penny-pinch

Chic & You Shall Find Vintage E-Shop

My beautiful (and talented, and determined) friend Brenna just launched an awesome new site today for us brokettes. It’s called Chic & You Shall Find, and it’s an online vintage shop with price points to die for. As if the pictures weren’t enough to make you fall for the adorable pieces she’s accumulated in all her years of scouring flea markets, garage sales, and vintage shops, each piece comes with its own personal story – kind of like a Cabbage Patch Kid (If you were born in the 90’s, you have no idea what I’m talking about…and I hate you).

* I really want the top pictured here but I am, as always, BROKE. Sad when I can’t even afford the affordable.

Website: www.chicandyoushallfind.com

Tuesday’s Links

It’s been awhile since I’ve wasted your time like this, mostly because I haven’t had the time to waste in helping you waste yours. Today I’m checked out, though, so here you go:

Ciudad is yummy, 30% off is delicious. [Blackboard Eats]

Last week I went to a makeup line launch party, and the artist asked me which cosmetic brands I prefer. My response was something along the lines of “whatever I can steal from my mom and/or get free from launches like this one.” Anyway, on the off chance I’m actually going to purchase my next round of beauty products, it’s nice to know that Topshop and H&M offer affordable options. [Refinery 29]

Part of my New Years resolution was that I’d no longer be seen at places like this. No, that wasn’t me you saw at Voyeur on Saturday…or Thursday…well, at least this offers me an alternative to Voyeur, right? [Eater LA]

This website makes me happy every day. And if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that’s no easy task. I was particularly taken with this lovely Parisian/travel-themed posting. It has nothing to do with being broke, except perhaps that it’s my love of things like this that keeps my bank account funneled into Kayak.com. [This Is Glamorous]

LA public schools are about to get worse. My advice? Marry rich. Just kidding. Kind of. [Huff Po]

One of my exes is a reporter covering the quake in Chile. Kind of hope he falls into the rubble, but happy this little guy was pulled out. [Huff Po]

And finally, those of you interested in fighting through hordes of dbag gatecrashers should take note of this special offer from Hollywood Tans in honor of the Oscars this weekend. [Hollywood Tans]

More Awesome Ways to be Lame

It’s below 60 degrees outside.  You actually got a good parking spot for the first time in your life.  You don’t want to run into your ex and his new extensions-wearing whore-of-a-girlfriend.  Whatever your reason is for staying in for the night, you might as well have a movie to watch, right?

I agree, which is why you should take one of the codes listed below to your local Blockbuster Express to score yourself a free DVD.  To be honest, I had never heard of Blockbuster Express, but apparently it’s a way to avoid all human interaction when renting a movie.   This is perfect for someone with terrible taste in movies and a tendency to not wear makeup.  Who, me?

Check out the promotion codes below:

GOLIVE – Free one night Rental (Exp 3/3)
GE12B – Free one night Rental (Exp 3/8)
GT21A – Free one night Rental (Exp 3/12)
GL9RA – Free one night Rental (Exp 3/31)

I think it’s worth a shot.  Can I recommend Monsters Inc.?

Website: http://www.blockbusterexpress.com/

*Editor’s Note:  I recently became an instant play fanatic on Netflix and have since lost the will to live in the outside world.  I should fire Sarah for bringing more ways to be a loser to my attention, but I think I’m more likely to give her my job so I can dedicate myself more fully to streaming movies into my sad little studio apartment.  Congratulations, Sarah!   If you need me I’ll be watching Love Story and The Notebook on loop.

Del Taco & Body Wash…Yes, it’s only Tuesday

While these aren’t necessarily, or at all, LA exclusive, and they might not be the classiest of finds, I have discovered ways for you to score free shrimp tacos at Del Taco and a sample of Olay body wash.

I’ll pause for you to celebrate.

Go here to become a “fan” of Del Taco on Facebook, where you can then find access to a coupon for a free Crispy Shrimp Taco.  (You might as well “defriend” them once you’ve printed your coupon… Just a thought.)

Go here to sign up for a free sample of Olay Total Effects Body Wash.  I’m assuming it will be travel-sized, which is great for a worldly broke girl.  I mean, c’mon, who really wants to spend money on those ridiculous, airline-approved sizes?!  (Even if they are adorable…)

National Pancake Day – Tomorrow

Set you alarms, mark your calendars and schedule a vacation day because tomorrow, February 23^rd, is National Pancake Day Celebration at IHOP! ( http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/ ) I doubt anyone is as addicted to these carbalicious disks of love as I am, but free food is free food.

From 7a.m. to 10p.m. at participating IHOP restaurants you can get a short stack (three) of buttermilk pancakes for free.  All IHOP asks is that you consider making a donation to support local children’s hospitals through Children’s Miracle Network, which you will do because you’re not a stingy tool.

The weirdest part of this whole event?  You can actually schedule yourself a wakeup call through IHOP’s website (http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/wakeup_entry.html )and Marie Osmond, Steve Young or some other random will “call” you to remind you.  Do what you gotta do.

Website:  http://www.ihop.com/

Leaving Bank of America

This is it!  Tomorrow I leave Bank of America once and for all. Who knows if I’ll find a lesser evil, but the uncertainty is better than staying with B of A, a.k.a. my abusive boyfriend.

Just thought I’d share.  Bye, bye, B of A…

Wednesday’s Links

Got some exciting news last night so couldn’t sleep.  As a result, even more useless at my day job than usual…

Is it just me or does flying seem extra dangerous as of late?  I think I might actually be scared into saving money by taking the train.  We still have those, right?  [LAist and Daily News La]

Yeah, I’m over it.  [NYT]

Cheap pizza, late at night?  Just keep plugging along, LA, and one day maybe you’ll be NYC.  In the meantime, yum.  [Yo, Venice]

Mmmmmmm, Pancakes.  [HuffPo]

Finally, a way to keep track of all of the gourmet food trucks…if you still care.  I heard something about banana pudding and chicken wings today and I think that ended it for me.  [Lalawag]

Cheap osteoporosis prevention. [HuffPo]

Allegedly, there’s a lot of happiness in California.  Just not specifically in LA, it would seem.  But…the weather’s so nice here. [HuffPo]

Recipematcher.com – Making Do With Rose Thorns and Glue

If you’re anything like me, you have a fridge full of condiments and a few random “ingredients” that never seem to make a meal.  I like to open my cabinets and pretend that someone (Mommy) stocks them, but I’m always sadly mistaken when it’s just that one bag of pasta and a jar of peanut butter staring back at me.Since I pretend to embrace my inner domestic goddess, I try to cook from time to time, which is made difficult by my: 1. Lack of skills, 2. Lack of cooking utensils, 3. Lack of ingredients.  However, I recently found a gem of a website, RecipeMatcher.com.

At RecipeMatcher.com, you type in every ingredient you have at your disposal, and it spits out a variety of recipes you can make using just those ingredients.  While a few usually seem gross in theory, others have actually been surprisingly good and have saved my credit card from take-out menu abuse.

At the bottom of your results list, the site also includes extra recipes that require one or two additional ingredients, which gives you an excuse to go knock on cute neighbor boy’s door.  Sugar, anyone?

Website:  www.recipematcher.com

Friday’s Links

Free 12 ounce Chai Mates, Chai Rooibos, and Chai Tea Lattes today from 4-7pm at Coffee Bean. And thus with bastardized mate my favorite continent continues to be plundered for the benefit of trendy Americans (coconut water, anyone?) [Eater LA]

Just because I’m boycotting V-day doesn’t mean you have to. But…I kind of feel like I’d be intensely disappointed if my date took me to Jian for dinner Sunday. Something about an LAified version of Korean BBQ doesn’t scream to me ‘romance.’ [Eater LA]

My International lover is in Paris right now, hopefully not partaking in this (though I would be very interested in the type of Parisian men who would attend such an event…somehow I envision them to be PERFECT and yet somehow inexplicably single) [The World]

More reasons to join me on the V-Day KFC bandwagon. [Bon Appetit Foodist]

I know everybody says this about every great idea, but I CAME UP WITH THIS FIRST. And it was going to have a mashed potato component, too, which would have made it even more genius and was inspired by the fact that whenever I was hungover in NYC I would order Mama’s mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, gorge myself stupid, and decide I could probably die happy. [LAist]

I dunno what to say except, wish I had thought of this. [Thrillist]

I knew none of this was real…or at least, I hoped (especially around Valentine’s Day). [HuffPo]

As the lone Broke Girl left in my lawyer-ridden group of friends, I feel Greece’s pain. [HuffPo]

Working Hard or Hardly Working – Hump Day Links

You can clearly tell which one applies to me…

I’m in agreement with Refinery29 on this, and am 1 of 3 people excited to see overalls come back. [Refinery29]

No need to blow your wad on Pizzeria Mozza when Domino’s is allegedly delicious. And on this note, have you guys tried D’Amores on 3rd (and in Malibu)? It’s “healthy” pizza, but it tastes good AND (as I discovered this weekend) still works to cure hangovers.

I feel like this could be a super cute addition to a ‘hang with the boys’/sports bar type outfit. Plus, it’s (potentially) free. [Stylelist]

More gratis ways for me to carry on long distance affairs with foreign lovers? Yes, please. [TweetMeme]

Couture for the masses (that would be us) here and here.

More faux exclusive travel sample sales we still can’t afford. [Thrillist]

Thanks for putting the upcoming Barney’s Warehouse Sale on my radar, Little Miss Perfect McPerfectkins. [Cupcakes and Cashmere]

And speaking of sales. [Refinery29]

I’m not generally on the hate a banker bandwagon (just specifically, in regards to my ex) but I do HATE this bank, so… [HuffPo]

Last but by no means least, a little perspective. [LAist]