This year, money is tight. As the holidays approach I know people are thinking of ways to cut back. Maybe you and your family have a tradition of going to see the Nutcracker or other holiday-themed play. Or maybe you and your friends gather together for a fancy dinner that costs $100 per person to celebrate the spirit of the season. You may be trying to figure out how you are going to afford these activities this year. Well, I have an idea for you. There’s a way that you can gather with your friends and family that won’t cost you any money. Since this is, after all, the season of giving, how about giving to those who need it the most?
Volunteer. It’s a holiday activity that doesn’t cost any money. And you get the added bonus of spending quality time with your family and friends. My family has always made time to volunteer during the month of December. My husband and I plan on volunteering with two organizations this year: WEAVE and Stanford Settlement. Since we can’t afford to give to local nonprofits and also because we love Christmas and anything we can do to celebrate it, we volunteer our time. Last year, we had some friends join us at Stanford Settlement’s Operation Cratchit packing boxes of food for families who can’t afford holiday groceries. We also volunteered at WEAVE’s Holiday Toy Shoppe which provides toys to families who have survived domestic violence and sexual assault. It’s time well spent and it doesn’t cost a dime.
Look up your favorite nonprofit and see what they are doing for the community for the holidays. Then invite some family and friends to join you. The experience is priceless.
Like most women, I love shoes. This love combined with my need to get a good deal keeps my closet full of cheap or modestly priced name brand shoes. (Although, I must add, when it comes to things I put on my feet, I am willing to spend a little more on a pair of shoes that I know will last me a few seasons; for example, a pair of boots or black heels.) The secret to finding great shoes at a great price: digging.
One of the best ways to keep your closet full of shoes, reflecting the latest trends and all the seasons, is by making regular stops at the many different discount shoe stores around town. In addition to your commitment to frequent shopping, you must also be willing to do a little digging. These discount stores are usually unorganized, making it easy to overlook a great pair of heels or make you think that the store doesn’t have the fab over-the-knee boots in your size. It’s best to take your time so you can scan everything. Personally, I have a system. I always go straight to the clearance racks. If I find one or two pairs there, then I go straight to the register. If I find nothing, then I start from one side of the store or section and work my way up and down the aisles scanning everything. It may sound crazy, but I am a little crazy.
A few weeks ago my mom and I went out for some serious shoe shopping. We made stops at Marshalls, Ross and the Off Broadway Shoes. If I hadn’t already found three pairs and if my mom hadn’t already found five pairs we could have continued on to MJM, DSW and Nordstrom Rack. You can see photos of my cute and unique finds above; 3 pairs for less than $50! I love them all and have received all kinds of compliments.
You know it’s time for some fall shoe shopping. Plan a route and start digging!
Sacramento has a lot to offer. We’ve got food, cultural events, nightlife, sports and good people. This city also has a lot of education opportunities. While we tend to take advantage of the things in our city that personally please us, there is a lot we can do for ourselves professionally, too. We Sacramentans can become well-rounded (and I don’t mean in the physical sense) and gurus in our fields by taking advantage of things in our own backyard. And, most importantly, this can come at an affordable price.
Over the past year, I have taken advantage of what Sacramento has to offer in the fields of public relations and social media. I regular attend events put on by the SPRA (Sacramento Public Relations Association) and the Sacramento Social Media Club (of which I am also the Event Director). These free and low cost events have helped me to build upon my knowledge and become an important asset to my company.
There is an opportunity coming up THIS Friday and Saturday for you to expand your knowledge. On November 6th and 7th Sacramento will be holding its first ever social media conference, Social Media Weekend. The topics cover various fields, so I know you will learn something valuable. And the best part, it’s only $25.
Register today and become an asset to your company, no matter how big or small!
This post could have been more timely, but it has been a crazy week.
On Sunday we got to enjoy the beautiful fall weather in Sacramento while walking around midtown eating and drinking at all of the hot bars and eateries. The Big Nosh benefited multiple local charities including the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region. It was a great event. Our team, Sacramento 365, made stops at 21 different locations. Some of our favorites included the pear and gorgonzola pizza at Paesano’s; the sangria at Celestin’s; and the Guinness floats at Butch N’ Nellie’s. Thanks to @Sacramento365 @brittanymohr and @lizconant for the fun afternoon! Check out the slideshow that the Sac Foodies girls put together of all the photos we took to document our crawl.
I would definitely recommend keeping your eye out for a dining crawl in your town. It’s a great way to taste the fare of a lot of places at once. Then go home and decide which ones you want to go back to!
A legacy is priceless. You can’t put a price on paving the way for generations of women and public relations professionals in the Sacramento region. Jean’s charisma, passion, sense of humor and friendship will be missed by many, including me.
Share your Jean Runyon story at http://rememberingjean.wordpress.com/
It is always a goal of mine to find the best food in any city that I visit, and of course I am further satisfied when the food is reasonably priced or cheap. Ever since my European backpacking adventure in 2004 I have trusted and relied on Frommer’s for travel advice; from how to get to a city, to hotels, to food, to the must-see sites, I know I can trust Frommer’s. This is how I found El Repollo Rojo, described in my handy Frommer’s as a place that “will reward you with exceptional traditional Mexican cuisine and a whimsical crash course in contemporary culture.” How could one resist? The decision was further cemented when we found out some friends had been and that the experience was very satisfying to the palate.
After navigating the cobblestone streets of Vallarta in the rain (and after a few rounds of drinks at a local bar), we arrived at El Repollo Rojo, also known as the Red Cabbage Cafe. The colorful decor of the restaurant was inviting and made us feel like we were in someone’s eat-in kitchen rather than a restaurant. We felt even more comfortable when Lola, owner and chef (pictured above), came over to our table and introduced herself. After a short chat, we found out that she had no accent because she lived in L.A. for many years and we also got her opinion on the local economy and immigration to the U.S. It made us feel right at home.
We decided to try out the special menu, which was a four course meal duplicating what Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera would prepare for their guests on a holiday. The first course was a peanut soup that tasted exactly like, well, peanuts. It wasn’t too hot and the flavor was mild, making it perfect for the hot, humid evening. The second course was one of the house specialties: Chiles en Nogada, which are poblano chiles stuffed with ground beef, pine nuts and raisins, topped with cream sauce and served cold. The flavor was rich and the cool tempature of the dish was refreshing. For the main course we had the most delicious Mole Poblano served over chicken and rice. If I could, I would have gotten a to go bowl of the mole! The fourth and final course was a traditional flan, cooked perfectly, but after the first 3 courses we could hardly handle a few bites. Included with this special menu was a special cocktail and a glass of wine. The four courses and 2 drinks cost us $20 per person. It was a cheap feast. I would recommend it to anyone heading to Puerto Vallarta.
As I explained in the post Fear of the Unknown, I had never tried Priceline until recently. Please don’t question my ability to get a good deal because of this. I just always found my deals in other ways. Either way, let me tell you, Priceline delivers! We booked The Roosevelt Hotel in midtown and were completely satisfied with the selection that Priceline made for us.
The location of the Roosevelt couldn’t have been more perfect. We were just two blocks away from Grand Central, which meant no taxi required for our luggage upon arrival or departure. Not to mention that we could catch almost every subway line from right there! One block from Fifth Avenue shopping, 2 blocks from Rockefeller Center, and 5 blocks from Times Square. A truly ideal location for any NYC tourist.
The hotel itself was beautiful! It was like stepping into old New York. The history of the hotel was evident in the architecture, artwork and furniture. The room itself was small, but after talking to our other friends who were in town, all of the hotel rooms in Manhattan are pretty small. Most importantly, the bed was very comfortable. It was perfect for midday naps and sleeping until noon after many late nights out! I would definitely stay again.
Use betterbidding.com and Priceline for your next trip!
Do you need some culture in your life? Maybe some art or antique cars, or even animals? You have a couple of opportunities available to you in the coming weeks (and months) to have a cultural experience. On Saturday, September 26 check out a local museum for FREE by taking part in the annual Smithsonian Museum Day. Museums across the United States open their doors so you can check out all of their treasures for free! Click here to find out what museums in your area are participating. Whether you want to check out something new or go back to one of your old favorites, all you need to do is download your museum pass which is good for admission for you and a guest at a participating location.
Already have plans this weekend? Don’t worry, I have another way for you to check out museums. If you are a Bank of America member, you have three more opportunities in 2009 to check out some museums for free. The Museums on Us promotion allows you free admission into select museums simply by presenting your Bank of America card. If you are a cardholder, click here to find a museum near you. It also looks like this promotion may continue into 2010.
If you aren’t a Bank of America cardholder, then you better get to a museum THIS Saturday during Smithsonian Museum Day!
Have you ever gotten a gift card for a place that you don’t like? I’m sure you have. And I have to admit, I have definitely received more than a few that I was not too excited about. Often, I find myself saving them for someone else’s birthday or Christmas time so I can either re-gift or go buy a gift. That doesn’t seem fair, does it? Someone bought that for ME. They wanted ME to enjoy it. They wanted ME to buy myself something. Thank goodness someone told me about Plastic Jungle.
Plastic Jungle makes it easy to get just what you want! This fabulous site allows you to buy, sell or trade your unwanted gift cards. It’s simple to sign up for an account, and just as simple to post your unwanted gift cards for trade, make a wish list for cards you want or cash-in your gift cards for 85% of its value. I have cashed in one and traded for a couple. You MUST try it!
If you don’t have anything to trade right now, you should try buying gift cards for places you frequent or as gifts for others. Cards for all of your favorite places are listed at up to 40% off of their face value. Translation/example: If you shop a lot at Home Depot, save yourself a few bucks by purchasing a gift card with a value of $50 for $47.25. Every little bit helps!
Most may be surprised to read that I have always had a fear of Priceline. Not sure why. Maybe it’s the fact that I had never tried it. Or maybe, it is that when I am planning for a trip I do so much research that I always know exactly where I want to stay. In my preparations for an upcoming whirlwind vacation to New York and Puerto Vallarta saving money has been the highest priority, so I figured it was time to give Priceline a try.
Luckily, about a month ago my brother told me about a site to help ease the fear of booking through Priceline: BetterBidding.com. Whether you are an expert at booking on Priceline or if you have never done it before, Better Bidding will help you get the best deal. The site functions as a forum where people post their winning bids for various destinations. When you are ready to book a trip you create a login for the site and search for the city and dates of your trip. Better Bidding then shows you the various hotels and rates that have been purchased on both Priceline and Hotwire for your travel dates. Use these prices to bid on your next hotel stay. It worked for me.
After watching all my favorite travel sites for New York City hotel deals for the past couple of months, I was getting frustrated that the hotels I wanted to stay in were between $250 and $350 a night. The bargain hunter in me was not satisfied. I knew it was time to try Priceline. After doing some research on Better Bidding, I found that people were booking rooms at 3 star+ hotels for our travel dates in between $120 and $200. I didn’t know what we would end up with, but with the trip only 3 weeks away and the rooms booking up fast, it was time to negotiate. On Priceline you pick your dates, the desired area of NYC, and the star rating of the hotel. You then provide your credit card number and of course, enter your bid!
The result: $130 a night at the Roosevelt Hotel. Perfect location, with all the amenities. Just what we needed. Cue music: Priceline Negotiator!
If and when you book, pay it forward by posting your deal on BetterBidding.com. I did. Thanks CPTII.
