Teresa, Author at Miami on the Cheap

Teresa

Teresa Mears is a publisher, writer and editor who was raised to be frugal. She became a website entrepreneur after 30 years as an editor at newspapers ranging in size from the Portland (Tenn.) Leader to The Los Angeles Times and The Miami Herald, where she worked most recently. She moved to Florida in 1980 because it was the only place she could get a job during that recession and has lived in South Florida since 1985, in Miami, Hollywood and Fort Pierce. She also has lived on Florida’s Gulf Coast, in St. Petersburg and in Inverness.

Shaping Sound dance company 50% off

May 122013

shaping-sound Contemporary dance company Shaping Sound, which blends jazz, modern, ballet and hip-hop, is coming to Miami in June.

With a deal from Goldstar, you can for see the program for 50% off. Front orchestra tickets that are regularly $71.20 with fees are $36 (including fees) and rear orchestra tickets that are normally $51 are $25 (including fees). The performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday, June 13.

This is the first national tour for Shaping Sound, which was featured on Oxygen TV’s “All The Right Moves.” The company includes Emmy-nominated choreographers and “So You Think You Can Dance” stars Travis Wall, Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance, and Kyle Robinson.

You can get the Shaping Sound discount here.

The performances will be at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139.

Same-day half-price theater tickets

May 102013

Buy tickets for shows on performance day for 50% off at Cultural Connection, a project run by WLRN Public Radio and Television and the Theatre League of South Florida.

You must use a credit card and there’s a $4.50 service charge. Click here to see which shows are available at a discount and to buy tickets. The site updates every day at midnight with the next day’s offerings. You must buy by 5 p.m. the day of the show.

Student discounts to shows and museums

May 102013

One of the best deals around in Miami is through an organization called Culture Shock Miami. Through Culture Shock, students 13 to 22 can get discount tickets to numerous cultural performances in Miami for only $5 each. Best of all, each student can buy two tickets, and anyone of any age can use the second ticket. That means two students can take two parents, and the whole family can see a show for just $20.

Culture Shock also has standing discounts to various museums and attractions that are usually expensive to visit, allowing students to purchase two tickets for $2.50 each.

The $2.50 admission tickets currently are available for:

Bass Museum of Art
Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami
History Miami
Miami Children’s Museum
Miami Science Museum
ZooMiami
Vizcaya
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

See all the discounts offered by Culture Shock Miami here. The offerings change constantly, and there may be only a limited number of discount tickets available to popular shows. Tickets have to be purchased at least a day in advance for shows, and you have to arrive early enough to exchange your Culture Shock Miami voucher for an actual ticket. Student ID is required to pick up the tickets.

If you’re looking for other ways to visit museums on the cheap, check out our list of regular free and discount museum days.

Affordable Miami-Dade summer camp options

May 082013

kid-hula-hoop Are you looking for affordable, fun activities for your children this summer? Miami-Dade County and the Children’s Trust may have the answers.

The Children’s Trust has published its 2013 Summer Programs Guide, which lists all kinds of camps available to children in Miami-Dade County, including those funded by the Children’s Trust. You can get the guide at Winn-Dixie stores or download it here. You can also call 211 for the information.

Miami-Dade County offers a number of day camps through its Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces department at 34 parks around the county. Day camps are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday from June 10 through Aug. 15. Early drop-off and late pickup options are offered, too.

Programs for children ages 6 to 14 cost $40 to $90 per week, plus a $12 registration fee, and scholarships and financial assistance are available to families that qualify.

There also are free camps for children with disabilities and specialized camps for $100 to $225 per week.

Registration is now open at www.miamidade.gov/parks or at your local parks. Families seeking financial assistance must apply in person at their local parks. For more information, call 311.

For more information about summer camps, check out the MomsMiami.com guide to summer camps in Miami-Dade and Broward.

Miami Museum Month: Buy one, get one free

May 082013

miami-museum-month-2012-art May is Miami Museum Month. That means buy one, get one free admission at 23 participating establishments, for both locals and visitors. Plus, membership at one museum means free admission to all other participating museums. The annual event is organized by the Greater Miami Convention & visitors bureau. These are the participating museums for 2013:

Free DWNTWN Miami concerts

May 072013

The DWNTWN Miami Concert Series is back with a series of free concerts indoors for the summer at the Gusman.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performance begins at 8 p.m.

Here’s the schedule:

Friday, May 10: Domino Saints, 2NYCE, Cecy and a special dance performance by Marquese Scott.
Friday, June 14: Egine.
Friday, July 12: Miami Jazz Society Presents Federico Britos, Oriente and Yvonne Brown.
Friday, Aug. 9: Conjunto Progreso and Palo!

The Heineken DWNTWN Miami Concert Series presented by Car2Go is supported by the Miami Downtown Development Authority and John S. & James L. Knight Foundation.

The Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center is at 174 E. Flagler St., Miami, FL 33131. Find details about parking and public transportation options here.

Wynwood and Design District art walks

May 062013

artpaintbrushes The Wynwood Art Walk and the Miami Design District Art + Design night are the second Saturday of each month, close enough to go to both if you have the stamina.

Hours are 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information on the Design District, visit www.miamidesigndistrict.net. Details about exhibitions in Wynwood are at http://www.wynwoodartwalk.com/

Free Planetarium show at Miami Science Museum

Apr 302013

First Friday at the Miami Science Museum means free admission the first Friday of every month.

At 7 p.m., there will be a free planetarium star show, followed by rooftop observatory viewing from 8:30 to 10 p.m., weather permitting. Little ones can check out the activity room as well.

Laser shows will be hourly from 8 p.m through midnight; the cost for those is $8 for adults and $4 for children.

Miami Science Museum is at 3280 S. Miami Ave.

Free kids’ movies at Cobb Theatres

Apr 302013

Cobb Theatres are showing free kids’ movies this summer at 10 a.m. every
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., and many of the theaters fill quickly with summer campers, so arrive early if you want a seat.

The 2013 season runs June 11-Aug. 1.

The free films will be at three Miami-Dade theaters:

Dolphin 19, 11471 NW 12th St., Miami; 305-591-0785.
Cobb Grand 18, 17355 NW 59th Ave., Miami Lakes; 305-2313-5252.
Miami Lakes 17, 6711 Main St., Miami Lakes; 305-558-3810.

The schedule varies by theater, so click through to find out which movie is playing when at your favorite cinema.

If these theaters aren’t convenient, check out the $1 Summer Film Express at Regal theaters.

Up to 70% off Miami restaurants

Apr 282013

We’re always trying to find a way to dine out on the cheap. One way to do that is through Local Dines, formerly known as South Florida Dines. The South Florida company sells discount dining certificates to more than 350 restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The usual discount is 50% off. But for a limited time, you can get up to 70% off Blue Plate Specials on selected Miami-Dade restaurants. Click here to see the deals, which are good through 11 p.m. Tuesday, April 30.

Local Dines is an advertising partner of On the Cheap.

Free legal advice on Wednesdays

Apr 282013

The Dade County Bar Association offers free legal advice by phone from 6 to 9 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month.

To speak to a lawyer, call 305-371-2220 from within Miami-Dade or 866-596-0399 from outisde. Volunteer lawyers participating in the Legal Line program will answer simple legal questions, give brief advice or make referrals to social service agencies.

Visit museums free this weekend

Apr 282013

The first full weekend of the month is coming, and that means Bank of America customers can visit museums free through the bank’s Museums On Us program. Just show your Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card and a photo ID on Saturday or Sunday, and you will get free admission to more than 150 museums and attractions in cities across the United States.

In Miami-Dade, you can use your card for free admission to the Miami Art Museum, Miami Children’s Museum, Miami Science Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami and the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach.

In Broward County, you’ll find deals for free admission to the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science ,the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale and the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach.

In Palm Beach County, you can make a free visit to the South Florida Science Museum in West Palm Beach.

You can also get free visits to museums in the Dania Beach, Jacksonville, Naples, Orlando, Saint Petersburg and Tampa Bay areas.

If you’re looking for other ways to visit museums free, check out our list of free museum days in South Florida.

Let’s buy the Boston police a cup of coffee

Apr 202013

coffeepot-278x300 Capturing Suspect 2 after an intense manhunt over a period of 24 hours takes a special kind of hero. Add to that the stress of the Marathon bombing earlier in the week, and it’s no wonder the men and women of the Boston Police Department are America’s best and finest.

So what do you say we all chip in to buy our neighbors in uniform a cup of coffee? And not just any cup of joe, but a special blend roasted just for them.

Living on the Cheap and its sister sites, including Miami on the Cheap, are collecting $1 from everyone who feels moved to contribute toward this cause. The money will be used to buy custom bags of fresh roasted beans from Buona Caffe and send them to station houses all over Boston to fuel these officers’ days and nights. Each bag will have a special thank you message from our readers.

To contribute, click on the Donate button below and leave your message of congratulations in the comments. We’ll select random comments to print on the accompanying tags.

Thank you to everyone in advance, and a big hats off salute to Boston!

Movie tickets: Buy 1, get 1 free on Fridays

Apr 192013

Fandango is offering a 2-for-1 movie deal on Fridays when you use your Visa Signature card. The deal is good through Aug. 2.

This offer is valid for purchases made on Fridays (value up to $19.50) and made through the Fandango/Visa Signature website. You can make a maximum of one purchase per card per month.

The movie tickets must be purchased on a Friday and used the same day.

Free 60-day membership to BJ’s

Apr 132013

Through July 14, 2013, you can get a free 60-day trial membership to BJ’s Wholesale Club. During your trial period, there is no surcharge at checkout. If you decide to join, a 12-month membership is $50.

Bargain shoppers like B.J.’s coupon policy, which allows you to use both store coupons and manufacturers’ coupons. You can read more about how to best use coupons at B.J.’s at Living on the Cheap.

Marlins baseball 10% to 60% off

Apr 022013

It’s baseball season, and Miami Marlins baseball games are always better at a discount. Groupon has an opening day game deal, but here’s a way to get tickets at a discount all season.

ScoreBig, a discount tickets company, is offering tickets to Marlins baseball games at the new stadium for 10% to 60% off. For most upcoming games, the discount is 25%, though we’ve got promo codes to create even better deals for new ScoreBig customers.

ScoreBig is not a ticket broker but a company that works directly with venues, teams and promoters to sell off excess tickets. It’s a little like Priceline for entertainment and sports tickets. You can see the current Miami Marlins discounts here.

ScoreBig offers tickets for a minimum 10% off. But with discount code SPRING35, new customers can get a minimum 35% off tickets, up to a total price of $300. The promo code can be used only once per customer. Or, you can use our exclusive promo code CHEAP15, to get an additional 15% off. That means the 25% off tickets would really be 40% off. That code is also for new customers and can be used only once. If tickets are already 50% off, save your code for another event.

ScoreBig can be a bit tricky to use. You name your own price, and ScoreBig tells you whether it’s accepted. The company tells you upfront what discount is likely. Offerings change frequently, so these deals may disappear in a few days, or other tickets for the same events may become available.

Here’s how to buy tickets with ScoreBig:

Sign up (it’s FREE).
Select the event you want and where you want to sit (sometimes it takes a few minutes for the available seating areas to be highlighted). You choose a section, but not the exact seat.
Name how much you are willing to pay. You’ll have to enter your credit card information here. This is where you add the promo code. If you have a promo code for 35% off, bid 35% off.
If your bid is accepted, you’re notified instantly. If your bid is rejected, you can place a new bid.
Sometimes you’ll get a counter offer, which you are free to accept or reject.
No additional fees are added. The amount of your accepted offer is what you pay.

In South Florida, ScoreBig has lots of discount sports ticket. Click here to see all the current Miami deals, including deals for 25% to 50% off the Florida Panthers, Miami Marlins and Miami Heat.

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