Use the coupon code MOM and you can purchase a 4-pack of tickets for only $44 for weekday shows.  Any additional tickets beyond the 4-pack for the shows during the week are still priced at $11.  Or if you prefer to go on the weekends, you can save $4 off weekend tickets. To receive the savings, go to TicketMaster.com and enter MOM in the “MC promotion” box when purchasing the tickets. 

This offer is not valid on Rinkside or VIP seating and it cannot be combined with other offers.  Service charges, facility, and handling fees will apply.

Show dates:

Charlotte: October 8-11, 2009
Philadelphia: October 14-18, 2009
Atlanta: October 14-18, 2009
Oakland/San Jose: October 14-25, 2009
Fairfax: October 21-25, 2009
Sacramento: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Baltimore: October 28 – November 1, 2009
Uniondale: November 10-15, 2009
Houston: November 11-15, 2009
NYC: November 17-22, 2009
East Rutherford: November 24-29, 2009
Denver/Broomfield: December 3-13, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/12/09
St. Paul: December 9-13, 2009
Los Angeles: December 17-20, 2009
Toronto: December 18-27, 2009
Anaheim: December 22-27, 2009
Philadelphia: December 23 – January 3, 2010 *available for purchase on 10/12/09
Boston: December 26-29, 2009 *available for purchase on 9/3/09
Ontario: December 30 – January 3, 2010
Cleveland: January 8 -18, 2009 *available for presale on 10/2/09

Enjoy the savings!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Last fall, 650 theatre companies, in 120 cities from coast to coast, opened their doors to over 65,000 new theatergoers. This year, our participating theatre companies will offer even more tickets for free. Join thousands of audience members – from Portland to Charleston, and from Houston to Minneapolis – and explore all the wonderful entertainment your local theatre community has to offer!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Entertaining a family on a budget can be a challenge. It isn’t impossible though. Investing a little time and following a few simple tips, can save you a lot of money. 

Research.
This doesn’t have to be a lot of work. I regularly check the event calendars on our state, state parks, and library websites. These are full of free and low cost events for all ages. We also get a free paper that lists quite a few events.
If there is someplace you want to go, check their website first. You can find coupons or times that are discounted. For example, by checking the website I found our local art museum is free on Tuesdays and offers free kids classes on Saturday. Another museum near us is free on Thursday nights.

Sometimes the website will have deals you can’t find anywhere else. I learned of a local theater’s free movie camp (kids movies in the AM) on the web site. I haven’t seen this advertised anywhere else, not even at the theater itself.

Go early. Go late. Don’t go on the weekends!
In other words go when it isn’t busy. Not only is it more enjoyable, (in my opinion!) it is cheaper. Movies offer matinees, restaurants early bird specials, some museums and amusement parks offer after 5 specials. (and with little kids do you really want to spend the whole day at the amusement park?!) We used to have a minor league ball park near where we lived. They offered lots of family specials and discounted tickets during the week to try to fill the park.

During the week you can find great deals at restaurant. Does going out to eat count as entertainment? Well, in this house it does. We love to go out to eat. During the week there are often specials where kids eat free. There is a local Italian type restaurant here that offers Two for Tuesday, buy one pasta dish and get one free. As rule going out for breakfast is also cheaper than lunch or dinner.

Buy the Membership.
To the museum, to the zoo or other places your family loves. It is one money for a year of entertainment and fun. Zoo and museum memberships are very reasonable. In addition to allowing you year long access to your local location, many also give you free (or discounted) entry to zoos and museums all over the country. This is wonderful when you are traveling to visit family or on vacation.
What I really love about memberships is that you can pick up and go whenever. You don’t have to plan it for the budget or even plan to spend an entire day for your outing. You can go to the zoo for an hour. You can the budget is tight. By the way, memberships are great family gifts to give and receive!

Pack a lunch!
If you are not taking advantage of cheap dining as mentioned above, save yourself a ton of cash and pack enough food and drinks for the day. The food at places like the zoo or amusement parks is so over priced! Even running through the drive thru for lunch can make free entertainment at the park an expensive day. If you find yourself with little in the house to pack for your outing, swing by the grocery store instead of the drive thru. Quick and easy foods at the grocery store cost a fraction of what you will pay at a restaurant.  

So enjoy cheap entertainment this summer, and all year round! Research. Go early or late and during the week. Buy the membership and pack your lunch! 

Stephanie at Make it from Scratch and Stop the Ride!

image sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Then, the innovative idea of movie exchange programs, came into play. It seemed the answer to all of my late fee problems. There were no such things as late fees! We could exchange movies as often as we wished and as many times, per month. Hallelujah! Errrrrrk…pull the e-brake. There was one problem with the exchange program lies in the fact that you actually have to keep track of where the movie is. If you lose the movie, you buy the movie. Nothing in our house, ever stays where it should. Everything gets lost, at least once. This especially applies to things that do not belong to us. So, I still encountered the problem of paying out the nose for movies that we borrow.

The solution: knowing when to be content with what we have. We have decided to cancel our movie membership and just enjoy the movies that we already own. There are always weekend movies on cable television, if we scour the listing guide.  We will just have to learn to be happy with what we already have. When we decided that it is time to add to our collection, we will buy the movie and then watch it without the fear of late fees or lost fees. Then, when we eventually lose and find the movie (which we will,) it will be a nice surprise! Plus, it will save us the thirty dollar membership fee, which is always nice.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Being unemployed is such a bad status. Being unemployed and broke is worse! Just before you run out of funds for the bills after getting that lay-off, here are some ways you can save your savings and your face while undergoing the in-between employment phase that you hate the most.

1. Cut it out with some unnecessary expenditures.

If you still spend the same amount of money you spend when you still have your 9 to 5, chances are you will blow away your savings in no time. Minus gas expenses, parking fees and frequent lunch outs, you should be doing just well if you have a decent savings account that is. If you can kick away your smoking or java cups, the better you will fare with your financial management feat. Search for the best deals.

2. Lower your energy bills.

Since you will be staying more at home, chances are your energy bill will go higher than when you were still working. But you can still make things in control by making sure that you use your phone during off-peak hours if it’s not an emergency call.

Read more energy bill and phone bill saving tips.

3. Make the most of your free time.

Time is gold, yeah? And when you are unemployed, you have lots of it.  One way to maximize your time when you don’t have to wake up early the next day is to use your time instead of paying for stuff that will buy you more time. Got it? One example from is to walk or choose train over a cab if you can. Also, comparison shopping can be done more often and more conscientiously now that you don’t have think of your office work while doing it.

4. Entertainment doesn’t have to be expensive.

You don’t have to deprive yourself of some entertainment even when you now can’t afford going to clubs every other night. Video rentals, museums, exhibits and other less expensive forms of entertainment abound. Your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend can be of great help in this endeavor, too. Hehe..

And don’t forget to reinvent yourself while undergoing this dark life in your career. Learn a new lingo, volunteer, and keep vamping up your CV. You can even turn it into an awakening stage, learning new skills or untapped talents that can make you succeed in your work life or even others aspects of your personal life soon. And if you think you are loving not having anyone to boss you around, why not put up a low-cost home business?

(image from salvationinc.org)

Post from: Thrifty Mommy