The Frugal Bostonian

The Prudential Center is offering free movies in the courtyard on Saturdays, starting at 6 pm (they have a DJ for kids to dance around).  You can get snacks in the food court or grab something at the nearby Shaw’s supermarket if you don’t haul your own food in.  Sometimes its possible to find a place to sit on the chairs that are in the courtyard (these seem to be part of the food court, or out there for food court patrons to sit at while they eat).

The screen is a gigantic inflatable deal, and this is a fun place to see a movie.

Saturday, July 17

Monsters vs. Aliens

Saturday, July 24

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Saturday, July 31

Shrek

Saturday, August 7

Kung Fu Panda

Saturday, August 14

Planet 51

Saturday, August 21

UP

Not to be outdone by the Hatch Shell, the Boston Harbor Hotel also has free movies outdoors on Fridays.  I haven’t been to this in years, I remember it as being a bit more upscale.  You might need to order something to get a seat (I plan to check it out and confirm).  Here’s the schedule:

July, 2011

Friday, July 1, Sunset
“Double Indemnity”

Friday, July 8, Sunset

“Places in the Heart”

Friday, July 15, Sunset

“Pink Panther”

Friday, July 22, Sunset
“Watch on the Rhine”

Friday, July 29, Sunset
“Back to the Future”

August, 2011

Friday, August 5, Sunset
“DeLovely”

Friday, August 12, Sunset
“Same Time Next Year”

Friday, August 19, Sunset
“An Affair to Remember”

Friday, August 26, Sunset
“Annie”

September, 2011

Friday, September 2, Sunset
“Raiders of the Lost Ark”

The Highland Street Foundation (highlandstreet.org) sponsors free admission to a variety of museums and cultural attractions on Fridays in July and August.  No tickets are necessary, just show up (but don’t be surprised if its crowded, a lot of people like the free admission).

The formatting messed up as I tried to paste it in, click on the link to get to the schedule.

http://www.highlandstreet.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79

	MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS 465 Huntington Ave – Boston BUTTONWOOD PARK ZOO 425 Hawthorn Street – New Bedford EDWARD GOREY HOUSE 8 Strawberry Lane – Yarmouth Port HERITAGE MUSEUMS & GARDENS 67 Grove Street - Sandwich	BOSTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 308 Congress St – Boston AMERICAN TEXTILE HISTORY MUSEUM 491 Dutton Street - Lowell NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM 18 Johnny Cake Hill – New Bedford *SHAKESPEARE ON THE COMMON Boston Common - Boston
	PLIMOTH PLANTATION 137 Warren Ave – Plymouth WORCESTER ART MUSEUM 55 Salisbury St. – Worcester CAPE COD MUSEUM OF ART 60 Hope Lane - Dennis NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY 99 Newbury Street - Boston	INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART 101 Northern Ave - Boston CAPE COD CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 577 Great Neck Road South - Mashpee SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS 21 Edwards Street - Springfield CONCORD MUSEUM 53 Cambridge Turnpike - Concord
	MUSEUM OF SCIENCE 1 Science Park - Boston HIGGINS ARMORY MUSEUM 100 Barber Avenue #11 - Worcester THE DISCOVERY MUSEUMS 177 Main Street - Acton GARDEN IN THE WOODS 180 Hemenway Road - Framingham	JFK LIBRARY & MUSEUM Columbia Point - Boston ARNOLD ARBORETUM 125 Arborway - Jamaica Plain *TANGLEWOOD (BSO) 297 West Street - Lenox STONE ZOO 149 Pond Street - Stoneham
	FRANKLIN PARK ZOO 1 Franklin Park Rd - Dorchester THE SPORTS MUSEUM TD Garden - 100 Legends Way - Boston NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM 9 Route 183 - Stockbridge PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM 161 Essex Street - Salem	*BOSTON HARBOR ISLANDS Free ferry transportation to the islands 408 Atlantic Ave - Boston CHILDREN’S MUSEUM IN EASTON 9 Sullivan Avenue - Easton USS CONSTITUTION MUSEUM 22 Charlestown Navy Yard - Charlestown BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME 1000 West Columbus Avenue - Springfield
OLD STURBRIDGE VILLAGE 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road - Sturbridge *NEW REPERTORY THEATRE 321 Arsenal Street - Watertown BERKSHIRE MUSEUM 39 South Street - Pittsfield ECOTARIUM 222 Harrington Way - Worcester

Click here to download and print the 2011 Free Fun Fridays Calendar

*Free Fun Fridays 2011 Special Instructions

Shakespeare on the Common (July 29, 2011)

This is an open-air, evening (8 pm) performance on the Boston Common, with no seating structure.  This year the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company presents the comedy All’s Well That Ends Well—Shakespeare’s globe-trotting adventure story of how far one woman will go to win the heart of her beloved.

Tanglewood (August 12, 2011)

This is an open-air evening performance on the Tanglewood grounds (located in Berkshire County of western Massachusetts, just a short drive from the Massachusetts State Turnpike).  All lawn tickets are free (14,000 capacity).  A prelude concert starts at 6 pm, followed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 8:30 pm.

Boston Harbor Islands (August 19, 2011)

This is a free ferry ride to either (or both) of the two most popular Boston Harbor Islands – Georges Island (with historic Fort Warren and ranger-guided tours) and Spectacle Island (with a life-guard supervised beach and 5 miles of hiking trails).

Free tickets for the Harbor Islands Express Ferry will be distributed first come, first served at Long Wharf-North in downtown Boston (near the Aquarium subway station), with lines forming at 6:30 am.  The ferry leaves every 30 minutes starting at 8:30 am, with a 3 hour window to return.  Each person in line may pick up a maximum of 4 tickets.  (There will be no special arrangements for groups of more than 4 to be on the same ferry.)  Tickets will be handed out for the earliest ferry, then the next, and so on, until all ferry seats for the day are distributed – last year, all tickets were distributed by 10:30 am.

New Repertory Theater (August 26, 2011)

This is an evening (6 pm) performance of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the Charles Mosesian Theater in the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown.  This venue has a 340-seat capacity – no reservations accepted.

Free Friday flicks at the Hatch Shell are back!

• Bring a chair or blanket.
• Bring bug spray.
• Bring something to eat (food at the concession stand is reasonably priced).
• This is a family friendly event, anyone drinking alcohol openly will likely be kicked out.

The 2011 schedule:

July, 2011

Friday July 15, Sunset (8:19 pm)
“MEGAMIND”

Friday July 22, Sunset (8:14 pm)
“Despicable Me”

Friday July 29, Sunset (8:07 pm)
“How To Train Your Dragon”

August 2011

Friday August 5, Sunset (7:59 pm)
“Tangled”

Friday August 12, Sunset (7:50 pm)
“Toy Story 3″

Friday August 19, Sunset (7:40 pm)
“Rango”

Friday August 26, Sunset (7:29 pm)
“Iron Man 2″

Contact Information & Address:

WBZ Radio - Free Friday Flicks
Storrow Drive & Mugar Way, Boston, MA left off here
617.787.7200
wbz.com

I was driving around when I saw someone standing next to a car with the hood open.  The person was holding jumper cables.  Having frequently been this person, I stopped to see if the person needed a jump start.  That was indeed the problem.  In less than three minutes, the other car started. 

I was happy to help out, many people have helped me when I have had car issues.  Most recently, I was trying to get a new wiper blade on in the dark when it was cold.  I could not see where it attached.  Someone more familiar with installing these things came along and did it in 30 seconds. 

I do know how to jump start a car, so it was clear to me what was required.  For those not familiar with the process, the cables get clipped (red to red, black to black) to both batteries, the “good” car gets turned on and runs for a few minutes, then an attempt is made to start the “dead” car.  Once it starts, the cables are unclipped and the hoods are closed. 

Performing small courtesies like this ultimately saves everyone money; they person needing the jump start didn’t need to call a tow truck, and because someone helped me, I did not need to go to a mechanic to get the wiper blade attached.

I wanted to get my hair trimmed, so I went to the beauty section of craigslist.  I found an advertisement to be a model, traded a few emails, and got my free haircut and style.  This was totally free, but I left a tip.  Other than the few times the instructor stopped by, this is just like being a paying customer.  Wash with nice shampoo, cut, and style.  All for free!

I went to the optometrist today, something I get to do at no cost every two years as part of my insurance.  My prescription has changed.  The “good” news is that I can get a new pair of glasses for $85 (usually these cost me around $300, but the insurance covers most of it).

The optometrist said I could also use reading glasses.  I’m planning to get these at the drugstore to try - no need to pay hundreds of dollars for something I can get for around $10.  I also got them to give me the number for the measurement between my eyes, as I might try to order a pair of prescription sunglasses online (my eyes are very light sensitive, and it’s really painful to be out without sunglasses).

Some folks I know have this same insurance plan and don’t ever get their eyes checked.  The cost effective thing would be to cancel the insurance, or use the benefit.

I used some extra time I got today because of the snow to prepare food for the rest of the week.  I made a vat of soup with a recipe i found on the internet and fired up the breadmaker.  I’ve got food for the week.  I bring my lunch to work most days - costs much less, I get to eat what I want, and don’t spend a big chunk of time going out to get food.  I’ll freeze whatever soup is still around on friday so it will keep.

While I was waiting around for the post office to figure out how to give me a refund for their failure to deliver on time, I spied a piles of envelopes with coupons - these things were marketed to folks who were filling out change of address cards - people who were moving.  I found a 10% off coupon for Lowes (the huge hardware store).  I need to get some paint, so now I’m getting 10% off (while I appreciate the discount, it does not make up for the time I wasted with the post office). 

these coupons are for everyone, take a look if you find yourself waiting around in the post office.