The Frugal Bostonian

I have an old timex watch that I got at a yard sale.  I wear it mostly because I am used to having it on my wrist, and occassionally I do need to know the time.  A few months ago, the indiglo feature stopped working.  A few weeks ago it started slowing down.  I finally decided to get it fixed.  I paid $10 and spent five minutes in the “Watch Hospital” at Downtown Crossing.  It was well worth it.  I could not have replaced the watch for less, and it should go for a few more years.  Although I spent $10, I consider this frugal because I kept an old item working, and I like this watch better than alot of the newer watches.  I personally won’t spend alot on a watch, and not that many have the features I like (second hand, no roman numerals), so keeping this one in working order made sense.

I saw a posting in the Metro newspaper looking for people to participate in a smoking study, they needed smokers and nonsmokers.  I called a few weeks ago, and they needed did not need any more nonmokers.   But, I got an email a few weeks later, and I called and made arrangements to participate.

• I spent one hour in a hospital setting.
• I did a few medical tests.
• I got a $50 cash voucher.
• I went to a cashiers office on another floor of the building to cash the voucher and get a $50 bill.

This was worth it for me.  But, if you sign up for one of these, you will probably be on the phone with a scheduler.  Ask about the specifics of what they are going to do.  I was fine with the specific tests, some people would not be, find out ahead of time before you waste any time.

I wandered into Macy’s yesterday and found myself in the midst of a one-day-sale.  Hordes of people were tearing into racks of sale merchandise.  I found one item that I wanted.  Unfortunately, I had not had a chance to tear up a Metro or other paper that usually have percent off coupons to the sales.

When I got to the register, I asked the cashier if they had any coupons for the sale.  She cheerfully scanned one in as she said “we’ll see what happens.”  It took 20% off.  Had I not asked, I would not have gotten a discount.  The sales folks cannot always do this, so don’t get mad if they can’t do it for you, but if you forgot your coupon it is always worth asking. 

When I joined a gym five months ago, one of the things I factored in was the reimbursement my health insurance offered for being a member for four months.  I hit the four month mark and decided it was time to file for the rebate.  I just got the check today, for $150.  Here’s what I did:

• Went to Human Resources at work and got the form that went with my health insurance provider (the provider is one of the biggies, and I was not sure which online form was for me).  I got the form.
• Went to the health club and requested a copy of my membership information for insurance (I didn’t really know what I wanted, but when I said it was for health insurance, they seemed to know).   The health club printed out an itemization of how many months I had belonged and what I had been charged.
• Copied the credit card receipts showing payments made to the health club.  Then I highlighted the payments and used a black marker to redact everything not relevant, such as the full account number, other charges, balance, etc.
• I copied all of this stuff and mailed it to the health insurance company.

Less than two weeks later, the check arrived in the mail.  I am going to use some of it to buy a pair of sneakers and some workout gear (I’ve lost some weight, so this is needed).

I was perusing boston craigslist (beauty section) and found that free manicures with trainees are again available!  I did this a few months ago (I got a pedicure too).  It was terrific.

If you want a manicure, consider calling these folks to see if they have a slot for you.  The service is free, but please leave a tip (I am not sure if the technician is actually getting paid or if this is part of the training program).  I’m not linking to the craigslist post because I don’t know how long it will be live, but I have seen this free service several times.  Unfortunately, scheduling won’t permit me to get a free manicure this time, but I am hoping to get one soon.

Another bonus for the salon: I really liked it, and have recommended it to people who pay for these services.

This past weekend I participated in a focus group I found on craigslist, I’ve written about focus groups before.  I was paid $75 in cash for about 2 hours.  I was selected because I fit into whatever demographic they wanted, and it was a fairly fun discussion with ten people, mostly about candles.  One of the fun things is that because nobody has met previously, there are alot of different viewpoints and people are not afraid to share them.

Here’s how to do this:

• Find a focus group (look on craigslist) or sign up with focus group companies (do not pay for this, anyone that charges you is probably a scam.
• Alot of this is done via email.  If the company has a web site, check it out.
• Only attend focus groups in reputable places.  This one was in an office park, there were already several participants present when i arrived.  I would not go to someone’s home, and I would leave if it seemed weird.
• Participate, but don’t dominate the conversation.  Someone dominated the conversation at this last group and it was annoying.  For example, it was clear that this participant liked to shop at high-end rather than discount stores.  Every time an item was mentioned, she talked about how it was/was not available at certain high end shop.  It was total overkill, and made me wonder why someone so particular about shopping at high end places was participating in a focus group (most people want the money).

I finally got to attend a free summer movies at the Prudential Center. These are family movies that start at sunset in the outside courtyard (weather permitting, they cancel if the weather is bad).  Last night’s movie was Wall E.

This is a good place to see a movie, somewhat reminiscent of a drive-in. People bring their kids and sit on the lawn (mostly blankets, not many chairs on the lawn as it would block the view).  This is sponsored by a radio station and a few companies.  At 6 p.m. the DJ started entertainment for kids.  Some dancing and general fun.  The other sponsors appeared to be holding coloring contests.

There are real benches and chairs which can be used to watch the movie. It looks like the chairs and tables are from the food court, and can be moved around.  The benches actually faced the screen (which was a temporary set-up, but large and well-done).  The sound system was good, and there’s plenty of space to sit (I stayed on the paved part, the view was fine, it looked a bit tighter on the lawn).

I liked this a bit better than the Hatch Shell because it was less crowded, it was easier to get a good view, and it was not necessary to bring my own chair (if you really need a chair, I’d consider bringing my own, as the Prudential Mall might bring them in due to weather, etc., and not get them out in time for the movie).  The sound system was better.  Maybe because it is in an enclosed courtyard, there were no issues of peculiar people wandering around (all sorts of people frequent the Hatch Shell).

You can get food at the food court, or bring your own stuff. There’s a huge Shaw’s supermarket just across the way, so there’s no need to lug things from afar. If I go again, I might get something at the food court.

Next week is the Little Mermaid, Cars is the following (and last) week.

My magazine subscription was running out.  It’s much cheaper to get a subscription, the per issue cost of this magazine is around $4.95 at newstands, but only $1.25 via subscription.  But I got another year for free from mycokerewards.com. Its from the condenast collection of magazines.

It required around 210 points.  You get points for collecting the caps to coke products (3 points per cap) and the box flaps from 12 packs (10 points).  You type the codes into you online account, and when you get enough, you sign up for a reward.  Everything is done on the website.  That’s how I got this magazine.  Just as easy as getting a regular subscription, and since the year long subscription is now $15, this was well worth it.

I don’t really drink that much soda, but i collect caps from recycling centers, and friends give me theirs.  I have also gotten several movie passes and a coupon for $10 at TGIF.  I’m going to keep collecting as long as this promotion is ongoing.

Restaurant Week is here! The program originally started to build restaurant business in the historically slow month of August.  To sum it up,  moderate and high end restaurants offer prix fixe menus for these two weeks in August.   While its not inexpensive per se, you can eat in a fancy place for $33.09 for dinner, much less than usual for some of these  places.  You’ll need to pay tax and tip, so if you don’t get a drink or get anything not on the special menu, $40 will about cover your dinner.  Not all participating restaurants offer this promotion with every meal, so check before you book.

The unofficial web site is: http://www.restaurantweekboston.com. You’ll find menus and participating restaurants here.  The official site is: http://www.bostonusa.com/visit/restaurantweek. 

Compare menus online, pick a place to eat, make a reservation, and enjoy.  Get the most out of this by going to the 4-star places, the really unaffordable places that you would not ordinarily even consider.  Most restaurants have two or three choices in the prix fixe menu, and usually have a non-meat /vegetarian option.

If you go, there will undoubtedly be diners who are not partaking of restaurant week, and you’ll probably be able to order off the regular menu.  Most likely you can’t use coupons or other discounts on the restaurant week items.   Be careful about ordering bar items, most mixed drinks will cost more than $10.  If some folks drink and others do not, consider running a separate drink tab and those partaking can figure it out (I’ve had the misfortune of dining with folks who did not realize the cost of beverages, and wanted to “split the bill” after they’d tossed back $35 of liquor along with their meal, when no one else was drinking).

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Restaurant Week Boston® is brought to you by the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and American Express twice a year in March and August.  March ‘09 set a record with 227 restaurants participating in the program.  Many restaurants opted to include Saturday night and also extended their prix fixe menus beyond the official two weeks.

This coming August Restaurant Week Boston® will be offered from Sunday, August 9 through Friday, August 14 and Sunday, August 16 - Friday, August 21, 2009. Diners will enjoy 2-course lunches for $15.09,  3-course lunches for $20.09 and/or dinners for $33.09 at restaurants throughout Boston, Cambridge, the suburbs and beyond.

Price is per person and excludes beverage, tax and gratuity. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion.

Restaurant Week Boston® is a perfect time to sample new restaurants and visit old favorites as chefs prepare delectible 3 course meals for your dining pleasure.

With over 200 restaurants participating this summer, you are sure to find a new favorite.

EAT OUT…..EAT OUT OFTEN!