Thinking about my frugal book project. My husband unearthed some of my old budget columns from the newspaper I used to write for - I have to read them and get inspired.  There is also my manuscript for my frugal book of years ago - maybe that's around somewhere, too.

Racking up the freebies at all the sites and enjoying my free games at winster.com - I like slot social.

Found out how much my appearance is improved by penciling in my blonde eyebrows.  My husband always comments on how pretty I look when I do!  The new wax eye brow pencils are great & mine came from the 99 Cent store, too!

Enjoying old flicks during Turner Classic Movies' month of stars - old Barbara Stanwyck movies - and Edward G. Robinson! Boy they churned them out in the 50's - good, too.  Reminds me of my NYC area childhood most pleasantly, even if the flicks are ganster ones!

Oh - thrifty tip - successfully repainted an aging plastic barrette with semi-congealed silver nail polish while watching the old movies - actually did two.  The thickened polish created a very nice silver surface and the two barrettes are now restored to action! (I am wearing my hair up a lot in the summer heat and the barrettes are continually missing in action!) Also works for eyeglass frames/sunglass frames, costume jewelry and you could try it on plastic headbands/other hair accessories, too.

The Tippi Hedren updo is apparently coming back in style and I watched a how-to video on a fashion site.  But I hate to tease my hair! Will try it sometime, tho - in the meantime I have half of it, held up by my barrettes and no hair spray necessary.

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Endeavoring to get linked up & besides, lots of you should find this blog site interesting

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Hello you pennypinchers! There have been 2 PR appearances about moi, Pamela Munro in the last few days.  One was on Sat., 5/ 18 at www.lbn.com (Levine Breaking News newsletter)....The other was today, 5/20 on the front page of the L.A. Times Business section - a nice article about frugal sites - including, of course, thriftyfun.com!!  (and mentioning this humble blog, too). 

Don't know if it's in the online edition yet - will see.  But thanks to Susan for keying me into this interview!  Win/win, I love it!

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When I wear my actress hat, I go on the Hollywood Happy Hour (HHH) group.  There I "talked" to a young actress who was dealing with the perennial problem of how to pay for things like headshots, classes, etc. with a 40 hr./week job and still be able to go out for auditions.  (Maybe some of you have similar problems with side businesses you are trying to start up.)

I solved, or rather dealt with that problem by pennypinching - which is why I got so good at it.  For example - my last headshots were taken by a prof. friend & with the advent of digital photography, all it cost him was his TIME (& I got the quality of his prof. camera). I did my own hair & makeup - as I always do.  It's also true that with digital cameras, taking pix has gotten SO much easier.  Some of the pix I have were taken by my husband and are perfectly all right for posting on the net. It gives you a chance to get character shots in costume, too.

I then went to Picnik  - an easy free online program - and cropped them myself.  Just did the same thing with the pix from my last Ren Faire, so I would have some pix of that.  And I cut a little "video" for my free myspace account on Jumpcut - another gratis tool. 

As for classes - I haven't paid for them since NYC, almost - altho I did take classes with Jean Shelton up north.  Ok, I did take some on-camera acting classes when I first got here.  And a commercial agent convinced me to take a commercial acting class (that was a waste of $).  But for years, I worked out through 99 seat theatre and at the SAG conservatory program (gratis).  And then I was an assistant to Greg Mullavey - and got a class with him free, too.

Now I am taking a class with Barbara Gannen at the Santa Monica Emeritus College.  Another freebie.  I wouldn't be taking one otherwise.  But it's such a good deal, that I grabbed it. There are other adult classes around here that are supposed to be good & a good deal, too.  But, as with everything else, you have to look around for them.

I have always met the problems, challenges of my position as an actress in Hollyweird that way.  I have trimmed my own hair and gone to Vidal Sassoon to have cuts.  I have been a hair model and gotten PAID to have my hair cut and colored! 

I have also learned to maintain my hair - to color it so nicely myself that hairdressers have wondered what technique I used. (That I partly learned by watching how my hair was done by others and asking a lot of questions. I got my current method from a session paid for by a production company when I had to redden my hair for the shoot and the hairdresser used colored shampoo + heat to achieve the effect!)

 I have maintained my own skin and saved on spa treatments.  The only spa I have gone to is Glen Ivy out in Temecula, in the middle of the week, because it was so lovely and relaxing, and even that was a treat.

I have found gratis dance classes (thru the Recreation Dept. - those were the days!) and discount ones.  I have worked out with a par course.  (Unhappily those have gone into disrepair.).  I have walked and ran and run/walked in the park and around school playing fields.

I have typed my own resumes and posted my own computer entries.  Learning about the internet has been a godsend for me in terms of my career, and I got that from all my years temping, where I also acquired a lot of business savvy.  Who knew that TYPING would come in so handy in the end?

I bartered choir participation for voice lessons, and have also learned a lot of other skills through freebie training - like PR - from the workshops of the old L.A. Open Festival, and watching an old colleague work PR magic.

I suppose the lesson here is to do as much as you can YOURSELF - or at least KNOW how to do it, so you can keep watch on those who are working for you.  And always keep an eye on the bank account.  Paying through the nose doesn't necessarily mean getting quality.  Never has.  Shysters are more than willing to overcharge you - whereas reputable merchants often have great deals...They don't say "caveat emptor" (buyer beware) for nothing.

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I realize that I have done so many yard sales and such that I have gotten pretty good at it.  This one was a great success.  We took out our excess furniture and sold almost all of it. 

 I was glad to unload.  It's a very delicate psychological process, saying goodbye to an old life.  This is the furniture of my bachelorhood - my single stuff and wardrobe - and so it had much sentimental value. It felt good to get some $ for the pine ex-gun cabinet I had gotten from an old crazy boyfriend who had originally wanted it as a cabinet for a laser image.  And it was nice that my 50's telephone table and my 70's polyurethane, gem-slice-embedded kidney coffee table got good homes.  There were pieces I was fond of, but just didn't have room for anymore.  The clock barometer that we had hung in the Carpinteria apartment.  And extra lamp a now dead girl friend has passed along.

II am not a hard hearted person.  It's really easier just to sweep it away in one rush of adrenalin -the big push.  And then gather up the odds and unsold ends for delivery to Goodwill. 

I even had two boxes of old clothes that I labeled 10 cents a piece and got rid of LOTS of that.  (The rest is Goodwill fodder and maybe eventually rags). 

There were some miscellaneous books - probably could have sold more.  But I have to somehow get all my book boxes to a real book dealer...

There is so much more to do, and the apartment is in chaos.  It will take me another week just to get it back to where it was.  But the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step. (And I got a lot of things off my conscience - like the old zither in pieces that had been caught in a downpour - at least I recouped some of my investment.)

So I am cutting through the clutter that even, or maybe especially a frugal person has.  Because I have found that you don't want to throw anything away that you could use later.  That's why the concept of a "good home" for my things is so powerful for me.

These were my proud possession for all these years and now it's your turn.  I wished the very young couple happiness with their piece of Hollywood history as I sold them the little resin table, and told them the story that went with it - of my old distant neighbor for whom it had originally lbeen made by friends in his hometown of Chisholm...

Ta Ta!  the chain of existence, the meaning of life...We preserve what we can, treasure it, and pass it on - hoping it enriches others as it has you.

No tips on freebies this time.  Just a reminder that buy low/sell high(er) or the same is as old as time.

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Have one event I have been invited to at a local historic house and another movie premiere I rsvp'd for, for next week.  And I have already told you about my gala...

In my opinion the best parties are the FREE ones!  And in Los Angeles, you can run into free events on a regular basis - One tip is to sign up for all sorts of mailing lists - both paper and on the net - for things you are interested in.  Then you are more likely to hear about events to go to.  I am always invited to art openings - and there are other events as well.

A freebie event makes a great date night - if you are married - or single!  It's an excuse to dress up and get OUT.  And there are usually drinks or something offered.  All in all, a classy version of the cheap date...

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As I said to my husband, it must go back to my childhood when I saw my mother  beautiful, shining and sweet-smelling, all dressed up to go to the theatre. It just was the family way to get dressed up to go to an event like that - a play, a concert...It was a more dressed-up time, but I still like to do it, even in this more casual age.  You know, what, it perks me up to be able to bring out my thrifty finds and be able to put together a nice outfit for the occasion! Women used to go out & buy new hats to cheer up - maybe this is my equivalent.

We have been given a set of tix to the classical concerts at the Hollywood Bowl this summer.  And that's the thing about having the tix in your hand, is that you don't want to waste them...so despite the blues, I dragged myself around and put myself together for the concert.  And, you know, putting together an outfit was a tonic. And I got to gloat over my penny pinching, too.

I wore an Indian tunic ($7) over a long sleeved white t  ($4)- with the white nylon pants I got for $1 in Oxnard.  And the plastic straw platform sandals I got at the Salvation Army for $4...and I wore some of my "good" jewelry - a little turquoise choker ($10) & a bracelet of off-green-blueish stones I got at a Greek Faire ($7)...And topped it off with my light woolen Indian shawl in off-pink ($10, too, I think)... So, the outfit was less than $50 - even including my Italian plastic handbag ($7)....A penny pinching triumph. 

Now, my husband just likes me looking nice.  He really has no sense of what it would take in the real world to pull that off.  (As we well know, the tunic or the shawl alone could cost $50...)  But then I find it funny that the media keeps on telling me how people routinely spend $6 a day at Starbucks without thinking about it.  ($30 in a workweek for coffee??)  And my choices have a classic quality to them.  Indian tunics go in and out of the mainstream stores, but I have always liked them and have been wearing them since hippy days...ditto shawls, ditto platform sandals (I am short)...Of course, it comes together in a different way now than it did then...As I get older, it all seems to get simpler and simpler...Makeup, hair and everything.  And due to my penny pinching, I can still indulge my taste for dressing up!

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Just thought I would mention my hair - It was supposed to have been a really hot summer, so I made sure that my hair was long enough for a short ponytail.  Found some elastics at the 99 cent store & they are strong enough so that I can make a nice little high ponytail. 

Somehow it looked better all drawn up from my face, without my usual side part, so I started wearing it that way, with wisps around my face. Now I noticed that my highlights are hidden wearing my hair this way - so I have been applying my usual hydrogen peroxide to my dirty hair with a cotton ball, several times, to lighten my hair here, too.  It provides nice, natural-looking highlights with reddish glints - good for my coloring.

And when I want to get a bit fancier, I can add my acrylic hair scruncy, which I customized with some colored hair spray! ( I started with a dark blond color, then highlighted with light blond spray....) Acrylic is great, as it refuses to wilt!

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Oh, I really am a freebie queen - just picked up a bunch of cute necklaces/bracelets for cheaper than the dollar store at a church thrift shop that always seems to have things like that - to give to my female relations/teenage friends - even my sister, I think.  Just the thing to put into a greeting card (also from thrift shops - but very nice.)

I just like just to put a little something into a card as a small gift & then send off/personally deliver something bigger later....

Strange as it seems, every thrift shop has its own personality - determined by the character of the donors - and you can find certain things at certain places on a regular basis.  My local Out of the Closet is good for paperback books & sometimes has great clothes very reasonably....L.A. designer stuff tnat must come from a boutique or something...And then they have knickknack/gift things sometimes...Another even has makeup/cologne - (unopened) At one upscale thrift shop my husband has found working computers fully loaded to get to his students....

Other places are good for vintage - or jewelery - Or cards - or furniture....So keep that in mind as you wander around.  Not that you can get things on ORDER at a thift shop - but if you know that there is an area which is always stocked - you can check it out on your visits....

And, I suppose, if you go on a shopping spree, going on one at a thrift store is relatively harmless....Or so I try to explain to my husband - who forgets what regular prices are for girly things, sometimes!

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Informal bartering is a great way to maximize resources.  My friend is un/underemployed & he is great at organizing - so we are HIRING him to help us shape up our new apartment. Not quite a barter - but you see what I mean - We pool resources all the time - I just worked with him for almost a whlie day on the PR for an event at the church - Knowing how to do that when you have to is a real asset. Now, having moved out of another apartment, we donated some furniture to the church & some other musical/sound equipment is on long-term "loan"  - which saves us storage - besides being useful -

Because I am actively involved in the music program, playing my recorder, I have bought a lot of music, for which I am being reimbursed.  I am always looking in used bookstores for materials & found some renaissance music in a funny old dusty bookstore - as well as language materials for my German student (I tutor)- Good prices as opposed to retail!  I am trying to get better about saving all my receipts for such stuff - it does add up & as I make $ for music, etc. it helps to save them all.

We are broke again - so it's time to get creative.  I am collecting my Xmas presents bit by bit starting now - easier on the budget that way - & I avoid the holiday rush & certainly get things no one will get elsewhere! 

Have some time so I am hitting my freebie sites & signing up for my samples.  My heavens! the deodorant sample size I got gratis cost $1.29 plus tax at the drug store the other day.  It's nice to compare prices to get a sense of accomplishment.  Not to mention the color shampoo - which I have gotten recently at the 99 Cent store - which is $8/bottle at Rite-Aid!  I pointed that out to my husband, who wonders why I stockpile shampoo, etc....(But even he is picking up his special dandruff shampoo at a discount when he sees it now...I am getting to him.)

Helping my friend out, too - by forwarding him audience gigs, extra work, etc. from our local craigslist (we are in L.A., so there's a lot.)  He says craigslist doesn't do anything for him - but he did just get a car for $400 from it - so that's not too bad.  (His other car needed $600+ worth of repairs - so it made more sense to start over.)  I have gotten free haircuts - all sorts of things - besides jobs.

We are watching old movies on Turner Classic Movies - a good deal of our entertainment - and we do finagle free tix to things on occasion. And look out for free concerts, etc. The city is good for that. I am on several email lists, which keep me informed...

Spending 10-20% of what retail would be is customary for us.  Reminds me of an old Woodly Allen joke in which he said that the great sin in his childhood household was buying retail!  The markup is incredible.  I windowshopped in an admittedly lovely home/garden store in Pasadena & saw reproductions of old clocks for $50 (I got one as a discount store for $10) - & an angel garden figurine very similar to mine - again - mine was $10 at Ross & theirs was $50!!It's fun perusing in those stores, because there's no chance I will be able to buy anything - whereas in thrift shops, I always manage to spend money! 

Ah, the holiday - we are spending at least some of it on the boat - our one luxury - but the boat itself was a bargain - boy, do they depreciate like crazy & my clever husband knows how to maintain it - And the harbor is delightful.  So, really, our lifestyle is quite nice - & even the pennypinching is sort of fun, really....

More later -

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