Ah, what to do for Valentine's Day tomorrow? Here's some money-saving ideas:

Talk about a cheap date — The Garden Spot is offering free dinner to singles tomorrow night for Valentine's. Hey, you could meet the love of your life and have a great salad too!

If you have a date and want to go dancing, check out this Salsa Dance for only $5 at The DoubleTree. Hot, hot, hot!

If you're into raunchy, I highly recommend the Valentine's Day Bash at Fishlips for only $3. There's nothing better than a night with Krotch and Rocky Nash. Dance with the Krochettes for me, would ya?

Enjoy!

The new movie "27 Dresses" has people talking — and not just because the hot Katherine Heigl stars in it. No, women are talking because they wonder what would they do with 27 bridesmaid dresses? What do you do with just one??

Luckily, I've never been a bridesmaid, so I don't have to worry about such things. But if you have a dress laying around that you will never wear again, you might consider donating it to one of the following organizations that gives dresses to low-income high school students so they can go to their proms. These sites are listed in the "Charitable Wedding News" section of www.idofoundation.org.

Chicago: The Glass Slipper Project: http://www.glassslipperproj...
Washington: The Fairy Godmothers: http://www.fairygodmothers....
Arizona: Fairy Godmothers of Flagstaff: http://hometown.aol.com/sto...
Ohio: Fairy Godmothers Inc.: www.fairygodmothersinc.com

Also, for some real laughs, check out UglyDress.com, which bills itself as the "Archive for the world's ugliest bridesmaid dresses."

Share your pictures of your bridesmaid dresses below!

Bath products. I can't stand getting them as gifts. I have my own products that I stick with, and never use any given to me. So when I get a lotion or bubble bath/spritzer set or bath salts or whatever, I always regift them. And I have no shame. No guilt. I only hope the person I give them to can make use of them.

My family is having a "white elephant" gift exchange this Christmas. Know what I'm bringing? Gifts they have given me in the past that I don't want. There are the African safari framed pieces of art from my sister, and the foot massager from my mother. Interestingly, the men in my family get me money/gift cards — so I always make use of them! I only hope my family doesn't get hurt feelings when I regift their gifts back to them!

So what's your personal policy on regifting? Do you do it freely? Do you do it secretly? Do you abstain from ever doing it? Come on ... give it up.

Need some tips on regifting? Check out this site, "The Etiquette of Regifting."

I tried to be a good neighbor last night and buy some candy to pass out to kids tonight. But holy cow, candy is expensive!!!

I'm sorry, but it's not worth $30 to give jitters and cavities to kids who already drink too much sugary sodas and juices and eat too many sweets.

I bought about $12 worth of candy -- which was not much, by the way. Luckily I'm going to a friend's house to pass out the goods, so we'll join forces to fill the bowl.

Am I just being cheap here? Or do other people find the cost of candy outrageous? How much is too much to spend on candy?

We don't typically think of American culture being one in which haggling takes place. We go to Sears, see a price tag, and pay the price without negotiation.

But journalist Eric Ruth of the News Journal in Wilmington, Del., has written an article about how we CAN haggle in this country. Look at how we buy homes and cars - negotiations are part of the process.

He cites a study by Consumer reports that "found that more than 90 percent of shoppers who tried to negotiate a better deal on goods and services got one, on everything from furniture, electronics and appliances to floor and demonstration models, even medical bills.

"The secret lies in strength, experts say. In the art of haggling, the deals don’t go to the dainty," he writes.

So what, besides real estate and vehicles, can people haggle for? Here's what he lists:
- Services provided by any service-oriented business.
- Big-ticket electronics such as large-screen TVs, computers, appliance.
- Items in flea markets.
- Services provided by hospitals and doctor’s offices.
- Hotel rooms (especially off-season).
- Car rentals.

What do you haggle for? Do you have any tips or tricks to share? Here's my favorite from the author: "Don’t drool. Showing too much interest in an item spoils bargaining leverage"

I'll try to keep the drooling to a minimum next I'm out buying a toy.

The Kern County Fair, which starts Wednesday, is good for A LOT of cheap thrills. But the ones I'm most excited about are the concerts! They are free with fair admission!

And if you get your fair tickets at Albertsons, you save $2, so instead of $8 you're paying $6! Talk about a cheap thrill ...

Here's the lineup - just for the Budweiser Pavilion, cuz that's where I'll be the whole week! http://kerncountyfair.com/f...

Smashmouth WED 9/19
ABBAcadabra THUR 9/20

Mary Wilson of The Supremes FRI 9/21

Collin Raye with Williams & Ree SAT 9/2

 Los Lobos SUN 9/23

Eddie Money  MON 9/24

Russell Graham, Amy Adams, Danielle Peck TUE 9/25

Tanya Tucker WED 9/26

  The Afters THU 9/27

The Guess Who FRI 9/28

  Big Bad Voodoo Daddy SAT 9/29

Yolanda del Rio & La Acadmia SUN 9/30

                       

You know me, I LOVE free things to do. So when I saw this headline about a free travel film series, I knew I had to share it with y'all.

I would watch travel shows on TV ... IF I HAD CABLE.

But I don't.

And I might actually travel to some of these places ... IF I HAD MONEY.

But I don't.

So you just might catch me over at the Harvey Auditorium on Tuesdays in October watching one of these free films.

Check out the article and schedule here.

http://people.bakersfield.c...

It's friggin hot! My swamp cooler is at the point where it won't catch up. So I've given up on it and I'm hiding in my bedroom in the evenings, which has a little electrical window unit. Ahhhh, nothing better than just relaxing in bed with cool air blowing on me. I was asleep by 9 p.m.!

Anyway, my friend, who is unemployed, said "At least you have a job to go to with air conditioning." That's right! My desk job comes in handy sometimes. Right now: free air conditioning. Actually, I'm getting PAID to sit in this air conditioned office. Right on!

I suggested my friend go somewhere during the days to find free air conditioning. There's the library, book stores, coffee shops. Heck, if she wants to find free wireless Internet, too, she could probably go hang out at the airport all day. Would anyone notice, seriously?

(Note: She's actively looking for work, so she's no bum.)

What are some more ways to beat the heat for free? Or at least at a cheap price? And don't say "go to the movies" unless it's to the dollar theatre. Cuz to me, $9 is too expensive for and hour and half of air conditioning.

But do any of you bloggers have ideas for how I can stay cool this weekend while I'm NOT at work?

Walking the two miles of trails of Panorama Park is definitely a cheap thrill. The fairly new park finally has mature landscaping, which adds to the beauty of the sky, mountains, bluffs, river and oil fields -- all visible from the walking paths.

The other night, I took my grandparents up there as they visited from out of town. It was their first time in Bakersfield and I guess I tricked them into thinking this town is beautiful. They enjoyed the views -- even though the wind was so strong my grandpa had to turn off his hearing aids due to the whistling it was causing, and my frail grandmother had to hold our arms to walk to the edge and see the river.

But tons of people of all ages, with dogs and strollers in tow, were enjoying the bluffs despite the strong winds. We watched as cyclists and horseback riders passed down below along the river and aqueduct. We also watched some brave hikers ascend the steep inclines of the bluffs themselves. We didn't see kites, which are usually abundant out there, but my guess was the wind would have capsized them anyway.

But it was a lovely evening none-the-less. Thank you Kern County Parks for creating Panorama Park for all to enjoy the beauty of the bluffs.

Check out this beautiful photo by a Bakersfieldian of the bluffs a night, too!

If you keep your eyes out around town, you are bound to find lots to do that doesn't cost anything. This was the case for me on Saturday.

I had heard about a belly dancing studio downtown, so I e-mailed one of the dancers asking about beginning classes. Surprisingly, they were hosting a free two-hour workshop and sent me an invitation! So at noon Saturday, I found myself in a room with about 40 women of all ages, shapes and sizes learning undulations and snake arms at Bahiyya Almas. I was awful. But it was so much fun! I may have to try some classes when I am able to afford it.

After that, I went with some friends to CSUB for a Native American Gathering. There was no admission, although I did buy some ice cold water. It was HOT out there! We got there just in time to hear some drumming and singing. I probably could have bargained with some of the vendors who were just trying to reach their goals before packing up and heading out. But I talked myself out of the beautiful basketry and jewelry for sale.

Lastly, we swung south to visit a friend's "farm." He was out of town and his tomatoes needed to get eaten, or go rotten. I ended up with several pounds of tomatoes and made a delicious tomato salad for dinner. Tonight I'll be making spaghetti sauce to freeze with the rest.

On our way home we drove through Sonic for a fresh fruit ice drink. Thanks to my friend who drove, thus saving me gas money, my total spent on this full day of cultural fun was $3. And it was a great day.