DC Summer Concert Series

As I've mentioned many times before, there are a lot free or low cost things to do in Washington, DC. With the price of gas being so high, this summer you may have to look towards taking local vacations or vacations to places that have a lot of free attractions and entertainment (because you use up most of your budget just getting there). Of course, DC is a natural choice.

If you live in the DC area or are making plans to be here between now and September, you should check out the Summer Concert Series webpage from the National Capital Region of the National Park Service. Most of the live entertainment that they list there are free, and most of them are great for people of all ages. (For example, I'm not sure how a two-year-old would feel about Hamlet.)

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Learning at Low-Cost

Learning how to do things yourself can be a big money saver in the long run. This spring I took my second series of flower arranging classes through my county's public schools' adult education program. A local florist teaches the classes.

At $134 for the first series of 3 classes and $149 for the second series, at first glance they don't seem like a great bargain - not cheap anyway. However, for what you get, it really is a deal. Those prices included the florist demonstrating how to make the arrangements, hands-on help in class when I made my arrangements, tips on how to do things like properly change the water in a vase, and all of the supplies. Each week I had a fun activity on Tuesday nights, and I also got to take home my beautiful creations to enjoy.

While I'm by no means a pro at flower arranging now, I do have some basic skills. A couple of months ago I even made a lovely arrangement that I took to a friend who had just had a baby. A similar arrangement at the grocery store would have cost $20. However, I was able to make the arrangement for my friend with enough flowers leftover to make one for me to keep for a total of $12 (including the vase I gave her which I had gotten from someone who was going to throw it away).

Below you can see pictures of the arrangements I made in my latest classes (wedding flower arranging). I'm not going to do the flowers for my own wedding, but this was good information to learn - and it was fun!

Check out what classes your local school district or parks and rec department offer. You might learn a cool trade and have fun for a reasonable price.

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Live Entertainment Deals

I got an email today from Goldstar saying that Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas has just become one of their partners. One day I'd love to both go to Vegas and to see a Cirque du Soleil show. I'm going to have to keep Goldstar in mind for whenever I get to Vegas because you can get great deals on live entertainment through them in several cities across the country, including Las Vegas. And now Cirque du Soleil is included in their deals!

Right now through Goldstar, you can get a seat for the Mystere show in their best tier for 28% off. This price for their best seats is only $9.70 more than for the "nosebleed" seats.

If you aren't already a member of Goldstar, it's free to join. Michael and I have gone to a few local events for which we've gotten discounted tickets through Goldstar. In fact, I blogged about one event back in November.

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Free Holiday Music

Sing we now of Christmas, Sing we now Noel...

There's nothing like a good Christmas carol. Of course, it's even better when it is free. In most places, you can find a radio station that plays all holiday music through Christmas Day. However, live entertainment is best.

You can go to a free hour-long concert at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage every evening of the year at 6 PM. (Can't make it in person? They broadcast them online.) Here's a listing of the holiday concerts that are coming up in December:

December 9: Beltway Brass
December 11: The Peace Ringers & The Carol Ringers
December 14: Merry TubaChristmas
December 16: High Groove Steelers
December 18: Sweet Heaven Kings
December 21: The Junkyard Saints
December 23: Prelude
December 24: Monumental Brass
December 25: All-Star Christmas Day Jazz Jam
December 28 & 29: Alexandria Kleztet, Holiday Vaudeville, Sean Grissom, Mark Mitton
December 30: Last Train Home

Also, here is a listing of some other DC area holiday concerts (some of which are free) on About.com: Holiday Concert Guide.

For areas outside of DC, check About.com, Google, or your local paper for concerts. If nowhere else, many churches and schools have concerts this time of year that are free or low cost. But you might be able to find some in cool venues like Atlanta's Fox Theatre. On December 18, they are having the second annual Larry, Carols, and Mo!, a free holiday concert and sing-a-long with their organist in residence. As a bonus, it's followed by a showing of Miracle on 34th Street. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advanced. (Ticketmaster charges a small service fee or you can just go to the box office.) At this event, they will have donation boxes for new, unwrapped toys and/or non-perishable food for the needy. Consider taking something if you are going. (Read my post entitled Triple the Fun! for some ideas on how to get some inexpensive or free food items. This time of year you can find good deals on toys at most stores too.)

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More Christmas Entertainment Deals

In Discounted Holiday Fun, I wrote about some great deals on holiday productions that are available through Goldstar. (Incidentally, I've noticed that they've added some new tickets which are worth checking out.) There are other ones in the area that budget-friendly too.

The Little Alexandria Theatre is putting on a production of A Christmas Carol. Tickets are only $10 each (plus a $1.50/ticket service charge to buy them online). Michael and I went to see this last year and really enjoyed it. There are no bad seats (even the very last row) at this community theater because it is so small. It only runs through December 9, so get your tickets soon.

The National Theatre in DC offers free performances on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings. In December, they have 3 holiday productions that include:

December 3: Songs for the Season
December 10: Christmas with the Camerata
December 15: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

First Baptist Church of Alexandria does a production of the Living Christmas Tree. Michael and I went to this one year and enjoyed it. The music is really good and the tree is so cool -- but I have to admit the play was a bit cheesy. Nevertheless for $5 per ticket (plus $1 service fee), I recommend it. The only problem is that they sell out fast for the 7 shows. It looks like Thursday night and Sunday night are still open.

You can definitely find quality entertainment that fits into your budget, even during what can be an expensive time of year.

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Discounted Holiday Fun

There are so many fun things to do in December. What's even better is that many of them are free or low cost. In the coming posts, I'll highlight some Christmas/winter activities and events in the DC area that are budget-friendly. I'll also point out some websites where you can find other things to do during December in this area as well as other cities across the country.

I just bought tickets for Michael and me to see A Christmas Carol at Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre on Sunday afternoon. The regular price for the Sunday afternoon show is $30, but through Goldstar, I was able to get 2 tickets for just $39. ($15/ticket plus $4.50/ticket service charge.)

This is probably the only holiday event we'll attend this December that costs more than $5 per ticket. (Of course, we will be doing lots more fun stuff that I'll write about in the coming days and weeks, but those things will all be less expensive.) However, there are lots of other good holiday options available through Goldstar:

The Second Shepherds' Play at Folger Theatre for $24

Seasonal Disorder at Source Theater (Washington Improv) for $6

Forgotten Holidays at Source Theater (Washington Improv) for $6

Yes, Season Six, There is a Santa Claus at Source Theater (Washington Improv) for $6

The Nutcracker at Warner Theatre (Washington Ballet) for $40

A Solstice Celebration: Turtle Island String Quartet with Leo Kottke at Strathmore for $18

Babes in Toyland at Atlas Performing Arts Center for $20

A Christmas Carol at Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre for $15-$17.50

SpaJama's Pampered Holiday Shopping Event at Kahler Hall for $17.50

Holiday Wine Tasting at P & C Art Gallery for $15

Christmas with the Camerata in 3 different locations for $12.50

Each event has a service charge which varies, but even with that fee, it's a lot cheaper than paying full price. Goldstar sells out many of their tickets. In fact, the ones for the Holiday Parade of Lights Wine Cruise on the Potomac and the Matzo Ball are already gone, so don't wait until the last minute to buy.

Also, I've just listed the holiday events in the DC area, but through Goldstar, you can also get half-priced tickets to holiday events in Los Angeles, San Franscisco, San Diego, Orange County, San Jose, Chicago, New York, Boston, and Las Vegas.

It's free to join Goldstar, but you have to be member to view all of the info about an event on their website and to get the discounted tickets.

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Deal of the Weekend

Last night, Michael and I went to an improv show called ComedySportz at the Comedy Spot in Arlington. It's a clean (kid-friendly and funny) show that is similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway. We got some good laughs out of it, and I'm always amazed at people who can think that quickly on their feet. For live entertainment, it was a good deal too. The regular cost for a ticket to the hour-and-half-long show is $14. Of course, we found a discount to make it an even better price!

This deal came through Goldstar, which is a service that sells discounted admission to all sorts of events and live entertainment in the DC area as well as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Boston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. (Sorry Atlanta!) There is a service fee that varies from event to event, but it's still an over all discount. For example, they advertised half-priced tickets to ComedySportz ($7). The service fee was $3, making the total price $10. So, that was 29% discount off the regular price. I'll take it!

Sign up for Goldstar, and they'll send you weekly emails about deals. It makes for an easy way to find a deal on entertainment.

By the way, if you don't do this already, sign up for a free email account (i.e. Google, Hotmail, Yahoo) that is different from your regular email account. I do that and use mine for things like Goldstar and other places that send emails on a regular basis. It doesn't clutter my regular inbox, and I can go in to look at all of the other stuff once a day in the other email account. It's a way of sorting my mail. Incidentally, I've been with Goldstar a year or more, and I only get regular email from them (no spam).

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