Challenge Day 13- The New Marshall's

For day thirteen of my challenge, I went and checked out the New Marshall's in the Metropolitan at Midtown. This store is brand new, having just opened up last week. 

The first thing I'm going to let you know is that you are going to pull in and ask yourself "where in the world should I go?" Marshall's is located on the third floor. One awesome thing about this complex is that there are a ton of fantabulous stores going in (What up, Trader Joe's?), and there is plenty of parking, a very good thing. When you walk in the store looks great, but, I have to say, I'm going to give it mixed reviews. 

The selection of brands and styles in the women's clothing section wasn't anything special. I always seem to be on the look-out for work dresses, and, I'll be honest, I couldn't find a single dress. I'll entertain the thought that I may have missed something, but I really don't think I did. 

The shoe department is great! If I even remotely needed a pair of shoes, I could've come out with a couple pairs at great deals. 

I was loving the housewares section too. There was a great selection of items, however, I was looking for a frying pan and couldn't find any good brands. Next time, I need a comforter, I know exactly where I will be shopping. 

The Men's section, also, was really great. There was a good selection of brands and a variety of styles, plus a really nice suit section. 

The store is missing my very favorite section of any Marshall's, the clearance section, but they haven't really been open for long enough to have that. Yes, I love clearance on closeout prices. I'm sure that this will come, give them a couple weeks. 

Overall, for now, I'm saying that it's definitely worth checking out. The very nature of the closeout store makes it somewhere that you need to check often, so I'll keep checking and keep you all posted. Happy Bargain Shopping!

Challenge Day 12- RealEyes Bookstore

I have lived in Charlotte for about a year and a half and up until about a month ago, I could not find a used bookstore (as a bargain shopper, I love used bookstores). That was, until I read about RealEyes Bookstore on the Internet while doing research for my August challenge. So, on day twelve it was finally time to go check out RealEyes (www.realeyesbookstore.com). 

They are located in the very eclectic NODA neighborhood and they fit in fabulously. It just feels and smells like a place where you could curl up and look for books to read all day. I'll be honest, I have been to the Dog Bar across the street many times and had never really fully taken in what the stores across the street were. Well, I was missing out. On their website it says that they give books to local organizations and if you donate 10 books you get 1 for free. I've sold books before and you usually don't get much, so this sounded like a fantastic deal to me. And it was, for my 10 books, I was able to get "Walking in Circles Before Lying Down," a book I actually almost bought over the weekend at Target. Also, when you are in there be sure to check out the bargain shelves right when you walk in, everything there is $.99-$3. There was some really amazing a beautiful older books. 

 

One final note about this great place that I will be now be visiting regularly, check out all of the bulletin boards and fliers that are up. This place is a zenith of cheap and free events!

Challenge Day 11- Plan B

For the eleventh day of my challenge I went with some friends up to Plan B on East Blvd. I've mentioned them before, and I know that I will again. Coors Light drafts are $2 every day in addition to another beer special depending on the day of the week. They also have a food special each day of the week. 

This is also a great place for their special events. They have started sponsoring pub crawls with other bars in their neighborhood and they are a blast and a spectacular source of cheap & free fun. Watch their door for signs, I'll let you know through the blog too when one is coming up. There are often bands playing in the evenings and they get some pretty good acts. Plus, if you are lucky enough to be there when the magician is there, you are in for a treat. I really don't know how this guys does what he does, but he is amazing and fun. 

The wait stuff is super nice and their rooftop patio is amazing. This place is an all-around winner!

Challenge Day 10- Lunch and a Movie

Challenge day ten was a bit low-key. I spent the afternoon on a lunch and movie date, totally done on the cheap. We started out at Brixx where we were able to use a buy one, get one free coupon out of the Charlotte Citipass book. You know how much I love that book! This alone saved $10. I cannot stress enough how much I love coupons; they are seriously awesome. Just a side note, another great source for coupons is the Clipper magazine. It will come in your mailbox and you may be tempted to toss it aside as junk mail. Do not; this is a valuable source of savings!

From Brixx, we headed off to the movies to see Step Brothers (a hilarious movie!), while movies are a bit pricey; the savings here is that we went during the day. By going to a matinee, the savings is from $2-$3 per movie ticket. I also picked up a flier for a new rewards program that Regal Theaters is now doing. I’ll definitely be going online to sign up (www.REGmovies.com). If I’m going to the movies anyway, I may as well be earning points toward free tickets. The second-most awesome way to get things for free is to earn it by doing something you would do anyway (most awesome is winning a contest)!

Challenge Day 9- Animal Day

Day nine of my challenge was all about animals, both my dogs and panthers (the Carolina kind).

I had a suggestion to go to the Tailgate Farmers Market, so that is how I started out my Saturday morning. I am on the Tailgate’s email list (which I suggest, they will send you an update of the attending vendors before the market, go to http://charlottetailgatemarket.com/default.aspx and click on "Contact Us"), so I knew that they had a new dog-treat vendor today. My dog, Mandy (AKA the Peanut), and I went so that she could sample her treats before we bought them because my dogs have discerning taste for some reason. We also were able to get some great tomatoes, honey, olive oil, and all-natural cleaner, all local. The prices at this market are fantastic and after being there for only a moment, you will know that by supporting it you are doing fantastic things for the local economy and also for our Earth.

Mandy and I then went to Earth Fare where they were hosting a fundraising event for the Humane Society of Charlotte. For a $10 donation, my little Mandy was able to get a massage, her photo taken, enter a number of contests, and get some free samples, in addition to supporting the Humane Society; always a good thing.

A little later on, after my girls were thoroughly tired and had had a fabulous day, I went uptown to tailgate. Even if you don’t have tickets to the Panthers game, tailgating is a great, cheap & free time. You can take your own drinks and snacks uptown, which is a huge savings over going to a bar. Plus, every TV and radio station has a booth setup, so there are lots of freebies and fun stuff available to you. Arrive early and take advantage of all that uptown on a game day has to offer.

Challenge Day 8- Movie Time

Today, the eighth day of my challenge, I went to one of my favorite Charlotte summertime activities, Movies in the Park. This happens once each month, May-August, on the first Friday of the month at sunset in Freedom Park. Watershed Charlotte sponsors this family and dog-friendly movie showing, and any and all are welcome. People brought blankets, chairs, picnics, dogs, kids and more and spread out in front of the amphitheatre for tonight’s showing of Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. There is a great energy at this event, and it’s hard to describe it exactly, but everyone just seems happy. It’s such a pure and wonderful good time sitting outside on a blanket watching, my favorite genre of movie, children’s movies with many references intended only for adults.

After the movie in the park, I was still in the mood for more movies, so I swung by Blockbuster to rent a movie. I do think that at $4.99/rental, Blockbuster is a bit pricey. But, there’s a little hidden secret. Next time you go there, look closely at your receipt. Amongst all of the words is a survey request. Put your thoughts about your visit into the website and you will be emailed a coupon for a $1.99 rental. Now, that isn’t expensive. You can do the survey once each month per email address. And, the survey request will even be listed on the receipt for your $1.99 rental, so if you keep filling out the survey, you can never pay that $4.99 again.

Challenge Day 7- Happy Birthday Charlie!

Day seven of the challenge brought me to my friend Charlie’s birthday celebration. Can you have a cheap and free fabulous birthday celebration? Oh yes, you can. My friends and I chose to go to Ed’s Tavern. I had a fedora-style happy birthday hat that I brought along just to get the party started. You know you are going to have a good night if someone starts out in a funny hat.

If you haven’t been to Ed’s Tavern yet, give it a try. It is a fantastic neighborhood bar, keep on going regularly and before too long, you will have your very own Cheers situation where everybody knows your name. Ed’s has fantastic food and with no item on the menu over $10, except $14.95 for 20 wings (Come on, that’s a lot of wings), it’s a fantabulous deal for a good meal. I’m a sucker for the turkey sandwich, and if you are grappling with which side to get, go crazy and get the Hungarian cucumber salad, break the mold of getting fries with that, you won’t regret it. In addition to the cheap menu, they also have daily food specials to make it a little bit cheaper.

Now, let’s talk drink specials, they have a different one every day. Today, Thursday, Coronas and Corona Lights are $2, have a little taste of Mexico for super cheap. They also have a variety of beers that are $1.50 every day; Coors Light, Miller High Life Light, Miller High Life, and Pabst.

Also on Thursdays, Ed’s has Total Team Trivia starting at 9pm (http://www.totalteamtrivia.com/). You play three rounds with 12 questions each. There are prizes after each round, like a pitcher of beer or a round of shots, and then there is a grand prize, which is usually an Ed’s gift certificate. And what do you think you need to pay to play the game and have a chance at the prizes? Nada, zippo, zilch. It’s a fantastically free thing to do with a group of friends. Our group unfortunately didn’t win any of the prizes, but we were close. We’ll be back and try our hand at winning again. Don’t like general trivia? Come to Ed’s on a Wednesday when they will be playing Music Trivia starting at 9pm. On both trivia nights, though, I would strongly suggest arriving early to get a table, especially if you are with a large group.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!