Meet Me at McGillin’s

A happy coincidence – New Year’s Eve this year will coincide with the 150th anniversary of McGillin’s Olde Ale House – and that translates into a fun, affordable celebration this year.

To start the party – and their anniversary year – off right, the good folks at McGillin’s are serving up open a limited quantity of its very own beer, McGillin’s 1860 IPA. They’re also resolved to serve 150 brands of beer in the new year, so stop in between the comics and the string bands to make a dent or two in that number.

Can’t make it this week? Well, the celebrating will be going on all year, so check out their site and follow ‘em on Twitter or Facebook.

Local Coupons, Big Savings – thanks to Six

“Move closer to your world, my friend, take a little bit of time…”

Am I the only one who remembers the words of the old channel six Action News theme song? Well, okay then. My age is showing.

But even the older generation appreciates a bargain, and thanks to Channel Six and Action News, there are several to be had in the Delaware Valley area. Click on this link to find a bevy of clickable coupons from our favorite ABC affiliate, including a $10 off Sesame Place coupon and another that offers a free McCafe coffee at McDonalds when you purchase a sandwich. So move closer to your world, my friends, and have a a closer grip on your wallet, thanks to our buddies at Channel Six!

Free Food At Mickey Dee’s

I’ve never been a huge fan of McDonald’s. It all stems from my childhood, you see. I was such a picky eater that I would only eat plain cheeseburgers – no ketchup, no onions, no nothing. In the days before the “have it your way” craze (or microwaves, for that matter), that meant waiting…and waiting…and waiting for my burger while the rest of the family’s food got cold. “Mary, you defeat the whole purpose of fast food,” my father told me, and he eventually stopped buying us fast food altogether, earning me the disdain of my siblings who were stuck eating bologna and cheese when my parents needed a quick meal.

Anyway, that’s just a rambling intro. My kids love Mickey Dee’s, so we’ll probably try this one, which I found on our main site:

Download & print this coupon for free medium fries & a free medium soft drink or tea with the purchase of a third-pound Angus burger at McDonald’s. Per the fine print, the coupon is valid at participating locations only, and it expires on August 31, 2009.

Eat It Up – Free Cereal Samples

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now, I’m no doctor so I can’t say if it’s so, but I do know one thing – at my house, breakfast is the longest meal of the day. My kids choose cereal for lunch, dinner, snacks and before bed, too. Hey, if it worked for Seinfeld…

So that’s why I was happy to see these offers. The good people at Cheerios are offering a free sample of their Honey Nut Cheerios and a $1 off coupon here. Honey Nut Cheerios, for those who haven’t been stung by the bee, are great tasting and good for you, as they help lower cholesterol. So check them out…for free! (And, since we’re already fans, I just picked up a really big box at Wal-Mart for under $4. Can’t wait to get that $1 off coupon!!)

For those of you with more exotic palates, Total is offering a free sample of their new blueberry pomegranete cereal if you sign up here.Now, we haven’t tried these, but knowing that just one bowl will provide 100 percent of the daily recommendation of at least 11 vitamins and minerals makes it worth a try. And you can’t beat the cost!

80% Code for Restaurant.com

Found this great bargain on our national site, CitiesOnTheCheap. You guys should check them out regularly for bargains galore:

“This week, Restaurant.com’s cheap discount certificates get even cheaper. Through Friday, July 31, you can save 80% on the purchase price of Restaurant.com certificates. What does that mean for you? A $25 certificate regularly sells for $10. After the discount, you can get the $25 gift certificate for just $2. The $10 certificate is just $0.60–you can’t beat that price. Just use promo code “NAPKIN” to get the deal.

You’ll find a variety of deals on Restaurant.com: $25 certificates for $10, $10 certificates for $3, and more. All of the vendors apply their own restrictions to each certificate’s redemption, so read the fine print before you check out to make sure it’ll be a good deal for you.”

Free Pastry Tomorrow At Starbucks

You are cordially invited to enjoy a free pastry tomorrow at Starbucks – as long as you buy a beverage to go with it.

Just take this invitation to your nearest highbrow coffee shop, fork over a couple of bucks for a mocha grande (or whatever it is you drink in the morning) and your scone, muffin or danish is absolutely free. (We have no idea why Starbucks calls it an “invitation” when the rest of the world calls it a “coupon,” but free is free, people!)

You’ll have to hurry in, though….this deal expires at 10:30 am tomorrow. So set your alarm for this one!

I Scream, You Scream…Ice Cream Festival 7/3-7/5

My family looks forward to this one all year….starting at noon today, the eleventh annual Super Scooper Ice Cream Festival will be held at Penn’s Landing.  For a mere $5, you get a spoon and access to all the ice cream and water ice you could possibly want, served up by over 20 different companies including Breyers, Good Humor, Ben & Jerry’s, Starbucks and Turkey Hill. Heck, Mr. Softee even shows up for this one!

And while you’re snacking on your summertime favorite, you’ll be helping lick leukemia. All net proceeds from the event will benefit the Children’s Hospital Oncolology Division and the Joshua Kahan Fund, which aims to raise awareness and funds for pediatric leukemia research.

The event isn’t just a fundraiser, or a cheap way to fill up on great ice cream. It’s also held to honor the spirit of Josh Kahan, a little boy who lost his five-month battle with AML leukemia in September 1997.  Joshua’s short life proved it takes more than courage or spirit to lick leukemia…it takes research to battle this disease, and research takes money. So why not get in on the sweetest way to make the dream of licking leukemia come true?

Hope to see you there….just remember, don’t toss your spoon!

It’s Our B-Day Party – And You’re All Invited

When most people think of Philadelphia, they think of history. The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, 1776 and the Fourth of July, right? Well, it’s that time of year again, and Philly is dressed up in red, white and blue for the holiday. So much to do….and all for so little money!

Most of the events come under the “Sunoco Welcome America” Banner.” The “Welcome America” festivities have gone on for a number of years now, and people keep coming back for more, because each year the party gets bigger and better. I’ll be covering some of the events in posts later on, but I want to focus on the showstopper event right now – that’s the Party on the Parkway held on the Fourth beginning at noon.

Okay, deep breath, ’cause there’s a lot to cover. On the Parkway there will be three stages – the Kids’ Stage (noon-6:45), the Multi-Cultural Stage (noon-7:15), and the Sound of Philadelphia stage (3-6). The names are pretty self-explanatory and the concert schedules can be found here. Let me just say that there will be a diversity of good music up and down the Parkway (and, of course, good food and other fun activities too!).

The evening closes with the largest free concert in the country – just fitting for the national birthday party. This year’s headliner at the “Life, Liberty and You” concert is pop-rock sensation Sheryl Crow, she of “All I Wanna Do” and “If It Makes You Happy” fame. And to top off the celebration, the Philly skyline will be set ablaze in sparkles, thanks to one of the best fireworks displays in the country.

Real – and Free – Chocolate

Found this important reminder on CitiesOnTheCheap:

“Chocolate just isn’t chocolate without cocoa butter. When companies got permission to swap in cheaper ingredients for the real thing & still call it chocolate, I was shocked. To be honest, I thought some of the candy bars I’ve indulged in for years would do just that to keep costs down. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mars (maker of Dove, Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, etc) plans to stick with the real thing.

To prove their resolve, Mars started a Real Chocolate Relief Act promotion in May. What does that mean for you? The free chocolate giveaway will continue every Friday through September 25, 2009, Mars is giving away 250,000 certificates for free Mars chocolate products. The certificates become available on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET, and they’re available until they’re gone, so you’ll need to act fast. There’s a limit of one coupon per email address per Friday & four coupons per household during the offer period. Must be a resident of the U.S. & age 13 or older to get a certificate.”

Free 60-Day Pass to BJ’s

I found this deal on the main web site of Cities On the Cheap…..check out this one, then click on the link above for a whole slew of nationwide deals!

“Unlike some of the free passes to warehouse clubs, this free 60-day pass to BJ’s Wholesale Club comes with no strings attached. Well, there is one string: You must activate the pass by July 6, 2009 to get the deal, but there’s no indication that you’ll be required to pay a 10% service fee at checkout during the trial period, which is common at other warehouse clubs. Test it out by stocking up for your 4th of July picnic on the cheap.”