Singing for Supper: A Frugal Meal Tip From Ugly Betty & Cheap Eating Ideas

Singing for a 50 percent discount on a restaurant meal was yet another frugal moment from Ugly Betty, a hit television show. Betty pushes her trust-fund-baby-boss Daniel to the stage of an Italian restaurant.

The Scenario: The fashion magazine duo (Daniel & Betty) act like Sonny & Cher and sing I Got You Babe karaoke-style at an Italian eatery in Brooklyn.

The Goal: A 50-percent-off discount from their meal.

The Tip: Even after Daniel complains: But I'm rich, Betty pursues the sing-for-your-supper discount.

The Lesson: Even if you have a well-fed bank account, a 50 percent discount is very well-done.

That Ugly Betty episode (from Jan 18) is posted online at abc.com. There are many programs (cable and standard tv) that are available free online. I watch basketball highlights at NBA.com.


Ugly Betty whet my appetite for other ways to eat out for less. Here's my short list:

1. Restaurant.com sells discounts to many restaurants. I've tried it and liked it. But caution: it's a good deal, but don't over order. The extra food will eat up your savings.

2. Early bird-specials. Many places charge less if you have dinner before six.

3. Have a late lunch. Lunch menus tend to be much cheaper than the dinner selection.

4. Go to gallery openings. Many galleries have a wonderful selection of free food and goodies on opening night. Think of it this way: It's a [light] dinner and a floor show!

5. Volunteer: Many charities provide huge deli platters, pizza and other treats for volunteers who help out at events, charitable dinners and phone-a-thons. At one pledge-a-thon, a larger kosher restaurant donated a wide selection of tasty food for helpers. My boys volunteered. They enjoyed helping out and they enjoyed the food. Plus, they received community service hours for school.

6. Always Tip Well!!!! Don't stiff the servers. I used to be a waitress and I know how hard servers work for the money.

Money Smart Life provides super tips for eating out without spending a fortune.

By the way, we don't have cable and we watch a limited amount of television programming via the Internet, a subject I addressed last year in this post and more recently, in this story about Ugly Betty.

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New Ugly Betty Co-Star Gets Frugal Exercise

Rebecca Romijn -- the newly unveiled & post-op beauty -- (the surgery was only onscreen) -- from Ugly Betty -- believes in frugal exercise. In this photo from People online, Romijn is snapped while cycling with her partner Jerry O'Connell.

Jerry O'Connell and fiancée (and newly minted Ugly Betty star) Rebecca Romijn keep their fitness regimen in sync while pedaling the mean streets of Calabasas, Calif., recently.-- source: People

What a smart pair! Biking is a cheap way to get around town and to get exercise. What's more, O'Connell and Romijn are wearing matching Wheaties shirts. Coincidence? Or is the duo getting paid for their exercise routine? Or are they just fans of the cereal, which is a frugal breakfast option?

The advertising-while-biking angle fascinates me. I wrote about turning your car into a driving billboard. (Driving for dollars; making up to $400 a month with ads on your car.] I guess the same idea could apply to biking.
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Frugal Character Wins Hollywood Awards: Golden Globes for Ugly Betty!

Ugly Betty, my favorite fictional frugalite--played by America Ferrera--has won a Golden Globe her performance on the hit ABC show. The show also won a Globe. Without cable or TV service, I watch the episodes for free on my computer. Go to ABC.com.

Ugly Betty -- a very frugal, down-to-earth young woman -- is a role model for many:

Ferrera said she hears every day from girls inspired by her character, Betty Suarez, saying it "truly brings a new face to television." --source: Associated Press

Here are my favorite Frugal Moments on Ugly Betty.

1) Frugal Fun In New York Betty gives trust fund baby Daniel M. (editor-in-chief) of Mode a list of about 30 frugal things to do in New York. When I lived in Manhattan, I loved taking a ride on the Staten Island ferry for 25 cents a ride (in the 80s). I loved going to free concerts in Central Park. I loved just walking through the streets of New York.

2) Gucci bag of health care: I love the episode in which Betty trades her $4,500 Gucci bag for a 15-month supply of expensive heart medicine for her dad.

3) Cheap Eats: My all-time favorite episode takes place when the wealthy-born Daniel M. has only a limited budget to entertain a major Japanese designer. Betty's Frugal option: Take them to White Tassle (a White Castle-style cheap-food-joint) in Jersey. I wrote about that episode in an earlier post. Click on the Ugly Betty tab at the bottom of this post for my other Ugly Betty stories.

And the real-life girl has a heart. Here's a snippet from the New York Times report:

When America Ferrera won for best actress in a television comedy, she was more animated, tearfully saying that the ABC series “Ugly Betty” was “truly bringing a new face to television.” And that brought tears to the eyes of even some of the oldest, best-preserved faces in the business. --New York Times

Here's an AP report about the Golden Globes. Check out the cute, cute picture of the Ugly Betty star.

Big-ticket flicks Dream Girls and Babel (a Brad Pitt special) also won honors.





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Trading a Gucci Bag for Pills & Other Tough Choices

Scenario: You have a $4,500 real Gucci purse, (a fashion industry job perk). For you, this to-die-for accessory has status appeal and emotional appeal going back to childhood, when your mom gave you her favorite purse, which resembled that Gucci bag.

But what if your Dad needed expensive meds (about $200 for a month's supply of pills), but had no money and no health insurance to cover the tab?

Question: The pharmacist is not into medicine for charity, but she likes your $4,500 purse. Would you give up the purse to finance 15 months of meds for your Pop?

Ugly Betty Solution: Betty trades her Gucci bag (a work bonus and a competitive edge in her image-conscious fashion workplace) for meds and I would do the same.

I'm reading Winning, by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, and in that text, he talks about difficult trade-offs in the home-work equation.

"Work-life balance is a swap--a deal you've made with ourself about what you keep and what you give up."

--Winning by Jack Welch (with Suzy Welch)

We all make difficult trades regarding family, money and personal pursuits.


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I like Ugly Betty: She's Frugal. Her Cheap Tips for a Trust Fund Baby

You don't have to spend a lot to impress work associates and friends. That's the lesson I just learned from Ugly Betty. I watched the show on my computer at ABC.com.

Here's the scenario: Trust-fund baby Dan, son of magazine honcho, is broke. (Totally blew out his trust fund and lives pay-check to pay-check, with expensive tastes). Basically, given his anti-frugal lifestyle, big-ticket costs and busted trust fund, he's in a real bind when Rich dad insists that Dan take out a major Japanese designer -- plus large international posse of fashion posers -- for a meal.


Betty's solution: She recommends that Daniel take the large entourage to a humble White Castle in Jersey.


Reaction: At first the group is put off by this un-glitzy, low-ticket eatery. Where's the A-list crowd? Where's the doorman and the velvet rope and where are the paparazzi?

Re-framing moment: Betty pitches White Castle as a tribute to the Japanese designer's simplified designs and choice of color: Lot's of white walls and lots of brown food.

What I learned from Ugly Betty:

1. Be creative. I can save lots of money by avoiding flavor-of-the month hot spots.

2. Go to Jersey: It's cheaper over the bridge or off the popular road. Location is everything, even in Miami. A cup of gourmet coffee at trendy South Beach cafe shops: $3 to $5. Cafe con leche at an out of the way Cuban shop: 50 cents to $1.50.

3. It's all in the frame: If you pitch White Castle (or any other low-cost restaurant) as a cheap source of food, you just look cheap. But if you frame White Castle as a study on classic designs, simplified cuisine and pop culture, the place sparks interest.

4. Don't make assumptions. I don't eat at White Castle because I keep Kosher. But I've had similar Ugly Betty moments. As a business reporter, I've treated mega-wealthy bankers and investment bankers to humble, but tasty meals at some of my favorite Kosher eateries. And we've had a great time! They loved it and I learned not to make assumptions about what people will like.

5. Look for free connections. We don't have cable or standard television, but through the Internet, we watch select television and cable-channel shows for free. I wrote about that strategy in this post.

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