Weekly Top Five Freebies and Cheapies

Every week, I scavenge the Internet, US cities, nay, the world to bring you, my beloved, the best freebies and cheapies that life has to offer. (P.S. I promise to include at least one "date" offering for my penny-pinching friends who know that lack of income should never mean lack of love!)

1. Free Coffee. Spending a rainy Saturday afternoon perusing the books of my local Borders bookstore is a (free) guilty pleasure for Recessionistas as is, but now the National bookstore chain is offering a free cup of java to boot.

2. Cheap Derby Day Delights. Free bluegrass and $3 Mint Juleps make Union Hall in Brooklyn (Park Slope) feel like Louisville meets Recessionista meets Big City. My money is on Summerbird. (PS - Look for the upcoming entry on "Recessionista at the Races" for our recap of the actual Kentucky Derby.)

3. (Relatively) Cheap GPS. If you are one of many flocking to Louisville for the weekend, save yourself the headache of the often confusing highways and dreaded "shortcut through the park" with a GPS system, like this one, which, at $180 compared to the regular price of $400, is Recessionista-approved.

4. Free Way to Make a Buck from Fido. If you think your pet is the animal-equivalent of Miss Universe and you live in the Chicago area, time to cash in Lynne Spears style and loan your pet out to Animal Talent. For $60-200 per hour, you pet will participate in photo shoots for advertising firms and mug for the camera, while you sit back and sip Pellegrino. Ah, life in the limelight...

5. Free Way to Earn Your Way to Heaven. The old proverb says, "Good intentions pave the road to hell." Put your good will into action without spending a buck - go online to http://www.thehungersite.com/ , spend a few minutes meandering around, and site sponsors contribute money to cure hunger in the third world. Of course, you will have to sacrifice those extra five minutes you might have sent reading Perez Hilton, but no one said charity was easy.

Weekly Top Five Freebies and Cheapies

Every week, I scavenge the Internet, US cities, nay, the world to bring you, my beloved, the best freebies and cheapies that life has to offer. (P.S. I promise to include at least one "date" offering for my penny-pinching friends who know that lack of income should never mean lack of love!)



1. Free Love-in: Chicago Recessionistas looking for love in the written word take note - Loose Leaf Tea Loft is hosting a free Poetry Love-In event this evening, featuring readings from poets including Sid Yiddish, Lee Grobman, and others.



2. Cheap Wine: It does not have to come in a box, Recessionista! Check out http://www.cheapwinefinder.com/ for outstanding deals and helpful buying tips.



3. Cheap Mea Culpa: New York magazine features an apology from Michael Osinski, a former Lehman Brothers and Wall Street Fat Cat, as well as an explanation of how we found ourselves where we are with the economy. (Warning: this article, with all its good intentions, can get a little esoteric at times - oy, acronyms!) By reading this article, the next time you hear someone say, "How did we get here," you can say, "well, actually, I know exactly how we got here..."

4. Free Help Finding a Job: Take one ounce of Monster, mix in a dash of Craigslist, and sprinkle in a bit of Facebook. Voila! You have http://www.workstir.com/, a site that will serve up a range of job opportunities without the mass quantity of spam you have grown accustomed to from other sites.

5. Cheap Shoes: So, cheap is a relative term. However, when a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps crosses the Recessionista Roadmap at a drastically slashed price of around $200, we have to let our lustful fashionistas know.

Weekly Top Five Freebies and Cheapies

Every week, I scavenge the Internet, US cities, nay, the world to bring you, my beloved, the best freebies and cheapies that life has to offer. (P.S. I promise to include at least one "date" offering for my penny-pinching friends who know that lack of income should never mean lack of love!)



1. Cheap Opportunity to Show Off Your Nerdiness. NYC Recessionistas can enjoy cheap entertainment in the way of trivia and impress a date with The Big Quiz Thing, held at Crash Mansion, 199 Bowery at Spring Street. Bonus: $250 cash prize to the winner.

2. Free Love. For Recessionistas on the prowl but without the financial means to pay the monthly Match.com or eHarmony rates, www.mingles.com offers a way to connect absolutely free. Still no guarantee the photos are recent though, folks.

3. Free March Madness. Whether you cut cable to save some dough or sold your television on Craigslist for the extra cash, you still can catch every minute of the basketball series online, including a free subscription to the feeds for up to the minute scores.

4. Free, uh, Stuff. One of the coolest sites I have seen recently, www.freenapkin.com lets you claim items others have discarded (furniture, technology, and more) or services (such as a Free Haircut at Bumble and Bumble). Happy shopping!

5. Free Opportunity to Shake It on Sunday Night: Recessionistas in Chicago looking to liven up the drudge of Sunday nights should check out Rodan, where Slava performs live.

Dust Off Your Library Card and Check These Out

Irish-inspired in honor of St. Patrick's Day

Read This: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Reading anything by James Joyce is sort of like standing in the middle of a dance club with lights flashing about, techno music blaring, and people bumping in to you continuously - both overwhelming scenarios are best enjoyed with a strong cocktail in hand. In this text, which is far less daunting for most than the more glorified Ulysses, readers encounter the now famous "stream of consciousness" technique of storytelling pioneered by Joyce. Through what feels like haphazard memory recollections interrupted by other moments of consciousness, you will find the story of a young man transitioning between the life of a student and the life of the man. While the "coming of age" theme is nothing new, the style is so representative of Joyce that this is an absolute must-read. If drinking and driving through the mind's work of a genius is too much for you, I recommend reading it in your local cafe, where the snooty barristas will finally give you that nod of respect you've been hoping for.

Watch This: Deadwood Series starring Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant

I despise Westerns. There I said it. Thus, you can imagine my apprehension and resistance in experiencing even one episode of this 3 season HBO series. However, with Ian McShane's portrayal of Al Swearengen, a belligerent bar/whorehouse owner with a terrible temper but a corrupt Solomon-like wisedom, I was immediately hooked. Throw into the mix Timothy Olyphant, the holier-than-though sheriff who, oops, has an affair with a wealthy upper class woman, and a boozy Calamity Jane, portrayed by actress Robin Weigert, and you have created the type of Western that even the most girly-girl Recessionista will enjoy. I mean, this is the same channel that brought you Sex and the City and Entourage, after all.


Listen to This: The Best of Van Morrison by Van Morrison

Because it would have been way too easy to spotlight U2 here, I am recommending an artist less associated with but nonetheless originating from the lovely country of Ireland. Van Morrison's work is timeless and ageless. I have heard this music in dorm rooms, high end lounges, and at the homes of friends of all ages. This is music that makes you feel good, but that you never need be ashamed of owning (unlike, ahem, that Milli Vanilli CD you still hang on to). Turn off the news (I'll summarize what you will be missing - Dow Jones drops...blahblahblah...Economic stimulus...blahblah...the world is ending...blahblah.) and turn on this CD. I promise, you'll feel better immediately.

Recessionista Tip of the Day: Because doing good always makes you feel better, we are featuring another opportunity to give. Recessionista Kim is participating in Relay For Life, a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to:

-Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight.

-Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, people who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing.

-Fight Back. We Relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease.

During this amazing American Cancer Society event, community members and students camp out overnight, and at least one member of each team is walking for the twelve hours we are there! Though times are tough and money is tight, I strongly encourage you to support this event! At the very least, you can support the fact that Kim has to chaperone hundreds of teenagers…if the tent is rocking, she's gonna come knocking!

Homage to March

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."- Proverb from Guinea



By Day, 31 Reasons Why March Does Not Completely Suck...


1. March got dumped! In Ancient Rome, March was the first month of the year...until, the younger, sexier January came along...those fickle Romans!

2. National Reading Day. Pick up a book - it will make you (at least look) more interesting.(Forget Amazon and Borders! Go to the local library! If you have an expired library card - bring a piece of mail and drivers license/passport, and you will renew your passport to brilliance in no time!)

3. U2: New album No Line on the Horizon out today. Love him or hate him, Bono is back.

4. Tell the Truth! On this day in 1861, Honest Abe Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States.

5. Spring Awakening: Good news! Duncan Sheik did not disappear with Y2K! The pop-rock band provided the music for the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, and they perform live at the Memorial Union in Madison, WI today for the Recessionista-friendly price of $10 today.

6. Stars are Aligning. Take a date (for free!) to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles for a dreamy night of star gazing.

7. Peace Corps Day. Jump onto Facebook and drop your friend/brother/cousin in Thailand a note to let them know that you admire and appreciate what they are doing...and, no, sending them a Facebook "poke" is not enough.

8. Religious Services: Okay, so this happens to occur every weekend (and, in some religions, every day.) Take this Sunday as a opportunity to thank your God(s), or, if you are an atheist, your loved ones for all that you have in your life. If you are a misanthrope, I probably lost you at "hello."

9. Toast the Lovely Ladies in Your Life! March 9th is International Women's Day. Celebrate with homemade cosmos, Sex and the City reruns, and a group of fabulous ladies!

10. Talking Marionettes. Pinocchio, the Disney classic, comes out on DVD today in celebration of its 70th Anniversary.

11. Britney is Back. If you love a comeback story and are still bummed that Mickey Rourke lost the Oscar to Sean Penn, perhaps viewing Miss Spears in full lip-syncing glory will boost your spirits. Performance, at the Nassau Country Coliseum in New York, begins at 8 pm.

12. National Girl Scout Day. Bring on the Thin Mints.

13. Friday the 13th: For the second month in a row! Rent the film of the same name, curl up with a blanket, and let out a good blood-curdling scream - very cathartic.

14. That's Genius! Today is the anniversary of Albert Einstein's birthday. Read up on the brilliant man with the wacky hair. We will overlook the mustache.

15. Ogres. Half off of Shrek, the Musical on Broadway. If you loved the movie, you will undoubtedly fall for the real-life remake of the animated take on a fairytale that was never written.

16. An Excuse to Booze on a Worknight: What if someone told you that you could have as many drinks as you wish and only pay $20? No, I'm not talking about a frat party at the Sig Ep house. Bondi Road, at the corner of Rivington and Sussex on the Lower East Side of the city, offers all-you-can-drink in 2 hrs. to patrons who just can't bear Mondays...or unemployment.

17. St. Patrick's Day. As if drinking green beer is not something you do everyday anyway.

18. South by Southwest: For those unfamiliar with the festival, music fans flood the streets of Austin, TX to check out bands on the rise. Bring back a few new artists and you will finally prove to your friends that you are "indie," in spite of the Kate Spade bag you tote around.

19. Mingling with Other Yuppies. Madison Magnet, the young professionals networking group based out of Madison, WI will be hosted its monthly happy hour today. Bring business cards, leave the politics at home.

20. First day of Spring. If there is still snow on the ground, just remember...this too shall pass.

21. Hot Vampires. Twilight, the teen movie phenomenon, is out on DVD today.

22. Dance like There is No Tomorrow: D.C. Recessionistas, take note! Check out the Dance Expo and try as many classes as you like for the recession-friendly price of $20.

23. The Feast Day of Saint Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès: Potentially the Saint with the longest name, the Roman Catholic church celebrates St. Rafqa on this day...and you think people get your name wrong a lot!

24. Labour Day: The holiday we celebrate in September is recognized on this day in Melbourne, Australia. Fake your best Aussie accent when you try to convince your boss you deserve the day off too.

25. For the Men Who have No Game: For D.C. men struggling on how to woo the ladies, fear not. At 7 pm, attend a seminar that will give you the necessary social savvy required to meet and attract the hottest Recessionistas.

26. Festival of Wines. Recessionistas in Boston are cordially invited to attend Wine Tasting and Dinner at Vinalia. Warm Italian food, along with a plethora of wines - what better way to spend a rainy Thursday night?

27. National Skyscraper Day: Kurt Vonnegut once fondly referred to New York City as "Skyscraper National Park." Drive, bus, train to your nearest city and look up at these amazing architectural wonders.

28. Urban Scavenger Hunt: What could be a better way to meet fellow young professionals in NYC than roaming around the city searching for random items and locations?! Event starts at 12:30, so bring your metro card and your flask.

29. Shamrock Shuffle. The name of the race actually might inspire you to participate!! Chicago Recessionistas should cross their fingers for good weather for this 8K run.

30. Break Out the Absinthe! March 30th is the anniversary of Vincent Van Gogh's birthday. Given that the "Van Gogh: Colours of the Night" exhibit is currently showing at the artist's museum in Amsterdam, this might be a great "spring break" destination for Recessionistas on a budget.

31. End March in Appreciation: “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”- Marcus Aurelius

Weekly Top Five Freebies and Cheapies

Every week, I will scavenge the Internet, US cities, nay, the world to bring you, my beloved, the best freebies and cheapies that life has to offer. (P.S. I promise to include at least one "date" offering for my penny-pinching friends who know that lack of income should never mean lack of love!)

1. Free Music! Rhapsody (http://www.rhapsody.com/) will give you 25 free song plays for a month without (and here is the beautiful part) any registration, information entry, or commitment to sign-up for service. That means you can check out the new Britney Spears album in its entirety guilt free and no one ever has to know.

2. Free Freebies! A one stop shop for free samples of a slew of products, http://www.shop4freebies.com/ is a Recessionista's dream. Be forewarned, you may want to enter that email address you give out to people you aren't really into at the bars, as you may receive a plethora of advertisement emails.

3. Free Culture! For my NYC friends, Le Nozze di Figaro, the comedic Mozart opera is performed for free TODAY, February 20th, at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Julliard. Starts at 8 pm, and be sure to come early or you may end up seat-less and having to actually pay to take your date somewhere.

4. Free Art! If you are suffering through the horrible Midwestern winter and find your pockets are empty, fear not. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago offers free admission on Tuesdays. Bundle up, leave your wallet at home, and enjoy the work of people who probably had less money than you for most of their lives. http://www.mcachicago.org/

5. Free Oscars! Perhaps you won't be taking home a statue this year per say, but that is no reason to avoid watching the ceremony Recessionista-style. Chelsea Cinema will be airing the Academy Awards beginning at 8 pm (Pre-show festivities begin at 7 pm) for FREE! This is a great way to make up to your "Sunday friend" that they have been cast as a "Sunday friend" in the drama that is your life.

Recessionista Tip of the Day: Before you run off to Blockbuster or sign-up for Netflix, chat with your friends about a DVD swap. All of my friends have massive amounts of movies (those who still have VHS tapes shall remain nameless), and despite the common denominators (sigh...SATC, Bridget Jones Diary, Love Actually), we have found that sharing movies is a great way to save money and avoid late fees. Just don't be the jerk that doesn't ever return the movies...

You are Never Fully Dressed...

I have friends who have lost the majority of their savings and/or 401K. I have friends who have lost their jobs. I have friends who have lost their desire to follow the news (well, other than the celebrity gossip blogs) because they swear it is causing them a chemical imbalance that will require treatment antidepressants that are not covered by their HMO's formulary. The times of late do not just seem difficult; they seem downright Dickensonian. In fact, many of my peers might lobby adamantly that it is said "worst of times..."

I happen to disagree. Falling into the category of young, intelligent, savvy professionals who feels "economically-challenged" as of late, I cannot help but recall the most financially-challenging time of my life - namely graduate school. Picture this: North Carolina, $10/day budget, and book per day grad-school diet. What should have been a portrait of misery was actually an amazing experience in building a castle from a cardboard box. While we led very frugal lifestyles, there are lessons to be learned from a different memory the time here. Very early one Sunday, my roommate dragged me to essentially a "free" version of St. Vincent's...people came in to "shop" for items at a church that were donated, but the items where provided at zero cost. In the three hungover hours I worked the store, I met characters that were anything but Dickensonian. In actuality, the women rifling through the used lipsticks smiled more than some of my most "privileged"friends, and the men asking for fashion advice when comparing flannel to flannel seemed so much more open and kind than most men I had ever known.

Individuals with little to no money, laughing, smiling, and kind - how was this possible? Where were the clouds of gloom that should cover their faces? Why were they not throwing elbows in a Darwinian fit to get the best offerings at the store? Where was the misanthropy, the misplaced blame of circumstances, the sadness of economic woes?

I suggest that these people were in touch with something many of us have lost. Circumstances are sometimes, sadly, beyond our control. The good news is our attitude is not.

The best of times is a mindset away...

Recessionista Tip of the Day: To help keep the positive spirit alive and kicking, as well as your body in prime shape, exercise is a great aid during tough times. Walk or run outside, put on your Rollerblades, or, if you have an extra $75 and live in a major US city, check out the Passbook (up to 600 free passes to health clubs and classes all over your city!) You can purchase one at http://www.health-fitness.org/ny.html