Cheap Date Night: Griffith Observatory

View...looked cooler in person.

The other night BF and I were bored with our usual hangout spots and decided to venture into LA for an event. Our initial plan didn't pan out as we had hoped, but we not only salvaged the night, we ended up with a fun and frugal date night!

First, we stopped by Taco Bell, because only the most gourmet delicacies can please our palates. Then, we drove up to Griffith Observatory, which is completely free, parking included. We missed sunset, but sat on the patio and ate our food, enjoying the views of the city.

Then, we walked around looking at the exhibits in the Observatory. We saw how much we would weigh on different planets, looked at a piece of moon rock, and learned other sciencey things. Also, I posed with this statue of Einstein.

Einstein and I are both pretty gangsta'

We had a great night together, did something different, and only spent money on a fast food meal. It satisified our craving for something different, a date night, and for Taco Bell. Man, that burrito hit the spot.


Do you have any fun, cheap date ideas to share?

Dealing with Soaring Gas Prices

Rather than write a post about how ridiculous gas prices are and how expensive it is to fill up and blah blah blah, I am going to be constructive and write a post on how to deal with rising gas prices. Here are some tips to save on your gas expenses:

*Drive less: I know, I'm a genius. But really, rising gas prices have made more more committed to carpooling to work, combining errands into one trip, riding my bike where I can, and taking the Metro whenever possible. BF and I have already used the Metro to go to two Dodger games. We each pay $6 for a day pass, which is cheaper than combined gas, plus we don't fight traffic or deal with parking. I've gotten down to two tanks of gas per month, which is still more than I'd like to use, but it's still an improvement.

*Find the cheapest gas: I use http://gasbuddy.com to search for the cheapest gas in my area. Obviously it's not worth it to drive far out of the way for a few cents, but I live in a big city where gas prices can differ greatly in just a few blocks. This site helps save money, though be aware that some of the stations charge fees to use your debit card. Which brings me to my next piece of advice...

*Avoid Fees: This is a new rule for myself, that I copied from BF. Last night he commented, "I don't pay fees for gas. I'd rather buy a soda or something to get cash back, that way I at least get something for it." I'm going to try to improve on that by remembering to get cash back when I grocery shop to use as gas money. And yes, if worse comes to worse, buying a candy bar so I can get cash back seems better than giving that 50 cents to the gas station.

*No Running on Empty: I tend to wait until my gas light comes on to get gas, and even then sometimes push the limits. The problem with that is by the time I get gas I'm desperate and can't wait to go the cheapest location. So, today I got $20 in cash at the grocery store and I'm going to put some gas into my tank, even though I've still got a quarter tank left.

*Get Better Mileage: I could be better about this one, but drive the speed limit, don't carry extra weight in your car, and limit use of the air conditioner whenever possible.

Any tips I'm missing? How are you dealing with the increase in gas prices?

Good Karma for Being Honest

Last night I went to the Cal Stat Long Beach men's volleyball game. My cousin Karen does marketing at the games, so my aunt, mom and I decided to go and watch a game and watch her to her thing. I paid $5 to park, and then walked up to the door. I asked about buying a ticket and the girl looked at me and said, "Well, are you a student?" I hesitated before saying no. Students may have been free and definitely got a discount. But, I couldn't lie about it (even if I was stoked that I can still pass for a college student!). I went to the ticket window and paid $8 for my ticket.

I went in a different door, and as I was walking in the guy stopped me and said, "Do you live in the area?" I told him yes and he handed me five coupons for free tacos at Wahoo's. YES! Then, after the game my cousin Karen told me you can take your ticket to a table where they'll give you a coupon for a free In & Out burger, so I did that too. Score!

So, even though I spent $8 for my ticket, I probably earned back more than $8 in coupons. And I was honest. And I got to enjoy a Volleyball game, where Long Beach won. And that, my friends, is Karma.

Spring Break

Yes, indeed I did make it to Spring Break! This also means I finished and mailed National Boards. My yearbook deadline is the week I get back, so I need to do some work on that this week. Honestly, I am most looking forward to sleeping in, but I have some other fun planned as well. And some errands. And some money-making opportunities. Here's a list:

The Tasks:
-Go to DMV to pay address change ticket and inquire about registration
-Shop for BF's birthday present
-Drop off at Goodwill
-Finish organizing files (done! Did this today, finally!)
-Plan/shop for/cook Easter meal
-Go to the gym at least twice
-Work on yearbook pages
-Create resume and email to principal at new school

The Fun:
-Use stand-up paddle surfing Groupon (Free! I used a coupon to buy it, so this one really is a freebie.)
-Dodger day game on Thursday with group of friends. It's half-off food and drinks, so I might actually get a beer at the game for once.
-Lunch and beach walk with Becca
-Bike ride
-Lunch with old roomie

The Money-Makers:
-Take in recycling
-Post office to mail sold items on Ebay and Amazon

Coasting on Swagbucks

A while back I decided to switch from getting Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks to saving for a bigger goal. The plan was to get a $50 Southwest gift card to use toward a trip at some point. That gift card costs 5,700 "bucks." Last week I made it to that goal (in about four months), and I currently have 5,818.

I could buy a Southwest gift card now and keep it in my account until I want to use it...maybe when I've saved enough to get another one, or just to get a discount on a flight. But, I can also think of some other options. For example, if worst-case scenario happens and I get laid off, I might want to use it for Amazon or Target, where I can buy some necessities. Or, I think about really committing to saving them up and going for the $300 Apple gift card (which costs 37,000) so that I can get a sweet discount when I buy my next laptop. I estimate that one would take about three years of saving Swagbucks...don't know if I'm that patient.

I'm leaning toward holding onto them and seeing what happens. If I need to use it for necessities I can, or I can buy a few Southwest gift cards at once, and hopefully get a whole flight paid for. I do think that not having a short-term goal (like I did with Amazon gift cards) has made me a little more relaxed about earning Swagbucks. I still do my searches and remember to do the daily polls and other freebies most days, but I'm not a code-hunter like I used to be.


Do you do Swagbucks? What are you saving for?

Get to Giving-April, Part 1

This month I allocated my $100 of charitable giving to kids at the school where I teach. I had two opportunities to give at my school and I'm quite happy with both of my choices.

First, our AVID program went on a trip to UC Berkeley. AVID stands for Advancement via Individual Determination. It's a program to help kids who might not otherwise go to college get prepared for that goal. These aren't the honors students or the kids at the bottom; they are the kids in the middle who often get overlooked. Most of them would be the first person in their family to go to college. This is a great program, that teaches kids how to work hard and smart so they can have a better future. They go on lots of trips to local colleges, but this year the 8th grade teacher organized a trip to UC Berkeley for the kids. They went overnight, got to tour the school, go to a museum and stay in a hotel overnight. The kids did a lot of fundraising, but they were still short funds. The teacher sent out an email, saying that they still needed more donations; $82 would cover the cost to send one kid on the trip. I picked a kid that had been in my class a few years ago and sent a check down on her behalf.

The next day she ran into my room at nutrition with a huge smile on her face. She thanked me profusely and talked about how excited she was for the trip. It felt good to actually help someone I know with my money. I think this trip was a great opportunity for the kids, and hopefully it was another step in their college dreams!

I'll do a separate post on what I did with the other $20 of my giving money for April. It was for another kid I know, which made it even more meaningful!

Hunting for Bargains at the Swap Meet

This weekend my friend and I went to the Swap Meet together. She goes pretty often with her mom, and I've been wanting to check it out. We paid our admission of 75 cents and then perused the aisles of...mostly junk. Well, actually there was a lot of good stuff, I just wasn't in the market for housewares or clothes. But, I did spend $6 on the following grocery items. I got toothpaste, Propel lemonade packets, an eyeliner, and a sulfate-free conditioner. I calculate that these items would have cost about $13 at the regular store, so I definitely got a good deal.

I think the Swap Meet could be a good way to get some deals, though I definitely did pass up some more impulsive buys there. Anyone else been to the Swap Meet? Was it worth your time?