EVER SINCE THE PURITANS set foot on our rocky soil in 1630, Bostonians have spent a great deal of time and energy trying to live on the smallest amount of money possible. For centuries that meant eschewing the finer things in life and making do with only the basic necessities - and having the basic necessities patched, resewn, resoled, or shellacked when they eventually did fall apart. The Puritans may be gone, but their ethic lives on. For Boston's bargain seekers, getting a deal isn't a sport like it is in New York - it's more of a genetic thing. It's an approach to life that holds that spending more than you have to is not only unnecessary, it's a moral weakness, a sign of laziness, an unwillingness to do the work needed to find a good deal. This book is all about making those fantastic bargains just a little easier to find.
Hair, Beauty and Massage: Bargain Beauties
Blaine Beauty Schools, 30 West Street, Boston, 617-266-2661; other area locations listed at www.blainebeautyschools.com
Call ahead to book your $10 basic facial or $25 to $45 foil at one of several area BLAINE BEAUTY SCHOOL locations (Boston, Framingham, and Malden schools for hair and some skin-care services, and Hyannis, Lowell, and Waltham for additional services including manicures, waxing, and full-body skin treatments). Instructors are present for all services.
Cali for Nails Academy, 204 Adams Street, Suite 2, Dorchester, 617-436-6766
You don't need an appointment for a $3 manicure given by a student at the CALI FOR NAILS ACADEMY in Dorchester. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Elizabeth Grady, 222 Boston Avenue, Medford, 781-960-0126
This high-end national spa and salon chain, has a training center in Medford that offers, at half price, most of the services available at Elizabeth Grady salons. Needless to say, appointments go very quickly. Massage clinics run about twice a week throughout the year; just call the school to ask, and soon a student will be practicing Swedish moves on you. Aesthetics clinics - instructor-supervised facials, waxing, and other salon treatments - run all year too, but the schedule changes every six months or so. Call the school to find out when clinics will be held or to be put on the e-mail list, which will notify you of clinic dates. As soon as the schedule is announced, start dialing for an appointment.
Over 30 more beauty listings in The Cheap Bastard's Guide to Boston!
Food: Free Lunch
Bukowski's Tavern, 1281 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, 617-497-7077, and 50 Dalton Street, Boston,
617-437-9999
What's not to love about a bar named after a poet who did some of his best work while sloshed? BUKOWSKI'S TAVERN, named to honor Charles Bukowski, has an awe-inspiring beer menu and is famous for its burgers. You can try a burger or a foot-long hot dog for a paltry $1.69 every weekday before 8 p.m., and add a side of fries or mashed potatoes for $1.10.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 617-523-1300, faneuilhallmarketplace.com
On the first Wednesday of every month from 5 to 7 p.m., the food shops in the FANEUIL HALL MARKETPLACE offer free samples. Choose from Boston Chowda, Carol Ann's Bake Shop, and more.
McCormick and Schmick's, 34 Columbus Avenue, Boston, 617-482-3999, mccormickandschmicks.com
Discounts on appetizers pack MCCORMICK & SCHMICK'S, the seafood place near Park Plaza, every afternoon from 3:30 to 6: p.m. and again from 10 p.m. to midnight. There's a two-drink minimum, and the menu changes nightly, but you can't lose with the thick, juicy $1.95 cheeseburger or a pound of fresh mussels for $3.95.
News Restaurant & Lounge, 150 Kneeland Street, Boston, 617-426-6397, newsboston.com
NEWS RESTAURANT & LOUNGE in the Leather District has decided that Wednesday night is Ladies' Night, and women dine free on a three-course meal - salad, entree, and dessert - from 5 to 10 p.m. in the lounge. (You have to buy your own drink.) Entree options usually include chicken, fish, and vegetarian choices.
The Wine Gallery, 375 Boylston Street, Brookline, 617-277-5522, and Hotel Commonwealth, 516 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 617-266-9300, wine-gallery.com
The self-service wine-tasting machines at the Brookline branch of THE WINE GALLERY let anybody over 21 sample from 16 whites and 32 reds - all free. This miracle of science is called an Enomatic by its makers, but it's known as the "wine jukebox" by the people at the Wine Gallery. Each taster gets a free card with 12 credits on it. The card lets the user "pay" the jukebox. The Wine Gallery also hosts informative, non-jukebox-mediated wine, beer, and liquor tastings at both its locations. At the Brookline store, beer tastings are held on Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and wine and spirits on Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Tastings at the Kenmore Square location (where there's also free valet parking - score!) are held on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. for beer and on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 8 p.m. for wine and spirits.
Over 50 more food and drink listings in The Cheap Bastard's Guide to Boston!
Other Cheap Choices:
Free jazz Friday and Saturday nights at Four Seasons' Bristol Lounge
Volunteer ushers see the show free at the American Repertory Theatre
Museum of Fine Arts is free on Wednesdays after 4 p.m.
The Children's Museum is $1 on Friday nights
Free movies at the Boston Harbor Hotel patio on summer Friday nights
Free guided canoe tours and more from the Boston Natural Areas Network
Free comedy at the Green Dragon Tavern near Haymarket on Monday nights
Work-study gets you free classes at Cambridge's Dance Complex
Over 1000 more listings in The Cheap Bastard's Guide to Boston!
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