The Frugal Diva loves a night out under the stars with music or movies and all for free in LA. Take a night off and venture out to one of these great events or bring the kids for a free concert or movie.

Enjoy free outdoor movie screenings every Wednesday night at 8pm at Westfield Century City on the Level 2 Dining Terrace. August 25,50 First Dates and Sept 1, Jaws.  Spend $20 in the Dining Terrace and enjoy the beer & wine bar free

Getty Center off the 405this Saturday night August 28 and parking is free after five while the galleries stay open until nine. With a “skyscraping blend of the ambient and the anthemic,” the Antlers make music that is at once simple and immense—dream pop with an epic storyline. The critically acclaimed trio crafts its delicately powerful melodies with a fervent, artful earnestness that captivates listeners with lyrical surges, sweeping strings, and starry, sonic layers of postrock.

And take a day to tour the Central Library downtown with it’s impressive atrium art and globe chandelier

Into September we have The Culver City block party on Wednesday Sept. 15 in  Downtown Culver City .  Music, deals, and great food for a fun night out.

Don’t miss out on a chance to enjoy the last weeks of summer!

Enjoy the week long festival that celebrates the Japanese community of Los Angeles.  Nisei Week officially starts on Aug. 14th and ends Aug. 22nd however there are events starting this weekend.  Check out the website to find karate demonstrations, arts and crafts, sumo wrestling, and a gyoza eating contest.

The free opening event of the  Tanabata Fesival is Friday evening on August 13 at the JANM Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90012.  The most common Tanabata decorations are colorful streamers seen here. The Grand Parade is on Sunday, August 15, at 5:30pm with a rout throughout Little Tokyo. Sunday August 22nd from 11:30am-4:00pm JACCC Plaza 244 S San Pedro St Los Angeles, CA 90012 there will be a free taiko drum gathering.

Visit the Japanese American Museum on Thursday evening from 5 to 8 PM for free. The current exhibit is the experiences of early Issei in Hawaii  seen through examples of kimono adapted for life and labor on Hawai‘i’s plantations.

The vacation the Frugal Dude had been talking about since we first starting seeing each other was Mount Rushmore. It took him fifteen years to convince me and now I wished that I had acquiesced sooner. Fabulous does not even start to describe it.  And frugal is the other great thing about traveling to South Dakota. 

For me sitting at the computer till I get the best price for a hotel room is fun. Some like to sit at the blackjack table in Las Vegas and try to win. The Frugal Diva likes to sit and be assured that she will save after checking all the sites and then seeing what Trip Advisor thinks. It’s not a bargain if the the place is dirty, miles out of the way, or rundown.   And the winner is Microtel Inn  of Rapid City.  At $56 and change before taxes it was an outstanding bargain. Clean and modern rooms with a free continental breakfast, free shuttle from the airport,  pool for the kids, and a great location for easy access to all the attractions.  We were staying in Rapid City as our base for four days of our vacation so the savings were considerable.

The other big expense for the trip was a rental car.  Instead of picking up the car at the airport, I was advised by Brandon at the local Enterprise Car Rental Agency to simply get the car after we were settled in town. The price was almost half without all the fees, taxes, and add ons that come with airport pickup. Whenever possible use this approach for car rental.  Not only is it cheaper, they sent a courtesy pick up and the woman gave us great local information about the area.  They included a placard for parking at Mt. Rushmore which saved us another $10 since it was good for the entire visit. So the $315 that we paid for ten days of car rental was reduced to $305. My vacation was already made and I hadn’t even seen anything.

Awsome, inspiring, amazing describe Mt. Rushmore and the effort it took to blast these images out of the mountains.  You can return as many times as you wish for the single $10 fee.  Saturday night they do a movie about the history of the area and turn the lights on after dark.  There were approximately 400 people that worked at Mount Rushmore during the carving process from October 1927 to October 1941 supervised byGutzon Borglum.  Between the films about the history of Mount Rushmore, the ranger talks, seeing the heads from every angle, and hiking the area you can easily spend a full day and return in the evening. 

In a few weeks I will fill you in on Rapid City and the other great attractions in this area including the Crazy Horse Monument, the Badlands, Custer State Park, and Spearfish Canyon plus eats, shopping, and entertainment.

Downtown jumps these days. Art walks, theater, museum nights, and some of the best happy hours in town.  Located at 1119 South Olive Street Los Angeles, CA 90015,  the J Lounge comes with something even better – plentiful after six street parking and a lot across the street that varies from $5 to $7. 

Happy hours are drinks with benefits such as pizza, burgers, and appetizers at half price. And the J Lounge has a particularly tasty selection – Margherita Pizza $7, burger with fries for $6, steamed mussels $6 – at bargain prices. The cheapest item is a grilled Caesar for $4 and the most expensive is a Sicilian pizza with sausage for $9. In between they have sliders, paninis, hummus, tuna tartare, and a charcuterie plate.  And custom cocktails for between $6 and $8. 

Enjoy these treats Mondays and Tuesday from 5-7 PM, Wednesday to Friday from 4-7 PM and Sundays from 3-8PM.  The Sunday hours are great if you take in a museum, an event at the Staples Center or a ball game and want a light dinner afterwards.  Dodger Dog or gourmet burger, the choice is yours.  My favorite spot is on the back patio where you can watch the sunset on the LA skyline.

Sign up for their email notices about the FREE monthly tastings of various liquors, beers, and spirits.

This city is just a little bit of heaven on the California coast.  First time travelers to Los Angeles do the the whole Hollywood-Disneyland route however second time time travelers and natives know that Santa Barbara is just ninety minutes away.  And when you get to this serene town of beaches, mountains, and Spanish style architecture you will be thinking “Yes, this has everything that makes California dreaming a reality.” 

If you are looking for freebies download the 101 Free Things To Do In Santa Barbara and look for offers on the Santa Barbara Visitors Site.  Julia Child lived in Santa Barbara and one of her favorite restaurants was La Super Rica taco stand at 622 N Milpas St Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Eat like the Queen of Cuisine for under $10.

The boutique Santa Barbara Museum of Art has suggested admission on Sundays and they rotate from classic to Asian to modern art exhibits. For $5 tour the Santa Barbara Mission or enjoy the park and outdoor vistas for free. 

Day trippers, one nighters, or for a leisurely weekend, you will find Santa Barbara is an upscale town with frugal finds.

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. Check the local sites for venues in your area.  The free day can usually be found under visitor’s information.

Since many of you will be traveling this summer here is a great site for finding free museums in your city, to take house guests, and at  your destination.  Museum Free Days provides a great list for many cities and links to the repsective website.  If you are Los Angeles bound find 100 things to do for free in LA.  Cheap fun in San Francisco  has free events around town and they even let you know that 7-11 is giving away free Slurpees on Sunday June 11th. 

Tickets for the Smithsonian Free Day  on Sept. 25, 2010 to participating museums are available for download.

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

Los Angeles’ Downtown is back!

The second Thursday of every month  there is a self guided tour of the galleries and you can even get there by public transportation. Enjoy sipping cheap wine and strolling through the venues with many open until nine at night.

You can museum hop to the Japanese American National Museum at 369 East First Street, Los Angeles, California 90012 (213) 625.0414. They are free on Thursday evenings from five to eight PM. Afterwards enjoy one of the many great casual places in the Little Tokyo Historic District. Not only is the food great, there are fun shops for gift buying and home furnishings.

On another Thursday you might like to try MOCA. Not only are they free that evening, during the summer they encourage visitors on Thursdays with festivities and music. Meet other art lovers and enjoy the exhibits.

No one can go downtown without going to Phillipes. This is a Los Angeles institution that serves fantastic beef, lamb, pork, and ham double dip sandwiches for less then $6. Do not be afraid of the line, the servers are so adept that you will be paying and digging in before you know it. And they have free parking across the street.

While there you can tour the renovated railroad station, feel transported back to the days when train travel was the way to go. Particularly while traveling through out California, this is a great option. Think about it – no security, no endless lines, no limit on shampoo, read a book, listen to music while the beautiful scenery goes by.

You may start out in Downtown and end up in Monterrey.

Summer is so fabulous for free festivals, concerts, and events. Here are some more to choose from: 

Brentwood Village Summer Festival, Barrington Avenue and Sunset Blvd Sat, Jun 12, 11 AM- 3 PM Come out and celebrate summer at the Brentwood Village Summer Festival. FREE Family Fun Day, Live Music, Vintage Car Show, Art Show, Pony Rides, Pet Adoptions, Face Painters, Clowns, Magicians and of course, Delicious Food.

Hollywood and Highland Enjoy free concerts by some of the country’s top jazz performers every Tuesday from 7 to 9pm in the Central Courtyard on level 2. The event is FREE to the public and a wine tasting donation of $10 to Project Angel Food gets you two glasses of wine and an assortment of gourmet cheeses, crackers and fruit to enjoy during the performance. Seating is limited, so show up early and get parking for $2 for four hours with validation. What a deal!

Valley Cultural Center Concerts and Movies Come out for movies starting in mid July on Saturday nights starting at 7 PM and concerts on Sundays from 6 to 8 PM. WANG CHUNG this Sunday June 13.

Make Music Pasadena on Saturday June 19 – From 11 AM until 11 PM Downtown Pasadena becomes a musical playground where every conceivable genre of music is played. Alleys, Courtyards, building lobbies, and interesting spaces become musical stages and social gathering places. All performances are free and open to the public.

June 20 will be here before you know it. Start now and take advantage of Internet offers. See what’s out there for all kinds of dads.

Hip Ties for Hip Dads – Jennifer Moss of Babynames.com found this fabulous site for ties with theme such as sports and music plus vintage finds.  Shipping is $3 and no tie is over $10. As they say “Not yo daddy’s necktie.”

Goldstar for Fun Dads – Look for discounted tickets for everything from plays to food tours of Chinatown to baseball tickets. 

Nordstroms Menswear sale starts on June 18 for Traditional Dad – Dress shirts and preppy casual for the Dad who likes to look pulled together.

Restaurant Deals for Gourmet Dad – Plan in advance and save with these options for eating out.

Shutter Fly has personalized cards and albums for Sentimental Dad and standard shipping until June 10 Thursday will get it there in time for Father’s Day.

Really think about what would make your Dad happy- renting his favorite movie, barbeque at home, washing his car, or taking a drive along the coast. These low cost ideas might be the best of all.