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Last weekend Spirit Friends Vintage was featured at our giveaway table at the BLIM Community Market. Selling locally-sourced vintage items, Kaitlin Williams, owner of Spirit Friends Vintage calls herself a “thrift store hunter and vintage lover.”
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If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome.
Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in! |
Say what you will about Vancouver’s addiction to yoga and what it means about the “true spirit” of the movement when classes are full of people wearing $90 rear-end-enhancing pants, you can’t deny that yoga is a great activity to improve the health of your body and mind. And while Lululemon is the primary instigator of said $90 rear-end-enhancing yoga pants, they also, it turns out, have something to offer to us cheapskates!
Free yoga! That’s right, you could go to 3 or 4 yoga classes a week for FREE by hopping around Vancouver’s various Lululemon stores. Each store offers at least one class a week before or after store hours when they push those racks out of the way and cram as many people onto that floor as they can.
To get the schedule for your nearest shop, check the Lulu website, find the store nearest you, and look at their community calendar. Here’s a breakdown of what’s listed now (of course, it’s liable to change):
Sundays:
8:45am at Robson Street
9:30am at Oakridge
Mondays:
8pm at Kitsilano
Tuesdays:
6:30pm at Lulu Lab (Cambie)
Thursdays:
7:30am at Robson Street (ESL focus)
A lot of the stores also have free running clubs if you’re into that kind of thing. Personally I don’t see why running around when you’re not trying to catch a bus or escape a zombie is a worthwhile activity, but then again, I guess some people might wonder why standing on one foot and calling it “tree pose” is worthwhile. To each their own!
Here’s what to expect when you try out a free class at a Lulu store: a crowd. Seriously, get there at least 10 minutes early because it turns out (surprise, surprise) a lot of people like getting free yoga. I went to a class at the Lulu Lab, got there about 15 minutes early, and while I did wind up standing outside the store for that time in an ever-growing crowd, I also got a decent spot on the floor once they opened things up.
Other things to expect: an awesome, challenging all-levels class and access to free mats, unless otherwise stated (it looks like they don’t provide mats at Oakridge).
On their site they say that the yoga classes are all a part of creating a yoga community and giving back. I’m not sure how much community comes from the super packed-out classes, but it really is great of them to provide something for their neighbourhood.
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If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome.
Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in! |
One of the best days to get a great deal? Your birthday of course!
I love getting a free meal or other deal any day, but it feels extra special to get a treat on your birthday. Lucky for us, most businesses have figured out by now that free birthday stuff is a great way to harbour happy feelings amongst customers.
My birthday was last week and of course, I made a run of the freebies. Here’s what you can get.
Denny’s – Free Grand Slam
The fine print: you can just show up and get a regular grand slam no problem – just show them your ID (and yes, they register it into their system so you can’t do it twice). If you want to do one of the fancy “build your own” Grand Slams then you’ve got to eat with someone who is also ordering a meal. I learned this the hard way when I accidentally kind of spoiled my roommate’s birthday breakfast by just ordering a tea. (Sorry Roomie!)
IHOP – Free Rootie Tootie Fresh ‘n Fruity
The fine print: you need to sign up for their email list to get a free breakfast from them, but hey, you also get a free breakfast just for signing up! You’ll get a certificate by email to print off and bring in on your birthday.
That’s my free Rootie Tootie Fresh ‘n Fruity! If you eat meat yours will look a little different than mine.
Marble Slab – Free Cone
The fine print: you also have to sign up for their email list to get the cone, but I will say that this is a pretty okay email list to be on. They don’t email very often and mostly about deals. Bonus that you don’t have to use the certificate on your birthday – they give you a few extra days with it. Un-bonus that you have to print it off to get your freebie or they will flat out refuse giving it to you.
Booster Juice – Free Smoothie
The fine print: Another email list required, print the certificate.
Blenz – Any free drink
The fine print: Apparently not every location participates in this, but the one at Granville and Broadway does. Nothing to sign up for, nothing to print, just show your ID and get the most expensive drink you can find.
Guess who’s happy to have a free drink?
Sephora – A free gift
The fine print: You have to join the Sephora club and get a membership card, but you can do that in-store when you get your gift. Another one that doesn’t require you come on your actual birthday, which is awesome. They pretty much just give you one a year and you go whenever you want to get it.
Starbucks – Any free drink
The fine print: You have to register a Starbucks card to your address. They mail you a postcard with a gift card for a free drink. Make sure you register at least a couple of weeks before your birthday.
Those are the only straight-up freebies I could find. A few other places give you a free meal or dessert, but with the expectation that you bring 1-4 people with you who all order entrees and/or drinks. These places include:
The Keg – Free dessert
Red Robin – Free burger
The Old Spaghetti Factory – Free meal
The Boathouse – This one deserves a special mention. When you sign up for their email list they say you get a $25 gift card on your birthday. Turns out what you actually get is $25 off a meal if you bring 4 people who all order entrees. Not really the same thing, is it? I’ll be honest, there’s nothing that bothers me more than this kind of bait-and-switch. Don’t tell me you’re giving me a $25 gift card if you’re not going to do it! Vera’s offered a $10 gift certificate, and that’s what I got in my inbox the week of my birthday. Honesty, people. Where’s the honesty?
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If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome.
Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in! |
The Vancouver International Fringe Festival is a major institution in Vancouver. It’s also sort of like playing theatre roulette. With so many offerings and the Fringe’s “all entries are equal” philosophy (meaning everyone who submits has an equal chance of getting in, no vetting process for quality), you never quite know what you’re going to get. Luckily our friendly neighbourhood reviewers at The Georgia Straight preview as many as possible to give us a window into what’s worth watching (although some would argue that takes all the fun out of it), but regardless of the content of the plays, you are guaranteed a good (and cheap) time at the Fringe Bar.
The crowd at last year’s Fringe Bar. Photo by Lachlan McAdam.
The Fringe Bar is awesome for many reasons:
1) It’s cheap. No cover!
2) It’s where all the Fringe artists hang out – seriously, they actually do!
3) There are tons of awesome musical acts/other events happening nightly
The schedule is pretty extensive as it runs from Sept 6-16 with programming every night, but here are what I consider to be the highlights:
Sept. 7th: Jordan Klassen at 10:30pm
Sept. 8th: Say Wha?! Readings of Deliciously Rotten Writing at 8pm
Sept. 9th: The Bleating Hearts at 10:30pm
Sept. 11th: Weekend Leisure Karaoke at 8:30pm
Sept. 13th: Open Mic Night (You can be in it too!)
Sept. 16th: Improv Channel Flipping with Riel Hahn and Ian Boothby Episode 2 at 8:15pm
If you’re a theatre artist in any way, shape, or form, be sure to check out their workshops and forums as well – they are very awesome. Some are free, and some cost money that isn’t really “cheap” but qualifies as a “good deal”, considering what you get.
The Fringe Bar
Sept 6-16 at The AGRO Cafe (1363 Railspur Alley, Granville Island)
Nightly
Photo by Lachlan McAdam.
The BLIM Community Market table giveaway continues! Do you make or sell something that should be at the BLIM Market?
Want in on the fun with a free table at the Sept. 15th BLIM Market? Email andrea@vancouverisawesome.com with the following info:
Your Name
Business Name
What you do/make/sell
Why it’s awesome
A link to your website/blog/anywhere with pictures or info about what you do/make/sell and why it’s awesome
Subject line: BLIM table entry
Submissions are due by 5pm on Sept. 10th SHARP!
The winner of the table will be announced on the afternoon of Sept. 11th.
Oh, and there’s no point in submitting if you’re not free to work the table on Sept. 15th, right? So make sure you are!
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If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome.
Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in! |
A while back I had an old computer I needed to get rid of. Obviously, being a good citizen of the world, I wanted to recycle it. Imagine my surprise when I found out that you have to pay money to recycle most electronics. I mean, i get it, recycling electronics safely is expensive and there’s only so much funding to go around. It was just unexpected, I mean, everything else is free to recycle, and some things we actually get paid to recycle (or technically we get our recycling fee back, but you know, a penny spent, etc.) Then I found out that many electronics recycling depots simply ship our used electronics overseas to countries without safety or environmental regulations. Not cool.
A little research, however, and I found something far better than I could have ever imagined while on the hunt for someone to recycle my dinosaur-of-a-computer for free: Free Geek.
Free Geek is a three-in-one:
One: They recycle old electronics for free in a safe and environmentally friendly way. No shipping old toxic computers off to developing nations where people with no training or safety gear are forced to take them apart bare-handed.
Two: They are a school, training people in how computers work and how to build them (handily using your old computer to do it!)
Three: They are a thrift store, selling used and refurbished electronics at amazingly low prices.
Oh, and if you volunteer and build a few computers, you get one for free. No fooling!
Here’s a little video by the good folks at Free Geek, summing up their activities:
A lot of the items in their thrift shop are on the older side, but depending on what you need that might not make a difference, or might even be helpful! For example, my grandmother of a computer (8 years young) needed a new power cable, but it’s a model that Apple doesn’t make anymore. The best I could find was almost $50 from Mac Market, or $20 once shipping was included online. I got one for $18, tax included, at Free Geek. WIN!
Plus, if you are interested in learning more about computers, you can go here and learn for free instead of paying for an expensive computer course. DOUBLE WIN!
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