tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79465541388908462752024-02-07T10:41:53.622-08:00Be Thrifty Like UsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946554138890846275.post-19940328542500002722013-04-23T09:07:00.002-07:002013-04-23T18:19:53.780-07:00How To Be Thrifty: We Cut Over 40K From Our Annual Expenses<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Involuntary Simplicity: A Job Loss Meant 40K in Annual Budget Cuts for Us</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When my husband lost his job last year, we had to take a hard look at our budget. With less money but more time, our mission in life became how to actually live better on less money. We started collecting ideas from frugal forums and books from the library, and listed below are the actions we took to cut 40K from our annual budget. Listed below are a few of the big ticket items we eliminated to reduce our spending. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Work Related Costs Eliminated: 13K Savings</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAZ6VEOKRRUv-nGWsZdrW7HEpEIW7VBkKjjfnq0F5OQpjUIGNkP3Zj5myML_0nJVoGX4gWGibrPaNM_2yCPUJmzvP32nrNYfE4WHNEAmJK-7gHcMLmLJAhmED-ahF4BSYb-RsRjlGwQSP/s1600/train-station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Man at train station" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAZ6VEOKRRUv-nGWsZdrW7HEpEIW7VBkKjjfnq0F5OQpjUIGNkP3Zj5myML_0nJVoGX4gWGibrPaNM_2yCPUJmzvP32nrNYfE4WHNEAmJK-7gHcMLmLJAhmED-ahF4BSYb-RsRjlGwQSP/s320/train-station.jpg" title="Man waiting at train station" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not having to take the train to work every day saved $2,400 a year.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With no job, there were no longer any work related costs to pay for out of our own pocket. While my husband was working outside the home, he spent over $13,000 a year just on expenses just to support his job. These included: </span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Train tickets to and from work every day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Daily fast food or restaurant lunches.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Vacation "buys" to get extra vacation days.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Driving costs to and from the train station.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Business casual work clothes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monthly parking at the train station.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dry cleaning pants and having work shirts professionally laundered. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An extra car for work meant saving for a replacement car, registration, maintenance and insurance costs. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We actually made a little extra money the first year by selling his commute car. We aren't down to a one car family because our kids still have cars. We are just a one car less family now.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How much is your job costing you? This is an especially important question for parents to ask if one or both wages aren't particularly high and you are paying for day care. Being at home means having time to do a lot of cost saving activities such as making meals from scratch, price shopping insurance every year, renegotiating your cable bill and many other money saving techniques. Is your job really worth what it is costing you?<br /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Switched to FoodMaxx: 3K Savings</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">FoodMaxx is a local pack it yourself warehouse store. They match all of the local retail stores weekly sales prices. Their regular prices are 20% below retail. By trying to stick to brands on sale, we tend to average a 30% discount over the local retail stores prices. For us this meant saving $3,000 a year on groceries just by switching stores. The local store is more convenient, but we decided it wasn't 3K a year convenient. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cold Turkey on Fast Food: 3.9K Savings</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />When we both worked full time, my husband had a long commute and I worked from home while trying to juggle school car pools and soccer practices. With our busy schedules, we didn't think twice about grabbing fast food several times a week. At $25 per meal for our family of four, this really added up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now our "fast" food is spaghetti or hamburgers with a side salad made at home. For nights we are really short on time we will go to Trader Joe's and get a prepared meal, but we can buy two entrees there for $10 instead of less healthy fast food for $25. </span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946554138890846275.post-27133119538244176642012-04-03T09:49:00.043-07:002012-09-25T20:25:29.227-07:00Free and Inexpensive Bay Area Events, Museums and Attractions<span style="font-family: arial;">Everyone knows that the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area is higher than other parts of the U.S., but one of the great things is that the cost of fun can be much lower if you search around a little bit. We always manage to find more more free or low cost activities than we have time to do each month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Listed below are just some of the things we have done or have planned to do for 2012 at free or reduced admission prices:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0qLHfW9O_lIv8B1zAlD2eE9WLZHDpLrQK_SyVnyF_TLFSuY5SpguP5tClIluUHbRpMuYyVVonwC6dUJ4MZ0AFh0qHOpyD1DONgK_ZazMh0vjU2zKI7bT5sOQt3Fi1uM5r-Ukamkzvyfk/s1600/CalAcademyofSciencesAquarium.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0qLHfW9O_lIv8B1zAlD2eE9WLZHDpLrQK_SyVnyF_TLFSuY5SpguP5tClIluUHbRpMuYyVVonwC6dUJ4MZ0AFh0qHOpyD1DONgK_ZazMh0vjU2zKI7bT5sOQt3Fi1uM5r-Ukamkzvyfk/s320/CalAcademyofSciencesAquarium.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarium at Academy of Science</td></tr>
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<ul style="font-family: arial;">
<li>Academy of Science - free admission with a library pass.</li>
<li>Oakland Zoo - free admission with library pass, $7 for parking extra.</li>
<li>Asian Art Museum - free admission with library pass. We saw the special exhibit on Maharajas: The Splendor of India's Royal Courts and it was truly spectacular.</li>
<li>Civil War Days at Fort Point - free event.</li>
<li>Village Theater in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Danville</span>, "Laura", reduced admission through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Goldstar</span>.</li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">UC</span> Berkeley Gardens - free admission the first Thursday of each month.</li>
<li>Muir Woods - free entrance during National Parks Week.</li>
<li>Earth Day Festival at John Muir Historic House - no charge for admission.</li>
<li>Borges Ranch - visit the farm animals and hike the hills at this free East Bay Park.</li>
<li>Archery in a Redwood forest at Roberts Regional Park. You need your own bows and arrows for this activity. The range is free but donations are appreciated since the park is maintained courtesy of the Redwood Bowmen Association. </li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Lesher</span> Theater play "A Call to Arms" - Reduced admission through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Goldstar</span></li>
<li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">U.S.S. Hornet Tour - free with library pass. </span></li>
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The total cost for the above attractions came to $30 for the four play tickets (2 plays X 2 tickets x $7.50 each). Everything else was free except for transportation and parking. Before we decided to become super thrifty entertainment consumers, we used to pay more than $30 for a restaurant meal for two on a Friday night alone. Now we have figured out how to spend less than $30 a month and still do a lot of fun and interesting activities. There are so many fun things to do in the Bay Area at no cost that we spend very little money on entertainment these days.</div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Here are some helpful links:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Event Lists - These Lists Contain Both Free and Fee Events, So Be Sure to Check the Prices Before You Go</span><br />
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<a href="http://events.sfgate.com/san-francisco-ca/events/free+bay+area+events" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SFGate</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - San Francisco and beyond.</span><br />
<a href="http://events.mercurynews.com/san-jose-ca/events/bay+area+free+events" style="font-family: arial;">Mercury News</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - South Bay.</span><br />
<a href="http://calendar.insidebayarea.com/oakland-ca/events/free+events+bay+area" style="font-family: arial;">Bay Area Insider </a><span style="font-family: arial;">- Oakland and beyond</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://concord-ca.patch.com/events">The Concord Patch</a> - Concord and surrounding communities event list. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">BART</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.bart.gov/docs/brochures/BART_Dest_0909.pdf" style="font-family: arial;">BART Accessible Destinations</a><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Free Park Event Lists</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.parksconservancy.org/calendar/" style="font-family: arial;">Golden Gate Parks Conservancy</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - This is the nonprofit partner organization for the Gold Gate Parks. Beside offering many volunteer opportunities, there are numerous free walks, hikes, bikes and tours offered at no charge. For the month I posted this link, free event offerings included a Muir Wood Evening Walk, crabbing at Fort Point, and a beginning birding walk and talk in the Marin Headlands. - added 4/2/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ebparks.org/activities" style="font-family: arial;">East Bay Regional Park District</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - This park district has some truly beautiful parks with great hiking. Our personal favorite parks include </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" style="font-family: arial;">Tilden</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" style="font-family: arial;">Sunol</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> and Wildcat Canyon. As an added plus for dog owners, unlike the State Parks, dogs are welcome at most parks and on most trails. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" style="font-family: arial;">EBRPD</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> has numerous classes, activities and ranger led hikes each month, some free and some with a cost. Check out their web site to find the free events for the upcoming months. - Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/events/" style="font-family: arial;">California State Park Events</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Check this list for </span><a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/ParkIndex/" style="font-family: arial;">all of the state parks in the San Francisco Bay Area. </a><span style="font-family: arial;">- Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.nps.gov/findapark/event-search.htm?states_filter=CA" style="font-family: arial;">Golden Gate National Parks</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Take a guided tour of tour of a 19</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="font-family: arial;">th</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> century sailing ship for $5 or take an evening stroll through Muir Woods for free. If you want a day trip, you can look for gray whales and elephant seals at Point Reyes. - Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">National Parks - Check out this <a href="http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm" target="_blank">list of free admission days</a>. National Parks in the Bay Area include: - Added 9/25/12<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Muir Woods National Monument</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Golden Gate National Recreation Area</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Point Reyes National Seashore</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pony Express National Historic Trail</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">John Muir National Historic Site</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fort Point National Historic Site</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Presidio of San Francisco<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />Always Free Attractions</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Sometimes you actually do get more than what you pay for. Check out these Bay Area attractions that are always free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.cityofconcord.org/pdf/recreation/music.pdf">Farmers Market with Free Concerts</a> - Concord, Thursday evenings (starts 5/31/12)</span><br />
<a href="http://www.golden-gate-park.com/" style="font-family: arial;">Golden Gate Park</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - San Francisco. Most of the major attractions inside the park, like the Japanese Gardens and Academy of Science, cost extra unless you go on the designated "free" days. You can still do things like check out the buffalo and have a picnic at Stowe Lake for free.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/jomu/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm" style="font-family: arial;">John Muir Historic House</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Martinez</span><br />
<a href="http://www.randallmuseum.org/HoursAndDirections.aspx" style="font-family: arial;">Randall Museum</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - San Francisco</span><br />
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/exploration.html" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Ames</span> Research Center</a><br />
<a href="http://laep.ced.berkeley.edu/blakegarden/?page_id=2" style="font-family: arial;">Blake Garden</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - UC Berkeley - Added 4/6/12.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65x4e3Lf8bpK0-qsp-JWZhYlLg8LoeP0YxyNmC8qfJkst9Z60K0eFIzL0HnQ6xCWOQhBILpvpm_bv2ZDdTbLh_wEVU3XRyuKg9v-XpVX_Q6dGGRJgt_SqUqS0Yk7GBeINoAVMm0XN9hKJ/s1600/Blake-House-Grotto.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65x4e3Lf8bpK0-qsp-JWZhYlLg8LoeP0YxyNmC8qfJkst9Z60K0eFIzL0HnQ6xCWOQhBILpvpm_bv2ZDdTbLh_wEVU3XRyuKg9v-XpVX_Q6dGGRJgt_SqUqS0Yk7GBeINoAVMm0XN9hKJ/s320/Blake-House-Grotto.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blake Garden Grotto and Reflecting Pool</td></tr>
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<a href="http://museum.stanford.edu/visit/plan_a_visit.html" style="font-family: arial;">Cantor Arts Center </a><span style="font-family: arial;">- Stanford University</span><br />
<a href="http://www.dmtonline.org/Japanese%20Gardens.htm" style="font-family: arial;">Japanese Gardens</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Hayward</span><br />
<a href="http://parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/fort-funston.html" style="font-family: arial;">Fort <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Funston</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - San Francisco. Take your camera and watch the hang gliders take off and land.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.haywardrec.org/sulphurcreek.html" style="font-family: arial;">Sulphur Creek Nature Center</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Hayward</span><br />
<a href="http://www.sjparks.org/regional/emmaprusch.asp" style="font-family: arial;">Emma <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Prusch</span> Farm Park</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - San Jose</span><br />
<a href="http://baynature.org/stargazing" style="font-family: arial;">Star Gazing</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - various planetariums.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.cal-sailing.org/" style="font-family: arial;">Free Sail Boat Rides </a><span style="font-family: arial;">- Compliments of the Cal Sailing Club</span><br />
<a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden" style="font-family: arial;">Botanic Garden</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> at </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" style="font-family: arial;">Tilden</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Park</span><br />
<a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden" style="font-family: arial;">Little Farm </a><span style="font-family: arial;">at </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" style="font-family: arial;">Tilden</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Park</span><br />
<a href="http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/" style="font-family: arial;">Marine Mammal Center</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Marin</span><br />
<a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/vc/botanic_garden" style="font-family: arial;">The Botanic Garden at Tilden Park</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA. Added 4/7/12.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/bmvc/" style="font-family: arial;">Bay Model Visitor Center</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - 2100 Bridgeway Sausalito, CA 94965. Added 4/7/12.</span><br />
<a href="http://baynature.org/all_places" style="font-family: arial;">Parks</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - The Bay Nature site has a list of 24 pages of parks in the Bay Area in alphabetical order. Most are free or low cost.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/goga/nike-missile-site.htm" style="font-family: arial;">Nike Missile Site</a><br />
<a href="http://parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/muir-beach.html" style="font-family: arial;">Muir Beach</a><br />
<a href="http://www.tritonmuseum.org/visiting.php" style="font-family: arial;">Triton Museum of Art</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, 1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95050. Added 4/7/12.</span><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://bayareafreebookexchange.com/">The Bay Area Free Book Exchange </a> - There is no catch. The Bay Area Free Book Exchange at </span><b style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">10520 San Pablo Avenue</b><b style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"> El Cerrito, California 94530</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> gives away books for free. You can donate your old books if you like but it is not a requirement. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">There is a 100 book limit per person per day. </span><b style="font-family: arial;"></b><br />
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<b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b><span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Inexpensive Event List - Under $5 Per Person Admission</span><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </b><br />
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<a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Ardenwood</span> Farms</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Fremont. Adults $3, more for special event days.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.haywardareahistory.org/plan_visit/mcconaghy_house#about_mcconaghy_house%22" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">McConaghy</span> House</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> in Hayward</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">City Sponsored Events</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Walnut Creek</span><br />
<a href="http://cityofconcord.org/pdf/recreation/music.pdf" style="font-family: arial;">Concord Farmers' Markets</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> with free music Tuesdays and Thursdays. - Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://cityofconcord.org/recreation/events/downtownevents.htm" style="font-family: arial;">Concord Downtown</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - list of free upcoming fairs and concerts. Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Library Events and Passes</span><br />
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<a href="http://ccclib.org/discovergo/" style="font-family: arial;">Contra Costa Library</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Get free passes for local attractions with the libraries Discover and Go pass. Added 4/4/12</span><br />
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<a href="http://ccclib.org/programs/" style="font-family: arial;">Contra Costa Library Events </a><span style="font-family: arial;">- Search for free events at various libraries throughout Contra Costa County.</span><br />
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<a href="http://guides.aclibrary.org/discover" style="font-family: arial;">Alameda County Library</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - also has Discover and Go passes. Added 4/4/12</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Discounted Tickets</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goldstar.com/san-francisco/events?max_price=0" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Goldstar</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - This is a web site that has discounted tickets for Bay Area events and attractions. They have some tickets that are called free, but in reality everything we have looked at has at least a nominal service charge. Still, we have gone to several East Bay plays for $15 for two, with tickets that would have normally cost $40 or more. If you have more time than money, it is worth checking out the free event list once or twice a day for new additions. Recent offerings include Cirque </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" style="font-family: arial;">du</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" style="font-family: arial;">Soleil</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> tickets for Totem in San Jose for $33 each, which is deeply discounted off the normal price. The free / comp tickets are usually comedy shows and very small budget theater groups. If you reserve play tickets, check the venues. Some of the smaller venues are not much larger or more impressive than my guest bedroom. Plus there are no refunds, so be careful of what you book. Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.costco.com/" style="font-family: arial;">Costco</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - offer discounted theater tickets. We buy these in advance and in bulk. They are cheaper at our local store than they are online.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Free Classes</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.navletsgardens.com/2012-classes.html" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Free Gardening Classes </a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Navlet's in the East Bay has free gardening classes on Saturdays</span>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Advance registration is required.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Free Days</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Designated free days change from time to time. The list below is beleived to be current based on web site information. As always, to avoid disappointment, call ahead to confirm the venue's current free day policy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Free First Sunday - </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.asianart.org/hoursandadmission.htm" style="font-family: arial;">Asian Art Museum</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Free First Tuesday - </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/visit/hours" style="font-family: arial;">Flower Conservatory at Golden Gate Park</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
<a href="http://deyoung.famsf.org/deyoung/visiting" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">de</span> Young Fine Arts Museum</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Added 4/12/12.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Added - 4/7/12.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Free First Wednesday - </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/hours_admissions.php" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Exploratorium</span> </a><span style="font-family: arial;">- Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Free First Thursday - </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX6PQxFmxQa8c_9ZGwHhmX2nOcD77iaCPOVstmws_ORxSVBBGSQGez_fcqIb_cIVMX69VJxeWQbThQVgCd1N3AL3i7hZX3Bi2ak32AacCoZzsuSvIjJzyS7p-9Zm73QJnbZBReHtqlWk8/s1600/UC-Botanical.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX6PQxFmxQa8c_9ZGwHhmX2nOcD77iaCPOVstmws_ORxSVBBGSQGez_fcqIb_cIVMX69VJxeWQbThQVgCd1N3AL3i7hZX3Bi2ak32AacCoZzsuSvIjJzyS7p-9Zm73QJnbZBReHtqlWk8/s320/UC-Botanical.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UC Botanical Garden</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/Berkeley%20Art%20Museum%20and%20Pacific%20Film%20Archive" style="font-family: arial;"><br />Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - free first Thursdays. Added 4/5/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/visit/plan_trip.shtml" style="font-family: arial;">UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - A</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">dd</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ed 4/5/12.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Free Third Saturday -</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.vallejomuseum.org/INTRODUCTION2NDPAGE.html" style="font-family: arial;">Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum</a><span style="font-family: arial;">734 Marin Street, Vallejo, CA 94590 Added 4/6/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/visit/hours" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></a>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Free Days Vary Month to Month - </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.calacademy.org/visit/" style="font-family: arial;">Academy of Science at Golden Gate Park</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - They have both free to everyone days and free days for San Francisco residents only. Check their site as the days vary month to month. Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.historysanjose.org/wp/plan-your-visit/history-park/" style="font-family: arial;">History San Jose</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Added 4/5/12.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org./rbgarden/pages/events.html" style="font-family: arial;">Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Check their calendars for free admission dates and plant sales. - added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Meetup</span> Groups</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.meetup.com/" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Meetups</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" style="font-family: arial;">Meetups</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> are special interest groups formed online. Some are made by people trying to drum up business and have fees, though most are free or low cost. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" style="font-family: arial;">meetup</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> groups in the Greater Bay Area. One thing I've noticed is that they tend to draw a younger, more budget conscious crowd. Many fizzle out after a meeting or two. Look for groups that have a long history of past meetings if you want something with continuity. Added 4/4/12</span><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />Park and Museum Passes</span><br />
<a href="http://astc.org/members/passlist_about.htm" style="font-family: arial;"><br />Association of Science-Technology Centers Passport Program</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - With this passport program, you pay one annual fee and then get into member museums for free or discounted prices. Passport costs may be tax deductible. We bought our pass at The Tech Museum for $80 and received four </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" style="font-family: arial;">ASTC</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> cards and four </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" style="font-family: arial;">IMAX</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> movie passes in return. This is a great program if you travel as you can use the cards to get in free at museums around the country for one low annual price. In the Bay Area, local attractions in the program offer 1/2 price admission discounts. You can find a list of Bay Area venues in the program at </span><a href="http://www.thetech.org/support-us/membership/astc" style="font-family: arial;">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Tech's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">ASTC</span> page</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. - Added 4/4/12</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.childrensmuseums.org/index.php/component/acmmuseumsearch/index.php" style="font-family: arial;">Association of Children's Museums</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - This is another passport program. You pay one annual fee at the museum of your choice and gain entry to other museums for free or at discounted admission prices. - Added 4/4/12</span><br />
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<a href="http://sites.google.com/site/northamericanreciprocalmuseums/north-american-reciprocal-museum-listing" style="font-family: arial;">North American Reciprocal Museum List</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - In the Bay Area, most of the museums in this program are art museums, including the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" style="font-family: arial;">de</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Young and The Legion of Honor. This is a great pass to buy if you travel around California as there are numerous museums listed for Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento. If you buy your membership through the Sacramento Railroad Museum, your membership includes free admission to the museum for a year as well as free train rides. - Added 4/4/12</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/737/files/august%2017%20geoloc%20web_day%20use.pdf" style="font-family: arial;">State Parks Foundation</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - For new members, the California State Parks foundation offers a special introductory rate of 7 day use park passes for $25, plus 5% off camping reservations. This pass is good at over 200 parks. After one year, the annual fee goes to $40. - Added 4/4/12.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Clubs and Organizations</span><br />
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<a href="http://sfbay.sierraclub.org/chapter/events/calendar.aspx" style="font-family: arial;">Sierra Club</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - if you join the Sierra Club, you can go on a wide variety of hikes and other activities throughout the Bay Area each month, often at no cost to members.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.greenbelt.org/events/" style="font-family: arial;">Greenbelt Alliance</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Check out their outings calendar for events (mainly hikes) throughout the Bay Area. Some are free and some are low cost.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946554138890846275.post-37493663500579776472011-01-01T20:00:00.000-08:002011-01-01T20:50:26.809-08:00How to Feed Your Family on Under $2 a DayI have been conducting an experiment lately to see if I could feed myself a healthy diet on $1 - $2 a day. My definition of healthy means that each daily menu has to:<br /><br />1. Provide at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables.<br /><br />2: It has to meet my Nutribase nutrition software program's recommendations for the daily values of all trackable minerals and vitamins, including calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin B12.<br /><br />3. It also has to stay within the salt and fat guidelines and meet or exceed the fiber guidelines.<br /><br />4. Not include any refined sugar, canned food, or commercial cereals with BHT as a preservative (which excludes most commercial cereals except those marketed to health food foodies.) <br /><br />I have found that this is actually pretty easy to do, even without using coupons. They key is to stockpile staples either from warehouse stores or when they are on sale at retail stores as loss leaders. Under $2 a day is easy. A dollar or less gets tricky but has still been achievable.<br /><br />The foods I have stockpiled include rice, wheat flour, corn flour, corn meal, nuts, dried fruit, pasta, dried beans and cheese. I have a stockpile of frozen meat, poultry, clams (for vitamin B12) and cheese. Fresh fruits and vegetables are bought based on weekly specials either at retail stores, warehouse stores, or ethnic markets. I have a stock up price for every staple when I can find it at a good buy. <br /><br />It is hard to eat for $1 the first week but gets easier over time. Each week there may only be a handful of items at great prices between all of the different stores ads, but over time after you stockpile these items then nearly everything you are eating is getting bought at a rock bottom price.<br /><br />I don't stay on this diet all of the time. It is actually more of a hobby for me just to see if I can do it. I stockpile the inexpensive foods and plan a variety of menus in advance based on my stockpiles. Then on selected days I follow one of my menu plans and take pictures.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2