Living a Full Life On an Empty Wallet

The recession has hit some people hard, some people mildly and other people not at all. I’m not a big believer that in The Great Recession there is no chance for forward progress. Uh-uh. I’ve seen too many people make more money in 2011 or 2010 than they ever had before, or start new businesses, or get their dream job. So anything can happen.

Enjoying $1.99 Charles Shaw wine

However, if you happen to be struggling as you attempt to make something happen, there is no need to go without some necessities that you believe you can no longer afford. You’ve heard the saying “where there’s a will, there’s a way”? My saying is “where there’s a recovering deprivation addict, there’s a way!”

Here are some tips for living a full life on an empty wallet:

HEALTH

Saban Free Clinic (formerly L.A. Free Clinic). When they say free, they mean free. They offer free physical exams, blood work, prescriptions and of course no co-pay. The facility is ‘gently used’, as some consignment stores describe their wares, but clean as a whistle. You won’t get the same doctor if you go there regularly – it’s on a first-come, first-examined basis – but they’re all professional and very kind. Be sure to call for an appointment well in advance since they always seem to be booked for the next month. http://www.thesabanfreeclinic.org

Planned Parenthood. They will usually refer you to Saban for regular examinations, but this clinic is ideal for walk-ins. Ladies, if you’ve ever suffered from a UTI, there is no way in gynecological hell that you’re waiting a month for an appointment. Planned Parenthood also offers free prescriptions, as well as a State of California Health Access card that you can present at other medical facilities. http://www.plannedparenthood.org   

L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. They offer free sexually transmitted disease screening, treatment and education specifically for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community—though everyone is welcome. Routine testing is available on a walk-in basis and the average visit takes 1-2 hours. Very professional, very friendly, very non-judgmental. They’re located in Hollywood. http://www.lagaycenter.org/site/PageServer?pagename=YH_STD_Testing_and_Treatment

The Maple Counseling Center. TMCC provides low-fee counseling on a sliding scale basis—to a maximum of $100 per hour, and as low as $10. They offer therapy to individuals, couples, families, and groups, as well as parenting classes. Located on Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills. www.tmcc.org

HOUSEHOLD

99 Cent Store. Where I come from, the dollar store is a place full of cheap knick-knacks and kids’ birthday party favors. Here in Los Angeles, the 99 Cent Store is a “deep-discount retailer of primarily name-brand consumable general merchandise”. It’s a great place to go for basic household goods, basic foods like bread, milk, cereal, cookies (only considered a 'food' when you're depressed), basic office supplies, and the like.

CLOTHES

Clothes Minded. This is a women’s clothing store that sells everything for $15 or less – and no, it’s not a store full of leftover 80s rejects or things only your granny would wear. I’ve gotten jeans and dresses and a jacket there, all of which I get compliments on. Unfortunately, the only locations I know of are in Santa Monica on the Promenade, Torrance, Long Beach and Laguna Beach. But here’s the website: http://15dollarstore.com

Target. I’m not sure whether Target is considered a good cheap place to shop or a bad cheap place to shop. All I know is that it’s a great place to get basics like t-shirts, undergarments and summer dresses.

K-Mart. This place, I’m pretty certain, would cause dubious stares from anyone you admitted to shopping at, but again I’ve gotten some very inexpensive towels, t-shirts, undergarments and accessories like purses or belts here.

Ross-Dress-For-Less. I have a love/hate relationship with Ross. I have gotten some fantastic deals here, but I will warn you to enter at your own risk – and perhaps come straight after a meditation retreat. More often than not it’s crowded and the racks are jammed with unorganized garments, so you’ll need the patience of a monk. Having said that, though, every cocktail dress I’ve worn in the last ten years has come from here, cost under $15 and always garners great compliments.

Thrift stores. I’ve never shopped at one, but I add this general category because I know plenty of people who regularly shop at thrift stores and have amazing (and amazingly cheap) wardrobes.

FOOD

Trader Joe’s. This natural and organic food store is surprisingly inexpensive, considering they’re not selling you crappy, chemical-laden food. All I gotta say about this store is: $1.99 Charles Shaw wine. And no, it doesn’t taste like rubbing alcohol and grape juice. I’ve made every wine aficionado I know taste this blind and they’ve all really enjoyed it.

Farmer’s Market. This permanent farmer’s market at 3rd & Fairfax has a great selection of fruits and veggies at much lower prices than the supermarket. Biggest pet peeve: a 5-oz container of raspberries for $4.99. At the Farmer’s Market you’ll get the same size for $1.99.

Ralphs. Of course, if you’re cash-poor and need cheap food (both monetarily and nutritionally), there is always Ralphs/Vons/Albertsons, your typical supermarket. And hey, I always get terrific cash savings with my club card – no accumulating points for a lousy deck chair for me!

SOVA. For those who are particularly down-and-out, there is no shame in making use of a local food bank. SOVA Community Food and Resource Program has three locations, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and Van Nuys, and they are super friendly. No appointment necessary, but first time clients will fill out an application, and then you’re allowed to go there once each calendar month for a 5-day supply of food that you get to choose. They also have a Resource Center where they offer such services as medical, dental, utility bill assistance, clothing, financial aid, legal services, employment and job training, and food stamps. http://www.jfsla.org/SOVA

*the Virgo in me can't help but note that it is Blogger that is to blame for the crazy formatting of the above paragraph!

 
ENTERTAINMENT

Public Library. I know a lot of people who buy a book, read half of it, decide they don't like it, then let it gather dust on their overcrowded bookshelf. If your wallet is a little thin, go to your local public library - it offers books (no kidding), magazines, CDs and DVDs for check-out. The best part is, if your library doesn’t have something, you can order it online and they’ll ship it to the location of your choice (library location, that is, not your home). 
              

Netflix. Depending on your financial situation, Netflix may be an option for you if you watch a lot of movies or TV shows. For $8.95 a month you can watch unlimited movies. Unlimited in this case, though, means as fast as you can watch them, send them back in the prepaid envelope, and receive the next one on your custom-built list. If I pop a DVD in the mail on Monday, it’ll arrive at their warehouse on Tuesday, and I’ll have the next DVD by Wednesday or Thursday.

Museums. Many museums offer several ways to enjoy their exhibitions for free. LACMA is free for everyone on the second Tuesday of each month and on federal holidays, and after 5:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to L.A. County residents. MOCA is free every Thursday from 5-8 pm. UCLA Hammer Museum is free every Thursday. Skirball Cultural Center is free every Thursday from noon-9 pm. Check out http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/arts-music-and-entertainment/museums/los-angeles-free-museum-guide.html for further listings of free museums.

Indoor Sports. And of course, indoor sports (wink wink) are always free. But, for a little extra incentive, get your free birth control at Saban or Planned Parenthood, or just walk into any Out of the Closet where they have a basketful of complimentary condoms on their counter.

TRANSPORTATION

Public Transportation. Even though I have written several disheartening blogs about taking the bus (Carless In LA, Pants Off to Public Transit, Public Transportation to Hell), don’t be discouraged! (Hey, Daypass Date showed the metro in a fun, romantic light!) I’ll be the first to say taking the bus is not high on my list of fun things to do, but I’ll also be the first to say it’s there when you need it (for a buck fifty) and you don’t have a car. Go to http://maps.google.com, type in your starting address and destination, and then when it comes up with the route, simply click on the little bus icon right above the directions. Modern technology will come up with the next three most convenient bus/metro trips for you.

Walk. What? Walk? What does that mean? I once had a coworker whom I barely knew pull over on the street and offer me a ride. When I told him I actually enjoyed walking, his response was to not hear me and try to convince me to get in the car. But this is Southern California for crying out loud! It rains like three hours a year and our winters consist of a heavy sweater addition! Think of it as transportation and exercise.

Zipcar. If money’s not super tight you can rent a car by the hour for $8/hour. Read my previous blog Zippity-Do-Car for more details.

All right, so there you have it. A (longer than expected) tip sheet to live a full life on an empty wallet. Remember, you are not your bank account, so enjoy life!

Self-Guided Date

Central Library

In keeping with my Dating For Cash-Poor Folk blogs, I’d like to share another fantastic date my boyfriend and I had. It included a self-guided tour. No, not of each other. Of the city. Well, ok, and a little bit of each other. We went on a self-guided tour of downtown Los Angeles.

We drove downtown and parked at the Central Library, which validates parking when you enter the garage after 3pm: it costs $1 when you show your library card. The library’s design, thanks to architect Bertram G. Goodhue, combines modern architecture with ancient cultures including Egypt, Rome, and Spanish Colonial. If it sounds like a visual ransom note, don’t worry, it’s not. It’s a beautiful building, full of light and space.

Outside the main entrance on 5^th Street was a short, squat column with an info placard on it, giving a brief history of the library. For instance, we learned that two fires in 1986 destroyed 400,000 books (about 20% of the library’s holdings), the contents of the music department reading room, and left the remaining materials with significant water and smoke damage.

Bunker Hill Steps

Following the map provided on the column (which is how we maneuvered from site to site, treasure hunt-style), we crossed the street and walked up the Bunker Hills Steps, 103 stairs known as the Spanish Steps to anyone familiar with Roman architecture, and known as Glutes of Steel to anyone familiar with actually walking up them. And would you believe, I forgot something at the library and so we wound up climbing these steps twice. With all the heavy breathing going on, I counted that as foreplay.

Angel's Flight

The steps took us up to Bunker Hill, a historic neighborhood that now houses the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and Museum of Contemporary Art. Getting from there to the Grand Central Market on Hill Street between 3^rd and 4^th was the best part – via Angel’s Flight, a funicular (two counterbalanced cars at either end of a cable) known as the shortest railway in the world. If you’re familiar with Michael Connelly, you’ll know that his detective novel Angel’s Flight is all about this L.A. landmark, and the cars even include posters of his book (never mind that it’s about a murder that takes place here…). Two years after his book came out the funicular was closed after a fatal accident. We chose to combat that fear with heavy making out.

At the bottom of the ride we crossed the street to the historic Grand Central Market (where, by the way, Connelly’s novel ends in a bloody shoot-out in the meat section…). The European-styled market with the Latino flavor was built in 1897 and is a sprawling, colorful assembly of food stalls. Larry and I bought some mixed dried fruit which was delicious if gas-producing. Hey, those that fart together, stay together, right?

Bradbury Building

The last stop on our self-guided tour (but not the last stop on the tour itself), was the famous Bradbury building, a.k.a. the Blade Runner building. Here we read that Louis Bradbury hired an inexperienced draftsman, George Wyman, to design the building which was completed in 1893. Wyman apparently asked his dead brother via Ouija board whether he should take this job, and the answer was, “Yes, it will make you famous.” Gotta hand it to those ghosts – they know of what they speak. Too bad the ghost in my apartment isn’t as helpful; he just taps people on the arm or leg and leaves a chill.

Rather than have a sit-down meal, we just noshed every place we went, from the BookEnds café in the library to the Grand Central Market to the Starbucks across from the library with the crazy iron tornado. So the entire date cost under $20, allowed us to explore a part of our own city, gave us some exercise, and was super fun!