Frugalicious Seattle

Restaurant.com coupons. Use them or lose them?

2009-03-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

With the economy nearly in shambles, many of us have tightened our belts down to the very first notch. One casualty of all this belt-tightening is the practice of dining out. Some frugal readers, however, have found a way to eat out at fine restaurants for a fraction of the typical cost, by using a site called Restaurant.com.

Restaurant.com sells printable, online "gift certificates" to an array of restaurants nationwide. Type in a Seattle zip code, for instance, and over 135 restaurants will pop up. The gift certificates offered by Restaurant.com typically come in $10 or $25 increments, but you pay only $3 and $10 for them, respectively. Occasionally, Restaurant.com will offer a special bonus code that allows you to buy these certificates for even less, sometimes as much as 80% off.

Great deal, huh? Well...sort of.

The gift certificates really aren't the "same as cash" gift certificates that we all know and love. They're really more like coupons that you can buy. Each certificate comes with a (sometimes hefty) set of restrictions, such as a $35 minimum purchase, an exclusion of alcoholic beverages, a limit of how many certificates can be used per restaurant, per month, and a limited number of days and times that the coupon can be used.

Plus, many of the restaurants that participate in the Restaurant.com program aren't exactly everyone's favorites, although I noticed a few popular places, such as 88 Keys, Alki Crab and Fish, and Kabul Afghan Cuisine.

Restaurant.com's gift cards were the subject of a LifeHacker.com article, and while the article itself was relatively positive, the reader's comments were split pretty equally between those who loved the gift cards and felt they were a great value, and those who felt they were a rip-off due to the excessive restrictions.

What's my verdict? Try the coupons when you have a bonus code to purchase them at the absolute lowest price, and use them only if you are a die-hard frugalite who is patient enough to deal with all the restrictions. The most satisfied customers of Restaurant.com were the ones who read the fine print, and understood exactly what they were getting.

What about you, Frugal Readers? Have you used Restaurant.com, and if so, what was your experience? I welcome your comments!

Frugal Lift Tickets at Summit at Snoqualmie

2009-03-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

There's never been a better time to be a girl who shreds the slopes. The Summit at Snoqualmie is offering a program called "Women Of Winter" or W.O.W. On Thursdays throughout March, women can purchase a discounted lift ticket for $30, to use between 9 AM and 12:30 PM at the Central Summit. Click here for details.

Not a woman? Well….if you’re at least over 62, you can take advantage of a similar deal, called Senior Skier Tuesdays. It functions similarly to “Women of Winter”, in that it involves printing out a coupon for a $30 lift ticket, valid for the hours between 9 AM and 12:30, only this time it’s on Tuesday. For details, click here.

Not a Senior, nor a woman? Well, now is the cheapest time all year to purchase the Summit's Big S Pass for the 2009/2010 winter season. The Unlimited Pass now costs $359 for an adult, and is good for any day of the week. The Limited Pass costs $299 for an adult, and is good for weekdays only. Both passes pay for themselves in roughly 6 to 7 visits.

So shred on, Frugal Chicks and Seniors--and everybody else!

Seattle City Stimulus Going on this Weekend!

2008-12-05T11:27:00.001-08:00

Don't forget to take part in the grassroots campaign, Seattle City Stimulus, going on this week, today through Sunday. The brainchild of Shannon Kelly, owner of In Your Head Marketing Consultancy, Seattle City Stimulus is an effort to encourage Seattle-ites to shop locally this weekend, and think Boutique rather than Big Box. Go to the City Stimulus web site, download a free stimulus card, and show it at over 50 local establishments for deep discounts like happy hour all night at selected bars and pubs, and up to 50% off regular-priced items at stores like Clutch. Can you say "sustainable" AND "frugal"?

Teen Tix = $5 Tickets for Art Events for Teens

2008-11-21T06:51:00.001-08:00

Teen Tix is a discount ticket program for folks between the ages of 13-18. It works like this: your Teen registers for a Teen Tix pass, which comes in the mail as a keychain fob. On the day of a performance that participates in the Teen Tix program, the teen may call ahead to purchase a ticket or go directly to the box office to purchase a ticket. Only one ticket per teen may be purchased, and the tickets are not guaranteed availability, so it’s wise to call ahead.

Teen Tix can be used at many venues, like Seattle Repertory Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, ACT Theatre, Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF Cinema), and the Seattle Opera. And if your teen is actually into opera, then give yourself a great big ol' pat on the back. You've done something right.

On Sundays, teens may purchase a second $5 ticket for an adult. Who says having teenagers is expensive?

Frugalicious Seattle Has a Sister Site!

2008-11-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Hey Frugalicious Readers! Just to let everyone know I'm now posting local frugal info as the Seattle Budget Entertainment Examiner at Seattle Examiner.Com. Don't worry, I still update Frugalicious Seattle...I like to think of the two sites as my children. You don't feed one child and starve the other, that just wouldn't be kosher...

But do check out my Examiner blog--If the two sites were siblings, Frugalicious would be the brainy one, and Examiner would be the pretty one. How's that for bad parenting? ;)

Urban Drinks.Com vs. Seven Nites.Com--Who's Got the Better Happy Hour Search Feature?

2008-10-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Early in the life of this blog, (re: July), I mentioned the coolness of UrbanDrinks.Com, where you can search for a happy hour near you, right this very minute. Urban Drinks is national in scope, but its Seattle Happy Hour page currently lists 350 bars, pubs, restaurants, etc., that have a happy hour.

Lest Urban Drinks should think itself alone in this worthy endeavor, an alternate happy hour search site has been brought to my attention--Seven Nites.Com. Founded by Seattle Happy Hour Examiner Ryan Hagg, Seven Nites takes the happy hour search and "brings it home" to Seattle. So far, there are 275 bars in Seven Nites' database, seventy-five fewer than Urban Drinks, but Seven Nites gives you the option of joining their mailing list and getting additional happy hour discounts from top bars in the city.

What say you, Frugalicious Readers? If Seven Nites and Urban Drinks were in a barroom brawl, who would come out on top, and who would get the obligatory smash over the head with a broken chair? (If this were a Western, that is...)

Calling All Bibliophiles! Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair This Weekend.

2008-10-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

If you find old and rare books and ephemera fascinating, or if you just enjoy saying "ephemera", you will probably enjoy the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. Over 100 book dealers will be showcasing their wares. Why have I included this on our humble frugal blog? Because tickets for both days are only $5 at the door, and children 12 and under are free...

http://www.seattlebookfair.com/

$5.00 Cinema at AMC Theatres, and No, It's Not Just For Movies From Two Years Ago...

2008-10-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Frugalicious Reader Shirley shared a very cool tip for those of us who prefer not to take out a second mortgage just to go to the movies.

On Fridays, weekends, and holidays, any first-run movies playing before noon are only $5.00 per ticket at your local AMC Theatre. First run, as in newly released movies; not The Lion King.
Check it out at http://www.amctheatres.com/amcinema/

Ten Bucks for 64 Local Bands in Ballard This Weekend

2008-10-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 4th, the 2008 REVERBfest is taking place in Ballard. Despite Ballard's motto of "Free Ballard", so eloquently displayed on many a Seattle-ite's bumper sticker, the REVERBfest is not, in fact, free. BUT, it is pretty cheap, therefore it warrants a mention on the Frugalicious pages. For details, see http://www.seattleweekly.com/microsites/reverbfest

64 local bands will be playing at various venues in the Ballard neighborhood, and I can honestly admit I haven't heard of a single one of them. But you can download a free mp3 from each band here: http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2008/09/download_a_free_mp3_for_each_o.php

Free music without piracy guilt? That is truly priceless. ;)

Free Parking in Seattle?

2008-09-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

As I research frugal parking options in Seattle, or lack thereof, it becomes more and more evident that ditching your car and using the Metro transit is the way to go. Sometimes, of course, the bus just isn't an option. Did you know that the Seattle Department of Transportation has posted a list of days during the year where metered street parking is free? It goes like this:

Free Parking Days:
All Sundays
January 1st
The third Monday in January
The third Monday in February
The last Monday in May
July 4th
The first Monday in September
November 11th
The fourth Thursday in November
December 25th

This information is current as of now, and is courtesy of http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/meterinfo.htm

Half Price Drinks at Cutters Point in Covington

2008-09-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's not quite Tully's, but it could still be labeled as the other coffee franchise in Washington. If you're not especially loyal to Seattle's signature green siren, Starbucks, then you know all about Gig Harbor-based Cutters Point. If you happen to be down south in Covington on September 26, the new Cutters Point store at 27177 185th Ave. S.E. Suite 101, (next to the new Home Depot), will be celebrating its grand opening with half-price drinks. Thanks to Frugalicious reader Lauren for that tip.

Wherefore Art Thou, Free Wi-Fi?

2008-09-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Do you dream of the day when free high speed internet is a right, not a privilege? Until then, thank goodness for free Wi-Fi hotspots in Seattle. Check out Caffeinated and Unstrung, the wiki for the best cozy spots to curl up with a latte and a laptop. You can search by neighborhood, and each listing tells you how to access the Wi-Fi, how many electrical outlets are available, whether the place is user-friendly, etc. You can also contribute to the wiki by updating the information or even adding your own listing, in case you've got a favorite hotspot that no one knows of...yet.
http://seattle.wifimug.org/index.cgi?HomePage

$1.50 Cheesecake Slices today at Cheesecake Factory

2008-07-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today is National Cheesecake Day. How random is that? In honor of Cheesecake Day, and in honor of their 30 year anniversary, The Cheesecake Factory is offering all 30 of their cheesecake varieties at $1.50 a slice, today only. The limit is one per guest, dine in only. There are 3 Cheesecake Factory locations in the Puget Sound area, one in Seattle on 700 Pike Street, one in Bellevue at Bell Square, and one in Tukwila at Southcenter. http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/locations.htm

Enjoy! And thanks to Frugalicious Reader Shirley for clueing us in on this one!

Free Wine Tastings, and an update on Caviar Tasting in Seattle...

2008-07-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Some of us like wine. Some of us love wine. And then there are those of us whose veins are flowing with J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet 2003 instead of blood. You know who you are.

While crawling the web, I found an authoritative list of local wine tastings at http://www.seattledining.com/wine/tastings/index.asp. Of the twenty wine merchants and cellars featured on the list, eighteen offer free tastings. Renton, Burien, Kirkland, Redmond, Des Moines, and Bellevue are some of the cities besides Seattle that are represented here. The list is by no means exhaustive; some of my favorite local wineries aren't listed here, like The Grape Adventure in Kent, http://www.thegrapeadventure.com/index.html, which offers a tasting of "3 New Wines for 3 Dollars" every Thursday and Saturday. Do any Frugalicious Readers have suggestions for their favorite wine tasting venue?

Speaking of fish eggs...some readers have asked about free caviar tasting in Seattle. I believe I started this rumor, based on a foggy memory of an article I read in Seattle Magazine some years ago about scoring free gourmet food samples in the Emerald City. The caviar in question was at the Seattle Caviar Company, http://www.caviar.com/cgi-bin/shop.pl. Well, Frugalicious Readers, I checked into it, and no, they do not offer free caviar tastings. What they do offer are $10 tastings on Saturdays from 11 to 5 PM, and for an extra $9.50 you get a 3 oz. pour of premium champagne to complement the flavor. I'm not sure that this exactly qualifies as frugal for the scope of this blog, but it could be classified as a "frugal splurge." Now there's an oxymoron for you...

Free Live Music!

2008-07-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

A Frugalicious Reader brought this one to my attention:

The Coulon Family Concert series at the Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton, (You boaters out there know EXACTLY where that is!) is completely free and family-friendly. This series features live music every Wednesday night from now until August 13. The bands range from Bluegrass to Jazz to Big Band to Beatles medleys. The Celtic band, Craicmore, will be playing July 23, and since I'm a sucker for the Scots, you better believe I will be there.

http://rentonwa.gov/living/default.aspx?id=11328&printfriendly=1

If Kent is closer to home for you, then the Kent Summer Concert Series is the place to be. These concerts take place at Kent Station, Lake Meridian Park, and Town Square Park, and they range from comedy acts to jazz/blues to Celtic acoustic rock to intricate puppet acts. See http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/arts/page.aspx?id=2972 for the full calendar.

And if Auburn is your city of residence, then try the Shades of Summer concerts, Wednesday nights at 7 PM through August 6th at the Game Farm Park Len Chapman Amphitheater. The tribute band, The New Blues Brothers, will be playing July 30th. The city of Auburn also hosts the Kids Summerstage at Les Grove Park, Wednesdays at noon, through August 13th, featuring jugglers, magicians, and Cap'n ARR, whom I assume is a pirate. For the detailed schedules of either concert series in Auburn, see http://www.auburnwa.gov/arts/summer_concerts.asp.

Free Shakespeare in the Park, July through August

2008-07-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Play's the Thing... and now through August 3rd you can catch free Shakespeare performances at parks throughout the Puget Sound Area. Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented by Wooden O Productions, are some of the offerings. See http://www.seattleshakespeare.org/WoodenO/index.asp for a full calendar. Greenstage, Seattle's Shakespeare in the Park Company, is presenting Twelth Night and Hamlet. See http://www.greenstage.org/performance-calendar for their calendar. All of these are free productions that take place outdoors, and are subject to the occasional rain-out, but still a great deal. Audience members are advised to BYOBoT-Bring your own blanket or towel to sit on, and encouraged to bring their own picnic lunch, too. This is what I call a cheap date, cheap but highbrow.

Frugalicious Book Sale This Weekend!

2008-07-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Half-Price Books is having their Washington Warehouse Summer Sale this Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13, from 10 AM to 6 PM. The location is 9421 Greenwood Ave N. in Seattle. Everything will be a dollar or less. Bookish Frugalites of Puget Sound already know that Half-Price Books is crazy-cheap anyway, and buying used books instead of new is the greener choice.

Things To Do in Seattle When You're Broke...

2008-07-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! This blog is for Seattle-ites and residents of the Greater Puget Sound Area who are broke, living on a shoestring, or otherwise financially challenged, but would still like to enjoy the finer things in life; i.e., the theater, gourmet food and wine, spa pampering, etc., etc.

What if you don't want to spend $9.00 for a good martini? Did you know that Urbandrinks.com will tell you which bar is having its happy hour, right this minute? Pretty nifty. http://www.urbandrinks.com/

What if you want to take your baby out dancing, but can't afford to fork over the dough for lessons at Arthur Murray? Did you know that you can learn to swing, salsa, or tango for under 7 bucks at Century Ballroom? http://www.centuryballroom.com/

Do you love live theater but hate triple-digit ticket prices? Did you know that some Seattle theater houses, like Seattle Repertory Theater, offer "pay what you can" tickets for some performances? http://www.seattlerep.org/Tickets.html

I am collecting tips for an upcoming book, Things to Do in Seattle When You're Broke, which will cover the following subjects:

Cheap Eats
Cheap Drinks
Cheap Activities
Cheap Culture
Cheap Pampering
If the Gas Prices Don't Kill You, the Parking Fees Will-How to Get Around Seattle on the Cheap.

If you have some favorite cheap spots in the Puget Sound Area, or some great frugal tips for your fellow destitute, but still cultured, Seattle-ites; please send them to me at frugalicious@live.com, for possible inclusion on my blog. Truly Frugalicious tips will even be considered for the upcoming book.