Frugal Fridays: Saving Money at the Movies

Good Evening All!

This week's Frugal Friday topic is on Saving Money at the Movies. Some of this may apply to you and your area, some may not. Also, this advice is a bit subjective as I will freely admit that I loathe modern multiplex type Cinemas. With that said though, on with the show!

Frugal Tip #1: 
If you must go to a multiplex cinema, matinee screenings (ie: before 6pm in most areas) on weekdays are often a few dollars cheaper than peak times (evenings and weekends). 

Frugal Tip #2:

If you are fortunate enough to have a Drive In Theater still operating in your area, PLEASE support it! Okay so you don't get surround sound, and as a lot of Drive-In's are now getting rid of the speakers that you sit inside your car door you have to invest in a battery operated radio (unless your car radio won't drain your car battery too much) but Drive In's are the greatest movie-going creation, ever!

As a child, my mother opted to take me to the Drive In to see movies rather than the actual cinema because it was so much cheaper. Adults were $7 for a Double Feature and on Tuesday nights, children were free. Additionally, we could bring my beloved Poodle, Nadia along in addition to our own food without any angst from management. The Drive In I frequented as a child, the Aspley Starlite Twin on Brisbane's North Side has now been replaced by a housing development. 

It was still there when I was a teen though- I dragged my boyfriends there as soon as I started dating boys old enough to drive.

Thankfully, there is still a Drive In within an easy commute of St. Louis, the Skyview Drive In located in Belleville, Illinois.

The current prices at the Skyview are $10 per adult for a Double Feature ($5.00 per movie) and I believe children are free. 

Unfortunately, Drive Ins all throughout the world have been closing down for decades. Click Here for a list of Drive Ins throughout the U.S. categorized by State- the information shows both former and existing Drive Ins and in some cases offers prices.

With the impending transition to digital movies however, some Drive Ins may not be able to afford the new equipment charge. It is so important to support our Drive Ins now- you'll be saving yourself some money, and possibly saving an American Institution in doing so!

Below- St. Louis's former Airway Drive In on St. Charles Rock Road was redeveloped as a shopping complex. Thankfully they still retained their fabulous retro sign!

Frugal Tip #3:

If I wasn't going to the Drive In as a child, I was going to one of many small, locally owned and operated Cinemas. This kind of falls into my logic behind Drive Ins as well- instead of your money going to a nationwide conglomerate, wouldn't you prefer your dollar being invested at grass roots level in your own hometown or region? 

Additionally, smaller (non-chain) cinemas are often much cheaper than the big multiplexes as they don't have the same amount of overheads. 

In St. Louis, the Hi-Pointe Theater is $5.00 for a standard seat, Monday-Thursday or you can purchase a $40 card to see 10 movies (therefore $4.00 per movie). This is a definite saving when you consider the average movie ticket at a multiplex is about $8.00 in most areas nowadays!

Other affordable theaters in the St. Louis area include the Keller Plaza 8 in South County (which is technically a multiplex but is part of a very small chain) which offers films for $3.00 matinee or $4.00 regular showings and The Lincoln in Belleville IL (about $5.00 per person). I'm hesitant to list the Tivoli as it's now a part of the Landmark chain, and in spite of it's charm, it's about the same price as your average multiplex.

Frugal Tip #4:

Avoid the Concession stand at all costs! Unless you're going to a Mom & Pop cinema (who can use all the help they can get) steer clear of the Candy, Popcorn and Drinks! I was horrified to find that last time I went to a Multiplex, a bottle of water, even out of the vending machine was $5! Large cinema chains use the concession stand as their primary source of profit due to the exorbitant cost of overheads. 

The best ways to avoid this trap and the tempting smell of popcorn are to:

a) Eat beforehand! Hit up your local diner or greasy spoon and spend a few dollars on something far more filling and satisfying than Popcorn and Good & Plenty! Or, just eat at home! Never go to the Cinema feeling hungry!

b) Smuggle in your own snacks. Okay so this could be construed as unethical by some, but I know that if I have to suffer through a screening at a multiplex, the air conditioning makes my throat dry. It's not uncommon for women to tote hobo style bags nowadays- hide your bottle of water and your small snacks from home under a scarf at the bottom of a large handbag (as some cinemas ask you to open your bag to prove you aren't bringing in any outside food or drink). Once you're in the dark cinema, nobody is any the wiser! 

So to summarize- Go Early, Go Local and Go Full!

Of course, you could always wait until the movie is available for rental on DVD and save yourself even more money, but if you have to see something on the big screen, my tips will save you some more of your hard earned dollars!

Stay Frugal and Stay Glamorous!

St. Louis LIFE March 8, 1948

A  bit of a follow up from the last post, and rewinding further into the past we find St. Louis in the spotlight in 1948 as the first plans for the Gateway Arch were unveiled.

A croquet wicket? I've never heard it described as that but I suppose it reflects the sentiment of the time. 

For those of you familiar with it, the Arch once completed on May 25, 1968 (20 years after the original proposal) stood 630 feet- making it the tallest monument in the United States, a title it retains to this day.

Below is the proposed 'Mussolini Memorial' for the Esposizione Universal di Roma in 1942. However, the 1942 World's Fair in Rome never came to fruition and the Arch's possible inspiration was never constructed.

I have always thought the St. Louis Arch beautiful- it's miraculous to think that it was designed while still in the shadow of the aftermath of World War II as it's so mid century mod. It sets the St. Louis skyline apart from other cities throughout the Midwest and the United States. 

It's stunning no matter the time of day or time of year.

Stay Glamorous!

St. Louis LIFE Nov 14, 1960

As you may know, I have an obsession with vintage Life magazines. I thought I'd share some treats from the Nov 14, 1960 issue featuring a spread on my beloved St. Louis.

We open with a stunning picture of St. Louis Union Station juxtaposed behind the Carl Milles Meeting of the Waters fountain. I worked at the hotel portion of St. Louis Union Station when I first moved to St. Louis from Australia. 

This below photo is bittersweet. In one respect, it goes to show how the once prosperous St. Louis was keeping up with the times and moving ahead to become a city of the future in the optimistic mid 20th century. However, it is also a reminder that St. Louis has lost more architectural treasures to the bulldozers and wrecking balls than most cities have to begin with!

It's no understatement that St. Louis was once considered the driving force in making 10 Pin Bowling one of America's favorite retro pastimes. Although the Bowling Hall of Fame shut it's doors and headed south in 2008, Saratoga Lanes in the St. Louis suburb of Maplewood is still operating after almost 100 years with few major changes.

I love the optimistic sentiment of Union Electric's spiel below. Union Electric is still St. Louis major provider of electricity, although is now marketed under the name AmerenUE. 

Whether you're a St. Louisan or not- I hope you enjoyed this blast from the past :)

Stay Glamorous!

The FloMo NoCo Debate.

Hi There!

For some of you this may be a really boring post- but since I'm just days away from closing on my house in Florissant, Missouri I thought I'd post a ramble / rant about 'FloMo' itself. Once I actually move, I'll take my own photos- in the meantime, you'll have to deal with some I found off the internet!

If you're not from the St. Louis area, I'll give you the basic Florissant rundown. Florissant or 'FloMo' or 'Flo Town' as it's called is the largest city in St. Louis County with a population of 52,158 as of the last census. St. Louis itself, with a population a touch about 300,000 is actually an independent city and not in St. Louis County- hence the reason why FloMo can call itself the biggest. 

Florissant is about 17-20 miles from St. Louis, depending on which route you use and is located in the region known as North County (NoCo). Anyone familiar with the region will know that NoCo has had a lot of bad press in recent years. Despite hosting numerous 'boom towns' (inclusive of Florissant) following World War II when the returning GI's chose to set up house in the relatively new concept of suburbia as opposed to the cramped city conditions they'd previously been accustomed to- NoCo has been suffering for the past few decades.

Like numerous cities across America, white flight occurred to the extreme in St. Louis. I'm not being racist, I'm just stating fact. When I first moved to the U.S. and heard the term white flight I thought it was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard of. However, it happened and it's still happening. 

Following World War II, changes to industry, agriculture and society prompted African Americans from the South to move to the rust belt industrial centers in the North- St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, etc. Racial tensions in the U.S. were at an all time high. African Americans moving into St. Louis, coupled with crippling pollution in the city (St. Louis's air pollution was so bad that even Life Magazine ran a story on it in the 1940s), overcrowded, aging tenement  buildings, and the prospect of clean air, big gardens and ranch houses with attached garages in the suburbs prompted the Whites who could afford it to make flight from St. Louis into the swaths of newly built houses with all the mod cons. 

In 1956, the St. Louis region had the honor of getting the very first stretch of the Eisenhower Interstate System in the form of I-70. The region then went Interstate crazy- and St. Louis now has the 2nd most miles of interstate of any U.S. City (2nd to Kansas City, Missouri). The interstates made it possible for people to live further away from their jobs in downtown and midtown, yet still commute in reasonable time along the megalithic new freeways. 

The middle class Caucasian families made their homes in Florissant, Black Jack, Spanish Lake, Moline Acres, Castle Point, Dellwood, Northwoods, Berkeley, Hazelwood, Jennings, Ferguson, St. Ann, St. John, Black Jack, Riverview, Bellefontaine Neighbors and the numerous other municipalities which prospered and grew in the rolling hills north of St. Louis. South and West County too saw growth- but during the boom of the 1950s it was a fraction of the growth seen by North County. 

North County was the place to be seen. There were brand new shopping malls- Northwest Plaza in St. Ann (the largest in the country for years- and where I bought my bed back in 2006 when I first moved to The Lou- it's since closed down), River Roads (the first enclosed shopping mall in the country), Northlands, Cross Keys (half a mile from the house I'm buying- it was torn down a few years ago and is now an open air complex with a grocery store, Barnes & Noble etc) and later on- Jamestown (for whom the death knoll has also sounded). 

NoCo also had Drive In Theaters and Drive In Burger Joints (the sign for the Airway in St. Ann still exists along St. Charles Rock Road, and one of the few surviving Burger joints is Chuck A Burger- also along St. Charles Rock Road in St. John) in addition to swanky restaurants including Top of the Tower- a penthouse restaurant in a building which looks like a redux of the Capitol Records building in LA. (Top of the Tower restaurant space recently sold for a shade over $20,000. Seriously. I was annoyed because I wanted it. I can only hope the buyers restore it's former greatness). 

And then it all stopped. 

In the early 1960s, an interracial couple attempted to buy a house in the Paddock Woods subdivision in Florissant (again- not far from my house in Paddock Hills, Florissant). The developers refused to sell them a house due to the husband being African American, even though they met the income requirements and could easily afford the mortgage repayments. 

The Jones (the couple wishing to buy) didn't just walk away- they fought the developer, the Alfred H. Mayer corporation, and won in a landmark case which prevented developers nationwide from discriminating against their buyers based on race. However, after the drawn out legal battle was over, the Joneses decided not to live in Paddock Woods after all and moved (I think) to Spanish Lake instead. 

However, they didn't live happily ever after. They divorced within a few years, and shortly after, Mr Jones was found stabbed to death in his home. The End. But not really.

African Americans with means were now able to move into the new, bright, suburbia and away from the blighted city. Instead of the Caucasian community graciously accepting these newcomers there was yet another white flight- this time even further away from St. Louis and into St. Charles County (Chuck / Chuckie) and beyond (Wentzville, St. Peters, O'Fallon, etc). By the 1970s and 1980s, Chukie was booming and North County was dying just as the city had done before it. 

Spanish Lake, is now apparently so bad that it's the subject of an upcoming documentary film. It's a really, really sad case. Personally I want to explore Spanish Lake some more- but from what Jon and I saw of it (we looked at two houses there) it was looking beyond shabby. 

Florissant on the other hand- has held it's own. In spite of the naysayers, it's still predominantly white (not that it matters to me), and really quite nice. In fact, it was listed in CNN and Money Magazine just a few days ago as #76 in the list of 100 Best Small Cities in America which is a huge honor as you can imagine. 

Even so, Florissant still gets the haters from the other side of the Missouri river (Chuckie) who are convinced that FloMo along with the rest of NoCo need to just perish into the uranium and radium contaminated ground (St. Louis played a vital role in the Manhattan project... and yes... they dumped all of their Uranium and Radium wherever they wanted because they didn't understand the dangers back in the 40s). 

To all of those negative nancys who say that Florissant didn't deserve to be on the list- I'd like to issue a polite shut up. I know that Florissant's hey-day has passed, but Florissant remains a safe, self sustaining suburban 'city' with everything you need to lead a pleasant and fulfilled life. What you can't get in Florissant- you can get just 20 minutes away in St. Louis. Plus, for all of Florissant's faults- you can't fault the bang for your buck. Where else can you get a beautifully maintained, 1950s, single owner ranch house for less than $100k in a safe neighborhood, convenient to all amenities, on half an acre of land? Not many places let me tell you!

Anyway, I'll tell you more once I actually move there and uncover some of North County's better kept secrets! 

In the meantime... stop hating on NoCo. It's all well and good if you want to live in Chuckie- but leave North County alone! 

Stay Glamorous!

Just to be back home in Old St. Lou'!

Hi There!

Sorry it's been a while. It's been CRAZY busy. Jon is off doing pre-deployment training in CAX (even though he's not deploying again... stupid huh?) and I'm off to St. Louis again in a couple of days to CLOSE ON OUR HOUSE!

We've gone ahead with the below house and even though it needs a few repairs and cosmetic updates, it fits our needs perfectly! 

A few days ago I also bought a (new to me) Subaru Impreza RS because I wanted an AWD yet fuel economical car since I've got a Midwestern Winter ahead! 

All up- it's been a crazy, crazy couple of weeks and I'm currently lacking much inspiration to write a lot at the moment. I've got some pretty exciting stuff going on though so once all of that is cleared up, I'm sure I'll find PLENTY to write about- especially with regards to doing up our new house! 

In the meantime, Stay Glamorous! I'll be back soon!

We Have a House!!!

Well,
Yesterday evening our contract on a property we love got accepted! It's an adorable, modest, 1959 Ranch with 3 beds, 3 baths, double garage and we can't be happier! It was a tad more than we wanted to spend (because there are a few repair costs to be taken into consideration) but it definitely fits our needs! Right now, I'm not too concerned about the aesthetics, that will come... but at least it has a lot to work with! (A Blue Bathroom, a Pink & Blue Bathroom and a Pink & Green Bathroom!). Once we actually move I'll post more photos- but in the meantime... here's our house!!! (I saved the photos from the real estate listing last night since the listing won't be there too much longer!)

We're getting another inspection done tomorrow, and if all goes well, we should be able to close within a couple of weeks! SO exciting! 

Anyway- I'll write more when I get back to NC!

The NoCo Curse

So far, I've fallen in love with 3 properties in St. Louis County.

#1: was in the incredible little city of Pasadena Hills. (If you look at the photos under the Historic District section of the website- you'll see what I mean!). The house was about 80 years old but had all of the major systems updated. It was adorable. The area was gorgeous. I loved it. I wanted it... but the husband vetoed it because the Garage only measured 19'x20' (one foot narrower than the standard double garage size). He didn't even want to seriously look at the place after ruling out the garage. 

Subsequently I sulked for days. Weeks? My friend Donna tried to console me by saying that the area was too ritzy and that I wouldn't be happy there. It's not much consolation because the snob in me kicked into overdrive upon entering the neighborhood. I loved the idea of living there. I loved the idea of inviting people over to my house there. It was very much a selfish look at me! look at me! look what I have! kind of devotion. 

Of course though, if Jon's not happy, I doubt I could have been happy... so moving on!


#2: was in Riverview. Okay St. Louisans and West County Folk who never venture further than West County Mall- I know what you're thinking- ewwww Riverview. Bare with me! 

This house was up on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. It was architecturally designed and built in the 1950s. It was literally my Retro Mid Century Modern Dream Home. Real Timber feature walls. Real (huge) heated slate tile flooring throughout. Mamie Pink Bathroom and an Aquamarine Bathroom. Huge Garage. I wanted it. It was going to be mine. 

Jon and I submitted an offer to Bank of America coming in slightly below the asking price with the contingency of inspection. They rejected it. So we came back in at the asking price (we really, really wanted the house) again with the contingency of inspection. Anyway, somewhere within the process- the house got broken into TWICE and got a lovely splashing of Gang Graffiti, had the HVAC stolen and numerous other issues. What the WHAT? Oh- and our lovely intruders left all of their beer bottles and signs of their little party all over the yard and such. Goodness Gracious Me. 

It left such a bad taste in our mouth that we withdrew the offer- although Jon kept saying we should go back at $10k because that was all it was "worth now" with the damage the local doosh-doosh-gang had committed. Ironically, about a month later the Bank of America contacted our realtor asking us to make another offer. Pfffft. 


#3: is/was in Green Acres- again located in North County. It's a gorgeous subdivision. Jon and I looked at 2 other properties there but when we found out that one particular one was getting ready for market we decided to bide our time and wait for it. So we waited. And waited. And waited. 

We knew (per county records) that it had been foreclosed upon in late February. Finally, a month ago it appeared on Wells Fargo's website as Coming Soon- Price TBD. Yay! Finally! My Mid Century Modern Ranch is almost here! This house ticked all my boxes. An oversized double garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full basement, 2400+sq ft. Pretty subdivision. So my realtor contacted the realtor representing the house for Wells Fargo. I contacted the realtor representing the house for Wells Fargo. (This is where we insert crickets chirping). Nothing. Zilch. Hell, even his cell phone was constantly switched off and the land line always went to message bank. 

Finally he responded to one of my emails and bluntly said This house is not for sale. DUDE. You're lying to me! So I emailed him back and said it was listed on Wells Fargo's website as coming soon, it was foreclosed upon in February, and per county records it hasn't been sold. I would have noticed if it was listed anywhere else as I've been OCD about keeping tabs on this house. (More crickets chirping). 

So the other day, my realtor was in the area and decided to swing by Green Acres to see if there were any signs of what was happening. The trash can was out on the curb, a car was in the drive way, the porch light was on... what? So she went to ring the door bell. No answer. BUT there were evidently signs of life. The house was occupied. How is that possible? My inclination is that Mark Fowler at Gateway Realty Solutions has something to do with it. He's Wells Fargo's listing agent but he is also the only employee of Gateway Realty Solutions and operates from his private home (which just happens to be on Green Acres doorstep). With how shady he's been about returning calls (or lack thereof) and emails- it wouldn't surprise me if one of his buddies or cohorts was occupying the house in Green Acres.

UGH!

So I was doing some housework today and thinking about it. I started getting angrier the more I thought about it to the point where I was furious. So I calmly called Wells Fargo and spoke with a nice gentleman who is going to pass the information to the relevant department to investigate. They should get back to me by Tuesday. HAH. I hope they deep fry Mark Fowler in Toad Fat. 

The moral of this story is... so far we've had atrocious luck in finding a house. (St. Louisans will probably tell you at this point that this is North County for ya, go to West County or St. Charles... go far, far away from St. Louis because it's an awful scary place. Tell them to hush. North County is super affordable and mid century cool). The other moral of this story is to not mess with me if you're a real estate agent. If I like your house and you try to screw me over... I'm going to hang you out soaking wet off the Chain of Rocks bridge by your ankles to give you some time to contemplate your actions.

On the flip side, my realtor Shannon over at St. Louis Homes with Soul is incredible. If you're looking for a house somewhere in Eastern Missouri you can't do better than her! 

Anyway that's my ramble for the day! 

Stay Glamorous!

St. Louis Love: Grocery Stores

Goodness Gracious Me...

Am I that boring that I'm going to tell you all about Grocery stores? Yes. Yes I am. I love grocery stores. I buy ingredients at grocery stores to bake and cook amazing things. I'm very darn good at cooking and have honed my craft immensely over the past couple of years. 

One thing (of many) I hate about Podunktown, North Cackalackee where I'm currently stuck- is grocery stores or lack thereof. My options are Food Lion, Walmart and Piggly Wiggly. I have never shopped at Piggly Wiggly. I refuse to shop anywhere that gives me horrible visions of an unhappy Wilbur in Charlotte's Web. Piggly Wiggly may have brought us the "modern" grocery store concept that we all know and love... but come on, change the name! 

Food Lion recently got ranked as one of the Top 10 worst Grocery Store chains in the United States. If you've never been to one- they're pitifully small. About half the size of a 'regular' grocery store. On the plus side- I prefer them to Walmart because you get less crazy riff raff, and my shopping trip is usually quicker due to the smaller size. I avoid Walmart unless I really have to go there for something. I have a choice of 2 Walmarts here in Podunktown- one of which is the busiest East of the Mississippi. Seriously. 

For a decent grocery store experience, I currently need to go to Lowes Food in Cape Carteret, or even better, Harris Teeter in Wilmington (Harris Teeter on the flip side is ranked in the Top 10 Best Grocery Stores in the nation). 

All my problems and frustrations with my grocery store experience however will vanish when I return to the Lou! Now let's see... Grocery Stores in my beloved St. Louis include:

Schnucks: Oh Schnucks I love you. You have a stupid name, but you are oh so wonderful! Everything about Schnucks makes me happy. They usually have great produce at affordable prices, a well stocked beauty / drug store section, and even fresh little refrigerated meals and sides (The Green Beans Almondine is fabulous if you don't feel like cooking a side!). 

Dierbergs: A fancier, step up from Schnucks but oftentimes worth the trip. The St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake in their Bakery section is amazing. (Better than Schnucks, sorry Schnucks!). Of course, I bake an awesome Gooey Butter Cake too! Dierbergs is usually a bit more expensive than Schnucks but often has products not at Schnucks (I think Dierbergs currently carries Gardein Vegetarian products... yummy!)

Straubs: If I was made of money, I'd probably still shop at Schnucks & Dierbergs, but Straubs is an absolute treat. It's the optimum in quality and carries all of those elite hard to find ingredients you saw last season on Top Chef. One of my managers when I used to live in St. Louis used to go to Straubs daily. I don't think he could cook. I think he focused primarily on their fresh 'ready made' meals. Seriously though- you have to be earning some $$$ to be able to afford Straubs on a daily basis.

Trader Joes: Can you believe I never went to Trader Joes when I lived in The Lou? Actually- I've never been to a Trader Joes, period. I'll be sure to check it out though upon my return.

Whole Foods: I love Whole Foods. I crave certain things from Whole Foods. Unfortunately, they're also super expensive - I can usually get the same Organic produce I would get at Whole Foods at Schnucks or Dierbergs for about half the price. My Whole Foods trips will then be solely for items I can't get at any of the more affordable stores. 

World Market: Not strictly a Grocery Store- but it does have a grocery section. I have to currently travel an hour to my local World Market for my Australian/ British pantry supplements like Golden Syrup, Vegemite, Marmite, and Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Yummy.I'm just beyond annoyed that they no longer carry Cadburies. What's with that? Nestle isn't nearly as good! 

Stelmacki: I really, really want to check out Stelmacki when I'm next in the Lou. Chances are, I'll be living near-ish to Stelmacki due to our budget constraints (in NoCo by any means... don't knock it... NoCo is retro cool). Stelmacki came into being in the 1960s at the base of the Lewis & Clark Tower (there were meant to be two of them but the second tower never came into fruition). The 'Top of the Tower' restaurant is long gone, but Stelmacki still remains, complete with it's awesome Mid Century Modern signage. It's still owned by the same family and apparently not much has changed. I can't wait to live the 1960s grocery store experience! I'll let you know how it is when I move :)

Bill's Riverview Market: Another NoCo gem, yet another I haven't visited. According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch this is another family run, retro cool grocery store with old fashioned counters and old fashioned service. Another I'm looking forward to checking out!

Thies Farm: Strictly a Farmers Market type deal with loads of yummy, fresh, locally grown produce and preserves! 

Soulard Market: The oldest surviving Farmer's Market west of the Mississippi! It dates back to the 1700s and is still entirely wonderful. It's going to be receiving an overhaul in the near future to accommodate more modern standards and tastes however.

Aldi: We had Aldi in Australia as well. It's nothing I get excited about. It's just kind of... there. 

Anyway, I think that's about it! The ones I'm most looking forward to are Stelmacki & Bill's Riverview, mainly because I've been almost everywhere else and they are still largely into the realms of the unknown to me. If they're as amazing as I think they'll be, I'll be sure to let you know. 

In the meantime, Stay Glamorous!