Cheap and Free things to do this Weekend

Here is a list of cheap and free things to do this weekend in and around Cecil county:

Del Lord & Country Ramblers - Free bluegrass concert (although donations will be accepted) given on Sat., Feb. 21st at 7 pm at the James United Methodist Church located at 213 Walnut St. in Rising Sun.

Ice Skating at the UD Fred Rust Arena - This weekend skating session that are open to the public take place, Friday, Saturday from 8-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-3 p.m. Admission is $7 per person; $5 per person for youth 6 years of age and younger. Skate rental is available for $3.

North Elk Coffee House - 315 S. Main Street, North East, MD
410 287 5522 - Saturday, February 21 – Brooks Williams – playing blues, folk, and roots music
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. and ends by 9:30. Admission: $8 adults; $6 children under 18. Snacks and drinks available for purchase. All proceeds benefit The Meeting Ground, a homeless aid and empowerment organization in Cecil County .

"Flute Guest Artist Master Class: Keith Underwood" - Saturday, Feb. 21st, 1-3 p.m. University of Delaware campus, Loudis Recital Hall, Amy E. du Pont Music Building. FREE

Club Sports: Men's Ice hockey vs. Naval Academy - Saturday, February 21st, 5 p.m. Fred Rust Ice Arena, Single game tickets are $6 for adults; and $4 for UD students and children 18 and under. (I don't know if this is the regular university hockey team)

'An Evening with Groucho' - at Cecil College, Sunday, February 22, 3 p.m. at the Millburn Stone Theatre. Tickets are$15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, and $10 for children 12 and younger.

Washington College Mens' and Women's Basketball - Women's team plays at 2 p.m. and men's team plays at 4 p.m. In the Russell gymnasium on campus. I didn't see a ticket price.

Cheap or Free Exercise

I just received my latest email with coupons from BJ’s and in it were several coupons to save money on exercise equipment. The prices on the 4 pieces of equipment range from $179.99 to $649.99 (after your coupon is subtracted). Wow! Such a deal! Exercise equipment is frequently advertised for sale or for free on the Cecil Freecycle or Cecil Yard Sale list serves. I also see equipment for sale at garage sales. How many people out there have some expensive piece of equipment gathering dust in their home?
What are some of our options besides buying equipment or joining a gym?
First is exercise at home with some weights and a mat. I have a yoga mat and two weights that I bought for a total of $16. I have a routine that I do several times a week that I took from various web sites but mostly from the Self magazine website. I joined the 2008 SELF Challenge and took some exercises from the monthly videos there. I also get emails every week and incorporate some of these exercises into my routine. Right now the 2009 challenge is going on. This is cheap. The big plus is I don’t have to go anywhere to do it and I didn’t have to buy any cute exercise clothes.
I also joined Exercise Friends since I love to hike and walk. I did find a walking buddy a few years ago but my work schedule changed and we don’t walk together anymore. We used to walk at the New Castle County Park in Glasgow. They have a great walking/riding/jogging trail that is 2.5 miles long. It is located on Rt. 40 across from the new YMCA. It also has a great playground!
Elkton’s Meadow Park, located on Delaware Ave., is also a great place to walk. Last Fall the town put down a paved path. The trail is 3/4ths of a mile long. The only drawback is you need to be careful of the cars that share the road.
I have read about the Women Who Walk in the Perryville area but cannot find anything on it on the web. I don’t have the Cecil Whig online subscription where I know they reported on it. Does anyone have information on it?
Let’s not forget our two State Parks – Elk Neck and Fair Hill. They are both beautiful places to take a walk or a hike. My husband and I frequently go to Fair Hill since it is near our home. For $3 in-state and $4 out-of-state, it is a cheap way to exercise. Does anyone know of walking trails in the southern part of the county?
As the weather gets warmer, the free, and almost free, options for exercise increase. Winter won’t last forever even if it sometimes feels like it.

Thrift and Consignment Shops In and Around Cecil

There is a big difference between Thrift and Consignment shops. Thrift stores sell clothing, books, household items and furniture that have been donated to them. The quality of the items varies. Sometimes you can find terrible junk or wonderful treasures. People who donate the items can receive a tax deduction. Consignment stores accept mostly used clothing (and other goods like baby furniture) or not. Only things in excellent shape are accepted. Items must be clean, pressed and usually on hangers. If your things are accepted, then you get half of what the item sells for and the consignment shop gets the other half. One must usually make an appointment with the owner of the shop for them to look at the clothing to decide what they would like to have hanging on the rack.
I know of only two consignment shops in Cecil County. The first is Second Hand Rose in Rising Sun. They are located at 131 E. Main St. and their phone number is (410)658-4233. I saw a recent advertisement in the Cecil Whig saying they were now accepting Spring wardrobes. They also started to sell furniture. They are not open every day or all day so call to be sure they are open.
The Corner Consignment Shop on Rt. 40 in Perryville, (410) 642-2858 is another local consignment shop. They have men’s, women’s and children’s clothing as well as some baby equipment. As of today, the number is disconnected and I do not know if it is still in business. Anyone know anything?
On Route 40 in North East is a sign saying Diane’s Thrift Store. I think this is a new venture by someone. I couldn’t find a phone number for it so if anyone knows anything, let us all know please.
There are a few thrift stores in the county and probably the most well known store is the Goodwill store in Elkton located at 208 South Bridge St. I love looking through their huge book selection. I do find them overpriced for books, especially. On the last Saturday of the month they have all clothing half off. It is packed that day so be sure to get there early.
The hospital runs the Nearly New Shop which is located in the Elkton Towne Center on Main St. in Elkton. All proceeds go to support the hospital. Every once in a while they have a bag day sale and it is $2 or $3 a bag.
The SPCA runs a thrift store located near their building on Route 213 south of Chesapeake City. It is called the Wag ‘n Tail Nearly New Shop. They do not have clothing and are only open M-F from 1-3pm when volunteers are available.
Those are the only stores I know of in the county. Outside the county there are many consignment and thrift stores. I think an article devoted to each of the neighboring areas is probably appropriate. So, look for those articles sometime soon. If you know of any good thrift or consignment shops, in New Castle, Harford or Chester counties, let me know of those too.

Freecycle and Local Yahoo Groups

The Mission Statement of Freecycle is “…to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.” What Freecycle provides is a web site where you can post your giveaways and receive someone else’s cast-offs.
How it works is easy. You send an email to the group stating what you have, where you are located and any other information you want to provide. Then others email you back to say they would like it. You communicate in private about when and where to meet to hand over your unwanted items. One firm rule is you need to show up when you say you will or communicate with the giver about not being able to show up. I received many wonderful things when I joined Freecycle. I also gave many items that we didn’t need to other people. This is the Cecil County Freecycle information link. They have over 3000 members so you will get lots of emails.
Along with Freecycle there is also a Yahoo Groups for Cecil County Yard sales. This is where you can list things for sale or buy some things. This group has over 700 members. I have used it to purchase things but not to sell items. Most people post what they have, the condition of the items, how much and where they are located. You can also post pictures of the items so people can see the condition of the items.
The CCF Discussion list is also a very good source of information on what is happening in and around the county. Sometimes there are posts about free events. If you need any information about places, things, events or anything just ask the 300+ members.

Salvage Groceries and Other Discount Places to Shop

Years ago, when I lived in California, there was a salvage grocery store called Canned Foods. Since then the chain has become Grocery Outlet and expanded in both the locations and types of food it has. I often wished there was a large, salvage store here in Cecil County. A salvage store is a store with damaged cans and boxes, or outdated foods or boxes in a different language. These goods are usually fine to eat but can’t be sold in a regular grocery store. Frugal Village has a good article this week on grocery salvage stores. It also has a link to help locate stores.
Nearby, we have a few options, one of which is the Big Lots on Route 40 in Elkton. Since this is nearby, I end up here about once a month. They have lots of non-refrigerated foods here too. You need to know your prices so you can tell if you are getting a good deal or not. They have quite a few international types of foods and gourmet oils and vinegars.
Another place that I would love to go to is BB’s in Quarryville, PA. They are only open particular days , are an Amish run business and only take cash. I haven’t been here but please leave information about your shopping experience in the comments section if you have been there.
Community Hope Market is at 750 Otts Chapel Rd. in Newark in an old Gore building. It has an amazing array of food, clothing, toys and lots of other things too numerous to name. This is a not for profit market whose proceeds go towards the upkeep and establishment of community playing fields and other healthy activities for families. I never know what I will find here when I go. They take bank card.
What are some of your grocery salvage or other discounted shopping sources?

Our $5 Lunch and a Free Play

On Saturday my husband and I went out for lunch and spent $5 for 2 very nice lunches. Then, we took in a short, one-act play. The total cost of this was $5 and that is because we tipped the waitress extra. How did we do it?
In December, one of the women on the No More Debt forum that I frequent posted how restaurants.com had an 80% off coupon sale. She posted the code you needed to get the 80% off. I went on, created an account and bought 4 coupons for a total of $8. Each of the coupons was worth $25 with no minimums and few restrictions. They were all for the Brasserie Grille at the Hilton in Newark (down by Borders ). I gave 2 to one of my daughters for Christmas and we used the other 2. The Brasserie is a bit pricey but delicious! We went for lunch on a Saturday and ordered 2 meals and one iced tea. The 18% tip is figured into the total of our check and we could use the $25 towards it. The total came to $26 and change. We paid $2 for the original certificate and tipped the great server an extra $2 over the 18%. Total for lunch was $5.
I do have to add you should be careful of when ordering restaurant.com certificates. Read all the restrictions that apply. Frequently the coupon is $25 towards a $35 purchase and alcohol can’t be included in the $35. This particular restaurant had few restrictions so we saved a good deal of money.
The second part of our lovely afternoon was taking in a free, short play put on by the Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) at the University of Delaware. The program is a three year graduate program and presents multiple plays every year (no musicals!). Prices range from $7 student tickets to $17 general public tickets. They also have a senior discount ticket price. This year we bought a 5 ticket voucher for general admission for $82.50 and a student 5 ticket voucher for $47.50. The vouchers are great because they allow you to choose the date and time of each play in the future and what fits into your calendar. When we purchased the vouchers we were given free tickets to Saturday’s production of The Long Christmas Dinner by Thornton Wilder (which was excellent!).
Looking for free and cheap entertainment can be time consuming but often worthwhile.

How Did This Happen? The Unexpected Happens

Part 2: Sudden Unemployment

Sudden job loss can be devastating on the emotional level as well as the financial level. I remember suddenly losing my job in the 2003 economic downturn. I was devastated emotionally as well as unequipped to deal with the financial end of things. For the first few days after my job loss, I kept writing out budgets and worrying about how we would survive. I put a lot of energy into useless activities. When I finally calmed down, I was able to deal with the reality and make some good decisions. So, first take a few days to calm down before you do anything.
One book I read thought that it was fine to put expenses on credit cards in the aftermath of a job loss. However, one woman I met at my Frugal Living to Accomplish Your Goals presentation said that she and her husband did just that. Now they are struggling to stay afloat and pay off those credit cards. Her husband was taking a third job to try to get them out of debt. I can’t stress enough that this is why everyone needs an emergency fund. This is why people save it. Life is filled with uncertainties and everyone needs an emergency plan.
When you lose your job, your first phone call should be to your creditors. Call the credit card companies and your car loan people. Tell them you lost your job. When I did this, I was able to get our minimums lowered to $15 for three months on our credit cards. I was able to not pay our car loan for 2 months in exchange for extending the loan for 2 months. This strategy helped us dramatically. Don’t put off calling them or thinking that if you ignore the bills everything will work out. By hiding from the reality you are putting yourselves in a worse position. Credit card companies are willing to work with you.
The next thing you should do is to take a hard look at all the bills. All non-necessities go. Cut your cable bill as far back as possible or scrap it altogether. All computer game websites and other types of subscription websites should be dropped. Subscriptions to DVD, music and book clubs should be cancelled. Remember that this may be temporary or it may be a long time. If it is temporary, then you can resume your subscriptions again. If it is for the long haul, then that money will be needed. You can replace most of these things by using the public library’s DVD, music and book collections. You can also trade or borrow games, books, CD’s etc. with friends. Get creative!
If you do not need the computer to look for a job, then you may have to cancel your internet subscription. Public libraries can help you there. They have a free dial up connection that you can sign up for. Ask the Cecil County librarians about how the Sailor Cruise Account works. Another alternative is to use the computers at the public libraries.
The most important thing to remember is to take care of yourself and your family’s basic needs. Rent or mortgage should be paid first. Then food, utilities and work related expenses such as transportation and child care. If you can, get friends and relatives to baby sit while you look for a job. Offer to trade babysitting with someone. Pull your child out of day care or at least reduce the time spent there.
All children’s activities that need to be paid for, should be stopped. Remember, kids will not like it but you know how urgent it is to use that money for food. It is fine if a child misses music lessons or karate for a few months. Explain to children how you will all have to go without a few things until Mom or Dad finds a new job.
There are several different resources available for help in Cecil County. The Cecil County Help Center is a remarkable resource. Anyone can drop in and get free clothing for themselves or their families. They also have a food pantry but recipients must be referred by the Dept. of Social Services. There are other food pantries available in our county. Here is the Maryland Dept. of Human Resources’ link to information about resources in our County:
https://www.marylandsail.org/ElectronicDocs/soupkitchens/Cecil_County.pdf
If anyone knows of other pantries, please leave the information in the comments section. Additionally, some of the churches have free meals during the week. Look in the Cecil Whig for weekly information on which churches run the free meals.
Don’t get farther and farther into debt when you are unemployed. First, cut all non-necessary expenses and then make payment arrangements with your creditors. Look for free or low cost resources in your time of need. If you are not unemployed now start saving your emergency fund!