FunandFrugal20s

Free Jazz Concerts this Summer

2011-05-30T13:08:00.000-04:00

Now that I work in the Ronald Reagan Building at Federal Triangle, I don't need to venture far on Fridays for the weekly free summer jazz series. My tips- get there early and bring a blanket to sit on!

The National Gallery of Art offers free jazz performances at Jazz in the Garden at its outdoor café every Friday evening throughout the summer. Visitors can enjoy cocktails and a light dinner while listening to great music amid 17 monumental works of 20th-century sculpture and flowering trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and perennials. Arrive early for optimal seating. In inclement weather, concerts are held inside the Pavilion Café.

Dates: Every Friday, May 27 to September 9, 2011

Time: 5 to 8:30 p.m.

Location: The Pavilion Café at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, 7th and Constitution NW, Washington, DC. The nearest Metro stations are Archives/Navy Memorial, Smithsonian and Judiciary Square.

Admission: Free

Food: You may bring your own picnic or purchase food from the Pavilion Cafe.

For the complete schedule, click here.

Annual Memorial Day Concert DC

2011-05-24T22:02:00.004-04:00

This Sunday, May 29th is the annual Memorial Day Concert at the Capitol Steps in Washington!
It starts at 8 and lasts for 1 1/2 hours so get there early to snag a good spot on the West Lawn. If you're a lazy bone or don't live in Washington, you can watch it live in PBS.

The Performers

The 2011 National Memorial Day Concert features award-winning stars and well-known personalities.

Gary Sinise
Joe Mantegna
General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)
Kris Allen
Dianne Wiest
B.B. King
Hayley Westenra
Forest Whitaker
Jason Ritter
Pia Toscano
A.J. Cook
Daniel Rodriguez
Yolanda Adams
Maestro Jack Everly
The National Symphony Orchestra
Military District of Washington
U.S. Army Herald Trumpets
The U.S. Army Chorus
The Soldiers’ Chorus of The United States Army Field Band
U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters
U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants
Behind the Scenes: Our award-winning production team

How to get 22% off at Home Depot

2011-05-24T21:52:00.002-04:00

I haven't written in a while because Shawn and I bought a fixer-upper in Bethesda last month and we've been slaving away trying to get it ready for us to move in! Getting it ready means spending mucho dinero at Home Depot!

So here is how we save 18-22%:
Online:
1. Go to plasticjungle.com where you can buy gift cards other people don't want at discounted prices. The going rate for home depot gift cards is 7% off. We use our cash back AmEx blue rewards card to buy these gift cards, giving us another 1% cash back.
2. Register at ebates.com and then search for 'home depot'. By clicking on the home depot link through ebates, you will get 3% cash back on your purchase (even if you use gift cards and not credit cards).
3. Wait for 10% off sales. For example this month, Home Depot is offering $130 off any purchase of $1,200-$1,700 for bathroom supplies (vanities, tiles, lights, etc). So I spent exactly $1200 so I would get more than 10% off (I can always get a 10% off coupon in the store so I would only do this online if I can get more than 10% off). I only bought products that offer free shipping.
Thus my total saved was 21.8%.

In the store:
Repeat step 1 above, giving you 8% off. Then go to your local post office and ask for a moving kit. In the moving kit you'll find a 10% off total lowes purchase. Home Depot accepts competitor coupons. Combine the 10% off with your plastic jungle gift card for a total of 18% off all in store purchases.

Plastic jungle doesn't usually have lowes coupons or else I'd suggest you use your 10% off coupon where it was meant to be spent.

I'm very lucky because my new house is 10 minutes from a Home Depot and the post office is in the same parking lot!! How perfect?! : )

Trash to treasure

2011-04-09T18:01:00.001-04:00

This weekend is trash to treasure celebration in chevy chase! Come collect piles of treasures ppl are throwing out right in front of their homes. We have collected a wine cooler, garden tools, and a leaf blower.

Free eyebrow waxing

2011-03-24T16:41:00.001-04:00

Ultas offer free eyebrow waxing on your birthday, and possibly during your birthday week! They also have free returns if you have half of the product left.

Internet

2011-03-12T14:07:00.001-05:00

So last summer we got into a fight with comcast and shawn cancelled our services, both internet and cable. It's honestly been great with us getting free over the air television. As for internet, the building next to ours offers their residents wifi for $20 a month. shawn devised a system for us to pick up their signal via our cantena and then he has a router redirect the signal to all of our computers. This worked fine and the $20 a month was less than the $30 with comcast. we thought we were brilliant until our upgrade today.

We paid $10 each for the andeoid tether service which let's us use our android verizon internet on our computers. So for a one time $20 total cost we can get free internet now! Of course we are paying for the unlimited internet on our phones but why pay twice for internet when you can pay just once!

V-Day part 2

2011-02-09T05:23:00.000-05:00

February 11, 6-10 p.m

Looking for the wildest way to celebrate Valentine's Day without breaking the bank? Attend the National Zoo's friskiest and fun-filled event!

This memorable evening, open to both singles and sweethearts, is a lighthearted exploration into the sexual behavior of animals, especially our frolicsome felines: lions and cheetahs!

These honest and humorous talks will be hosted by some of the Zoo’s most charismatic animal experts, who have first-hand experience with the Zoo's recent reproductive success in the form of seven lion cubs and two cheetah cubs.

Craig Saffoe, acting curator of great cats and Andean bears, will talk about his experiences making matches among our lion pride, and then overseeing the breedings and births that led to seven lion cubs. Lacey Braun, lead cheetah keeper at SCBI Front Royal will talk about her adventures in breeding cheetahs and cheetah cub births.

Woo at the Zoo features:

A complimentary red-stemmed champagne flute featuring the Woo at the Zoo logo
Complimentary hors d'oeuvres
A cash bar
The opportunity to decorate your own Valentines cookies for "Cookie Grams"
Woo at the Zoo presentation featuring an honest and humorous look at the more remarkable animal facts on reproduction, choosing mates, and raising families.
Free parking at the Zoo

All the fun takes place in the Zoo's Visitor Center.

Tickets

FONZ members: $15 | Nonmembers: $25

Tickets for the 8:30 lecture are sold out. Tickets are still available for the 6:30 lecture.

	Buy tickets at the Zoo and save money Buy your tickets at any National Zoo gift shop between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and pay no service fees.
	Buy tickets online Buy Woo at the Zoo tickets online. It's the green option! A $2 fee per transaction applies.

Subway

2011-02-08T20:46:00.003-05:00

Once in a great while Shawn and I end up not having left overs and we're forced to purchase lunch. Whenever this happens, four times so far in my new job at USAID, I am secretly excited because it means I get to eat at Subway! I always get the 6-inch veggie delight. I know the foot longer is more value for your money, but the Subway in the Ronald Reagan Building sadly does not participate in national Subway celebrations such as the $5 foot-long campaign.

Anyway, yesterday after I purchased my Subway sandwich and I noticed that the receipt says that taking a 1-minute online survey results in an email with a coupon code for a free subway cookie!

I just filled out the survey and tomorrow will claim my free cookie. Subway cookies, always soft, are really fantastic. They cook them right there, and if your cookie was sitting out for a while they will even microwave your cookie upon request.

While we're on this topic, if you have never heard Mitch Hedberg's joke about Subway you have to listen to it here now.

Valentines Day

2011-02-08T20:27:00.003-05:00

My opinion of Valentines Day: it's fun when you're the girl and you're just dating.

But other than that I'm not a huge supporter. That said, Shawn already surprised me with beautiful white sapphire earrings and a necklace, which I love. Generally speaking we tend to cook ourselves a romantic meal at home versus going out on town for one of the v-day "specials."

Flowers, like diamonds, make me really uncomfortable because they're so overpriced. If you really need flowers try costco or the flower guys on the street. Avoid online places that charge $50+ for a bouquet. If you don't take the advice, make sure to find online coupon codes so you get ripped off less.

If you want to go out Monday night, here is my recommendation:

Go to Arlington Draft House for the Princess Bride, comedy, and a wine tasting. All for $8. More info below. The only problemo is that the food at the Draft House is TERRIBLE. Bangkok 54, however, is right next door and has the most amazing spicy duck salad appetizer! Go there first and enjoy the salad and some drunken noodles before making it over for the Princess Bride. Mandy I love you (well in Yentel..)

Valentine's Day - Monday, February 14th at 7:00PM

One of the Best Movies Ever Made "The Princess Bride", Great Stand-Up Comedy and an Optional Wine Night with the Washington Wine Academy - BEST DATE NIGHT EVER!

ONLY $8 - INCONCEIVABLE!

Join us for one of the classic cult love stories, "The Princess Bride". The evening starts at 6:30PM with a Wine Tasting. The Stand-Up Comedy starts at 7:00PM with "The Princess Bride" starting at 7:45PM.

Check out expensive furniture over free cocktails and hors d'oevres

2011-01-28T20:07:00.000-05:00

On Feb 1 from 6-8 PM Room and Board invites us to indulge in cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while previewing their 2011 furniture collection. Free! Located at 1840 14th Street, NW.

Happy Hour tonight in Ballston!

2011-01-20T16:58:00.000-05:00

Thursday, January 20 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM, visit Washington Post’s Express Night Out Free January Happy Hour at Union Jack’s Ballston, 671 N. Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA. Drink specials plus register to win $250 (winner selected at 8pm, you must be present to win). Free and open to the public, info.

CFC Donation Benefits?

2011-01-17T10:31:00.002-05:00

As a new federal employee, I donated to my favorite charities (NPR, National Zoo, Mazon) this year through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Luckily, even by donating through CFC I was able to get my husband's company to match our donations. I also agreed to release my name to the charities I gave to so they would know I continued my regular donations to them. However, this past month as I received letter after letter from these charities, it became clear to me that they had no idea that I contributed.

I wrote to WAMU 88.5 (my local NPR affiliate) to find out more. They wrote the following:

"Although you indicated that the CFC can release your information to us, the report the CFC sends does not come until late spring and does not include dollar amounts of donors contributions - so we have no way to know what level of benefits you are entitled to."

So I scanned and emailed them a copy of my CFC receipt* and they are going to send me my membership card (which, btw, entitles me to 2-for-1 meals at 200 Washington area restaurants)!

In conclusion, be in touch with your charities and don't consider your NPR membership card a lost cause.

*A $120 NPR donation is required to receive the membership card. Also, today is the last day to contribute to CFC! WAMU's CFC charity code is 91855.

Try a Free Horseback Riding Lesson

2011-01-16T21:55:00.001-05:00

Here are three options for a free horseback riding lesson in the DC metro area!

Enjoy- S.

Woodland Horse Center
16301 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20905

This friendly riding establishment offers a free lesson every Sunday at 1 p.m. The website states: “Horseback riding is great outdoor exercise with a purpose. Don’t believe us? Come try for yourself.” A promise is made not to give you a sales pitch or pressure you into taking further lessons.

Take along jeans, hard-soled shoes with closed toes and a sense of humor.

This lesson is very popular, so arrive by 12:45 to register. If you arrive after 1:15 p.m. you may be asked to come back another Sunday.

For more info: Woodland Horse Center
Tel: 301-421-9156

Columbia Horse Center
10400 Gorman Road, Laurel, Maryland 20732

This establishment offers a free introductory lesson every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. All ages are welcome to come and take a lesson, find out about the school’s teaching philosophy, meet the instructors and visit the barns.

All that is required is to bring closed toe shoes and comfortable pants and arrive by 12:45 p.m.

For more info: Columbia Horse Center
Tel: 301-776-5850

Reddemeade Horse Center
1701 Ednor Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20905

This establishment offers a free introductory lesson most Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. You can go to this lesson if you are new to riding, but also if you are more experienced, to give the center the opportunity to assess your riding ability for future lessons should you want them.

You are asked to phone ahead of time.

For more info: Reddemeade Riding Center

Tel: 301-421-4481

Save 30% at Top DC Restaurants: Sushi Taro, Vidalia, Mie N Yu, etc!

2011-01-08T09:07:00.003-05:00

I've blogged about restaurants.com before, and have used other sources like the entertainment book and groupon for discounts for DC restaurants. However, I have often been less than pleased with the selection of restaurants that these sites offer.

I just learned about Village Vines, a website that lets you pay $10 to receive 30% off at top DC restaurants. Click here to register.

Below are the restaurants taking Village Vines discounts right now:

30% off your entire bill at Redwood

30% off your entire bill at Sabores

30% off your entire bill at Juniper

30% off your entire bill at PS 7's

30% off your entire bill at Fahrenheit

30% off your entire bill at Sushi Taro

30% off your entire bill at AGAINN Tavern

30% off your entire bill at Café Dupont

30% off your entire bill at Mendocino Grille

30% off your entire bill at Levante's

30% off your entire bill at AGAINN

30% off your entire bill at ZENTAN

30% off all food at Restaurant 3

30% off your entire bill at Tony and Joe's

30% off your entire bill at Il Canale

30% off your entire bill at Sou'Wester

30% off your entire bill at Mio

30% off all food at Village Bistro

30% off your entire bill at The Prime Rib

30% off your entire bill at Bistro Bis

30% off your entire bill at Co Co. Sala

30% off your entire bill at Tuscana West

30% off your entire bill at LIMA

30% off your entire bill at Ristorante Piccolo

30% off your entire bill at Panache

30% off your entire bill at Teatro Goldoni

30% off your entire bill at La Sandía (Tysons Corner)

30% off your entire bill at Peacock Cafe

30% off your entire bill at Zengo (Chinatown)

30% off your entire bill at Cabanas

30% off your entire bill at Vidalia

30% off your entire bill at Mie N Yu

Crystal Couture: Feb 1-5, 6-10 PM

2011-01-06T20:18:00.000-05:00

DATE:	Tue, February 1st 2011 - Sat, February 5th 2011
TIME:	6 - 10 PM
LOCATION:	1750 Crystal Drive

This year we will be Exotic and Elegant to Everything Everyday. The event will feature a cash bar, body painting, hair and makeup makeovers, henna, DJ entertainment, runway shows, and more. There will be 20 or more boutiques featured every evening and many will be selling their clothes right off the runway at great event prices.

Crystal Couture marries fashion with image and showcases the sexy, chic, stylized side of Crystal City—in a way that has never been done before. Crystal Couture is part art exhibition, trendy nightclub, fashion show, and hip retail store all rolled into one. Don't miss out on this fun, FREE event!

This year's Couture will take place in the former Crystal City Food Court at 1750 Crystal Drive.

Interested in modeling at Crystal Couture? Fill out this form and submit it to me@maggyfrancois.com.

Do you have a great idea for a T-Shirt? Click here to download information on Crystal Couture's T-Shirt design contest. The winning design gets $200 and a $100 gift certificate to Morton's the Steakhouse.

Phillips Collection: For Free

2011-01-04T20:09:00.004-05:00

Enjoy a visit to the Phillips Collection during the January 15-16 weekend at no cost to yourself. Instead enjoy free champagne and museum tours with local chefs displaying birthday cakes (not to eat) in honor of the collection's 90th Anniversary Weekend!

Free events this week!

2011-01-03T14:15:00.001-05:00

Monday, January 3 from 10:00 – 11:00 PM, enjoy a Food Network Viewing Party at Founding Farmers, 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Chef Robert Irvine will showcase Founding Farmers' Devil-ish Eggs Combo for The Best Thing I Ever Ate reinvented classics episode. Chef Irvine sampled the decadent snacks while visiting Washington, DC. Open to the public, www.WeAreFoundingFarmers.com.

Thursday, January 6 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM, visit Yelp's Most Wanted Party at the National Crime and Punishment Museum. Enjoy three hours of fun including exhibits on crime: investigate the filming studios for America's Most Wanted, fire off laser bullets at the shooting range and participate in a simulated high-speed police chase. Free and open to the public, info/rsvp: www.yelp.com.

Buying Things Post-Christmas

2010-12-26T13:42:00.002-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA for so long. I went on my first trip overseas with USAID this month. I spent 15 days in Senegal and Nigeria- lots of good times and hard work.

Anyway, if you're planning on going shopping today and tomorrow, here are some discounts to take with you:

1) Gap outlet- buy one item, get one free.
2)Barnes and Nobles- 25% off one item

Anyway I'm off and will let you know what else I find! Follow me @stefigrosser for up to the minute updates.

Free day for kids at the Newseum

2010-11-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

Event: ‘Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus’
Saturday, December 11, 2010
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Join us for a day of special events and activities for all ages, inspired by Francis P. Church’s 1897 New York Sun editorial assuring 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon that there was, indeed, a Santa Claus.

• Hear a reading of the heartwarming Sun editorial — with a special appearance by you-know-who!

• Why would a newspaper write about Santa Claus? Learn what newspaper editorials are all about and even try writing your own.

• Make your own snow globe and recycle old newspapers into beautiful holiday wreaths.

• Enjoy live performances of holiday carols.

• Breaking news! Record a Santa sighting at our “Be a TV Reporter” experience.

FREE admission for every child who brings a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots. Buy one general admission ticket between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. any Saturday or Sunday and get another one free. General Admission Prices: Adults (19 to 64) $19.95 plus tax; Seniors (65+), military and students with valid ID $17.95 plus tax; Youth (7 to 18) $12.95 plus tax; Children (6 and younger) Free

Restaurant.com Coupon Code!

2010-11-27T13:50:00.001-05:00

This weekend (11/26-28), use promo code SAVE on Restaurant.com to get 80% off any dining certificate, Dinner of the Month Club membership or Restaurant.com gift card. A $25 dining certificate valid at local restaurants is usually $10 at Restaurant.com, so with this promotion you can grab one for only $2. Often you need to dine-in to use the certificate, so be sure to read the fine print.

Last Day for FREE Items at CVS

2010-11-27T13:25:00.004-05:00

CVS always has the best black friday deals around. That's because they have dozens of FREE items. You buy one for $3.99 and they give you a $3.99 coupon. Many of these items are limit 5 so you can keep handing in each item and buying it again using your initial bonus bucks. Plus if you have coupons you can pay $2.99 and still get $3.99 back. Don't forget to print out Colgate coupons online before you go, and to get herbal essence coupons as well.

I made 22 separate purchases at the self-check out machine and paid a total of $9.70. However I ended up with $6.99 in bonus bucks back. So I really spent under $3.00 for all of the items in the picture.

This whole ordeal took me under an hour because I planned my attack before I even left my house. Good luck to you all- you have the rest of the day to get all these items for free!

Only read this tip if you are an ADVANCED bonus buck user: Also remember to start with the lowest priced items, then their duplicates, and then work up from there. If you have a coupon you need to add another item to your purchase for the value of the coupon or else your bonus buck won't work. This is because your purchase always needs to be the same price as the bonus buck or more. The self-check out machines won't let you be in the negative (ie the item is $3 and you have a $3 bonus buck and a $1 coupon therefore the store owes you $1).

Free with I VOTED sticker

2010-11-02T18:43:00.001-04:00

I hope you have voted by now!! Polls close soon.

Take your I voted sticker to the following places for free food:

Stop by California Tortilla with an “I Voted” sticker on Tuesday (11/2) and get a FREE Taco. No purchase necessary.

Stop by Harris Tap Room (Pentagon or Clarendon) for free dessert today and tomorrow.

Know of other deals? Let me know here!

Arena Stage Reopens Today

2010-10-23T08:28:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago it was the Artisphere in Rosslyn and today it is Arena Stage near the waterfront metro station. Arena is having its grand reopening all day today, which means free performances galore!!

While all the advance tickets are long gone, there will still be tickets available at the door today starting at 10 AM (so hurry on up).

There are also several events for which you do not need any tickets so don't not go just because you have no ticket in hand and it may be 1 PM when you're reading this.

Click here to see the full schedule!

Free Dinner Wednesday Nights

2010-10-23T08:19:00.003-04:00

Well, it turns out that every Wednesday night at Whole Foods (for sure the Clarendon location) is amazing sample night. They produce a menu and there are several cooking stations where you're handed a plate to sample the fish, chicken, basically whatever is on their menu that night.

The best time to go is from 5-6:30. I got there at 7:00 last Wednesday night and there was only one hot station left (serving delicious rock fish with a side salad), one dessert station (pumpkin pie), one cheese, cracker, jam station, and one wine station.

My mole in customer service told me I missed two other hot stations that had been open earlier in the evening!

Review of DC Admission Museums

2010-09-26T10:18:00.001-04:00

Since I've now been to 6 DC museums that usually charge fees in the last few weeks, I thought I'd write a review of them here for everyone who may have to pay for these in the future.

This review is written in the order that I went to them.

1. Corcoran. I really enjoyed this museum (normally $10 or $8 with student ID). Two exhibits were closed when I went so there wasn't as much to see as I had expected but what was there was really incredible. I do think it's criminal for them to have control of Samuel Morse's incredible painting of the House of Representatives while they still met in the Statuary Hall. That painting deserves to be in the U.S. Capitol for every American to see without paying. Plus it would help dispel the horribly false rumours about Members of Congress spying on each other due to the acoustics. As you can see in the picture, the room had carpeting and curtains back then, ruining any spying opportunities for John Quincy Adams. Plus, who knew Sam Morse was a painter before he decided to invent Morse Code! If anyone wants to hold a protest in front of the Corcoran with posters that say "FREE MORSE'S STATUARY HALL PAINTING" I am in!

2. Kreeger Museum. The Kreeger Museum, normally $10 or $7 with student ID, is located past Georgetown off of Fox Hall Road. I would not recommend biking there, as I did, because of never ending hill. Anyway Mr. Kreeger and I sadly do not share the same taste in art. I did enjoy seeing his home, and the library with four picassos. Luckily he enjoyed art with a lot of color. Still, I was mostly unmoved by his choice of art.

3. Woodrow Wilson Presidential Museum. This is DC's only presidential museum. It is located on S street and 23rd near Embassy Row. I used to really like Wilson for his League of Nations effort. But it's hard to get over the fact that he was against segregation and women's rights. Anyway, Wilson lived in this house for three years after he left the White House, right up until his death. His funeral was held in this house, as well. When Woodrow lived here he was mostly blind and couldn't use his legs (or arms?) so they had an elevator installed for him. The house was okay...I didn't spend much time here. Some of the house was closed when I went. Admission is usually a whopping $12 so don't forget your student ID ($5).

4. National Geographic - Nat Geo has an incredible gecko exhibit going on now with LIVE gecko species from around the world. Admission is FREE Wednesdays! Other times it will cost you $7, $6 with student ID. I LOVED this exhibit. Seeing and learning about geckos was truly fascinating. If you go, watch the video about scientists developing new adhesives after studying how geckos stick to walls. Their natural adhesive strategy is so good that their feet can hold 2 people!! Go figure. Go GECKOS! (all totally harmless by the way). You have until January 5th to see these fine creatures.

5. Phillips Collection - As I mentioned before, the Phillips is FREE the rest of September due to the fire closing down many of its usual exhibits. The building that was open was wonderful. We loved every moment there. Their Renoirs and Van Goghs were among the best that I've seen. The Monets really great too. For once I loved Rothko. I thought I hated him after visiting his black canvasses at the National Gallery of Modern Art's Tower but his work at the Phillips Collection was honestly stunning. Poor church who hired him to make the black canvasses. GREAT News about Phillips- while they normally charge $10 for adults, Tuesday through Friday they take any donation you want to contribute rather than charging a set admission price!!

6. Newseum - Thank goodness for free museum day because Shawn and I weren't about to pay $40 for entrance here. I could see why they have to charge so much though- there are tons of interactive multimedia exhibits. I'd pay full price perhaps when I have two kids, and it's free kids day. My favorite exhibits were the ones on coverage of Katrina, September 11th, and the gallery of Pulitzer Price winners. I was moved to tears during all three. Well done. Well done.

In the past year I made it into the Crime and Punishment Museum for free too. I thought it was a lot of fun and educational at the same time. I also had the opportunity to go to the Spy Museum for free because my ex-boyfriend paid for our admissions. I loved that too and thought it was a ton of fun.