Your no-frills source for Portland bargains, freebies and money saving deals

ANNOUNCEMENT: This will be our last post until the end of August, as we will be on holiday by adventuring in the beautiful countries of El Salvador and Honduras. To keep you busy for these peak summer months, we’ve devoted this last post to online and print guides for Portland summer fun. Enjoy!

Weekend on the Cheap:

- World Cup action pits Team USA vs Slovenia this Friday at 7:00am Pacific time, catch the action with breakfast and go USA!

- Submission: Discount offer for readers of Portland on the Cheap from Miracle Theatre Group’s “Songs for a New World.” Purchase tickets for the performance on Saturday, June 19th at 8pm and upon checkout enter coupon code CHEAP to save $5 off each premium or regularly priced ticket (subject to availability; handling charges will apply; must be purchased in advance) when purchased online here. Description: “From a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship … from a young man who hopes basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to the wife of a certain North Pole resident who loves her husband but just can’t face another Christmas alone … it’s the hard choices and startling discoveries we make at pivotal moments in life that drive the songs and stories of this intimate Off-Broadway hit, a theatrical song cycle filled with love, laughter, adventure and, above all, passion for life. Join us as Miracle Theatre Group and Staged! Portland’s Musical Theatre Series collaborate to strip the summer musical down to its bare essence: compelling stories shared through song presented in the acoustic setting of the Milagro Theatre.”

- This weekend ComedySportz offers all dads free admission with one paid admission. Just mention your free dad when making reservation online or by phone at (503) 236-8888. The fine print: Limit one dad per paid customer. Valid this weekend only.

- “Your Money Bus Tour” free financial advice clinic at Pioneer Square this Friday from 11:00am – 6:00pm and on Saturday from 9:00am – 2:00pm.

- McMinnville Third Saturday Art & Wine Walk, 2:00pm – 8:00pm in downtown McMinnville.

- Oregon Historical Society June Family Days “Tall in the Saddle” gets two children admitted free with one paid adult admission, 11:00am – 3:00pm this Saturday.

- Hello Craft’s Summit of Awesome Show and Sale this Saturday from 10:00am – 3:00pm downstairs at the Doug Fir Lounge. Features 40 local and national vendors, free admission and open to the public.

- Danner Factory Store Grand Opening Weekend with their new outlet store at 12021 NE Airport Way.

- Pedalpalooza 2010 continues with more free rides and festivities all weekend including the World Naked Bike Ride, film fest, ice cream social and more.

- Portland Pride 2010 this weekend at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, $7 suggested donation. The Pride Parade will start at 11:30am this Sunday near downtown’s NW 13th and Burnside.

SPOTLIGHT: PORTLAND SUMMER TO-DO GUIDE 2010

So much to do this fine summer. Read up and choose your adventures from these write ups:

Willamette Week’s Get Out Guide (hardcopy publication date June 9th, 2010) gives you the best hikes, bike rides, water pursuits, sports and community events.

Oregonian Summer Events Guide 2010 (hardcopy publication date May 21st, 2010) with A&E’s picks for pop music, classical music, theater and dance, visual arts and outdoor events.

Portland Tribune special publication “3 Months of Summer Fun” (hardcopy publication date June 10th, 2010), no online link.

PDX Pipeline Events monthly guide

LivePDX.com Events Around Portland, including ideas for Father’s Day this weekend and the World’s Longest Kickball game.

Aroundthesunblog, updated every Thursday evening with a listing of free events for the weekend.

City of Portland Parks and Recreation guide to free hikes, work parties, community celebration fairs, rock climbing wall and more.

Metro’s Discover GreenScene – your guide to great places and green living including free Walk There! guided tours, free summer workshops, park ranger programs and more.

All comer track meets sponsored by Foot Traffic on Tuesdays at 6:00pm from June 15th – July 13th at Grant High School; continuing Wednesdays July 14th – 28th at Lake Oswego High School.

The City of Hillsboro Parks and Recreation Department holds their All-Comer Track Meets on Wednesdays from June 30th – July 28th (5 weeks). Registration begins at 5:30pm and events kick off at 6:00pm at Hare Field.

And there you have it, there’s no excuse of “nothing to do.” Get out and enjoy this sun (finally!) and our super city of Portland . Thanks for your readership and see you all back in two months!

WEEKEND ON THE CHEAP:

- New addition: Friday is National Doughnut Day and Krispy Kreme is giving away one free doughnut of any variety to its loyal customers. Good at the Beaverton and Clackamas locations.

- The Rose Festival is in full swing this weekend with the Waterfront Village, Starlight Run, Starlight Parade and free tours of Naval vessels from the United States Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Maritime Forces. See web site for full event details.

- Children’s Museum First Friday free admission for all from 4:00pm – 8:00pm.

- Central Eastside Arts District First Friday Art Openings, 6:00pm – 9:00pm.

- Holocene 7th Anniversary party this Friday at 8:00pm with lots of free live music.

- Portland’s Amateur Comedy Contest 2010 holds its final two shows this Friday at the Hangout Bar & Grill in Gresham and on Saturday night at the Wichita Bar & Grill in Oregon City.

- 2010 Beaverton Recycling Day, 9:00am – 2:00pm this Saturday at the old Westgate Theater. Free, but recyclers are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation.

- Beaverton High School’s fifth annual Spring Intertribal Pow Wow begins at 1:00pm this Saturday with the first grand entry. There will be drumming, dancing, concessions and more. Free admission.

- The Port of Portland shows off their new headquarters with an open house for the public this Saturday from 11:00am – 3:00pm. There will be activities for everyone in the family and parking will be validated for the event.

- Doernbecher Children’s Safety Center Injury Prevention Day this Saturday from 10:30am – 4:00pm, located just outside the Children’s Museum. Free.

- Portland Mercury 10th Birthday Party this Saturday at Rotture (315 SE 3rd) starting at 7:00pm with an all-ages parking lot party and then a concert at 10:00pm for those 21 and over. Free!

- 11th annual Wilsonville Festival of Arts this Saturday and Sunday at Town Center Park in Wilsonville. Free.

- Bank of America Museums on Us at the Portland Art Museum and Pittock Mansion, this Saturday and Sunday. Just show your Bank of America debit card, credit card or ATM card and get free admission.

- Oregon Surplus Property sale this Saturday, 9:00am – 3:00pm. Sale is in Salem and includes unclaimed items from theft cases, state government surplus and more.

- REI 2010 Paddle Demo Day this Sunday at Vancouver Lake, 10:00am. Free, though there is a $3 parking fee.

- OMSI admission is just $2 for all this first Sunday, June 6th.

- Portland Latino Gay Pride Festival this Sunday, 4:00pm – 8:00pm at the Jupiter Hotel with music, performances and more. $5 suggested donation.

- For more picks for free stuff do to this weekend, please visit Aroundthesunblog.

- The OSU Food Innovation Center has another taste test opportunity, this time for granola:

The Sensory and Consumer Group at the Oregon State University Food Innovation Center is looking for participants for a taste test to take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 14th – 16th. The taste test will be about 60 minutes and the compensation is $60.
We will also be holding three additional optional focus groups after three of the taste tests. These focus groups will take an additional 45-60 minutes and will pay an additional $50. If you are interested, please click on this link to submit a questionnaire. If you are selected to participate, we will contact you via email by Tuesday, June 8th where you must reply and confirm your intent to participate. We will then send you another reminder email the day before the test. We only contact those who were selected to participate and will be sending out those confirmation emails by June 8th. Photo ID will be required to participate in this test.

SPOTLIGHT: SAVING AT THE OREGON ZOO AND STRATEGIES FOR VISITING

This Tuesday, June 8th is the second Tuesday of the month and that means the Oregon Zoo will charge general admission of just $2.00 per person. If you can’t make it during the once a month $2 admission day, try these suggestions:

- Get a membership! Individual memberships begin at $49 and family memberships at $79. This will give free admission for an entire year, free parking at the zoo during regular zoo hours and free reciprocal admission benefits at over 120 zoos nationwide (including the Wildlife Safari in Winston and the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle). Pay a little more for the ‘Plus’ membership and receive one free guest admission with each day’s visit, free admission to Zoolights and free admission to the Wednesday Zoo Tunes concerts in the summer. Inquire about a $5 off membership promotion that the zoo sometimes mails out every so often.

- Pack your own food and drinks. There are lockers available for rent, and AfriCafe also has a microwave available for public use.

- The zoo will charge a mandatory $2 parking fee per vehicle, so if you drive expect to pay that even if you come alone. Ride the MAX and show proof of fare and they’ll knock off $1.50 per admission charge for each rider (this also includes the $2 second Tuesdays—get into the zoo for just fifty cents!).

- Go early in the morning. The zoo opens its gates at 8:00am. Not only will you avoid the crowds (and snag one of the few parking spaces at the zoo), but the animals are more active in the morning before the heat sets in.

- Take advantage of the free extras like:
* Wildlife Live show will debut on June 19th
* the Rain Forest Thunder Storm is scheduled to run on the half hour and lasts for 3 minutes
* Penguin feeding at 2:45pm daily
* Keeper talks
* Summer activities run from June 19th – September 6th. Click here for complete schedule.

- If visiting from out of town, take a look at the zoo’s hotel partners and packaging discounts.

Sample menu prices from our May 11th, 2010 visit:

Rentals:
Single stroller, $6
Double stroller, $9
Wheelchair, $7
Wagon, $7
Electric Scooter, $25
All rentals require a $20 refundable deposit

Food:
Corn dog, $2.85
Bowl of chili, $4.25
Kid’s Meal, $6.95
16 oz. soda, $2.25
12 oz. souvenir cup and soda, $3.95
32 oz. souvenir cup and soda, $5.95
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate, $2.50
Pizza by the slice, $2.95 – $3.95
Whole pizza pie, $21.95 for cheese to $24.95 for meat lover’s
Hot dog, $2.80
Regular ice cream cone, $3.80
Regular ice cream in waffle cone, $5.30
Elephant ear, $3.95
Small popcorn, $3.75

Combo Meals (include bag of chips and soda)
Cheeseburger, $7.95
Hamburger, $7.50
Chicken Strips, $8.25
Veggie burger, $7.95
Grilled chicken breast, $8.45
Grilled cheese, $6.00
Hot dog, $5.30
Bratwurst, $6.75

Regular Zoo Admission:

Adults (12-64), $10.50
Seniors (65+), $9.00
Youth (3-11), $7.00
Free under the age of 3

Zoo Train:
Zoo loop ride, $3.50 general admission, $3.00 for members

Prehistoric Predators animatronic dinosaurs trail costs $3.50 additional and runs through September 6th.

Enjoy!

WEEKEND ON THE CHEAP:

- Free Taco Bell Limeade Sparkler drink with this coupon, please present when ordering. Valid through July 11th, 2010 or until 500,000 free Limeade Sparkler online coupons are redeemed.

- Leatherman First Annual Warehouse Sale this Friday from 12:00pm – 8:00pm and on Saturday from 10:00am – 2:00pm. Save up to 70% off on retired and obsolete items as well as drawings for giveaways.

- Free ice cream sundae at Walmart Supercenters this Saturday from 11:00am – 4:00pm, while supplies last; participating locations include Wood Village and Vancouver, WA. See web site for additional locations.

- The 20th Annual Canby Junior Festival of Jazz sounds off this Saturday from 8:30am to 5:00pm in downtown Canby at Wait Park. Free admission.

- Kenton Street Fair this Saturday from 10:00am – 6:00pm. Enjoy a car and bike show, vendors, live music, games and activities for all. Free.

- Gravity Festival: An Artistic Collision this Saturday night, 6:30pm – 9:30pm at Hoffman Hall on the campus of Portland State University. This free show features art exhibitions, DJs, hip hop dance, painting and other performances.

- Sex and the City Party at Departure’s rooftop restaurant this Saturday night, 7:00pm – 10:00pm. Read about the details here, free admission and no reservations necessary.

- Stumptown Underground “All in the Family” release party this Saturday, 6:00pm – 9:00pm at the Hawthorne Food Carts features a ping pong tournament and pie-eating contest.

- First Annual Furniture Connexion Cruise In and Car Show this Sunday from 1:00pm – 5:00pm at their store in Gresham for cars, motorcycles, food and entertainment.

- Vegan Convergence this Sunday at Colonel Summers Park in SE Portland, 1:00pm – 5:00pm. From the Facebook page: “Show up, eat some food, talk to some folks. It’s simple. You might even meet your new vegan best friend! Worst case scenario, you leave with a full belly of vegan goodies. No time for drama. No time for cliques. Just bring a “Favorite” (is that the theme?) vegan dish (along with cutlery, plates, tongs etc.) and get ready for the best afternoon of your life. Like staring into the sun, this could be epic.”

- LOST series finale this Sunday! If you are not Lostie fanatics like we are, at least check out the recap show airing from 7:00pm – 9:00pm, and if you like what you see then stick around for the finale starting at 9:00pm. Furthermore, if you want to share the experience with fellow Portlanders, McMenamins Bagdad, St. John’s and Mission theaters will all be showing it on the big screen (free, 21 and over only).

- Willamette Week’s new Cheapskate Deal Box features Bitch Media’s spring clothing swap, the second annual Gay and Grey PDX expo, a free showcase of short plays and more.

- For even more listings of totally free things to do this weekend, please check out Aroundthesunblog.

SPOTLIGHT: PORTLAND GARAGE SALES FOR BUYERS AND SELLERS

We just held a yard sale last Sunday and low and behold our fair weather forecasting folks were hours off on their forecast; instead of showers passing through in the late afternoon, we had torrential downpours between 9:30am – 11:30am and our promising sunny-filled yard sale turned into a rush to cover up all our electronics and paper items with tarps and umbrellas. At 2:00pm we put up ‘For Free’ signs and then the real bargain hunters showed up. With that experience under our belt, here’s our thoughts for Buyers and Sellers to do Garage Sales on the cheap!

BUYERS:

The best online source hands down is Craigslist, especially if you are hunting for specific items like an electric lawn mower or bicycle panniers. Although there is no map feature, we like the fact that you can search for certain items, view posted photos and all the ad listings are free.

Other online resources for finding garage sales include:

GSLAR.com Portland, free postings for garage sales, yard sales and estate sales by map. Helpful for when you just want to focus on your part of town or just want to stay in a particular geographic location. Users can also sign up for a weekly email list of estate sales.

Garagesalefinder.com, includes a map feature and users can search by zip code and choose days of the week.

The Oregonian newspaper has listings online at Oregonlive.com that contains basic information (location and dates), but the listings for what is for sale is limited to what the seller wants to pay for the ad (rates aren’t cheap!).

When it comes to maximizing your time and efforts for shopping at garage sales, we recommend looking for the following:

- Moving / must sell
- Multi-family
- Neighborhood
- Church sales / fundraisers
- School group sales
- Condo community sales
- Specialized events (like Portland’s Largest Garage Sale upcoming November 5th and 6th at the Expo Center)

For the garage sale hunters, early birds are those that come before the official opening of a sale (we had one lady show up 45 minutes before 8:00am to start browsing our things as we placed them out into the yard!); if an ad says “No early birds,” please respect it! If you are looking to pick up free items, just do a search on Craigslist and often times you’ll find sellers that will offer up all remaining items for free (like we did) at the end of the final sales day. And on a few occasions, take advantage of poor weather (i.e rain—lots of it) and you might find sellers to be more open to accepting offers. Check out this list of tips for garage sale buyers, courtesy of YardSalePortal.com.

Finally, here are some upcoming sales to mark your calendar for (just make the weekend after Father’s Day the Garage Sale Weekend!):

- Faithful Savior Rummage Sale, this Thursday – Saturday at Faithful Savior Community School.

- Tigard’s Brookside Condominiums Garage Sale (this Saturday, 9:00am – 4:00pm)

- 25th Annual Laurelhurst Garage Sale, one day only on Saturday, June 19th from 9:00am – 3:00pm.

- Concordia Neighborhood Yard Sale on Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 25th – 27th.

- Happy Valley Garage Sale, Friday – Sunday June 25th – 27th (last year over 180 homes participated).

- Irvington Neighborhood Yard Sale one day only on Saturday, June 26th from 9:00am – 4:00pm.

- 22nd annual Eastmoreland Garage Sale, “the Northwest’s largest garage sale,” with over 140 homes participating the weekend of June 26th and 27th.

SELLERS:

- Use the free online garage sale posting web sites listed above.

- Consider placing an ad in your local paper (Oregonian, Columbian, etc.); we placed an ad for $20 in our community paper and estimate that only 5% of our traffic came from the ad (so in retrospect, we probably would not have placed the ad and saved the $20 for making more signs).

- Read the following articles:

- YardSaleQueen.com’s “Having a Successful Yard Sale”
- Smatmoney.com’s “Top Five Garage Sale Strategies”
- GetRichSlowly.org’s “A Yard Sale Checklist: Ten Tips for Garage Sale Prep”
- Video from MSNBC: “Secrets to a Successful Garage Sale” by garage sale expert Bruce Littlefield.

Happy Garage, Yard, Rummage, Moving and Estate Sale-ing!