Shoe Leather: Behind the seams of Shoestring Magazine

Shoestring Events: Cheap Eats Week Full of Freebies

Man, did I ever choose the wrong week to postpone my first foray into freeganism. Summer is here, and with it a slew of Shoestring-worthy freebies. This week is a cheapskate's dream come true, with everyone from Dunkin Donuts to Friendly's to Sonic jumping on the freebie bandwagon, alighting the Twittersphere to FULL CAPS tilt, exclaiming!!!!! offer after offer.

On Wednesday, June 3rd, Au Bon Pain offered up free iced coffees after 2pm EST to anyone — no purchase necessary — and Sonic hosted Free Float Night, giving away free 10 oz. root beer floats to any customer between the hours of 8pm and midnight.

Today is National Donut Day, in which Ginger and I participated this morning, stopping at Dunkin Donuts on the way to get the Mini (aka Winnie Cooper) inspected. (Ginger indulged in a free blueberry cake donut with his iced coffee — my free donut of choice was a straight up old-fashioned donut. Although I wished I had gotten the chocolate frosted donut instead. A girl can’t be held accountable for decisions made prior to caffeine...especially when there are free donuts involved.)

To get your own free "donut day" donut, visit any Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme location before closing hours tonight or search out smaller, local donut shops participating in your area, like this list of Los Angeles-area doughnut hole in the walls from the LA Times.

And, mark your calendars, dear cheapskates: tomorrow (June 6th) is Free Ice Cream Day at Friendly's — participating locations are giving away free single scoops of ice cream from noon to 5 p.m.

For more of the best freebies fit to print, follow us on Twitter, and please let us know if you've heard of any freebies and giveaways going on this week or next (or the next...) that we’ve forgotten!

~ Melissa

DIY Prom: Duck Tape Scholarship Contest

Recently, on Twitter, a friend commented that he can't hear "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs without thinking of Molly Ringwald, every single time. (Yup, and I'm sure you're saying, yup.)

While I hate John Hughes for taking a great punk song and making it a mainstream anthem for late 80s teen angst of haves against have-nots, I love him for the indelible message he sent through that movie to girls my age about resourcefulness, independence, and strength despite insecurity — about the timeless possibility of looking pretty by going ready made instead of spending a fortune on ready to wear.

Who didn't want to hack apart an old bridesmaid dress and whip up their own fabulous frock for prom after watching Andie Walsh do the same, then strut into the soiree, Duckie on her arm, and make Blane swoon? I know at least Chloe Dao and I did — we shared a moment at BlogHer 2007, talking about making our prom dresses from our mom's old bridesmaid dresses, inspired by none other than Andie Walsh. For me, it was just a way for a poor kid to keep up appearances among the rich girls in my prestigious Boston suburb, for her it launched a fashion career and a Project Runway win. Sigh. Choices.

Anyway, the scene from Pretty in Pink is as iconic for any Gen X girl as Lloyd Dobler hoisting that boombox to his shoulder to win over Diane Court is for any Gen X guy. Which is why I was psyched when my friend Brooke, via Facebook, introduced me to the Stuck at Prom scholarship contest, hosted by Duck Tape. The true spirit of punk and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor are alive and well in this DIY scholarship contest, which has apparently been going strong for almost a decade now.

According to Patti Sack from Duck Tape, with whom I had the pleasure of speaking by phone today, "..[the contest] is just a lot of fun," she said. "It came up as a way to connect with the new generation of consumers who are using Duck Tape as a crafting medium. We were getting tons of calls about the innovative ways Duck Tape was being used, so we came up with Stuck at Prom as a way to engage the younger audience and demonstrate the company's commitment to education."

And commit they did. Since the first Stuck at Prom contest in 2001, according to Sack, Duck Tape has given $70,000 in scholarship money to students and $36,000 to their representative schools. First place winners each receive $3K for first place, plus $3K for their school, second place is $2K, and third place is $1K — totalling $18K in cash prizes for each year's contest. Seems to me, for crafty teenage Shoestringers out there, this is the perfect opportunity to offset the cost of college while having fun and baring your punk rock soul.

Make Andie and Duckie proud by going to StuckAtProm.com by June 8th to enter, or check out Stuck at Prom winners from previous years and 2009 Stuck at Prom entries for inspiration. It only took last year's winner Sharon Dranko three months to complete her outfit and one for her date...and 100 rolls of Duck Tape. Get cracking!

~ Melissa

Are You a Slactivist?

For reasons I have yet to understand, I am a total advice column junkie. Ann Landers, Dear Abby, Ask Prudence -- I read them all. I think it might be the smallest amount of satisfaction I get from realizing that other people have problems too. That's also why I'm also a Post Secret and Truu Confessions addict (disclosure: I designed the Truu Confessions website).

As I was reading the My Goodness column on Slate.com, I came across a question that asked if click-to-give websites are actually beneficial. Patty Stonesifer branded this type of do-good activity as Slactivism.  Wikipedia defines slactivism as:

"a pejorative term that describes taking "feel-good" measures, in support of an issue or social cause, that have little or no practical effect other than to make the person doing it feel satisfaction."

I wanted to look up the definition, and when I did it was like a little bell went off in my head. Here was the word that totally described my irritation of people who pat themselves on the back for doing something that is so minuscule. Case in point: people who drive "hybrid" SUV's; people who recycle plastic grocery bags; or people who buy stickers. Sure, every little bit helps, but by doing the bare minimum you could be accepting the minimum as enough. Plus, there really isn't such a thing as free money. Sometimes I find with my UPromise.com account, I buy things that I either don't need, or I spend more money than I should to buy something through a UPromise.com affiliate. The smarter choice would be for me to take that $25 or $50 dollars and actually just make a payment to my student loans.

Now I'm sure I've heard the term before -- even Stephen Colbert has embraced slactivism as the new activism -- but there was something about the way that Patty described it that really hit home. I can't tell you how many times I've clicked on an internet petition, or placed a click-to-give button at the bottom of my emails. (Just to clarify, I have never bought an activism bracelet. I think they're lame.) These things make me feel good for about a minute, but do they actually accomplish anything? My gut feeling is that they do, but in such tiny amount. If you take a million people doing a tiny amount, then sure it can snowball into something much bigger.

I recently signed an internet petition urging congress to pass stricter penalties against hate crimes, but my initiative stopped there. I could have marched in a protest, actually written a letter to congress, or volunteered to make phone calls. There were a million things that I could have done, that conceivably would have had more impact than signing an internet petition. The question is: would I actually have done any of those things if I didn't sign the internet petition?

Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have. I'm crazy busy, what with running a magazine and all, and clicking that button was really really easy.

What are your thoughts?
Are you a slactivist?
Tell me in the comments.

~Meghan

Snob-Free Wine: Second Glass Rocks Boston with Wine Riot

Tyler, back left, in the red wayfarers and tie, and Morgan, bottom right, clutching the ultimate luxury in my book: a bottle of Dom. (Photo courtesy of Wine Riot and The Second Glass)

Here at Shoestring, we love wine, but we hate people who take wine too seriously—or rather, look down their nose at honest people trying to learn more about enjoying the fruits of grapes' labor. Which is why we adore our friends Morgan and Tyler behind the Boston-based "snob-free" wine magazine, The Second Glass. Each week, with their Wine of the Weekend newsletter, they bring knowledge and kindred tasting notes to the masses—for free—in language that lets you love a new bottle, varietal, or region of wine, not be intimidated by its mystery and musty, unnecessarily aspirational aura.

These cool cats have been working, strike that: slaving, over plans for the most kick-ass oenophile event we've ever seen, happening next weekend here in Boston on Friday April 17th and Saturday April 18th, which they've dubbed Wine Riot. Wine Riot will feature over 250 wines from more than 50 producers from all over the world, and tickets cost less than a bottle of Veuve. How can you beat that with a stick?

Friday night kicks off with a VIP event featuring educational expert panels on biodynamic and organic wines and "Twitter Taste Live", where participants will be live tweeting the event globally. Our favorite, however, is the Crash Course wine seminar on the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine. (Anyone who knows the girls behind Shoestring knows how we can't live without our bubbly, be it Cristal, Cristalino, or the Champagne of beers.) The last bit is an extension of the affordable monthly tasting panels that Tyler hosts at local wine shops—we went to their hilarious Crash Course for Valentine's Day, "Vino Viagra and The Panty Remover," in February and were hooked.

We know you will be, too, so get your ass in gear and grab tickets while there's still time—they're sure to sell out soon! Click on the banner below to go directly to the Wine Riot website and support our friends at The Second Glass.

Autonomie Project and Design Hive Market

Yesterday I went to the Design Hive Market in Cambridge for their earth day event. Although Nathaniel and I are on a strict budget, I love to go and look at what local designers are making. The first thing I saw when I walked through the door was a huge banner for Artists for Humanities partnered with Autonomie Project. Both of these groups make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and I don't think its the "Irish Coffee" making me feel that way. Artists for Humanities is a program that offers urban youths the "keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts." The Autonomie Project is a clothing company that uses only eco-friendly fair trade products. At the Design Hive Market, Autonomie was supplying the goods, while Artists for Humanities was supplying the talent. You could design your own clothing, footwear and accessories, or pay for a pre-designed piece by one of Artists for Humanities' very talented young designers.

Autonomie Project provides their workers with a living wage, and only work with small independent co-ops so they can directly impact communities. Plus I have to give them kudos for having Ethletic kicks. They look really similar to Chuck Taylors, but they're made with 100% Fair Trade-certified organic cotton canvas upper and tough rubber sole. The sole is produced and stamped with FSC-certified all natural and sustainable latex. My Favorite part is the soles are made from a "rubber tree" I don't know why that amuses me, but it does.

It reminds me of that old joke way back before reusable bags became the cause du jour. I used to reuse my plastic bag at the grocery store, and I would say that I was saving a plastic tree for a plastic woodpecker. I know its a terrible joke, but as most of my friends will attest, my humor is in my comic timing, not in my material.

~ Meghan

The Scene on a Shoestring: No April Foolin'

Spring is nearly here, but just 'cause the nights are cold doesn't mean the nightlife isn't hot as ever. Check out these awesome events and happenings from tonight through Sunday—some from Shoestring contributors, some from friends of Shoestring, and some just undeniably cool.

Best of all, they're all pretty cheap—and most are pretty effing hilarious. Here's the weekend roundup:

TONIGHT (Thursday, April 2nd)

Stripped Stories at Upright Citizens Brigade, NYC
Shoestring's very own funny lady Giulia Rozzi and her partner in production crime, Margo Leitman, are on the road this month staging their raw, juicy, and utterly hysterical stand-up show, Stripped Stories, all about hookups somehow gone awry. Share a belly laugh or a shocker moment tonight starting at 9:30 p.m. at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre NYC— tickets are only $5!! Go to GiuliaRozzi.com or StrippedStories.com for more info on upcoming shows this week and next in DC, LA, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Save on Style Sample Sale, NYC
"SOS" is a sample sale running from March 26th through April 5th, from noon to 8 p.m. every day at Openhouse Gallery (201 Mulberry Street, SoHo). Find high-end designers at great prices—the
jeans are especially fab, from Pringle, dSquared, and more. Check out OpenHouseGallery.org for full details.

TOMORROW (Friday, April 3rd)

Dirty Water at Improv Boston, Cambridge, MA
Boston native and Chicago transplant Matt Hicks brings his crew home to Beantown, sharing quintessential sports "bah" humor with the world for just one night only at Improv Boston in the heart of Central Square. It's a fully improvised show where the patrons of The Dirty Water Pub debate, argue, ruminate and generally poke fun at everything from how long after a breakup it's OK to date an ex-girlfriend to the rules of holding a shoveled parking space to whether JD Drew is wimp or merely a pantywaist. "Come Have a Drink With Ya Buddies!" Show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets are just $16 ($12 for students). More info at DirtyWaterImprov.com and ImprovBoston.com.

SATURDAY (April 4th)

down:2:earth Boston
It's that time of year again, and as we prep for Earth Day d2e returns to Boston again this year for three days of non-stop eco-fabulousness from Friday to Sunday at the Hynes Convention Center. Conscious consumers can find products and services from hundreds of sustainable brands, as well as educational activities. Tickets for the Local Bites launch party on Friday night are $20, but get you back in the whole weekend—tickets for Saturday or Sunday are just $10. Check out d2eBoston.com for more info, or watch this video.

SUNDAY (April 5th)

Get Green & Groovy at The Design Hive Market, Cambridge, MA
Boston's year-round indie market goes eco-chic this month, featuring designers and products made from salvaged and recycled materials, plus organic and fair trade fashion. FWI (Fashion With Impact) is sponsoring a runway show at 1 p.m., featuring debut designs from Re/fash-en, a collection of unique garments made from recycled fabrics. Autonomie Project, a new Boston-based fair trade fashion company, will also have artists on-hand to help shoppers design and paint their own Ethletic custom footwear and screen print their own T-shirts. DesignHiveMarket.com.

We know this week's listings are pretty Northeast-heavy, but what can we say? It's where we're at. Next week, look out for more cheap and chic events in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and more Shoestring scenes around the country—or send us yours at info (at) shoestringmag.com.

Romance Week: Valentine's Day on a Dime

This morning, we appeared on Fox 25 morning news in Boston, talking to viewers about ways to save without scrimping this Valentine's Day. Here's the full text of our segment, in case you missed it or need more information about any of the tips, products, or date night ideas we featured. (Video to come shortly...)

***Here's the clip from MyFoxBoston.com, in case you missed it or want to view it online! (Also, if you're looking for the Love Bus, the details are below. It runs from Boston to PROVINCETOWN, not Providence. Whoops!)

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we put together this guide to celebrating the occasion in style without scrimping. From free to slightly indulgent, these five categories of gifts and date nights fit any budget:

FREE

If money is really tight, there are still fabulous, fun, and totally free things you can do to sweeten things up this Valentine's Day. Make your loved one a pack of IOU love coupons and customize them with favors you know would make their day, from breakfast in bed or a back massage to a "get out of dishes free pass." You can download our free printable 'Love Coupon' templates (below), or make your own.

For a free date night at home, rent a romantic comedy from your local library and then cuddle up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. If going out on the town is more your thing, I always suggest celebrating Valentine's Day on a night other than February 14th. Check out Boston's best museums for free and cultural fun—both the ICA and the MFA waive admission for one night mid-week: the MFA is free on Wednesdays and the ICA is free on Thursdays.

Free, Printable DIY Love Coupons
Download and print our free template for six coupons, designed by Shoestring Magazine co-founder and creative director Meghan Udel, then customize to play cupid on the cheap. (Print in color on card stock for best results.)

Boston Public Library

DVD and video rentals are free with your library card. You can borrow up to 10 DVDs at at a time for up to seven days. Check with your local library branch for hours, collections, and late fees.

 Museum of Fine Arts
The MFA offers free admission every Wednesday night from 4 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., courtesy of Citizen's Bank.

 Institute of Contemporary Arts
The ICA offers free admission every Thursday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., courtesy of Target.

UNDER $10

Valentine's Day wouldn't be the same without a decadent dessert of some kind. Bake cupcakes at home or check out a favorite pastry shop. These gourmet goodies from the new hot spot Bina Alimentari in Downtown Crossing were just $10. If you're trying harder to save calories, heat things up with another unique and low-cost date night idea instead: a visit to the Tropical Forest and gorilla exhibit at the Franklin Park Zoo in Dorchester. The temperature is a balmy 72 degrees all year round, making it a great way to have fun while escaping the elements, and in the winter you can save $2 off the $12 admission price by downloading a coupon from the park's website (below).

 Franklin Park Zoo
Adult admission is $12—$10 with $2 off winter coupon, which you can download and print from their website (above). The park, including the Tropical Forest and gorillas exhibit, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through March 31st.

Bina Boston
Located at 571 Washington Street, Bina Boston is home to Bina Osteria, a new Italian restaurant, and Bina Alimentari, a new gourmet European foods and pastry shop. The pastry shop is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

UNDER $25

My favorite way to spice up winter nights is by making dinner at home or getting outside for some classic New England activities, or both. Make a cheap and fun date night of skating on the Frog Pond at Boston Common—it's incredibly romantic at sunset, with the lights and the brownstones in the distance, and just $12 per person including skate rental. Cuddle up to the snack bar for an apres skate hot cocoa for just a few bucks more, or head home to reconnect over a low-cost culinary feast. Lobster has never been more affordable, so a Valentine's Day clambake is the perfect way to celebrate, and wine is a must-have aphrodisiac. We picked up bottles of fine wine at a deep discount from Bin Ends in Braintree—the "Filene's Basement of fine wine"—including a tasty Chilean chardonnay that pairs perfectly with seafood and was just $11 after the discount of 20% to 50% off retail. Surprise her or him with a gift of "something more comfortable," but skip the cliche lingerie in favor of something more personal and heartfelt, like these custom-created pajamas from Spreadshirt.com—all of which came in under $25, even the T-shirt for your canine Valentine.

Frog Pond at Boston Common
Adult admission to the outdoor skating rink is $4 per person, skate rental is $8 per person, and locker rentals are just $1.

Bin Ends
Find "Serious Wines, Serious Savings" at this locally based retailer, which operates on the automatic markdown system for fine wines, just like you know and love from finding designer goods on sale at Filene's Basement. If you're no longer living in Boston, join their "Twitter Taste Live" for great tips or order online (state by state shipping restrictions apply).

Spreadshirt
Save up to 14% on custom T-shirts, undies, and more personalized Valentine's Day gifts of $25 or more if you order by midnight tonight (2/11).

UNDER $100

Everyone assumes you have to skip the timeless Valentine's Day traditions when you're trying to be thrifty, but the truth is, this is the best time for finding The Good Life for Less. Spas and salons around town are offering steep discounts on gift packages for pampering, like these Valentine's Day deals from Moore Massage, with 50% off ½ hour massages (now just $27.50 each), and Salon Capri in Newton Highlands, with buy one, get one free manicure and pedicures. For the foodies, prix fixe Valentine's Day menus are a great way to save on a romantic meal, especially those that include the booze. Grafton Street in the heart of Harvard Square, for example, is offering three courses plus wine pairings on Valentine's Day for just $50 per person. Just don't forget to tip your stylist or your server the normal amount—you might be getting a discount on the price, but they're not getting a discount on the work involved.

Moore Massage

Salon Capri

 Grafton Street

SLIGHTLY INDULGENT

They might not be budget-friendly in the strictest sense, but if you can splurge a little, now is the time to get great deals on fitness and on travel. Strengthen your relationship by joining a gym together and reaping the romantic rewards. Revolution Fitness in the South End, for example, is offering a Valentine's Day promotion—if you sign up for a yearly membership, your significant other gets a free 3-month membership. Or, if you're not exactly the workout types, take advantage of off-season travel deals, like hopping on the Love Bus to Provincetown for a Valentine's Day weekend getaway for just $29 round trip per person from Boston. Bed and breakfasts on the Cape are also offering serious winter savings right now, and the P-town galleries and theaters have planned free events all weekend long in Cupid's honor.

Revolution Fitness

Love Bus to Provincetown

Check out our Valentine's Day guide to being a Cheapskate Cupid in this week's issue of Shoestring Magazine for more tips and tricks!

Shoestring Events: Shoestring Magazine has launched!

Today was an historic occasion, for the country as a whole and for the team here at Shoestring in particular.

Like the Democratic party, for just under a decade we've been dreaming of this day, of launching this resource, offering valuable tips and advice for the way we really live—regardless of station or salary, creed or credit score. Finally, the time for Shoestring is now, and we celebrated by sending out our inaugural newsletter this afternoon.

So, whether frugality is in your blood, and the thrill of being thrifty is a family tradition, or you're just looking for ways to save a few bucks until the economy turns around, we hope you'll share your support for Shoestring with your friends by shouting it from the rooftops (or just Facebook and Twitter.)

Email us, post your comments on our blogs and our articles, add us to your bookmarks or RSS feeds, and, most of all, enjoy your new guide to finding The Good Life for Less!

Oh yeah, and sign up for your free subscription to Shoestring now. :)

~ Melissa
Stealfinder-in-Chief

Shoestring Events: Fluff Festival 2008

I'm a sucker for all things old-timey, especially when it a) favors creature comforts (especially foods), and b) supports local history or local business. Lately, due to the economy, I've been doing a lot of both. Especially on the PB&J sandwich/bag lunch front.

That's why yesterday, Travel Pants and I celebrated the anniversary of the creation of one of life's simplest and most affordable pleasures: marshmallow Fluff.

In my psuedo-hometown (ancestral hometown slash coming-of-age stomping ground?) of Somerville, MA, birthplace of Fluff and home to the annual What the Fluff? Festival, we celebrated this wondrous creation by snacking on $1 Fluffernutters (made with also-locally-produced Teddy Peanut Butter), Rice Krispie treats and cupcakes from Kick Ass Cupcakes, viewed an exhibit of original art from the Fluff Boy comic book, and, last but not least, voted for the Pharoah of Fluff.

Since its late, and, as the adage goes, a picture says a thousand words, here's our photographic coverage on Flickr.

My only regret? Being too full to try the Fluff Alexander.

Shoestring Events: Free Museum Admission

Thanks to our friend Lynn Truong (who I met at BlogHer earlier this year) and her web site Wise Bread for the head's up on Museum Day 2008, held nationally tomorrow: Saturday, September 27th.

Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine, the fourth annual Museum Day 2008 features free admission (by signing up for a printable pass on the official Museum Day web site) to hundreds of museums and cultural institutions nationwide. There's coverage in each state, so we're sure that all you Bargainistas will be able to find something fun, free, and intellectually inspiring to do tomorrow. Especially here in Boston, where it's raining buckets. I'll be hiding out at the Museum of Fine Arts with my Ginger Ninja if you need me.

Museums not your thing? Find budget-friendly sports, theater, movie, and more tickets at StubHub.com. A portion of every transaction made through the advertisment below goes to support Shoestring Magazine and Bargainista.com. You love us, you know you do.