Free Veterans Day Dinner

Posted by Courtney November 11, 2008 (2 weeks ago) at 12:39 pm

A tasty thank-you to all our veterans from Zebra’s Bistro in Medfield, MA. Owner Craig Neubecker says, “I wish I could shake the hand of every Veteran, sit down with them and buy them dinner, say thank you for all they have done for us.” This Veterans Day, he’s doing exactly that. From 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. tonight, all veterans will get a free entrée. Reservations are recommended. Zebra’s Bistro, 21 North Street, Medfield, MA. (508)359-4100. zebrasbistro.com.

Clean up and eat up - interesting post-election idea

Posted by Ted McEnroe November 5, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 1:36 pm

This press release came through the old inbox yesterday - thought it was an interesting little idea, and a creative one from the bistro, no?

The release is below:

Don’t put your election lawn signs in your trash. One local eco-friendly restaurant will make it worth your while to keep them out of our landfills by giving you a free appetizer or $10 off any entree when you bring them your election lawn sign.

Zebra’s Bistro in Medfield, a member of the eco-friendly Green Star Restaurant group, is making this offer to keep these signs out of landfills. They will make sure they are properly recycled to keep our planet green.

“We don’t just want to see the green lawns again we want a green friendly planet” said Craig Neubecker, owner of Zebra’s Bistro. “We can do a lot to reduce our impact on the planet within the four walls of our restaurant but this is one way that we reach out beyond our four walls to our community for the greater good” he added.

Bring your lawn signs to Zebra’s Bistro located at 21 North St. in Medfield, MA, any day this week after 4:30 pm and they will make sure the signs and sign holders are properly recycled.

What to do this weekend

Posted by Courtney October 30, 2008 (4 weeks ago) at 11:10 am

Haunted Happenings
Put on your witch’s hat, grab your broomstick and head to Salem, MA, better known this time of year as the Halloween capital of the world. Check out the fabulous costumes, have dinner with the dead, and listen to chilling tales. All weekend. Most events are free.

Pumpkin Ale Festival
Sample some of the best beer the fall has to offer at Cambridge Brewing Company’s annual festival. Friday, beginning at 5 p.m.

Veggie Delight
Load up on free (and yummy!) food at the annual Boston Vegeterian Food Festival. Saturday from 10 a.m. — 6 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center. Free admission & samples.

Meal deal

Posted by Courtney October 8, 2008 at 12:21 pm

One upside of the down economy — some restaurants are chopping their prices.  The Elephant Walk recently put out a new menu, and all of the entrées are now under $20.  So if you have a hankering for French-Cambodian food (think lots of noodles, coconut milk and braising) make your way to one of the three locations around Boston.

Dunkin’ Donuts deal

Posted by Courtney October 1, 2008 at 10:33 am

If you run on Dunkin’ — you’re in for a treat.  As a way to drum up business in the tough economy, Dunkin’ is selling lattes for just 99 cents.  But only from 2-5 p.m. weekdays.  You can also get an egg & cheese for 99 cents with a coffee.  Promotions start today and run through Nov. 11.

Feeding your inner saver

Posted by Ted McEnroe August 13, 2008 at 12:13 pm

One of the best cost-savers out there in Boston is going on this month. It’s Restaurant week in Boston, where top restaurants cut their prices to make top dining a little lighter for your wallet.

Rodney Murillo, executive chef at Avila Restaurant, stopped by Good Morning Live to talk food, and whip up a great gazpacho recipe (speaking of cheap, healthy possibilities this time of year.)

To see Rodney’s recipe, click here!

Food bank gets into ‘Cut Your Costs’

Posted by Ted McEnroe July 25, 2008 at 11:24 am

The concept of cost-cutting isn’t just a home finance necessity - for organizations like food banks that need to operate on tight budgets, the same rules apply.

A Vermont food bank has decided one way to save on food and strengthen donations is to take the supply chain into its own hands, by buying a farm. NECN’s Anya Huneke has more on the concept.

What can you take away from this? Buying your own farm may not be a reasonable solution, but growing your own fruits and vegetables can be a moneysaver - with a little work replacing that trip down the produce aisle.

Great deals at Jimbo’s Steak and Fin

Posted by Ted McEnroe July 11, 2008 at 1:23 pm

Thanks to Jimbo’s Steak and Fin for becoming an NECN “Cut Your Costs” partner.

Visit Jimbo’s at Braintree Five Corners to take advantage of their discount menus. Bar menu appetizers start at $1.95 each! Or get a bucket of wings and beers for $12!

There’s also a daily dinner and lunch special for under $10!

Come down to Jimbo’s today and enjoy great quality, fresh steak and seafood at an unbeatable value!

They’re located at 405 Franklin St., in Braintree, MA. Call 781-848-0300 for more information!

Saving at the grocery store

Posted by Ted McEnroe July 1, 2008 at 6:55 pm

Our friends at Consumers Checkbook magazine are regular guests on “Good Morning Live”. Recently they shared a few tips for saving a few bucks the next time you hit the store. They’re all pretty common sense ideas, but great ways to cut your grocery bill.

* PLAN YOUR MEALS AND MAKE A SHOPPING LIST.  Proper planning makes you
less vulnerable to high-cost, low-nutrition impulse items.  A list also
makes you less likely to forget things, sparing you from wasting time
and gas on a return trip.  Walking through the store where you usually
shop, you can make a list of the items you regularly buy.  Then
photocopy it and mark up a copy each week before you go to the store.

* SHOP SPECIALS.  Take full advantage of the specials offered by
whatever store you use.  For example, if tuna that usually sells for
$1.59 a can is marked down to 79 cents, consider buying in quantity. You
save $8 on a purchase of 10 cans.

* TRY STORE BRANDS INSTEAD OF NATIONAL BRANDS.  CHECKBOOK has found that
substituting store brands for about one-sixth of the items in a typical
shopper’s market basket typically cuts the grocery bill by about 5
percent.

* CHOOSE A LOWER PRICED STORE.  In most areas where CHECKBOOK does
comparison shopping for a balanced market basket of about 150 items,
there are some chain stores that consistently beat other supermarkets by
10 percent or more.  Even if the lowest priced store isn’t convenient
for you for everyday shopping, think about whether it will be convenient
sometimes- when you are dropping off the babysitter or coming home from
a game, for instance.

* CONSIDER A WAREHOUSE STORE.  CHECKBOOK has found, for example, that
when a Costco or Sam’s Club is available, it will typically save
shoppers for the items it carries about 30 percent compared to shopping,
even for similar- size items, at the area’s major chain supermarkets.

* CONSIDER CHANGES IN YOUR OVERALL EATING HABITS.  Eating less meat is
likely to save you money and reduce your fat intake.

* BE FLEXIBLE.  Adjust your eating habits to take advantage of bargains.
For example, when beef goes up in price and chicken goes down, eat more
chicken.

* CONSIDER LESS EXPENSIVE RECIPES.  Especially consider foods from other
parts of the world.  Many countries use much less meat than is commonly
used in the U.S. to prepare exceedingly tasty dishes.

* CONSIDER THE COST OF CONVENIENCE FOODS.  You can save by slicing your
own cheese or making your own sauce for peas.  You also usually save by
avoiding products prepared in individual serving packets.

* SELECT SIZES CAREFULLY.  Big roasts, hams, and turkeys usually have
more meat to bone than smaller ones.  Large sizes of flour, sugar, rice,
salad oil, and other storable staples also usually save you money.  And
milk is cheaper by the gallon.  But small apples and bananas may be
perfect for families with small children, and small cans of tomato paste
may save you money by helping avoid wasted leftovers.

* COMPARE SIZES OF ITEM-PRICED FRESH PRODUCE BEFORE YOU BUY.  In the
same store, CHECKBOOK often finds some heads of iceberg lettuce, sold by
the head that weigh twice as much as others.

* USE UNIT PRICING TO DETERMINE WHICH PRODUCTS OFFER THE BEST VALUE-the
lowest price per pound, for example.

* CALCULATE COST PER SERVING, NOT JUST COST PER POUND.  Some products
have more waste than others.  For instance, bone-in roasts and chops
will give you two or three servings per pound, while boneless meat will
give three or four.

* LOOK CAREFULLY AT MEAT BEFORE YOU BUY.  A CHECKBOOK study to assess
waste in meats found one rib steak that was 88 percent lean and another
that was 48 percent lean; as a result, the leaner piece cost 45 percent
less per lean pound than the piece with more fat.

* FIT SIZE AND QUALITY TO YOUR NEEDS.  You don’t need perfect canned
peach halves for a cobbler or whole canned tomatoes and whole mushrooms
for spaghetti.

A Frugal family Fourth

Posted by admin June 30, 2008 at 6:06 pm

If you’re looking to a 4th of July holiday that won’t explode your budget, Louise Sacco of The Frugal Yankee has some ideas on how to make the holiday weekend an affordable family event.

Read more

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