest checking this site daily to see if they will do it again... This is marketing at it's finest. I think it's crazy clever.

Why pay for food when they are giving it away?

Candy & Potter's Volunteer Army

My friends, Kim & Sharon, and I went to volunteer with Candy & Potter's Volunteer Army today and we had an absolute blast! For those of you who don't know, Candy & Potter are a husband and wife duo who do mid-days on 107.9 The Link. Once a month, they organize a large volunteer project for the "army" to partake in. Kim and I had been talking about volunteering with them for, seriously, over a year and today is the day that it finally worked out for both of our schedules, so we roped Sharon into going with us also. We were clearing brush, leaves, etc. and beautifying the new ropes course at Alexander Youth Network. Our backs hurt and we had mulch down our pants but you couldn't wipe the smile off of anyone there's face when the kids came and sang us their spirit song. It was then that we all really knew exactly why we were there, and it felt really, really good.

Take a survey, win some really awesome paper products!

A friend of mine works at Carolina Pad & Paper and sent me an email asking me to take their monthly surveys. Of course, I love giving my opinion, and I definitely have one on cool notebooks and pads of paper, I'm an absolute sucker for those sorts of things! We all remember Lisa Frank, right? Well, I LOVED her stuff! So, I get to the website and find out that everyone who fills out the surveys gets entered into a monthly drawing. That's never much of an encouragement because I'm just not someone who wins prizes. Well, wouldn't you know it? I won! My prize pack arrived today and I'm so thrilled with all of my new, beautiful notebooks, folders, etc. It's like the first day of school on crack and I'm enamoured!

Tuesday Nights at Arpa

I went to Arpa tonight for seriously some of the best deals in Charlotte. On Tuesdays, select tapas and appetizers are half off. Incredible, right? Well, add to that $10 large pitchers of Sangria (that's about $2 a glass), plus deals on Bud Select, Corona, and Corona Light. We had a fabulous time, and it's so fun to share the Tapas with the table, such a communal, sharing feel. It's like an event that is all about the food, and food is good. My very favorite is the croquettes, yummy ham and shrimp all on a little fried bit of yumminess. Pair that with a delicious glass of Sangria and some fun conversation, and, really what more do you need?

Send a virtual cupcake and support the fight against Ovarian Cancer

We've all seen the adorably perky commercials for Electrolux appliance with Kelly Ripa, right? How can you not just love her? Well, now you can have a whole new reason. If you go to the Kelly Confidential section of the Electrolux website, you can create and send a virtual cupcake to your friends. It's fun to create and choose all of the little options, plus for every cupcake sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to the fight against Ovarian Cancer, what a great cause. I made a little birthday cupcake and sent it to my friend Gretchen in honor of her 29th birthday this Saturday. So, have some fun making your cupcake, help fight ovarian cancer, and the best yet, no calories!

Half-Priced Bottle of Wine Night at Loft 1523

What could be a better end to a stressful week than sitting on a fabulous patio drinking fabulous wine poured by a fabulous bartender? I can't think of any, and that's exactly what I did tonight. On Tuesdays and Fridays at Loft 1523 bottles are half off, such a great savings. Plus, the bartender, Russ, is so great that he'll make sure that you get yourself the right bottle. When I walked up to the bar to order, I told him that I wanted a red and asked him what he recommended. He then asked me all sorts of questions like what is my favorite scent and what seasonings do I like to cook with. The result was me drinking the perfect Pinot Noir. And, no one could have planned that perfect weather last night, but it was a great time to be hanging out on Loft 1523's awesome patio. For those of you reading the blog from outside of Charlotte, I'll just describe my outfit for you: jeans, short-sleeve top, flip flops. Everyone really should live in Charlotte! Such a fabulous city for so many reasons!

Warhol Exhibit at the Mint

So, just to clear up any confusion, that's not a Warhol piece in the photo. No photography was allowed in the actual exhibit area, so I took a photo of my favorite piece in the Mint Museum. You will know that I have arrived, when that hangs above my super chic sofa. (BTW, I don't have a super chic sofa, so I guess I'll be needing that also)

Enough about that and back to Warhol. My friends Sharon and Erin and I went and I'm so glad that we did. It was fascinating. Everyone knows about the Marilyn Monroe Warhol piece, but there are so many iconic images that I had no idea were Warhol that I truly enjoy. Honestly, my favorite Warhol piece was one that he did of Santa Claus. There was a whole series of myths, which is where St. Nick fell, along with Superman and the Wicked Witch of the West. I also enjoyed learning about the history and the processes surrounding the pieces, so great. It was wonderful to be able to learn about a real piece of our history. Oh yeah, and for free. Don't forget folks, the Mint Museum is free every Tuesday after 5pm, so get out there and get cultured!

"You have to be willing to get happy about nothing." -Andy Warhol

Crossroads Charlotte: The Movie

Have you ever thought about what Charlotte will be like in 2015? Will this city have prospered or tanked? Who will be our leaders? Some fantastic artists and poets have really profound ideas about these things and this is what Crossroads Charlotte: The Movie is all about.

My friend, Sharon, and I attended the free premiere at the new Epicentre Theater and it was amazing, even life-changing. The movie is comprised of 4 very different stories of how Charlotte's future could turn out, from the very bleak 'Fortress Charlotte' to the happy existence of 'Eye to Eye.' There are also some wonderful poetic responses to the 4 stories, the most moving one to me being the response to 'Fortress Charlotte.' Everyone in Charlotte needs to see this movie. All of the attendees of the 6 free premieres last night received a free copy of the DVD, so there are quite a few of these rolling around the city. Plus, it will be airing on WTVI on February 19th. Be looking for your very own Cheap & Free Blogger, as I was interviewed for for my reaction after the film.

We are at a crossroads, quite literally, right now, and we all need to decide if we are going to be the change that we want to see in the world or if we are going to just sit back and hope that someone else does it. Crossroads Charlotte is so much more than just a movie, it's a movement. Get involved and let everyone know what you are going to do shape Charlotte's future.

Super Bowl Sunday at Ed's

So, Buddy and I are Steeler's fans... Do you think we enjoyed the Super Bowl this year? Oh, yes we did! Of course, we headed up to Ed's with a bunch of friends. They were running a great deal. It was $10 to reserve yourself a seat and for the $10 you got a buckets of 5 beers, $2 each and the beer we chose was Bud Select, not a bad deal. What we did was reserve 4 spots and that allowed us to reserve the biggest table they had, so we would be sure and have enough seats for all of our friends. There were beer specials and drink specials galore. I definitely reccommend trying an applesuce shot, they were only $4 each that night. I seriously want a candle that smells like the applesauce shot! Ed's was also doing a raffle, $1 a ticket and all proceeds went to the Make a Wish Foundation, great cause. We bought 5 tickets, and, wouldn't you know it, we won a little grill shaped like a football. Oh, the entertainment wasn't too bad either! Woohoo Steelers! 6 Super Bowl wins! "We're from the town with the great football team! We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers!"

Watch a video. Help a dog.

It's really as easy as the title says. At Pedigree.com, they have 4 really funny "Maybe You Should Get a Dog" videos to watch and for each video watched, they will donate food to shelter dogs. As of right now, over 200,000 videos have been watched, meaning that over 200,000 meals have been donated to shelter dogs, and that's a great thing. Plus, the videos are really, really funny! My favorite is the first one about the guy who owns a bison. So, on this lovely Saturday afternoon, you can give back for free just by sitting there and watching videos on your computer. Come on, you know you were going to get on YouTube at least once today, just do this too!

NOFO on Liz Blue Plate Specials

Oh, how I love a dinner special. Now, this particular night it wasn't I who ate the special, it was buddy. I went out to dinner with some girlfriends at NOFO on Liz and brought home dinner to my buddy. Well, awesomely, Thursday's Blue Plate Special is Meatloaf w/ gravy, mashed potatoes & green beans for only $8.75. That's quite a lot of food for quite a little amount of money. They have a special Tuesday-Friday and they range in price from the $8.75-$12.95. Plus, and I didn't get to take advantage of this special, early birds who dine from 5:30-6:30 receive an additional $1.50 off. Are you kidding? That's incredible! I'm willing to eat an early dinner for savings like that! Plus, another cool thing about them is that all desserts are only $5! I was too full this time, but knowing this now, I will certainly be leaving room the next time I go. Yum!

Free Coffee Day at Panera

I'll be honest, I was really disappointed with free coffee day at Panera. Why, you ask? Well, I didn't get any coffee. 

I went to Panera to pick up a large order for my office at lunch time and I saw the station where the coffee was theoretically to be handed out. There was even a girl standing there to hand out the coffee. There was also a girl there from the Make a Wish foundation, and signs were asking that if you liked the coffee to please make a $1 donation to them. OK, I'm good for a $1 donation. Let's go back to my earlier statement: I didn't get any coffee. The two girls (the one from Panera and the one from Make a Wish Foundation) were too busy talking and weren't handing out any coffee. I'm serious! I was there at probably their busiest time of day, and not one person was walking around with a free cup of coffee. They lost the opportunity, not only to have people sample the new coffee at Panera, but for people to donate to the Make a Wish Foundation, and that's just a shame.

 I do, however, need to mention the shining star of Free Coffee Day at Panera, and that was the guy who was handing out free samples of their new yogurt parfait. He was so on it. The moment that I walked in that door, he had greeted me and I had my sample. And let me tell you, that yogurt parfait was delicious, I absolutely 100% recommend it. Wish I could tell you a little something about the taste of the coffee...

Girls Night Out on a Tuesday

So, of course, Charlotte Restaurant Week can mean only one thing: Girls Night Out. I went with some of my ladies tonight to Customshop where we enjoyed a fabulous meal. For their $30 prix fixe menu, you could choose from one of two wines, one of three appetizers, one of three entrees, one of two sides and one of two desserts. That's a ton of food! Here's what I ate/drank: red wine, gnocchi with shrimp, chicken with pancetta and butternut squash, amazingly delicious brussels sprouts, and chocolate pate with shortbread. The only thing that I would change about my fantastic meal is that I would order the bread pudding instead of the chocolate pate, but since my ladies were happy to let me steal a few bites, I couldn't imagine a more delicious and fun night out. I would do many things for more of that gnocchi right now.

But wait, there's more! Two of my ladies and I weren't quite ready for our evening to be over, so we headed down to Loft 1523 and were happy to discover that it was half off bottle of wine night. The vibe in there is awesome and the bartender is amazing, everything that you could want from a bar. I immediately felt like a regular and that's a great feeling. So perfect.

Great food, great drinks, great conversations, great deals. What more could you ask for in a girls night out? I can't think of much!

Free reading of 'Living Out' and a free cup of coffee

I had a fantastic free afternoon in uptown Charlotte today! Since, it's Sunday and I was lucky enough to find a street-parking spot, even my parking was free! 

I started out by heading to Starbucks for a free cup of coffee. They are giving a free tall coffee (I love the Pike Place Roast) to anyone who pledges to volunteer 5 hours of their time in conjunction with the inauguration and Obama's call to service. All I had to do was fill out my pledge card and the barista gave me my delicious cup of coffee. 

From there I headed over to the Levine Museum to meet my friend, Erin. Not only is the Levine Museum free every Sunday, today they were doing a free reading of the first act of the play 'Living Out,' which will be performed at the Great Aunt Stella Center starting February 19th. The best part is that Sheri Lynch from 107.9's Bob & Sheri show was taking part in the reading and the discussion afterwards. Living Out is a comic look at the relationships that exist between mom's and their nannies. There was then a discussion afterwards about this relationship, especially pertaining to Latin American nannies, and the historical aspect of this. The museum has a fascinating exhibit right now up about domestic service in the gilded age south, and the tie in was enlightening. The discussion was great and the play was hilarious, I hope to be able to go see the play in its entirety next month!

Free Obama Sticker

Are you as excited about the hope and change that comes along with our new president? How about the fact that he is just a cool guy? Well, why not make it known to the world? Moveon.org is giving away free Obama stickers, even the shipping is free! It's designed by Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the iconic HOPE poster. You know the really cool red and blue one? Be a part if history! Get your Obama sticker today!

Get up to 40 free prints from Shutterfly!

Now through 2/2/09, Shutterfly is giving you the opportunity to earn up to 40 free prints! All you have to do is create a Share Site and/ or add photos to an existing Share Site. A Share Site is basically a place where you can upload photos and tell about yourself and what you are doing and then tell your family and friends to just check back periodically to see how and what you are doing. It's a little like Facebook, but the great thing is, for example, my parents don't have Facebook, so they never get to see photos that I upload on there. This is a way for them to stay connected. If you create a new Share Site, you get 30 free 4X6 prints and if you add photos to an existing Share Site, you get 10 free 4x6 prints. I did both, so I'm psyched to pick out which photos I want to print instead of just leaving in the computer.

E-Rewards

So, another quirk about me, is that I love filling out forms and surveys. Please, please, just ask me for my opinion or for demographic information. Weird, I know... You know how you have to fill out so many forms at the doctor, well, I don't mind it. Lucky for me, I have found a way to get a little something in return for filling out surveys, E-Rewards. It's a consumer research website and basically I filled out a profile and then they email me when there is a survey for me to take that matches my info and then I earn points for taking the surveys. Plus, unlike so many of these sites, it's free to join. I've been a member for about a year now, and in that time I have earned 2 $25 gift certificates to American Eagle, 12 free movie rentals from Blockbuster, and a subscription to Prevention magazine. Not too bad for doing something I actually like to do.

A very special THANK YOU to the Humane Society of Charlotte's Spay/ Neuter Clinic

Many of you all know my baby puppy Ella's story. She was found on the side of the road in October and needed a home. Well, puppies found on the side of the road don't usually come to you with all of their medical needs taken care of. We were lucky that our dog daycare, All Wags, had been taking care of her and that they had started her shots, but the big thing that Miss Ella Bo Bella needed was to be spayed. Our vet, who I absolutely adore, quoted us at a little over $400, and that amount seemed so staggering after the vet bills from Maddie that we almost weren't able to give Ella a home. That was until I found the Humane Society's Spay/ Neuter Clinic. You have to go on a waiting list, but they will do the spay surgery for only $50, a miracle. Ella's surgery was today and they took amazing care of her. She's doing fabulously and I just can't say thank you enough. The Humane Society is performing a wonderful service to our community by having this clinic. Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you are in need of a spay or neuter surgery or would like to give them a donation, please visit the Humane Society of Charlotte's web page.

Get Outside!

OK, I know that it is cold, but cabin fever will drive you crazy! Plus, as a native Ohioan, trust me, this really is nothing. My dog-loving friends and I decided to take advantage of the public dog parks and the day off of work in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and took the dogs to the dog park at Frazier Park for a fun, outdoor play date. The dogs, of course, had a blast and it was good for all of us to get out of the house and breathe in some of that crisp winter air. We only lasted outside for about 45 minutes, but everyone was glad that we had ventured out in the cold.

A very, very easy way to help a very, very good cause

Share Our Strength has launched a brand new campaign to raise funds to help end childhood hunger. "Operation No Kid Hungry" responds to President-elect Obama's call to action to end childhood hunger by 2015. Seriously, how awesome would that be?!

Share Our Strength has partnered with AT&T to offer two great ways that you can support and participate in "Operation No Kid Hungry":

1.Donate by text: Text "SHARE" to 20222 on your mobile device to donate $5. AT&T will match all text donations up to $100,000. Help us meet this challenge grant! Find out more here. I know times are tight for most everyone right now, but your $5 will actually become $10 and that can help a lot of people. You'd be surprised how much food banks can do with the money that they get.
2.Hold a food drive: Beginning January 19th, a national day of community service, help feed those in need by holding your own community food drive. Visit http://strength.org/ to find a food bank and a list of the most needed nutritious foods.

For more information about "Operation No Kid Hungry" and how you can help end childhood hunger, visit Share Our Strength's website: http://strength.org/.

$5 Lunch Special at Fuel Pizza

I have been seeing the sign about the $5 lunch special at the Fuel in the Park Road Shopping Plaza repeatedly and it had definitely peaked my curiosity. So, today, since I wasn't really feeling the Lean Pocket (insert your own Jim Gaffigan impression here) that I had brought for lunch, it was finally time to check-out what this special was all about.
Now, I'm of the school of thought that pizza isn't really all that bad for you, 1 slice of thin-crust (as they serve it at Fuel) isn't going to kill anyone's diet, Pan Pizza, though delicious, is really a different story all together. So, my hope was that I could get a slice and a side salad and that would make me a really happy girl. Even better! For the $5 lunch, there are actually 3 different combo choices and choice "C" was Slice of pizza, side salad and a Garlic Knot. Fantastic! Now, I looked this up and priced it out without the special pricing and this normally would have cost me $6.15. So, I'm pretty happy to have saved my $1.15. The other 2 options were a great deal also, but unfortunately, I didn't write them down and they aren't listed on the website. So, you'll have to just go in like I did. Trust me, you won't be disappointed, though. This is going to become one of my regular lunch options since it's a hop, skip, and a jump away from my office.

Great Friday Night Vibes at the Comet Grill

I've been to the Comet Grill a bunch to eat (FABULOUS food!), but never really to hang out at night. Well, that will be changing from now on. Ed's, your parking lot neighbor may steal me from you a bit, not always just sometimes. I went tonight with some friends and we had a fantastic time. The beers are cheap, which you know I love, Yuneglings and Miller Lites are $2 every day. They also have a food special every day, you know just in case you get hungry. The Lenny Federal Band was playing tonight and they were so good, a truly great vibe. Plus, if you are ever in there and they are playing, check out the paintings above the stairs, you just may notice some similarities between two of them and the lead two guys in the band. Very cool.

Totally great deals at McCormick and Schmick's

So, my friend Kim really knows how to get me out of the office for lunch (I tend to hibernate at my desk if I don't have to leave), with free gift certificates to McCormick & Schmick's. She is in their fabulous preferred guest club. It costs $25 to join, and you only pay that once, but you then get $25 in gift certificates in the mail when you get your membership kit, so the membership truly does pay for itself. In addition to that, you earn points when you eat and can earn things like free gift certificates, cookbooks, on up to fabulous trips to wine country. You also get a gift certificate for a free meal during your birthday month. The great thing Kim does too, is that she tends to take clients so fantastically, she's not even the one paying when she is earning her points. That's really making the membership work for you. If you go, definitely get the Maryland Crab Soup, it's amazing.

Donate to your local food bank just for losing weight!

I'm sure that like me many of you made a New Year's Resolution to lose weight. Well, what if that New Year's resolution could benefit your local food bank? If you sign up for the Pound for Pound Challenge, for every pound that you lose between now and April 27, 2009, they will donate 10 cents to your local food bank, which is enough to put a pound of groceries on their shelves. Here in Charlotte the local food bank is Second Harvest Food Bank, a very worthy cause. I also learned at the website that in Charlotte the food insecurity rate is 12.9%, with the poverty rate being 15.5%, so they need our help. So, give yourself an extra bit of motivation to shed those pounds other than looking fabulous in a bathing suit.

Free Reusable Shopping Bag from Target

For some reason I look forward to getting the mail every day, like I actually start thinking about it as the work day is coming to a close. And, then , day in and day out, it's the same disappointing mail: junk, bills, mail for people who used to live in my house, etc. Well, in today's mail there was a bright spot, very bright, like the color of Target Red bright. A few months ago, I had sent Target 5 of their plastic bags to recycle with a mailer that I saw in People magazine, and in return they sent me a coupon to get a free reusable shopping bag when I go to the store. I am all about the Green movement, so this is awesome for me. They recycled my plastic bags, plus are promoting not amassing anymore of them. I'm psyched to add to my reusable shopping bag collection!

Buddy's Birthday Lunch at Noodles & Company

Happy 30th Birthday, Buddy! We decided to try the Noodles & Company as a delicious take-out lunch for Buddy's birthday. And, what a delicious lunch it was. Even better, I had a buy one, get one free coupon. Noodles & Company is a really neat concept. What's better than a noodle, really? And, the noodle is in so many cuisines. They have Asian, Mediterranean, and American Noodle Dishes. For the The Trio meal is pick a small noodles, soup or salad; add chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu; choose a side tossed green salad, caesar salad, chicken noodle soup, or tomato bisque. This meal is only $7.25, which is fantastic for all you get. I was perfectly full, didn't need more food, didn't need less. With the coupon, this deal was even better! I'll definitely make this a regular place for take-out!

Game Night

So, you want to hang out with some friends, but you don't want to go to a bar and since you actually want to talk and hang out, a movie is out. Dinners out are a bit pricey (unless you check out my restaurants specials page, of course). What are you to do? My favorite way to host a cheap and free event at home, of course, Game Night! Buddy and I had a few friends over tonight to just hang out and play games, and may I suggest my new favorite game, Apples to Apples. It's the most fun, even my game-disliking friend, Sarah, has become a fan of Apples to Apples. Plus, it seems to be on sale everywhere I see it. I picked mine up at Target for only $15 after Christmas. Game Nights are super easy to host. Just invite a few friends over (less than 10 seems to be best), pop open a couple bottles of wine (Trader Joe's cheap specials are the best, of course) and sit out a few little snacks and turn Pandora on via the computer. Voila! You have yourself a fantastic night!

Chick-fil-a's New Years Gift to Me

What's better than Chick-fil-a? Not much. How about if they were giving away a coupon for a free breakfast sandwich on your next visit with any purchase all day today? Well, that's exactly what they are doing today to ring in the New Year. My friend Dana and I got to go and get a fabulous brunch (they didn't open until 10:30 and were then only serving lunch, so let's class the whole thing up and call it brunch) and then sometime later we can redeem our coupons. Happy New Year to us!

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a fantastic New Year's, I know I did! We all went to the greatest bar in Charlotte, of course, Ed's. It was such a fun time and so very fabulously cheap and free! The cover was only $10, but actually a couple of us got there before 8pm and didn't have to pay, even better. The beers were all cheap as were drinks and shots. I spent my night drinking $1.50 Coors Light Drafts, plus an occasional $4 shot. Another sweet thing is that they were still doing the delicious $5.95 Cheeseburger, Chips and a Coors Light special, so a few friends of mine enjoyed that as their New Year's Eve dinner. There was a band, Hunter's Travisty, who was very good, they played lots of super fun covers, exactly what you want on New Year's Eve. Plus, we all got festive party favors to make the whole thing even more awesome!