Getting Involved

I'm all signed up to volunteer at Wine Riot next weekend! Sponsored by the Second Glass and the Weekly Dig, Wine Riot's goal is to ignore the snobbery of other wine tasting events, and get a younger, less stiff crowd involved. As part of this, they offered a free voucher for one of the sessions to people who would volunteer at another session. I'll be working set-up Friday morning, and then going to the night session on Saturday with the girls! Danielle has been really into wine lately and sparked some interest on my end, and this is a freeee way to get some new insight/a good buzz. I finish classes tomorrow, so it'll be a great way to celebrate!

I'm also planning to volunteer at the United Nations Association of Greater Boston's [UNAGB] Consuls Ball next weekend. My student group on campus, the Northeastern United Nations Association, works with UNAGB to host and staff Model UN conferences for middle and high school students. The ball is the big fundraiser for their Global Classrooms program, and I'm hoping to be able to talk up Northeastern's involvement as well as do a little on-the-sly networking for my jobless self.

To round off my volunteer excitement , my old roommate Sam is a project leader for Boston Cares, and I signed up to play with cats at the MSPCA with her on a few Saturdays in May! Boston Cares is a great volunteer organization that allows people to sign up for various projects and events without a long-term commitment, but lets them take advantage of free time they have to give back a little. I want to look into a few regular volunteer opportunities once we finish moving to Brookline as well.

One last volunteer/community give-back note: found HandsIn during some poking around on Twitter. Check it out! Their mission reads:

HandsIn harnesses the unique energy and creative passion of 20-somethings, inspiring them to connect with each other through volunteerism and empowering them to change their world through dedicated service and a shared commitment to a sustainable lifestyle.

As the world changes, the means of service are changing too, and this is definitely not your grandmother’s community service and lifestyle network. Instead, HandsIn uses the strength of what’s new and different to tackle the real problems of today’s world.

Change starts with you. Join HandsIn today to become a powerful agent of 21st century transformation!

Sounds like a plan to me!

Cheap and Chic in the City

Everyone I know is on a bit of a shoestring budget. And if they're not, they probably should be, myself included.

Living in the city and scrimping is a pain though: there's so much to do, and see, and eat, and wear.

My suggestion? The Hershey's Kisses solution to dieting, applied to city life. Instead of holding off on any and all junk food/spending, you find a small solution that satisfies your stomach or lifestyle urges. It keeps you from eventually binging on an entire chocolate cake or $500 purchase, and curbs the desire to spend or eat improperly.

Danielle (Being a Beginner/The Novice Palate) and I, along with a group of other financially challenged college kids/young professionals, are maintaining a public Google Calendar (see bottom of this blog) at Super Fun Things to Do In Boston. [note: yes, the title needs some polishing...]. We've been adding free or cheap things to check out when we've got free time or a few bucks.

Options include:

• wine tastings (Federal downtown, Best Cellars on Boylston, etc)
• Radical Movie Nights at Lucy Parsons Community Bookstore in the South End
• live jazz every night of the week at Wally's Cafe on Mass Ave
• 10 or 20 cent wing nights all over the city --Whiskey's, Red Hat
• Trivia nights--the most original being Sex and Drugs Trivia at The Savant Project on Sunday nights
  
• I'm currently posting some of the best options from this Boston Globe article on recession deals at some amazing restaurants all over the city
• [suggestion from Delia Cheap Ways to Enjoy the Arts in Boston
  
• Free movies at the Mugar Omni Theater at the Museum of Science

Some of my favorite cheap things lately: the Museum of Fine Arts, free with NU ID, Wally's on a Monday night, 50 cent tapas at Masa in the South End, and checking out free concerts at Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory.

Check out the calendar, go to a few events, and comment if you'd like to be added as an editor so you can add free and cheap events you've found!