All my friends had become ardent supporters of Chicos, yet I held out. Convinced that my love of basics and solid colors, my desire to choose any two pieces from my closet and have them match, would never be fulfilled by Chicos. It was a riot of color while I was an orderly march of solids. They scared me.

Well, they kept sending me catalogs and coupons. And the coupons were pretty good. Twenty five dollars off any purchase of $100 even if the items were on sale. They wore me down. I started by going into the store just to look around. And though they are known for their colors and prints, I spotted some solid pants. And they looked pretty good. Clean lines, nice neutral colors, up to date styles. My will was weakening.

You have to love their sizing, I was instantly reduced to a size two. Of course that is a medium in their world but in my world it is still a size two. I liked the sound of it. And I liked the pants. Beautiful velvet black jeans that are very stylish this year, denims with that extra bit of Lycra to hold you in, and racks and racks of sale items. Light weight cargo pants reduced by, capris left over from the summer, and some cropped jeans that will look just as good next summer as they looked last summer. And all reduced by thirty percent. Things were looking up.

To maximize the coupon, try and keep your purchases just a little over $100. That will give you an additional 25% off your bill and that includes items that are already discounted. Now I don’t mean to steer you away from their other items. For the print and color lover there are fantastic choices, the accessories are a whole world also, and they have beautiful sweaters.

However for the more classic minded, stick with pants and solid colored tops. And don’t forget to join the Chicos club which gives you an automatic 5% off after you reach a minimum amount.  They roll over stock very quickly so if you don’t find something you like, just stop back in two or three weeks.

Do the math and save big.

The Frugal Diva loves culture and she loves the word free. By combining these two concepts, the divas of the world can soak up culture without getting soaked.

Most museums have a free day. It may be once a week, once a month, a late night but they believe that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy great works of art. And you can either pack a lunch or get a snack at one of the reasonably priced cafes.

The Getty museums are the most generous - free all the time and everyday of the week. They ask only that you pay to park. That means when you bring a carload of guests from out of town, you can take them to see the beautiful Getty, the collections, and the smashing view all for $15 (as of the last time I went). The more guests, the cheaper the visit, so carpool with four and enter for less then  $4 apiece.  They will be impressed and amazed. Another great trick is to drop them off, enjoy a few hours of peace at home, wait for the phone call, and pick them up - with no charge at all. They have a fabulous day and you can run errands guilt free.

On Thursdays you can go for free to the UCLA Hammer Museum in Westwood all day and they are open from 11 AM to 9 PM.  Instead of staying in your routine on a week night, take the opportunity to visit this gem. They always have something unique in their exhibitions and a lovely permanent collection. You can leisurely enjoy the art and sit in the courtyard to reflect on what you’ve seen.

Tuesday is the free day at LACMA and they stay open until 8 PM. If you’re going after work maybe just take it a gallery at a time. Savor don’t gulp.

The world of culture is yours - just learn that timing is everything.

There is one thing that makes anyone feel truly rich-doing an act of kindness. Now I’m not going to get all preachy on you. Just think when someone asks you for directions how good you feel helping them out.  When someone drops a package and you help them pick it up.  When you give a few canned goods to the local food drive.

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Home office, it sounded so good when we first thought about it. Working in our slippers, never having to dress up, showering at our whim, and sipping coffee from our own mugs.

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