hungry?/thirsty?:Starbucks Gold Loyalty Program

it's a long running joke that i run solely on caffeine and unicorn blood (....5 points to whoever gets the latter reference).  in college, since i commuted from home, i was on campus or en route to campus between 16-20 hours a day, 5 days a week....and even more in high times of stress (sleeping?  what's that?)  as a way to make sure i don't fall asleep at my desk or at the wheel and to save money on food (since their food IS delicious, have you TRIED their hummus?!  so good.), my dad would send me a starbucks card, preloaded, and then told me to refill when i got low on my balance.  he still tells me to refill my card and i've been out of school a year.  so after i registered my card and literally lived in starbucks, i was sent a shiny gold card with all the perks-free soy milk (which i don't drink but it's a nice thought), free syrups (YESSSSS), and every 15 drinks, i get a free drink, not to mention other little perks in the mail/email.

needless to say, i pay for starbucks' light bill every month, but it's nice to be given a reward for being their best customer ;)  BARGAINISTA TIP: loyalty programs, guys.  even if you just buy yourself a card and load it, you can keep track of how much money you spend a month on coffee, and where you can cut costs (i.e. do you REALLY WANT to pay 50-70 cents for soy milk and syrups?  no?  okay good.)

recap:
Starbucks
....they're on every corner.
www.starbucks.com // twitter: @Starbucks

hungry?: M Cafe

in my hunt for some of the best vegetarian/vegan/flexitarian cuisine, i've found some hits (hugo's!  real food daily!) and some misses (....we won't name them.)  but lately, all i think about is M Cafe.  before about a month ago, i had only stopped into the beverly hills location one time forever ago to get a coffee but that was it.  so when my manager and i went to lunch last month, she needed some place close to the office but something DELICIOUS and healthy.  so we went to the M Cafe on melrose....and my life had never been the same since.  i fell in love with their vegan (or regular) sushi, their soups, THE SPICY PEANUT KALE OH MY GOD, their juice bar, their food in general....and i SOLELY blame margot for my addiction to their vegan chocolate chip cookies.  like, i am needing a major intervention here.

so the other day i was off to an acting class and i wanted m cafe for dinner before.  i couldn't decide WHAT EXACTLY i wanted, so i went in there and thought "why don't i just mix and match?"  so i got a plate of the spicy peanut kale (a MUST.), a piece of lotus root inari, two pieces spicy tuna roll (when a girl needs real sushi, A GIRL NEEDS REAL SUSHI), a mini chocolate chip cookie (....did you expect me to just PASS on that?), and their green tea.  now, m cafe isn't cheap (you know, that whole LOCAL ORGANIC RAW CUISINE thing) but let me show you how much food i got and we'll play the "HOW MUCH DID THIS COST?!" game.

LOTS OF FOOD, RIGHT?!  seriously, i was full for about 12 hours after....so HOW MUCH DID THIS COST?!?!?!

*drum roll* ....$14.
yep.  all of this lovely deliciousness cost $14.  the reason why?  everything was a la carte/side prices!  BARGAINISTA TIP: can't decide what you want because everything looks so great?  see if there is an a la carte menu or pick multiple sides to create a meal.  you can always bring home the leftovers :)

recap:
M Cafe de Chaya
two locations:
7119 Melrose Ave, Hollywood
and 9433 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills
www.mcafedechaya.com // twitter: @iLoveMCafe

brokesesh: beverly hills with katie

as part of girl code, one must constantly have meals/hang out time with friends.  it's gossip, fashion, bitchery, and camaraderie all rolled into one.  violate girl code and you find yourself alone and becoming a dog lady.

so a week ago or so, my dear dear dear friend from college, the lovely katie, FINALLY came back home from her native chicago, and we decided to grab an early dinner at urth caffe in beverly hills.  now, urth is pretty expensive as is, but when you were pinching pennies all day (not to mention STARVING), you'll ignore it and go for broke.  i got a lovely small almond milk latte (with a heart!  the cutest.) and the urth caffe salad with no dressing, olives, tomatoes and side of bread (sorry bout it, i'm picky.), with added grilled chicken.  while my bill at urth came out to $22, i can safely say that is one of my FAVORITE salads in town.  it's mixed greens with feta, pine nuts, garbanzo beans, hearts of palm, and the grilled chicken has a pesto rub on it.  heaven and incredibly filling.  katie got the roast turkey salad and a medium almond milk latte (in a tall mug!  so cozy.) and let me tell you, we tried each others salads and their roast turkey is A+.  didn't need salt, wasn't dry....delicious.

while we were chatting about typical girl things (going out, boys, work, life, etc.), katie looks across the street and says "wanna get manis?!" she pointed to a little hole-in-the-wall nail salon, and we immediately decided we should.  for $12 (plus tip, so $14), i got an awesome manicure.

BARGAINISTA TIP: need your nails done in a quick fix but not sure of that corner nail salon?  go look inside, ask how long the wait is for walk ins, and look around and make sure they have their cosmetology licenses out in full display along with a bright atmosphere.  if you feel secure, it's probably a steal!

While our nails were drying, we decided to head to anthropologie to look at clothes on the sales racks, and katie needed new knobs for her furniture in her room for the year.  so we went, and while i did find a couple of cute shirts and a skirt on sale.....i found the most excellent pair of J Brand Jeans ever on the sale rack.  i nearly died of joy.

these are trouser fit, semi-bell flare jeans (and yes, this is my closet door.  suspend disbelief for a second here).  and they were awesome.  problem is, they were too big.  but then i looked at the price tag.

IF YOU CAN'T READ THAT, THAT SAYS $29.95.  FOR A PAIR OF J BRANDS.  THESE JEANS RETAIL FOR NEARLY $200.  THIS IS ABOUT 1/6 THE PRICE.  #SERIOUSBUSINESS.  so i call up a master seamstress who will give me a five finger discount.
"hey mom.....how quickly can you tailor a pair of pants down a size or two?  by tuesday?  you can?  thanks."  "YEAH I'LL TAKE THEM."

i bought three other items, and my total bill at anthro was $115.  which is about the price for 1 item there.  four for the price of one?!  i'll take it.

BARGAINISTA TIP: if something is super irresistible on that sales rack but it's in the wrong size, buy it anyway and tailor it!  especially if you buy jeans that retail for $200 and you get them for $30!

so yeah, i was a little broke by the end of the day, but what's a good brokesesh unless the objective is to go into debt?

RECAP:
urth caffe
4 locations in los angeles (including 267 s. beverly drive, beverly hills)

nail salon across the street from urth caffe: manicure $12, combo mani/pedi $17

anthropologie: www.anthropologie.com for locations.

hungry?: Ralph's Loyalty Program

We gotta eat.  I mean, hello, can you survive on caffeine and adrenaline alone?  (well, I can because I’m awesome but that’s besides the point.)  So of course, we go to the inevitable topic: Grocery Shopping.  I prefer to shop at Whole Foods, but since it’s also known as WHOLE PAYCHECK, I can only go so often for staples I can’t find anywhere else.  Trader Joe’s is hit and miss, Gelson’s is overpriced for what they have (5 BUCKS FOR A HALF GALLON OF ALMONDMILK?!?!?! NO COMPRENDE TERRIBLE LOGIC) and while I also like Vons/Pavilions/Safeway and Albertsons, the store that never lets me down is Ralph’s (for you non-California folk, that would be Kroger and the Kroger Brand across the nation.)  Why do I like Ralph’s?  They tend to have everything mainstream and a ton of things you could only find at Whole Foods, and the best thing ever….the Ralph’s Club Card.  The Ralph’s Club Card is the crème de la crème of Grocery Loyalty Programs.  Sure, some chains send terrible coupons and maybe markdown some prices for you, but Ralph’s will be a cut above the rest when it comes to sales and their coupon selection, especially when they send you coupons tailored to your frequent buys….as well as double points and HUGE discounts/savings.  Take for instance the end of the last points period.  This is what I got.

YEP.  How awesome is that?!  So I go and I do my grocery shopping (or should I say GROCERY HAUL) and I end up spending a godawful amount….until my coupons kicked in.  this is the result.

YES, THAT WOULD BE AN 8.  AS IN $82.13 OF MONEY SAVED.

WILL YOU EVER SHOP AT ANOTHER CHAIN AGAIN?  I THINK NOT.