Extras: Read All About 'Em

Image via allamericanpatriots.com

It seems that some New Yorkers are beating the drudgery of unemployment by immersing themselves in film and television--literally. According to The New York Times: 

"Managers at casting agencies around New York said they were seeing increasing numbers of people...who have little experience in, or aspirations for, acting, but are filling hours they used to spend at office jobs with gigs as extra, also called background, talent."

I have a friend who does this as her job, though she has a SAG card and gets paid better than nonunion types would. According to her, extra work often involves really long hours on set, but if you've got nothing else to do: why not. Who knows, you might even wind up, like one subject of the Times article, sitting next to Angelina Jolie:

"I'm not one to get staru-struck, but it was a bit surreal," Mr. Calabretta said.

...

"When I saw Jolie, my first thought was, 'Well, she's definitely not ugly.'"

I LOVE DRUGS (TORES)--WALGREENS

Image via nydailynews.com

This just in from the New York Daily News:

"Drugstore operator Walgreen will offer free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of the year, providing tests and routine treatment for minor ailments through its walk-in clinics..."

Read more about the program here. 

I LOVE DRUGS (TORES)--DUANE READE EDITION

On sale this week at Duane Reade with your DR Rewards Card:

Cetaphil Lotion, Cleanser, or Cream, $9.99

Dove Soap 2-packs, 2 for $6

Vitamin Water, 5 for $5

Pepsi 12-packs, 2 for $4

Crest Toothpaste, $3.99

Irish Spring 8-pack, $5.99 + 100 bonus points!

John Frieda Root-Awakening Shampoo or Conditioner, 2 for $9.99

Charmin 4-packs Big or Ultra Roll Toilet Paper, 2 for $6 + 50 bonus points

Lysol Sanitizing Wipes, 2 for $6

Kellogg's cereal, 2 for $6

Food Emporium Friday (Belated Edition)

Image via thefoodemporium.com

It's time for another round of Food Emporium Friday--once again on a Monday, on account of my family having been in town for the weekend (Hi Mom, Dad, and T! I miss you already). Apologies for my tardiness. The usual disclaimer about these deals only being valid with your Food Emporium Rewards Card applies.

On sale this week:

Bumble Bee 15 oz cans of Chunk White Tuna, $1.15 (that's 1/2 off!)

Driscoll's Golden Raspberries or Blackberries, 2 for $7

Gold Medal Flour, 1/2 price!

Jif Peanut Butter, $2.49 (save $1.50 each!)

Bounty Giant 8-Roll Packs of Paper Towels, $11.99

Shady Brook Farms Ground Turkey, $4.99

Boursin Cheese Spreads, $2.99 (that's 1/2 off!)

Maille Mustard, $2.59

Ciao Bella Gelato or Sorbet, 2 for $7

College Inn Broths, $.99

Stella 6-packs, $8.99

Dannon Light Yogurt, 5 for $4

Organic Valley Eggs, $2.99

Introducing...Nina W.!

Readers (all two of you. Hi Mom! Hi Dad!), meet Nina. Nina, meet the readers. Like me, Nina has plenty of time on her hands and plenty of thoughts on ways to live on the cheap. She'll be chiming in now and then on everything from inexpensive but chic style to grocery store discounts to dives that serve cheap beer. 

Everyone welcome her and play nice. Or I'll cut you.

Meat Cute

Image via nytimes.com

According to this article from the NYTimes, butchers can be more than slicers and dicers of protein--they can also be lifesavers:

"During the Great Depression, David Ruhalter, a butcher, would regularly send more than 20 pounds of ground beef to the camp community at Houston and Essex. 

...The younger Mr. Ruhalter, who heard the story about the family business's generosity while growing up, is continuing the tradition by giving away free steak dinners to the unemployed. As he told The Daily News, he was moved to do so by a woman who burst into tears in his tore when her credit card was rejected over a $7 purchase of meat for beef stew."

Mr. Ruhalter has put together two dinners thus far--one of which is happening tonight at the Rivington Hotel--and has plans for more.  

According to The Daily News, people interested in a free steak dinner should bring an unemployment check or documentation showing that their homes are facing foreclosure to Ruhalter's shop at 120 Essex Street. 

According to me, any meat eater with money to spend ought to do so at Ruhalter's shop. Red proteins may not be the heart-healthiest gnosh, but in this instance, I think they might do your ticker some good.

P.S. Thanks to my friend Nina W. for the tip on this. Be on the lookout for some actual posts by N-dubs in the very near future! 

Garbage Pail Kids

Image via marieclaire.com

I just read an interesting article (in Marie Claire, no less) on Freegans, radical environmentalists who dedicate themselves to living off those things that the rest of us throw away. And yes, that includes food. From the article: 

"Freegans, like 24-year-old Leia MonDragon, a buxom Latina with a taste for heavy eye makeup, feast on those castoffs. 'It's amazing what you can find and the good condition it's in,' she exclaims, holding aloft a week's worth of produce, including watermelon, summer squash, kale, tomatoes, onions, and bananas. Though technically past their prime, they look pristine. MonDragon also scored half gallons of soy milk and lemonade, both unopened and still chilled, and bagels that only an hour earlier were for sale. 'I once found 200 one-pound bags of organic fair-trade coffee beans just dumped outside a store with the trash,' she brags, like a woman combing the racks at a Gucci clearance sale."

The author goes on to list other Freegan finds, upbraiding us non-Freegans for being so wasteful in our day-to-day lives. It's all pretty interesting stuff, though I don't think I'm quite ready to go dumpster diving for my food and clothing. Instead, I think I'll try my hand at making the things that I do have go farther, so as to waste less. It's a small step, but the excess turkey from my too-fat deli sandwich is in the fridge now, ready to be incorporated into tomorrow's lunch. I know, I know: congratulatory ticker tape parade to follow.