Since no one is an authority on everything, today The Frugal Diva gives you her favorite resources for going green.

Let’s start with one of my favorite activities, spring cleaning.  Yes, I am a bit of a neat freak and love nothing more then to take everything off my pantry shelves, clean, and reorganize.  Sometimes you just  have to admit that you are truly never going to use that bottle of caraway seeds. This site has so many great tips Planet Green on how to use kitchen staples instead of toxic cleaning products, ways to repurpose items, and how to recycle electronics.

Here are actitivies forEarth Day 2010 0n April 22nd.  You can start now with small acts that will help you and your community. 

Even Amazon has gotten into the act with a shopping green page that includes clothes, household items, energy saving  light bulbs, and kitchen wear. When sending a gift you can also send a message about sustainability.

Learn that green in terms of clothing no longer means hemp sacks at Care2.  This site also gives great tips on crafts and healthy homes.

Energy Star is a government backed program with energy saving tips for home improvement.  Learn how to lower fuel bills by getting rid of drafts and having better insulation.

And for those who garden, Organic Gardening has 20 budget tips and even how to grow herbs indoors for apartment dwellers.

Let me know if you have other helpful sites and I will update this post.

Who knew McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants would have the best happy hour burger in town?  $2.95 for a 1/2 pound cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and fries! And since they have great food, this is one great burger.

And for the vegetarians there is hummus and bruschetta for $1.95.  Also for $1.95 you can get a chicken tostado for salad lovers. It wouldn’t be a happy hour without cheese nachos, chicken wings,  and artichoke spinach dip for $3.95.   For that price you can also get a chicken quesadilla and for a dollar more there are fried chicken sliders and fish & chips.   They have speciality seasonal cocktails, a delightful sangria, and beer at reduced prices. 

Divas love to socialize and this is a great way to meet friends. Informal, fun, and prices that rival fast food makes this a good choice for a gathering. Happy hours and prices differ at each restaurant so call ahead.

What a fun night!  Abbott Kinney stays open late on the first Friday of each month.  And the next one is this Friday on August 6th. They have boutiques (special sales for this event), galleries, coffee places, street vendors, and food trucks from everywhere.  There was grilled cheese on wheels, two Indian food trucks, and tacos of all varieties.

However after walking one place beckoned me to sit down and enjoy a great dinner. Lemonade is counter service with a choice of market fresh salads (2 selections for $7.50), sandwiches, soups, and pot roasts which include beef, chicken, vegetarian options ($9 for a generous portion with rice pilaf or salad). You can get tastes of any pot roast before you buy. The Frugal Dude went for  lamb tagine which was fantastic with great spices and sauce to pour over the rice pilaf.  The Frugal Diva stayed with the vegetable salads-delicious farro and spaghetti squash plus yummy beets. They are located at 1661 Abbott Kinney, Los Angeles, CA 90291, (310) 452-6200 and have other locations on Beverly Drive, downtown, and at MOCA. And of course the lemonade is divine.

This is an accessible museum. The galleries are just the right size - enough so you enjoy the exhibit however not so big that you are exhausted. They make interesting choices from classical painting Outside the Box, a collection of prints by various artists.  On Thursdays you can see the galleries from 11:00 AM until they close at 9:00 PM for FREE.

They have so many free events it’s difficult to list them all. The Hammer Lecture  Series with topics Wagner in LA: The Opera of the 21st Century on June 1.  The Hammer Forum Series where Digital Culture in the Age of American Unreason is discussed on July 13.  Or a film screening May 26th such The Exiles chronicles one night in the lives of young Native American men and women living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles.  ALL HAMMER PUBLIC PROGRAMS ARE FREE. Tickets are required, and are available at the Billy Wilder Theater Box Office one hour prior to start time. Limit one ticket per person on a first come, first served basis. Hammer members receive priority seating, subject to availability. Reservations not accepted, RSVPs not required. Parking is available under the museum for $3 after 6:00p.m.

Now you do not have to go hungry while viewing, there is a great little Wolfgang Puck take out cafe on the first floor. And if you venture into Westwood, The Palomino bar area just became my favorite place. They are featuring their bar menu for 1/2 price all day everyday along with $4 featured beverages that are available throughout the restaurant.

The Frugal Diva has been using uprinting.com for over a year and is very pleased.  This is the place when you want business cards, brochures, and everything else you need for a small business at a great price.  The bonus is that they print mostly on recyled and sustainable paper with soy ink.

My favorite part is the helpful customer service and easy site navigation.   Figure out your estimate online, set up an account, and get your printing done in usually 3 business days. There are larger companies out there (who shall remain nameless) that offer free enticements however by the time you finish it’s the same price or more without the nice customer service and better paper choices.   While the rest of the country phones in, The Frugal Diva is able to walk into their Los Angeles offices and check out everything in person. Oh yes, that means I never pay shipping.

First time users should try the free file proofing. You get to interact with them, see if your files need any changes, and get a feel for the company.  After you submit a proof you can still make changes and upload a new proof without cost.  Printing is permanent so ask for samples of their work and samples of the paper you will be getting.

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 in khaki, capris in taupe, and some T shirts that go with everything. 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 purchase 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.

Spices make plain dishes sing with excitement. Check the price of a single jar of curry at the supermarket and you realize this is a great item to get at a small ethnic market such as Samosa House and Bharat Bazaar at 11510 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066.  And not only are they a market, they have great prepared foods in their deli if you need an entire meal or just some side dishes.

These spices come in large bags at a small price. Save all your small glass containers and you can start your own collection. Put on cute labels and give them as hostess gifts or share the cost with a friend.

How about a spice bridal shower? Everyone brings their favorite with a recipe. Sure you can go to a restaurant and pay $30 to $50 per person, sit around while you are served mediocre food, and buy the bride another toaster oven.  Or you can dress up your home with some Indian table cloths, have everyone bring a yummy dish with a bottle of the spice used and recipe as a gift to the bride, and give her a day that will be remembered every time she opens  her kitchen cabinet.

Now I love Indian food, however you can also use a French theme and have everyone bring a dish with their favorite herb. Try the Japanese Mitsuwa Marketplace, 3760 Centinela Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066 , where they have all the ingredients for a Japanese meal and a fantastic selection of teas.  How about some exotic flavors of ice cream for dessert? Go to the Saffron and Rose Ice Cream on Westwood Blvd. and pick up pistachio, ginger, or mixed berries. 

Check out the ethnic markets in your area and see what there is.  Frugal Divas want the best and they know how to get it.

Maybe some people are less phobic about buying furniture then the Frugal Diva, maybe they know what they want right away.  While usually quick and decisive, furniture makes me quake in my discounted shoes. And why is that?  Well, this is a big purchase where you usually can’t return the item without a truck and at least one sturdy helper, that is if you can return it at all. Furnishings are more permanent then a Hollywood marriage, more indicative of your taste then the movies ordered from Netflicks, and almost as costly as your car.  This your statement to every guest – look at all my eco friendly sustainable wood, I love anything from the fifties,or antiques malls are my favorite vacation.

If I haven’t scared you to the point where wooded crates and a futon seem like a decorating plan, let me tell you about a fun place to learn what style suits you. H.D.Buttercup in Culver City houses over 20 manufacturers of varying genres and prices. You can stroll the vast space and learn a lot just by asking the very friendly and non pushy salespeople.  Now where is the bargain?  There are two ways to save here.

The first is one of their twice yearly sales that are after Christmas and around the 4th of July. 

Labor Day Weekend  Event enjoy 10%-70% off selected items.

The whole store goes on sale (or almost all of it), including vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces. 

The second is the Backroom at H.D. Buttercup  across the street. This lower priced space gets both older merchandise and brand new merchandise sold at a lower price point.  They also have a mattress and bath store called Dream where a number of smaller items  like candles, home fragrances, rugs, etc. are all reasonably priced with a high-end look.

Starting June 18th enjoy 20%-70% off the entire store: sofas, tables, lighting, chairs, artwork, rugs from Stark Carpet Outlet, linens, and more. Going on now through July 11th.

H.D. Buttercup is surrounded by other great shops and restaurants however Let’s Be Frank , the gourmet hot dog stand, is your best bet when saving up for furniture.

Subtle Tones , 1010 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, is closing on March 31st. Everything from the clothes to the furniture is discounted. For those not familiar with the store, they carry light weight cottons and cashmeres that are somehow just perfect for California weather, fun lounge wear, scarves, and linens.  These are great clothes for in between occasions-not too dressy and not too casual. It’s that style that says, “I’m not even trying and I still look fabulous.”

Now on store closings you have two tactics. The first is to rush over and grab everything at the current reductions which are quite good and mostly at least 50% off.   The second is to wait until it’s nearer to closing and the reductions are usually deeper. The Frugal Diva does have a little thing for cashmere-so soft and wonderful next to the skin-so I’ll probably be there this weekend. Check it out and see what works for you.

Sun Trust Bank has gone back to the tradition of helping consumers save money with their Live Solid concept.  They know that even a small lifestyle change helps you put money into the bank.  This is how we used to live.  Yes, we bought things after we could afford them not before. This allowed you to sleep at night and divas need their beauty sleep.

Live Solid understands that frugality does not mean deprivation. It means creativity.  It involves finding what you need at the best price.  Going to the museum on free days.  Having friends over for a book club. Or how about a movie club where you rent a movie and discuss it afterwards over a pot luck dinner.  Knowing that everything goes on sale eventually. And maybe you don’t need it anyway.

What makes life so special? A new television set, matched set of luggage, or the latest style sweater.  Wrong!  Remembering to do something we should do all year – show kindness to family, friends and especially to those less fortunate.  Generosity comes in many forms that do not include money.  We all have skills – teach someone how to bake, if you are a computer whiz show someone how to utilize all the features on their phone , if you are a great dancer take someone out who has been wanting to learn, if you are an organizer then get people together for a toy drive. 

Live Solid has apps for budgeting, swapping items that you don’t need, and figuring out how to trim the fat from your budget.  And guess what by not having so many snacks out, walking places, and being active there might be fat trimmed in other places.  That’s a win-win for every diva.

They now have a website Live Solid Network with good advice  about health costs, relationship money issues, college tuition, financial tools, and all manner of money issues.