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An Urban Explorer’s Guide to Living Cheap

June 13, 2014 Evelyn Thorne 1 Comment

I am an urban explorer. Not the kind that sneaks into abandoned buildings or climbs through underground tunnels. The kind that loves to explore the culture of her urban environment. I don’t feel at home in a city until I have a favorite restaurant, can recommend a venue, and am a regular at a cafe.

But urban exploring comes at price, one that often exceeds the budget of a student or a struggling 20something. When I was living in Portland, I was a struggling 20something, freshly out of undergrad, and trying to support myself in a brand new city. I had only a year in Portland before moving to Eugene for graduate school and so I promised myself that I would make the best of my time and explore as much of the city as possible. This was my decree, and its success was in its limitations.

When on a mission to explore a new city, you have to decide what is possible. Can I go to every café in town? No, not in a city with 175 coffee shops per capita. Can I go to every restaurant? Again no, especially if you are living in food heaven. Can I go to as many free and cheap events as I can find? Yes, that I can do. And so I began my search for affordable activities in the hipster capital of America and aptly started a blog called Portlandia of the Free (Or Cheap).

I posted five free or cheap events to my blog every single day of the week for almost a year. All of them were $10 or less and, yes, I could always find 5 events to post. In fact, I often had to narrow down the list to my top five events for the day. How did I find all of these events? The simple answer is I looked for them, but the secret is where I looked.

Become Best Friends with your Local Magazines

I am not joking when I say I think of the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week as close friends. As I write this, I find myself smiling in memory of the times we spent together, me searching through their pages for events to post to my blog and discovering the best and weirdest activities. Like the annual Naked Shopping Spree at the Red Light Clothing Exchange, where people run out of fitting rooms naked and compete to put on as many clothes as possible in three minutes, while Portland’s fantastic Prince cover band plays music to the chaos. Or CHAD Chats, Portland’s version of TED Talks, where people share sardonic PowerPoints and get drunk, of course. Or when I discovered that a local pie restaurant was letting the public judge which pie they would put on their menu next, immediately following a chocolate festival full of free samples. Food, drink, nudity, and sarcasm: that’s what makes Portland go ‘round.

I would not have discovered any of these events without my trusty local magazines. I seriously found most of the events for my blog through these publications, which is why, whenever I go to a new city, the first thing I look at is their weekly magazine. Not every city’s magazines are as good as my dear friends Willamette Week and Portland Mercury, but I guarantee you’ll find something unique and inexpensive to do.

Don’t be Afraid to Sign-up for Email Lists

As I started to attend all these events, I began to wean myself off depending on weekly magazines. I decided to get event announcements straight from the source: the venues themselves. So, I signed up on every mailing list I came across. I still get emails from Collage, a craft store that holds $5 classes every Friday and In Other Words, the feminist bookstore from Portlandia that hosts a range of free events. I also found that I wasn’t the only one curating cheap activities and joined mailing lists like Portland on the Cheap or Around the Sun. Now instead of searching for free activities, the entertainment was coming straight to me, and often I was getting in on sweet deals. I felt like I was “in the know,” which is exactly how you want to feel when you move to a new city.

Ask People Where to Go

Regardless of all my searching, there are some places I never would have found unless I asked. That great inexpensive Mexican restaurant in an alley behind a strip club my roommate recommended to me, or the gathering of local poets every month where you could hear people who didn’t perform at the big poetry slam. These were the places that finally started to make Portland feel like home, because you can explore a city all you want, but you don’t stop being a tourist until you find a community.

So, venture out there, but don’t just look for places, look for people. They’re the best form of free entertainment.

Photo by Andy Sutterfield

Career

Taking Your Workspace From Bleak to Chic on the Cheap

February 28, 2014 Lily Henderson Leave a comment

Due to office reorganizations and cross-country moves, I’ve worked in seven different office spaces in the past four years. None of them had similar layouts or color schemes, and all of them had different sets of supplies. Through these moves, I’ve put together a few strategies to add a little personalization to a space that is built to be one-size-fits-all.

Personalizing my office has some serious benefits for me: I stay more committed to the job because I feel at home in the space. I am happier to be at work because I am surrounded by things that make me happy. People who come to my office get much more of a sense of my personality and probably remember me better, because I make my space bright, cheery, and inviting. Also, I am way more motivated to keep my desk clean when it is cute and cheery, rather than covered in piles of paper. I even dust when I feel a little ownership over my space.

For my current office, I took on a few simple projects that made a big impact on my space. My hope was to infuse some color, happiness and whimsy into the area that I look at for eight hours a day—but I wanted to keep things simple so that I didn’t use too much work time setting it up. Most importantly, I am a university advisor, and sensitive issues often come up when I am meeting with students. I always want my space to be as inviting as possible. I want people who come in my office to feel like they know me, at least a little, from the moment they sit down.

Before

After

My before picture is blank, uninviting, uninspiring, and cluttered.

The after is much better. Glitter! Pink! Gold! Coordinated! Neat! More functional! Common theme! I actually enjoy working in my space more because it is so bright and fun. The office is still beige, and I can’t swap the furniture, but it feels great to have things be a little more personal.

Going through these projects, there were a few things that stood out to me as being really important to avoid frustration. First, choose a color scheme early. If I were really smart I would’ve used my school’s colors, but instead I just chose colors that I really like (side note, does glitter count as a color?). Second, make sure everything is temporary. I can rip all the washi tape off cords super easily, so if anyone gets a bee in their bonnet, I can take it all off. Third, make sure to stretch your materials: this will keep costs down, and is an easy way to keep things looking coordinated.

If there are any aspects of your office that actively bother you, change those first. For me, it was the stupid butterfly mouse pad left by the last person to use my office. Not only did it make me look like one of those women who is obsessed with butterflies, but it was also covered with ballpoint pen doodles, which I felt made me look unprofessional and sloppy. When I ditched that stupidity for my DIY, subtle, and in-theme mouse pad, I felt about a million times better. It might be superficial, but I no longer felt like I was projecting cat-lady whenever I met with someone.

Most importantly, consider both form and function. The washi tape on my cords is all about cord management, so that I don’t have a tangle of black cords on my desk. It was a huge plus that they came out so cute! If you don’t use a calendar, don’t hang one up. If you hate getting glitter all over everything, I suggest you choose materials accordingly. It’s worth noting that I hung glitter wrapping paper on my corkboard behind my monitors ten days ago, and I am still finding glitter in my purse, on my clothes, and sometimes in my hair. This doesn’t bother me, but it might bother you.

Don’t forget that implementation is critical. You definitely don’t want to spend a bunch of time at the office making these things, because then your boss might see you as less committed, rather than more. On the other hand, you don’t want to look like you are stealing office supplies, so you have to be a little strategic about how you prepare for your upgrades. I made the mason jar, bunting and mouse pad at home, and then spread the washi tape application and paper gem making over three or four lunch breaks. For the glitter background, I stayed about ten minutes late to take everything down from my corkboard, and the next day came in about 15 minutes early to hang the backing and put back my papers.

Here is the breakdown of what I did in my office, with links to tutorials:

Before and After

I swapped the supply tower for a glitter pen jar, because I never use those supplies and that tower was just ugly. I covered my tape dispenser and stapler in washi tape, added a new calendar, took all the info off sticky notes and put it on cute stationary, and a hung glitter wrapping paper on my corkboard for a seriously sparkly background.

I controlled my cords, and added a little pop

No more cat lady mouse pad!

Hung some adorable glitter bunting and created a Paper Gem Garden.

All in all, this cost me $35. Here is the budget breakdown (any repeated or free item marked with an asterisk):

Project	Supply	Source	Cost
Bunting	Glitter Wrapping Paper	Michaels	$3.00
	Mod Podge	Michaels	$3.00 for a small bottle
	2 File Folders	*	*
	Ribbon	Michaels	$1.00 for 20 yds
Corkboard Background	Glitter Wrapping Paper	*	*
	Staples	*	*
Calendar	Pre-made	Target	$1.50
Paper Gems	Printer Paper	*	*
	Mod Podge	*	*
Washi Tape Cords, Supplies	Washi Tape, Three Rolls	Target	$9.00
Glitter Mason Jar	Mason Jar	Target	$2.00
	Modge Podge	*	*
	Glitter	Michaels	$2.00
	Washi Tape	*	*
Mousepad	Basic Mousepad	Target	$1.50
	Leather Piece	Michaels	$6.00
	Mod Podge	*	*
	Gold Paint Pen	Target	$1.00
Paper Pad	Pre-made	Local Stationary Store	$5.00
		TOTAL	$35.00

Photo by Andy Sutterfield

Money

Things You’d be a Sucker to Buy New or Full Price

May 22, 2013 Sam Karimzadeh 2 Comments

As a millennial managing my personal finances in the wake of The Great Recession, I have had to find creative ways to cut back that I otherwise might not have. This includes buying used things when, in more prosperous times, I may have bought the item brand new. On this pauper’s pilgrimage, I’ve discovered that if you can find what you’re looking for secondhand, you’d be an idiot to buy it for the full price.

Photo by Sara Slattery

Tools, books, cheap sunglasses, furniture, stylish clothing… These are all on my list of things you should never buy new, because you can find them used on Amazon, eBay, at thrift stores/flea markets, or used bookstores, from half price to pennies on the dollar. More importantly, you can feel rich for a couple of hours while directly supporting your local economy! Got twenty dollars in your pocket? Well, well, well—look at Mr./Ms. Fancypants-Highroller!

There’s a reason why the word cheap has such a bad connotation: being cheap means that only the bottom-line dollar amount matters. If that’s the case for you, you might as well stop reading. However, being frugal means extracting a high amount of value relative to the amount of money invested. Who doesn’t want good quality stuff without breaking the bank?

Enriching the Local Economy

With relatively few exceptions, new goods are sourced globally from giant corporations. Putting aside the typical ranting against them, this means that rather than enriching your friends and neighbors, your money supports factory labor thousands of miles away and mostly enriches several hundred institutional shareholders.

Buying used and in secondary markets usually entails going to a local thrift store, which often is family owned (like one of my favorites: Lost and Found in Sunnyvale, CA), or buying from individuals at flea markets. The further your money travels, the less stimulating it’s going to be to your community. Generally speaking, it’s more responsible to spend locally.

Only Got 20 Dallaz in My Pocket

Thrifting is also a fun, inexpensive activity! Half the fun is going with friends to look at all the awful stuff that’s there—like I do (shameless plug). Also, sometimes you will see things at the flea market that were obviously shoplifted and are now being fenced for sale. Some might view this as participating in a legal wrong—cool, keep walking to the next stall. Personally, I play too much Skyrim, so I like think that I’m acting like a member of the Thieves’ Guild or the Ragged Flagon, reveling in the cloak-and-dagger nature of a ‘black market’ (when really its mostly just razor heads and Similac). It’s nerdily exhilarating, and I get a kick from it. Plus, I don’t really know for sure if it’s been stolen, and I can’t exactly go around lobbing accusations. Since the presumption of innocence is the bedrock of American justice, shop away, moral relativists! Besides, what’s more immoral: benefitting from shoplifting, or charging $40 for a hammer made at forty cents per unit by a nine year old Chinese kid?

Things to Never Buy New

BOOKS:

Especially the following:

-       Any book by Tom Clancy
–       Any book by James Patterson
–       Any book by Danielle Steel
–       Any book by John Grisham
–       Any copy of The DaVinci Code (Ew.)
–       Any copy of Wild Animus (You’re a sucker if you pay any money for this, they give it away on all college campuses)
–       Any objectivist propaganda by Ayn Rand
–       Any copy of Shōgun

TOOLS:

People are always trying to get rid of their tools—they bought new ones or they don’t use them anymore: whatever the reason, they want to get rid of theirs. You can buy tools at anywhere between 10-20% of what they’d cost at a Home Depot. And if paying a fraction of the cost for tools and enriching your local economy wasn’t enough incentive, you should be aware of the political campaigns Home Depot supports and determine whether or not they align with your own beliefs.

If you’re moving into your first place and you’re looking to build your kit of indispensable tools, look out for these items at your local flea market. You could save a nice bundle of money. The tools commonly spotted:

-       Hammer
–       Scissors
–       Basic screwdrivers
–       Razor heads
–       Razor blades
–       Duct Tape
–       Tweezers
–       Nail clippers
–       Saw blades
–       Drill bits

OTHER:

- Sunglasses

Seriously, unless you’re buying Ray-Bans or Oakleys, all sunglasses are basically plastic shit made in China. Twenty dollars for cheap plastic crap is a crime, and retailers that sell them at that price ought to have bamboo shoots shoved underneath their toenails. At a flea market, you can buy them for about $5 a piece, or cheaper.

- Leather jacket

This is important, because a brand new one rarely (if ever) costs less than $150 and they can cost as much as $200-400 or more, depending on the brand. But if you hold out for exactly the jacket you want, you can usually find it between $10 and $40 at a thrift store. These are the real gems of thrifting. If you have a nice leather jacket like I do, you wear it all the time. You will have saved hundreds of dollars and look like you stepped out of a Macklemore music video (can I refer to that song a little bit more? I definitely haven’t done it enough).

Getting Started

Yelp. Google. Seriously.

First, finding the thrift stores presents a logistical problem. You rarely ever want to hit just one. The most fruitful method I’ve found is to Yelp it, and then transpose the positive Yelp hits into a Google Map. From there, I group the stores into sectors, or ‘circuits,’ that I can hit as part of a planned trip or if I just happen to be nearby. This type of informational awareness allows me to attack all the thrift stores with optimal logistical efficiency. No wasted gas, no yo-yo-ing back and forth across town—you will be a precise, methodical, lethal thrifter.

If you choose to hunt at a flea market, make sure you have cash. Since there is no ‘check out’ save the person who is manning the stall, take the opportunity to hone your haggling skills. Some people will be receptive to it; others will not. The method of haggling I have found to be most effective is to hover and look indecisive. An experienced fleamarketeer will sense the opportunity, and swoop in and make you an offer. Make your best “Aaaggghh, I dunno…” face, and watch the price fall. Finally, take out some cash, make sure they see it, and undercut the second offer by about 10% or try to get a bulk deal if applicable. Do not do this at a brick-and-mortar establishment—it is a major protocol breach. Likewise, at a brick-and-mortar store, cash isn’t as important as it is at a flea market or garage sale, since most thrift stores take credit cards.

So support your local economy, save some money yourself, and have some social fun in the process. Thrift, you magnificent millennial bastard children of capitalism, thrift!

DIY

Decorating on a Budget

April 24, 2013 Christina M. Tedesco 1 Comment

Usually good style comes at a price: though minimalist decor is in right now, even that style is not minimal on your wallet. But what I have learned from a little experimenting is that you actually can design on a budget, if you get a little creative, and do things yourself instead of buying them. I tend to stay away from the lengthy, more complex projects, so I found some easy DIY projects that will make your simple home more exciting.

Bookshelves

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

One way to spruce up your bookshelves is to de-clutter! Usually when things don’t look right, we instinctively add more to it; however, you can make your bookshelves look super cute by taking away all the busy stuff and only displaying a select group of things. Bookends come in handy here, whether you buy them or find something unique to hold the books in place. This way, you can spread your books throughout the bookshelf and add some things in between to please the eye (i.e. a small vase, a picture frame, a decorative bowl, etc.). This makes the whole shelf flow much better.

Instead of painting bookshelves, which takes time and money, I read an article about covering the insides with wallpaper. Now, wallpaper can also be a little expensive and difficult to work with, so an alternative is contact paper—it’s cheap, cute, and removable. Plus, if you get bored with it, you can keep switching it out with new designs!

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

DIY Dresser

This one was exciting! I only needed a small dresser to hold some things I could not hang up. I found a solid wood dresser at IKEA for only $35. Choosing solid wood over other choices gives you the option of being a little more creative with it. I wanted to go for cute, but simple. I bought the smallest can of paint I could find for $5, assembled the dresser, and painted it. I also plan to order new knobs for it. Knobs can be pretty pricey, but it makes a difference! Urban Outfitters has super cute knobs for a good price. The total cost of my custom dresser came to $76.

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

Not Your Normal Vase

One thing I learned upon being a “grown up” is that flower vases can be surprisingly expensive! In this category, some thinking out of the box can go a long way. I had a cheap soap pump whose look I really loved, but the actual pump had stopped working. I threw away the pump and tied a ribbon around the top of the bottle. I arrange smaller flowers in there, and it makes a great piece to fill up an empty space.

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

Changing out flowers in your vase based on the season is a great way to bring a theme and some color into your home. Right now is a perfect time for tulips, daffodils and any of the more vibrant flowers. I also use a tin watering can as a vase, this goes well with dried flowers or autumn flowers.

Plants

Another great way to brighten up a room is to grow or buy plants. Growing your own plants is fun and cheap, but definitely time-consuming. It takes a while for a seed to fully bloom, but it’s so exciting when you first see it start to poke through the dirt. A short cut for those lacking green thumbs, or patience, is buying your own plants: this way, you don’t have a bunch of pots with just dirt all around your house while you wait for a sprout. Though buying plants is a little more expensive than growing your own, you can look for cheaper ones at your local nursery. When buying plants or seeds, pay attention to how big they grow and the amount of sunlight needed. If you don’t have space outdoors for them, they can always liven up a windowsill.

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

A great way to add some decor to the kitchen, and save some money on spices, is to have a windowsill spice garden! Mine adds a great aesthetic to my kitchen, and it definitely makes me feel good when I can cook with something that I’ve grown! Spice plants are only a couple bucks from a nursery and are small enough to sit on your windowsill.

Dress Those Walls

Dressing up your walls makes a big difference. But when buying pictures and frames, the money starts to add up. One thing to remember is that you can do something fun with a bunch of small pictures instead of hanging a big one.

One of my favorite things I did with my current apartment was going online (in my case, to life.time.com) and finding 16 photos I loved. I cropped them to 4×6, then found frames at IKEA for only $2.99 per two pack. This total project cost me $24 and took up a big part of my wall. I just printed the photos on a normal printer: since the photos are pretty small and framed, it’s hard to tell that they’re on computer paper rather than (more expensive) photo paper.

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

Posters

I love different film posters, and especially minimalist posters. Now, I know my limits, and I for-sure cannot make an awesome minimalist poster. But, I did play around in Photoshop with some photos and quotes from favorite movies and books and created my own 11×14 posters. I asked a co-worker in our art department to print them out for me, so I didn’t have to pay for printing! (If you don’t know anyone with a photo printer, I would highly recommend using Costco. If you don’t have a Costco Card, ask around: I’ve had lots of friends let me use theirs. Their prices are great and the quality of the photo is really nice.) At IKEA, I bought some 11×14 frames for $8 each.

Counter Space

Counters can seem plain and empty, but it’s easy to fill them up just using normal kitchen supplies, especially when you don’t have a lot of cabinet space. I really liked the idea of canisters with chalkboard labels, but I couldn’t find any cheaper than $8 each. But, on Amazon.com, I was able to buy a whole roll of chalk-paper to then affix to a $10 canister set I found on sale. You can cut out chalk-paper labels into your own designs or buy a paper-shape cutter and make the labels yourself. I also put the metal tins of my favorite tea out on my counter. It adds some color and the tins are actually really cute!

Keep in mind that you need to arrange your appliances in a way that makes use of your space, but you can also show off all your appliances at the same time. If you’re short on cabinet space, another decor idea is stacking your coffee cups against the wall. Or you can buy ceiling hooks, screw them under your cabinets, and hang up your mugs.

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

If you have counter space in your bathroom, there’s a lot you can do to keep it organized while adding flare. Plants and candle holders are one good way to add that extra something that your bathroom is lacking. Wooden baskets are useful for holding hand towels and will also make your counter look less empty. Pretty jars with lids hide away Q-tips, cotton balls, and other necessities. Finally, a nice soap pump always adds a good touch.

In my bathroom, I also have a lot of wall space, so I bought more frames and some postcards from IKEA to keep my walls from looking empty and boring.

There are plenty of simple DIY ideas out there to make a difference in your home but not in your wallet—all it takes is some experimenting and creativity! If you have some more suggestions for our readers, feel free to leave a comment: we’d love to hear your creative ideas!