My favorite brother lives in Seattle and we love to visit him and his lady friend up there. It’s a beautiful, clean city and I swear that the sun is shining almost every time we go, no matter the time of year.

While we are fortunate to have a free place to stay, we wanted this visit to feel more like a vacation so we opted to stay in a hotel. But even though we wanted to enjoy the benefits of having someone clean our room and bathroom every day, we didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it.

My brother, knowing me so well, told me about a deal at Hotel Max. This super hip, artsy, music-focused, centrally located hotel offers a 15% discount and complimentary WiFi to its Twitter followers. I love social media. Amazing. After doing some price comparisons with other options, we booked it.

Not only did we get an amazing rate at a great hotel, I also started following the hotel on Twitter and Facebook to find out what was going on in Seattle during our stay. Thanks to the hotels social media channels I found out about Seattle Beer Week, the Zoo, a must-see exhibit at Seattle Art Museum, and some Seattle fun facts. Again, I love social media.

Upon arriving, we were not disappointed. The boutique hotel was unique, hip and the beds were super comfortable. And to my delight, they had a Foursquare special! Fingers crossed that I win a free night’s stay so I can visit my brother again soon.

Have you gotten any good travel deals lately? Please share!

Since my last post on grocery shopping was so popular, thought I would share another way I have been saving money on groceries lately. And yes, this is about saving at Safeway, again, but I’m sure some other big grocery chains offer something similar to Just for U.

Not sure if it’s my current obsession with the show Extreme Couponing or my constant need to get things for the best price, but I finally started paying to attention to all of the Just for U coupon emails I’ve been receiving (and trust me, there are a lot of emails) from Safeway. To my surprise, I saw coupons for things I buy regularly. And those coupons gave me an additional discount on top of items that are already on sale. (I sound exactly like an extreme couponer, right?)

To save, all you have to is click-through one of those many emails Safeway sends or go to the Just for U website to see a list of new coupons. Once you have linked your Just for U account to your Safeway club card, the discounts are added to your club card. No physical coupons needed. The first time I used Just for U, I saved 4% on my grocery bill.  That my not seem like much, but when you add that to the 16% savings from the regular club card discounts, that adds up to 20% off my total grocery bill for the week. Totally worth the 2 minutes it took to peruse the online coupons for the week.

Still trying to get used to the fact that they track my every purchase, and therefore know when I’m attempting to eat healthy again, and then when I fail and stock up on ice cream and cheez-its. But we live in a modern world, where the more a brand knows about us, the more benefits we receive from that brand.

And after all, I like to get these extra discounts so I can afford to shop at Whole Foods every couple of weeks instead. It’s worth the sacrifice. And I don’t even have to become an Extreme Couponer.

Looking for something to do this weekend in San Francisco? Check out FunCheapSF for things that are fun, cheap and in SF. Better yet, sign up for the weekly email updates to get a calendar of cheap or free events sent right to your inbox. The site also offers giveaways for the events with a more pricey admission fee.

Thanks to FunCheapSF, I’ve got some fun plans for the weekend. Saturday, we’ll be checking out the Treasure Island Flea and getting in for free with this coupon. On Sunday, we’ll be heading over to Market Street to take part in the finale of the month-long pride celebration, to watch the Pride Parade. The sun will be shining and we will be outside to soak it all in. Can’t wait!

It’s Friday. Be frugal.

Original price $70. Actual price at Jeremy’s $8.

Everyone knows I like a good deal, but there are a few things in life that are worth spending money on. Those things are the three B’s: boots, bras and bags. Don’t think I should even have to explain why these things are worth splurging on, but  today I want to discuss bags.

You use it every day, you take it everywhere you go, and if you are like me, you carry your life in it. Why wouldn’t you want something that is sturdy and stylish? A few months back, I treated myself to this beauty, my first new bag in more than 2 years. My Paul & Joe Sister satchel in taupe can fit my lunch, laptop and my makeup bag. It’s soft and has lots of pockets for my phone, earphones, hand sanitizer, gum and anything else I decide to throw in there.

Isn’t she a beauty? I’m in love.

A bag like this comes at a pretty hefty price, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay full price. Thanks to Gilt Groupe I got my new friend for more than 63% off of the original price. Amazing, right?

Get your own bag at a great price by joining Gilt Groupe. Click here for an invite and start keeping an eye out for your new friend today.

Coral is THE color of summer. Unfortunately, it’s hard to buy a new wardrobe to keep up with all the latest colors and trends. So instead of buying that coral Marc Jacobs bag, try updating your wardrobe with some more cost-effective options that are easy to part with next season when you need to buy things in bamboo and deep teal.

Pictured above are some of the affordable pieces I am using to keep up with the Olivia Palermo’s of the world. Here’s the breakdown:

Women’s polo: Old Navy, $8.50
Women’s tee: H&M, $9.95
Beaded necklace: Alameda Antique Faire, $5
Skinny belt: Old Navy, $9.37
Snakeskin bracelet: H&M, $3.95
Flower earrings: Forever 21, $2.95

It’s Friday. Be frugal.

Pictured above is my borrowed handbag from Bag Borrow or Steal (AKA Avelle). You read that correctly, I borrowed this $400 Cole Haan bag for a month from a website! I perused through tons of options, selected the one I wanted to borrow and she arrived in the mail all wrapped up and pretty.  Queue music.

I could hardly believe it myself when I heard about this site/service almost two years ago, but I am so glad I finally got around to trying out. She is a beautiful bag and I have thoroughly enjoyed our past few days together and am excited that we still have 3 weeks (or maybe longer) left to bond.

Of course you are wondering: “What did it cost?” So I’ll tell you… a whopping $45.

Now this may either sound like a lot, or a little. If you do not have a love for designer handbags, you should probably stop reading here. But for those of you who take pleasure in all-things high fashion, here are the details:

Rent by the week or the month. You choose how long. And if you get a bag that you really love, just let them know that you want to spend a little more time with your handheld friend.

Become a member or don’t. But if you do, rental rates are cheaper. I went for the 3 month trial for $20, which also comes with a $20 credit on rentals. This way, I can try it out for a bit and see if I want to make this a regular thing. Details on the optional membership feature can be found here.

You like it so much you want to keep it? No problem, that’s where the “steal” comes in. The money you have spent towards the rental of the bag is applied to the total price of the bag, which is often discounted through the site too. A total steal.

Any other questions? I’m sure you can find the answer in the FAQ.

The site also offers other great benefits, including: clean and repair of your own handbags and private mega sales on handbags that are too good to just rent.

Are you convinced yet? Use this link to sign up, and I’ll get credit once you make your first rental.

Happy borrowing, and if necessary, stealing!

I am aware that groceries are expensive. I am also VERY aware that eating healthy and responsibly is expensive, but we have to do it, right? Right. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who cringes when they get to the checkout stand and the total pops up. (“How did that one bag of groceries cost that much?!?!”) But as we all know, stocking up on groceries is much more budget conscious than eating out for every meal. Here are my tips for saving money on groceries:

Make a list! As a master of list-making, this is an easy one for me, but I recognize this is not an easy one for all. But trust me, making a list is totally worth it. You’ll get everything you need without forgetting that one very important ingredient. You will buy what’s on your list, and ONLY what’s on your list, avoiding that bag of chips or ice cream that’s on a 2-for-1 special. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to pull together a list, so slow down and make the time to write it down.

Do one big shopping trip per week. That’s right, ONCE a week. A recent survey found that shoppers who made “quick trips” to the store purchased an average of 54 percent more merchandise than they planned. Oops. By going once a week, you’ll have everything you need and you’ll find that not only will you be saving money, but you will also be saving yourself a lot of time.

Use the self checkout. If you find yourself having to make a quick trip to the store because you forgot something on your once-a-week jaunt to the store (maybe because you forgot to make a list), use the self check out. When you have to ring yourself up and put back a few of the extra things that you didn’t really need, you’ll be saving money and your waistline.

Find a local farmer’s market. Produce at a farmer’s market is local, seasonal and usually cheaper (and of better quality) then what you will find in the grocery store. And you also get the good feelings of enjoying an early morning walk around the market and supporting your local farmers. If you don’t know of a local market, do a quick Google search or download the Locavore app on your iPhone  (if you didn’t already do it after reading this post).

Get your groceries delivered. That’s what I do. Safeway delivery helps me to avoid impulse purchases and also saves me the time of going to the grocery store myself. Time is money, don’t you know?

Eat before you shop. This one is a no-brainer. We all know that when we go to the store when our tummies are growling we buy all kinds of crap that we hadn’t intended on purchasing. Do yourself a favor and have a snack or a meal before heading  to the grocery store.

I promise that following at least one of these tips will help you save money on your next grocery trip.

Are there any other tips that I missed? Please share!

Are you hitting the mall this weekend? Get 30% off at GAP by bringing in donations of gently used clothing to participating stores. As part of the Let It Go event, GAP will donate the items to a local Goodwill.

The discount is valid through Sunday, May 29 for all regularly priced and sale items, and your donations will be put to good use–helping people in your community get back to work!

It’s Friday. Be frugal.

Free order of tots at Bub’s in San Diego when you check in on Foursquare