Pictures of Frugal Fe$t

Check out the new PHOTOS tab on the Frugal Festival blog for tons of pictures from the inaugural Fe$tival!

Got a picture from the Fe$tival that you want to share? Email me a copy.

Frugal Fe$t a smashing success!

Bargain Babe with Aaron, who won the $100 cash prize, sponsored by BargainBabeLA.com

If you read about the Frugal Fe$tival in today’s LA Times and LA Daily News, welcome! Between 250-300 people joined us for a totally free celebration of frugality and the launch of BargainBabeLA.com, a site where you can find and share deals in Los Angeles.

If you’d like to share a deal on BargainBabeLA.com, get started here.

The Fe$t also celebrated the 6-month anniversary of BargainBabe.com, which helps you save money on groceries, gas, and other everyday expenses. Sign up for my free email list here.

We gave away 50 free T-shirts and 52 raffle prizes, which means roughly 102 of of the 300 people who attended took something home for free! My Mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies got snapped up like THAT and the free swap was tres popular. Photos coming soon!

If you missed the Fe$tival, you can buy a hot pink Frugal Fe$t T-shirt for $15 (includes shipping) by emailing me.

Thank you Meital, Bargain Hubby, Bobbi, Alex, my Mom, Michele, Stacey, and Meirav for volunteering and making the event fantastic. Congrats on a job well done. Who’s up for doing it again?

Frugal Fe$t is today!!

After so much planning and preparing, the Frugal Fe$tival is here. Join us TODAY, Sunday July 26 at Woodley Park in Van Nuys from 1-4 p.m. for some frugal fun. Get directions.

The first 50 people get a free Fe$tival T-shirts! Join our free swap meet! Exchange coupons! Enjoy free refreshments and snacks! Every adult gets 10 free raffle tickets!

We have 52 amazing prizes, including a Toshiba laptop and $100 in cash. Yes, there’s a Benjamin Franklin waiting for you!

If you want to buy a fabulous pink Fe$tival T-shirt, they are $15 each including shipping. Paypal me at juliamariescott@gmail.com. First shipment goes out Monday!

Frugal Fe$t T-shirts are here!

Just picked up the Frugal Fe$tival T-shirts and WOW! They are SO awesome.

Get yours free by coming to the Fe$tival right when it starts at 1 p.m. this Sunday. The first 50 people get FREE Frugal Fe$tival T-shirts. A few others will be raffled off.

Need directions?

Curious about the 52 prizes we are giving away, including a Toshiba laptop and $100 in cash?

See you in two days!

Updated prize list – 52 prizes total!!!

Holy moley, there are 52 items to win in the free Frugal Fe$tival raffle! Please join us Sunday July 26, 2009 at 1 p.m. in Woodley Park, Van Nuys, to get your 10 free tickets. I repeat, there is no cost to enter the raffle! Details below.

Raffle prizes to date:

• One-hour professional financial consultation with Wealth Pilgrim
• A grocery gift basket from the 99 Cent Only Stores
• A gift basket worth $100 from the thrift boutique Lucky You Resale
• 2 – $20 gift cards to Gelson’s, courtesy of BargainBabe.com
• 2 – $25 gift certificates to the discount ticket seller Goldstar.com
• 1 copy each of of Free Fun LA and Free Fun OC
• 2 copies of The Scavengers’ Manifesto
• 2 copies of the not-yet-released DVD Fabulously Frugal Feasts by Christiane Jory, author of the 99 Cents Only Stores Cookbook.
• 3 copies of 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget by Wise Bread
  
• 3 copies of the 99 Cents Only Stores Cookbook
• 5 gift bags from Starbucks worth approx $20 each
  
• 8 copies of Retail Anarchy, a humorous and snarky take on consumer culture
  
• 8 copies of Your Mileage May Vary, a DVD about coupon clipping
  
• 10 Frugal Fe$tival T-shirts
• A Toshiba laptop, courtesy of Savings.com
• $100 in cold, hard CASH, courtesy of BargainBabeLA.com!

How the raffle works:

1. There is NO cost to enter the raffle.

2. Each adult (18 and older) who attends will receive 10 free raffle tickets.

3. Each ticket has a duplicate. HOLD ON to the duplicate to claim prizes. (If it sounds like I’m yelling it’s because I am.)

4. You can enter whichever raffles you choose. You can put all 10 tickets in one raffle or spread them out.

5. The raffle drawing begins at 3 p.m. Make sure to use all your tickets by 3 p.m. or else!

6. When we draw the winning tickets you will need your duplicates to claim your prize.

7. Must be present to win.

What to bring to the Frugal Fe$tival

• Cool clothes. The Fe$tival area is totally shaded and it will be about 10 degrees cooler in the shade. But let’s be real. It’s the Valley in July. Expect it to be 85-95. Check Van Nuys weather here.

• A fully belly. We will have light refreshments to keep you cool but please eat lunch before you come. Frugal bonus points for folks who bring their own cups for the water and lemonade we are serving!

• A chair. There are 27 picnic tables but nearly all will be filled with activities and raffle prices. Bring a camping chair to be safe.

• A bag to carry the massive prizes we are giving away.

Bathroom facilities are 50 feet from the Fe$tival area with wheelchair access. There was plenty of tp when we last checked!

Really free swap meet at Frugal Fe$tival

A wonderful reader and volunteer named Bobbi has agreed to run a free swap meet at Frugal Fe$tival!

A REALLY FREE SWAP is like a yard sale, except everything is free. You bring things to put into the swap and then take whatever you want. Ideally, everyone will bring some things, but you don’t have to.

Your junk is someone else’s treasure. Here are some of the kind of things that people can bring: clothing, books, dvds, current software (please don’t bring really old outdated software that won’t run on current computers), fruit/vegetbles/herbs from your garden, jewelry, nic nacks, toys/games, art, jewelry, costumes, and housewares.

In general bring cool things in good condition that someone would need and like but that you don’t want or can’t use.

You can also bring services and entertainment that you would like to give away or share, like haircuts, hair braiding, guitar lessons, face painting, massage, magic tricks, lessons of any sort (jump rope, musical instrument, juggling, etc.)

It would also be very good if people could bring extra tables, pop up tents, shade making things, picnic blankets and chairs… actually everyone should bring their own chairs.

It is also wise to bring a bag of some sort to put the things that you will be taking back from the swap.

Please DO NOT bring candles, anything that will melt or go bad or be ruined if left in the sun, broken, ruined or not working things, especially electronics (we will not have electricity so will not be able to see if things work), anything inappropriate for children to see, touch and want, anything illegal, and really big items.

At the end of the swap, whatever is left will be donated to a local charity. Anyone who would like to help with the swap please contact Bobbi at bobbisbargains@hotmail.com.

100 $1 v. 1 $100

At Sunday’s Frugal Fe$tival BargainBabeLA.com is raffling off $100. Call me crazy, but what is more frugal than free money? And I know how frugal you are.

I wasn’t sure whether to give it away as 100 $1’s or a single $100 bill so I put the vote to readers on BargainBabe.com, my other site. Here’s what you decided (as of Thursday morning):

Out of 133 votes, 45 people (34 %) said a $100 bill is way more impressive, 38 people (29%) said they don’t care as long as they win, and 34 people (26%) said they prefer the singles because it makes a bigger wad. Oh, and 16 people (12%) were pouting in the corner because they can’t attend the Fe$tival.

A single $100 bill wins! Now I’m off to the bank!

How much are raffle tickets? Free! Read how the raffle works here.

Getting to and from the Frugal Fe$tival

The Frugal Fe$tival is located in Woodley Park in Van Nuys, about 1 mile from the Victory Exit off the 405. It is also 1/3 mile walk from the Woodley stop on the Orange Line. We are going to be just southeast of the intersection of Victory and Woodley.

Directions by car:

From the 405, exit at Victory Blvd. Drive west on Victory approximately .8 miles to Woodley. Turn LEFT onto Woodley to enter the park. About 1/4 mile down the road turn left into the parking lot. There are two entrances into the parking lot so drive a bit further for the second entrance.

Get directions with a map. Check traffic on Sigalert.

Directions by Metro:

Take the Orange Line to Woodley.  Walk 1/3 mile south on Woodley, away from Victory Blvd. The festival is on your left. Metro fares start at $1.25 one way. A day pass is $5.

What else to do near the Frugal Fe$tival

There are a lot of things to do near the Fe$tival if you want to spend the day in the Valley or group your errands.

Balboa Park and Lake is a beautiful place for a morning jog or walk. The public Van Nuys Golf course is a stone’s throw from the Fe$tival. Book a tee time through GolfLink.com.

You can grab groceries and lunch at the Farmers Market, which is every Sunday morning from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. at White Oak and Victory. The Farmer’s Market is right next to a huge off-leash dog park.

Add a little zen to your day with a stop at the 6.5-acre Japanese Garden at 6100 Woodley Ave, just down the street from the Fe$tival. Admission is $2-$3 and they are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry gates close at 3:15 p.m.

Got kids? Take them by the skate park on Victory right next to the farmers market and dog park, mentioned above.

Thanks, Meital!