Gone for the weekend

Just a heads up that you won't be seeing any more posts until Monday. I'm heading out of town and takin' a break. So hopefully you're set with the load of posts I just wrote. Have a great one!

More Live Music this weekend!

Here are some suggestions if you'd like to catch some FREE live music this weekend:

Friday Night:
'Open Mike' Night at Quinn & Tuite's
Traditional players and songwriters welcome!
Starts at 9:00PM!
Quinn and Tuites Irish Pub
1535 Plainfield Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Saturday Night:
Natchez Trace
One Trick Pony
Show starts at 8 pm. Dinner Reservations Accepted
located in downtown Grand Rapids at 136 E. Fulton on the corner of Fulton and LaGrave.
Sign up for their e-mail list today and get a coupon for 1/2 off of your next appetizer

FREE accoustic blues concert

Tonight from 8-10pm you can catch Chris Crown at Local Mocha located on Monroe. He'll be playing some live blues music for ya. Admission is free! Local Mocha is located at:
96 Monroe Center St NW
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

Drummunity event

Yet again, this even is at the EGR library! Here's there description -
Join us for a high-energy, fun and empowering drum circle lead by Lori Fithian. You won't believe your ears (or your eyes!) when you hear the group play together. It’s impossible to play out of tune. For families with kids of all ages.

It's happening Sunday from 2-3pm.

Let's see what else they've got at the library????

Poster event at EGR library

They're going to be busy today! Stop by with the family at 2pm to get your picture taken and turned into a poster! This sounds intriguing to me. It's happening on the 7th at the EGR library. See the following post for the address.

Friday afternoon at the movies

That is actually the name of an event at the EGR library today at 12:30pm. They will be showing the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. They'll even be giving out free popcorn!

East Grand Rapids KDL
746 Lakeside Dr. SE
East Grand Rapids, MI 49506
(616) 647-3880

Grand Rapids Public Library Check it out program

I've written about this before but I think it's time to bring it up again. Here's a link to their website explaining it in more detail. The basics are this - The library has two memberships to local tourist hotspots that you can check out like you would a book. It can be hard to do but worth the effort. You can also "check out" free tickets to local events. Right now you can get tickets to the opera, civic theater or ballet. You have to be a GRPL card holder though. Check out the details before bounding in and asking for tickets. You wouldn't want to waste your gas now, would you?

Flanagan's over the weekend

On The Town has advertised that Rich Burkholder and 9 mile smile will be playing live music this weekend at Flanagan's. So if you plan on going out and want a little extra something there's no charge to get it.

Flanagan's Irish Pub
139 Pearl St.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone (616) 454 - 7852

FREE Kids event at Literary Life Bookstore

Here's the details straight from their website -
FIRST SATURDAY FOR KIDS
Saturday, March 7, 2009:
11am-12noon

Join us for our monthly First Saturday for Kids event on March 7th from
11 a.m. to noon.
Leslie Helakoski is the author of The Smushy Bus, Big Chickens, a Junior Library Guild selection, Woolbur and Big Chickens Fly the Coop. Born and raised near New Orleans, Leslie Helakoski received a degree in advertising from the University of Louisiana and one in illustration from Northern Michigan University. Leslie will be reading her books and have a signing to follow.

Literary Life Bookstore & More, Inc.
758 Wealthy Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-5554
616.458.8418

Chilli's e-mail club FREEBIE

Chilli's is in on it now too! Sign up here to get free chips and queso at any Chilli's as a thank you gift!

One more Bob Evans FREEBIE!

I love the fact that restaurants are giving away so many freebies these days! Bob Evans has had several. Here's a coupon for a FREE caramel mocha. There is no purchase necessary. You can even have it for carry out. So if you are trying to save money by quitting the coffee chains than this might be a nice little bonus for you. But hurry because this offer ends March 11th!

FREE magazine subscription

Here's a FREE 1 year subscription to Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine. You can check out their website here.

Change on the side

I found something that I thought I'd pass on. There's a company named YouData (youdata.com). They are trying to convince consumers like us that we should be the ones controlling our own data and selling our own attention, not third parties like broadcasters, newspapers, and spammers. By creating a MeFile at YouData.com, I now get paid to see ads. It's real. They pay. I downloaded their adget which is on my desktop. I just double click on it to see if there's any ads and if there is I quickly click on them to check it out and get paid. You don't get very much but I think it's not a big deal to have it around and keep putting some change in your paypal account.

Click this link to sign up. My MeFile ID, makin_savinmoney, in the "Referral Code" will tell them I sent you.

http://www.youdata.com/join/makin_savinmoney

Book sale at the library

This weekend the Plainfield KDL will be holding a book sale from 10am-4pm on Friday and Saturday and 1-4pm on Sunday. They will even be holding it on Monday from 10am-2pm. This is a great idea for kids books especially.

FREE painting class at Eden Environments

Eden Environments on 28th st. is offering a FREE class on Saturday that will teach you how to choose healthy, quality paints, the basics of painting and how to save money on tools for your next project. They are located at:
5747 28th st. SE ste 101
Grand Rapids
956-5000

Kids FREE workshop at Home Depot

Click here to sign up for Home Depot's next kids workshop on Saturday. This time around they'll be making an HD raceway for their cars.

FREE heavy metal / rock downloads

I haven't done this one myself just because it's not my style of music. So let me know if it doesn't work. Click here to check out all the free music you can get. And let me know how it works for ya.

FREE Bally Total Fitness workout download

Click here to sign up for a FREE hour long music download from Bally Total Fitness. I did this the other day and it works. Once you have it downloaded you can sort through the songs and just get rid of the ones you don't like. But here's what comes with it:
1. Workout - RuPaul (Tony Puccio Remix) 6:14
2. Mindbuster - Jocelyn Brown & Oliver Cheatham (Frankie C Radio Mix) 3:22
3. Everybody Rise Pt.2 - Muriel Fowler (Funky Junction Radio Edit) 3:09
4. That Sound - Brinsley Evans ft. Sy Smith (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Radio Mix) 3:16
5. Candy - The Lollypop Gang (AudioPhreakz Radio Mix) 4:22
6. Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous - RuPaul (Funky Junction Radio Edit) 3:25
7. Let Me Step Inside - Darrell Martin ft. Paul Cortes (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Radio Mix) 3:17
8. Found A Cure - Plaza People 4:27
9. Send Me An Angel - Michal Nicolas (Georgie’s Dirty Angel Mix) 3:38
10. I Like - Darrell Martin ft. Muriel Fowler (Raul Rincon Radio Mix) 3:02
11. It’s Alright - Darrell Martin ft. Ramona (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Elektro Gryphon Radio Mix) 3:00
12. Do You Like My Body? - The Lollypop Gang (Audiophreakz Vocal Radio Mix) 2:49
13. Ding Dong (Pick Up The Phone B*tch) - Cell Phish (Money and Fun Club Mix) 6:21
14. Lost In Vietnam - Jah Sound (Dark Mix 2) 8:41
15. One Nation - Darrell Martin Vs. Paul Cortes (Groovepusher Mix) 6:42
16. You Got a Whole Life - Papi Vs. Bellakayla (Constantino Pavadano Radio Mix) 2:53

Tennis for FREE anyone?

That's Tennis the magazine I'm talking about. Tennis is the world's favorite magazine about the sport of the court, featuring in-depth profiles, advice from the pros, analysis of coming and past pro matches, and buying guides for gear. Tennis aims to instruct, inform and inspire every player, from beginner to professional.

Click here to get Tennis Magazine for FREE.

Tiger 2.0 for FREE

I got this by e-mail but I'm not into golf. Maybe you'd like to try it? Click here and sign up to receive your FREE copy of the Sports Ilustrated Tiger 2.0.

FREE Pink Nation Tote

Everyone who registers at Victoria's Secret Pink Nation from now until March 10th will receive a coupon good for a FREE tote (no purchase required) and $10 off a $35 purchase!!! Man! Free lotion and a bag! I'm lovin' the freebie life!

FREE Spring Film Festival & more

The Wyoming Branch of the Kent District Library is hosting a Spring Film Festival today at 1pm. They will be showing classic movies from the 40's and 50's on the big screen. This event is just for adults.

At 3:30pm teens ages 13 and up can come in for Caffeine Cinema time. They will be showing a movie every week there.

These two events look like they're every Thursday.
There's something for everyone at the library.

Wyoming Public Library
3350 Michael Ave. SW
Wyoming, MI 49509
(616) 647-3980

WGVU Jazz night at Z's Grille & Bar

Head on out to Z's Grille and Bar tonight to catch some live jazz going on from 8-10pm.

Z's Grille & Bar
168 Louis Campau Pr.
Grand Rapids 49503
454-3141

Flanagan's Irish Pub deals

According to their website - "Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Flanagan's Irish Pub is a great local restaurant offering live Irish music from Celtic bands, great drink special, tasty food and plentiful beverages on an inexpensive menu. Bring your friends to our lively tavern full of Irish spirits and fun and you'll see why we've been one of Grand Rapids favorite places to have a good time since 1981."

Tomorrow night, from 4-7pm, they have $1.95 happy hour appetizers. They range from nachos to cold boiled shimp. I'm not sure if that's a typo or not? It looks like this might be a regular happy hour for them every night.

Then at 9pm they are advertising S3 sounds as the musical backdrop for their drink specials. Looks like it's worth checking out.

Flanagan's Irish Pub
139 Pearl St.
Grand Rapids, MI USA 49503
454-7852

Williams-Sonoma Technique Class

March 8th is the next Technique Class at Williams-Sonoma in the Woodland mall. This class is called Family Fare. Here's the description:
Spice up your old family favorites with our new versions of classic family fare. We'll teach you how to make Cheesy meatloaf, Sloppy joe that will have your family begging for seconds. This class is devoted to making old family favorites new again.

You should call ahead of time to register even though it's free. 956-2297

FREE Elle magazine subscription

Here's a link to get a one year subscription to Elle magazine for FREE.

FREE Aeropostale tank top

Any girl age 13 to 29 can bring in a copy of the April 2009 issue of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com homepage to any Aeropostale store and get a free tank top. I'm not sure how long this will last. I'd call ahead as well.

Redbox FREE rental code

Here it is folks! The first Wednesday FREE rental! Just use the code 75ea16. This code is good until midnight tonight.

Billy's in Eastown has two open mic nights

Located in the heart of Eastown, Billy's has two special open mic nights. Monday's is "the original" open mic night at 9pm. There doesn't look to be any cover charge. Tuesdays is plugged open mic night where bands can come in. Again, I don't think there's a cover and it starts at 9pm.

Click here to see more of their music schedule.

Billy's Lounge
1437 Wealthy
459-5757

FREE potty training DVD

Get a FREE Interactive Potty Training Success DVD! This is sponsored by Pull-Ups training pants. Click here to order yours.

FREE one year subscriptions to magazines

Click here to sign up for a one year subscription to The Trail Rider magazine. The Trail Rider Magazine is dedicated to horse owners who love to trail ride. Includes listings and reviews of popular trails, and expert advice.

**A reader notified me that they couldn't get this one to work. Sorry.

Click here to sign up for a one year subscription to Dog's Life magazine. A heartfelt magazine dedicated to enriching the lives of dogs through meaningful and educational stories, humor, artistic appeal, product exposure and modern humane ideas. Our motto is, "Be Your Dog's Best Friend" and supports adoption and serves as a platform for humane dog ownership. On magazines.com this would cost you $16.95!

Get $10 cash back for an Entertainment Book

You either love 'em or hate 'em. Those pesky Entertainment Books seem to always be around. I never mind having one if I can get it for free or dirt cheap. Here's a way to get it cheap. Click on the cashbaq button in my side bar or this link and sign up at the site. You'll automatically get $5 for joining. Then click on the entertainment book button that's at the top of the page. Once you're at the Entertainment site you just type in your zip code and you can check out some of the deals that are in your book for your area. They are currently running $12.50 and cashbaq.com is offering $10 back today. Tomorrow the deal will be gone. Shipping costs $5 I believe but you'll already be getting that back because you get a $5 sign on bonus with cashbaq.com. So you'll end up paying $2.50 for a book that will most definitely save you way more than that. Make sure your account on cashbaq is set up and ready to go so you can get your check after this transaction. I'm due to get mine in April. There is a 90 day turn around because of the policies of their partner stores. Just so you know. I've already used my book for a bunch of stuff! Hope you find some goodies too.

Lego Jr. magazine FREE subscription

Lego is offering a free two year subscription to Lego Jr. for kids ages 6 and under. To get the free magazine just call 1-866-534-6258 and when they ask give the operator the code RRJ29.

FREE Sam's Club day pass

If you'd like to see how much you can save by using the bulk stores than here's a great opportunity to check it out without finding a friend to take you or paying the fee to get in. Allstate is offering a FREE day pass to Sam's Club when you sign up on their website. Be prepared to get a phone call, e-mail or mail for doing this. Click here to go to the site and then scroll over the Sam's Club special offer and you'll see the box change and give you more information as well as a button to take you to the sign up box.

I also noticed that this site offers a Restaurant.com special as well. You can get 50% off $25 gift certificates. So you'd basically get $20 in free food. Not bad.

FREE Redbox on Wednesdays!

I just received an e-mail from Redbox saying that every Wednesday they will be putting a FREE rental code on their blog. I've never looked at their blog before but I have a much better reason to now. I'll be sure to post those codes on here just like I do on Mondays.

Between FREE Redbox rentals, the library and watching shows online I don't think I'll ever pay for movie watching entertainment again!

FREE reusable shopping bag

Right at Home is offering a FREE reusable shopping bag to the first 18k people to respond. Click here quick to see if there's still any available.

Free concert at Schuler's

This Friday you can listen to some live music with The Bittersweets at Schuler's on 28th st. at 7:30pm. They are a Nashville based alternative folk-pop trio. If you'd like to hear their music check them out at www.thebittersweets.com

Sugarbrush 2009 at Blandford Nature Center

I just got this flyer telling all about the event.

Blandford Nature Center Presents: Sugarbush 2009

Grand Rapids, MI –There are two definitions of maple syrup: "a commercial variety of such syrup, often mixed with cane sugar or some other sweetening agent," and " a syrup produced by partially boiling down the sap of the sugar maple or of any of several other maple trees." If you prefer artificial sugars added to your syrup, then don't bother coming to Blandford Nature Center's Sugarbush Festival during the month of March. At Sugarbush Festival, only pure, natural syrup is found.

This unique festival, drawing crowds from all over Michigan, shows how maple syrup is brought from tree to table. Through guided or self-led tours down the Sugarbush trail, the history and experience of tree tapping will be unraveled. A visit to the sugarhouse, or “sugar shack,” is open for guests to see firsthand how sap is transformed into syrup. Fresh, pure maple syrup, as well as other locally made maple treats, can be purchased throughout Sugarbush Festival at Blandford's General Store.

Blandford’s 100% pure maple syrup will also be available to sample at the annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 28 from 8am until noon at CA Frost Environmental Academy. This popular annual event is perfect for the whole family- featuring senior discounts, games and crafts to entertain children while they eat. After the breakfast, stop by the Sugarbush Festival at Blandford to take a tour, visit the Heritage Village, and explore the Interpretive and Wildlife Centers.

Sugarbush runs throughout the month of March, including every Saturday (March 7, 14, 21, 28) from 10am – 4pm and Sunday (March 8, 15, 22) from 12pm – 4pm. Guided tours will be available Saturdays only, while self guided tours will be available Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturday, March 28th, Sugarbush hours will be extended to 9am until 4pm. During this time, our Heritage buildings, Wildlife Center and Interpretive Center will be open, and guided tours will be available. Admission is free every weekend except March 28th, where admission will be $5 for adults, $3 for children. Admission to the Pancake Breakfast is $8 for adults, $5 for children (3 to 12) and $7 for seniors (60 and older) and includes admission to the festival.

There are still openings for scheduling your large group or school during M-F tours. For a more personal experience for PreK-2 students, Blandford Environmental Education Program 6th graders (BEEPS) can lead your group through the Sugarbush. Ask for more details when registering.

For more information on this program, or for details of other events and programs at Blandford Nature Center, please visit www.blandfordnaturecenter.org, e-mail info@blandfordnaturecenter.org or call 616-735-6240.

FREE Redbox rental code

It came early today! If you're not sure what this is about than let me explain. There are video vending machines called Redbox at different locations in GR. You can rent movies for one night for $1. But every Monday I get a special promotion code that lets me get them for free. So here's todays code - MS72K3. It expires tonight at midnight. If you don't return the movie by 9pm the next night you will be charged $1. Go here to find a location near you or just look through my archives for an older post that has all the locations.

After school fun at EGR library

Kent District Library is hosting a fun after school program for teens at their East Grand Rapids branch. From 3:30-4:30 teens can stop by and play Guitar Hero for free. There's no experience necessary since it's just for fun. But for those of you like me who don't have the money for those kinds of extras this is a great way to let your teen in on the action without emptying your wallet. This program is for teens in 5-12 grade.
They are located at:
746 Lakeside Dr. SE
East Grand Rapids, MI 49506
(616) 647-3880

Open mic poetry night at Barnes n' Noble

This Friday if you're looking for something interesting to check out then head over to Barnes n' Noble on 28th st. for their open mic poetry night at 7pm. You can come listen at your leisure or add a few lines yourself.

Barnes n' Noble
3670 28th Street SE
Kentwood, MI 49512

Phone: 616.954.2211

FREE comedy download

Since I've never heard this comedian I can't say much about him. So download at your own risk. Click here to go to his site. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll see a box that will say "Click here to get John Heffron's latest CD for free". Looks pretty simple.

Couples massage class coming soon!

Chirofit Wellness Center in East Grand Rapids is offering this class on Monday March 9th from 7-8pm. The cost is $25 which is more than I usually prefer to showcase in this blog. But it's a good deal if you know how much it costs to get taught massage by a certified therapist. This class is limited to 4 couples so I would call right away if you're interested. The number is 458-2348.

FREE appetizer at Macaroni Grill

Here's another e-mail sign up FREEBIE. Romano's Macaroni Grill on 28th st. will send you a coupon for a free appetizer when you sign up with them. So click here and look to the right of the page where it says "Joint the Mac Pack" and put in your e-mail address.

5525 28th Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512-2053
616-949-8430

They even have curbside to go so you could potentially avoid a tip as well! No disrespect intended to servers, but I'm broke!

Plumb's cereal deal

If you look at the ad for Plumb's this week you should see a coupon on the front page that you won't want to pass up. They have General Mills cereals on sale 2/$4 and they have a coupon on the front for $4 off when you buy four. When you do the math you'll see that you can get 4 boxes of General Mills cereal for $4. That's $1 a box! For those of you with kids or teenage boys, please leave me some when you're done. Check out the breakdown below.

Buy 4 boxes @ $2ea. = $8
Use $4 coupon on 4 - $4
= 4 boxes for $4

And if you have extra coupons (like me) you might get them as cheap as 4/$1!

FREE 411 on your cell

I found this on the Daily Savings page of the All You magazine website. Here's what they say - Dialing 1-800-FREE411 not only skips the $2 charge for directory assistance, you can also get voice-activated MapQuest directions to any place in the U.S. You don’t need web access at all! You can even have the directions sent to your cell phone via text after the call.

Sounds like it'd be nice to try at least!

FREE Family Fun magazine subscription

Go here to sign up for your one year subscription to Family Fun.

$25 gift card for Walgreens prescription transfer

I thought there was a coupon for this rolling around. Here's the link. Just click on the link, print the coupon and transfer a prescription. They have some good sales going this week. Not a bad time to earn some some money there.