Rizzoli & Isles Giveaway

We know some readers are fans of the TNT series Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, based on the book series by Tess Gerritsen. 

If you’re a fan of the Monday night show (or even if you’ve not seen it yet) enter our freebie giveway!

One ABQ on the Cheap reader will receive a free book The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen and a T-shirt.

If you haven’t seen Rizzoli & Isles, here’s a description from the show’s press kit:

“Boston detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), are complete opposites and good friends who solve crimes and bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals.  Jane, the only female detective in Boston’s homicide division, is a tough and gutsy cop who doesn’t let her guard down (except with Maura), dodges her overprotective mother and is better at basketball than her brother. Maura is usually more comfortable among the dead than the living. She is always impeccably dressed in designer duds with a steady, sometimes icy temperament. And she’s working on curbing her tendency to diagnose the people she meets – including her first dates. Jane and Maura often find themselves working together as both use their brilliant minds and expertise to figure out the “who done it” as well as the “how done it” of Boston’s most complex cases. Despite their many differences, Jane and Maura are best friends, with a quirky and supportive relationship.”

I used to work with my best friend, and it wasn’t half as dramatic as this. Then again, it was on a fashion magazine, and we didn’t deal with many killers.  Although come to think of it, some of those Paris fashion designers could be a little temperamental and some of the more outlandish outfits on the catwalk could be described as a crime…

Find out more about Rizzoli & Isles including video clips. The show airs on TNT Mondays at 10 pm Eastern / 8 pm Mountain Time.

Win a Book and T-Shirt
One ABQ on the Cheap reader will receive a free book The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen and a T-shirt.  

Enter the giveaway by noon on Tuesday August 31, 2010.

To enter: Leave a comment below this post. Any comment – about the Rizzoli and Isles show, about ABQ on the Cheap, about what free/cheap thing you’re doing this weekend… anything to get your name in the hat. Just please keep it decent… we are a family site

• Submit your comment by noon, Tuesday August 31, 2010
• Comments need to be approved before they’re published, so if yours doesn’t show up at once, don’t worry, as long as it’s submitted by noon on Tuesday, you’re cool.
• One winner will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries – ie submitted as a comment, not by email.
• One entry per person please, only from U.S. residents. Multiple entries by the same person (yes, we can tell!) will be disqualified.
• All times are local Mountain Time

The prize is supplied courtesy of the Rizzoli & Isles team at TNT.

–Tania

Free Car Care Clinic & $50 Off Auto Service

A free car care clinic on August 28, 2010, is pitched to women (free child care too!) but blokes are just as welcome. And everyone saves with the $50 off Auto Service coupon… find the coupon link at the end of this post.

Nervous about jump-starting your flat battery? Car fluids a mystery to you? I consider myself quite car-savvy.
I check my dipstick more often than I check my lipstick, and I’m all over my tire pressures, because I don’t fancy the idea of a flat on my nearly 20-year-old Jeep. (Very big and heavy with humongous tires. Don’t want to change that on my own one dark night.) Still, I’m not 100% sure of what ALL the fluid levels in my motor mean, although I’m pretty sure that having a better grasp on my motor maintenance would save bucks in the long run. (Long drive?)

This free car care clinic by Maintence & More automotive specialists this Saturday August 28, covers how to change a tire, jump start a battery, check oil and fluid levels, and other car maintenance tasks, using 47 checks their own technicians follow.

The car clinic includes free lunch and child care too. They bill this as a Women’s Car Care Clinic but add “Husbands are, of course, welcome. No husband care will be provided though.” Love it!

Reserve the free car care clinic in advance and turn up in your mucky clothes as it’s a hands-on class.

• When: Saturday August 28, 2010
• Time: 11 am - 3 pm
• Where: Maintenance & More, 135 Wyoming Blvd NE
• Price: FREE, including lunch and child care

$50 Off Coupon for First Time Customers

New customers also save $50 on auto service with this Maintenance & More coupon. That includes oil changes, and a free mini detail with each service, and if the service is charged under $50 it’s totally free!
It’s only for first-time customers though. Print out the Maintenance & More $50 Off Coupon to get the discount. (Right click on the coupon and select Print Picture.)

Ready for a road trip, anyone?

–Tania

Free Kid’s Book from Barnes & Noble

A great summer promotion to encourage children to read and and get a free book! For grades 1 to 6 and no purchase is necessary. If you missed our post on this Barnes & Noble promotion at the beginning of the summer, you’ve still got till September 7 to get a free book for your child.

The Barnes & Noble Passport to Summer Reading Promotion for grades 1 to 6 gives a kid a free book when they read any other eight books. It works like this:

• Kids read any eight books they like, no purchase is necessary from Barnes & Noble.
• Download the Passport to Summer Reading PDF from the B&N website and the child records the places they ‘visited’ in each book.
• Bring the completed passport (signed by a parent or guardian) to a Barnes & Noble stores until September 7, 2010.
• They’re rewarded with a coupon for a FREE book, and they choose from a list of paperbacks suitable for grades 1 through 6.

See the full list of free kids’ books, which include:

• Curious George Cleans Up / Jorge el curioso limpia el reguero by H. A. Rey
• Last One In Is a Rotten Egg by Leonard Kessler
• The Puppy Place: Goldie by Ellen Miles
• El Soñador by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
• Jim and Me by Dan Gutman
• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More by Roald Dahl
• My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe

Everyone who returns their completed passport is also entered into a drawing to win a complete set of signed The 39 Clues books.

Limited to one free book per child in grades 1-6, and the offer runs through September 7, 2010.

Note: If you like this deal, also check out the Borders free book for kids promotion, which also requires no purchase,  for children aged up to 12. The Borders promo runs till August 26, 2010.

Smart bookworms would use the same list of books they’ve read and apply for a freebie at both Barnes & Noble and Borders!

–Tania

Winners of the Spot My Mistake Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered the Spot My Mistake Giveaway! 
The error in last Friday’s Food Freebies & Deals post that tickled me was calling her Dora the Explora (like Explora in Old Town, instead of Dora the Explorer). Because… well, half my mind was on children, and as I only have half a mind at the best of times, that’s what came out my fingers.  (Especially as I must have typed Explora about a hundred times in the last year, writing about it for my Albuquerque guidebook. It’s hard-wired in.)

Lots of you spotted it and we may have an underground movement to change Dora’s name permanently.

Many other eagle-eyed readers picked up on a typo of othewise instead of otherwise. (Note to self: when writing posts early in the morning, have coffee FIRST. Like, a gallon of it.)

There were all kinds of other comments too. For example:

• “Keep up the good work, know you have been “osmosised” by Albuquerque, and that is a good thing.” Ha! Cheers Robert Palacioz! I’m glad to be “osmosised”, which is not half as painful as it sounds. 
   
• “Well you must be authentic New Mexican now if your talking like us New Mexicans. I’m guess’n its the use of the word Sandwhiches but at least its not how the people in Espanola, NM say “Sangwhiches” Or maybe its that you spelled Walmart correct and didn’t say Wally World.” Thanks Mario Herrera, I’m deeply chuffed at being called authentic New Mexican, there is no finer compliment, and I’ll bear the Wally World and sangwhiches notes in mind next time!

 Whatever you said, or even if you didn’t find an error, everyone who commented on either the Giveaway Post or the original Food Deals Post went in the drawing, and the winners of a $25 restaurant gift certificate are:

• Olivia Kaesberg
• Virginia
• Lauri Michael

We’ll have more giveaways soon. Thanks for playing, for ALL the feedback and guesses, and thanks for the kind words many of you added – I sure appreciate it. ABQ on the Cheap readers are the best!

–Tania

Free Dog Training & Behavior Seminar Aug 21 & Pet Deals

Boofy’s Best for Pets hosts a free dog training and behavior seminar on Saturday August 21, led by Angela Buckley of Positive Rewards Dog Training. Buckley is a certified dog trainer and certified veterinary assistant, and the seminar includes:

• How to keep your dog active and happy when you’re out
• Fun things to do with your pet
• Plants and foods that are poisonous to pets
• Your pet questions answered

• When: Saturday August 21, 2010
• Time: 11 am – 2 pm
• Where: Boofy’s Best for Pets, 8201 Golf Course RD NW (in Petroglyph Plaza at Golf Course & Paseo Del Norte)
• Price: Free!

If you want to sign up for a basic dog obedience class with Buckley, for pooches 5 months and older with no former training, those classes start September 16 and cost $100 for six weeks. Not a bad price compared to the cost of replacing the couch that Fido devoured. I wonder if she can answer my questions about husband training/behavior/obedience too?

We’ve mentioned these Boofy’s Best for Pets deals before, but as a reminder:

Yappy Hour and Doggie MeetUp
Dogs come out to play and meet their canine chums, play in the dog toy area, and enjoy some Yappetizers – that’s free dog treats! During Yappy Hour all purchases of treats for dogs OR cats get 10% off.

• When: Tuesdays ongoing
• Time:  6 pm – 8 pm
• Where: Boofy’s Best for Pets

Boofy’s Best for Pets coupons These coupons (via Valpak) save you:

• $5 off a $25 purchase
• $2 off a $10 purchase
• Get a free dog treat!

All coupons currently showing to expire September 1, 2010.  (Sometimes Valpak coupons roll expiration date back each day till the promo is finished.)  Coupons can’t be combined with other offers.

Here’s a map to Boofy’s Best for Pets

If you can’t make it out to Boofy’s for these events, but still need advice on any pets, see our earlier post on a local Free Pet Behavior Helpline.

–Tania

Free Pampered Chef Celebrity Cookbook

Download a free Pampered Chef cookbook till September 30, 2010, with recipes by celebs including Courtney Cox, Mario Batali, Alison Sweeney, Samantha Harris, and cookbook author Katie Lee.

Cornflake-Crusted Chicken, anyone? Alabama Shrimp Skewers with Parmesan Grits? David Arquette’s BBQ sauce? Creme Brulee French Toast? Hungry yet?

Enough with the questions. This Pampered Chef Celebrity Cookbook for a Cause is a great deal for us - as you can’t get much cheaper than free – and it also helps others. For each download a meal will be donated to Feed America, up to 140,000 meals in all. That’s a lot of food.

Download the PDF of Cookbook for a Cause by September 30, 2010. (Note: if you have trouble downloading it, see the comments thread below for a solution.)

If (like me) you think you can never have enough cookbooks, especially PDF files that don’t take up precious kitchen space, then check out our earlier posts on:

• Free Chef Emeril’s Cookbook
• Free Martha Stewart Summer Grilling Cookbook

–Tania

Spot My Mistake: Win a $25 Restaurant Gift Certificate

ABQ on the Cheap is giving away 3 x $25 restaurant gift certificates. Enter by noon on Monday August 16.

I had to laugh when I realized I’d made a not-so-deliberate mistake in this Friday’s Food Freebies & Deals round-up. It’s a very Duke City kind of mistake, and I couldn’t bring myself to change it, so it’s still there.

Can you spot it? My error doesn’t involve the accuracy of any information, it’s just a ‘where was my mind?’ typo.

Tell me the mistake in the comments box beneath the Food Freebies & Deals post, and everyone who makes a guess by noon on Monday August 16 will be put in a hat (well your name will, I don’t suppose even one of you would fit in a hat) for a drawing to win one of three $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com.

Everyone will be entered whether you’re right or wrong, but hopefully there are no other blunders in the
Food Freebies & Deals post. Oh mercy, what have I opened myself up to? This could get embarrassing.

Clue: The mistake is quite fitting to the deal I was writing about, and only Albuquerque folk would get why I made the typo. And it is only an error in the writing – all the actual information and links are correct. You don’t have to read too far to find it. (Note: Comments won’t be approved to publish to the site till after the giveaway is over, so don’t worry if it doesn’t appear. If you sent it, I got it.)

To enter:

• Leave a comment either below this post or below the Food Freebies & Deals post saying what you think the mistake is.
• Submit your comment by noon, Monday August 16, 2010
• The 3 winners will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries – ie guesses submitted as a comment, not by email.
• Comments won’t be approved to appear on the site until after the giveaway is over. (Sorry, you can’t just copy what another eagle-eyed reader spotted!) But as long as they’re sent by Monday noon – you’re cool.
• One entry per person please, only from U.S. residents. All times are local Mountain Time.
• Three winners each receive a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate by email, to be used at any local or national restaurant in the program, with no expiration date. Currently in Albuquerque that’s Sophia’s Place, Peppers Cantina, Asian Cafe, Casa Chaco, Cazuela’s Mexican Grill. $25 certificates usually require a minimum purchase of $35, so you might have to pay a little to top up the freebie!

–Tania   FYI: I’m using my Restaurant.com affiliate link ( if you buy your own certificates, a few cents go in the tip jar to support ABQ on the Cheap – thank you for using the links). And if you’ve read the Friday food post you’ll know they’re discounting dining certificates by 80% till August 16 with the promo code: BIG. So you can be sure I’m buying the giveaway gifts with that promo code, so the winners get a deal, and I save too!

Food Freebies & Deals: August 13-20, 2010

Albuquerque restaurant and food deals this week: free cupcakes for kids on August 14, Arby’s free sandwiches, two Cold Stone Creamery ice creams for $5, and offers from IHOP, Barley Room Bar & Grill, Nestle Toll House Cafe, Church Street Cafe, and more…

Free Cupcakes at Walmart to celebrate Dora the Explora’s birthday this Saturday August 14, between 11 am and 4 pm. I guess this one is REALLY for the kids, and no, you can’t kneel down and pretend. The party includes giveaways and bring in a photo (either digital or hard copy) to make a free 5″x7″ photo card! According to the participating location search, these Walmarts are taking part:

• 301 San Mateo Blvd SE
• 2701 Carlisle Blvd NE
• 3500 Coors Blvd SW

Or click the Walmart Dora the Explorer Birthday Party button and plug in your zip code to find a participating Walmart near you.

Free Smoothie at Boston Market restaurants on Saturday August 14 – no purchase necessary! One free smoothie per visit as long as supplies last.

Free Boston Market dessert with the purchase of a $4.99 Slider Meal Deal with this coupon, expiring August 29.

Free Taco Bell Frutista Freeze when you buy any product. You have to print the coupon via Coupons.com (and download the coupon printer application – quick and free – if you don’t have it already).

Arby’s Free Sandwich - either Roast Beef or Beef ‘N’ Cheddar sandwich when you buy any combo, with the coupon courtesy of Premium Shopping Guide. You can use it for up to FOUR free sandwiches as long as you buy the same number of full priced combos. Other Arby’s coupons include $1 Double Cheese Melt, and all coupons are valid at participating Arby’s till September 30, 2010.

Eat free at Church Street Cafe on your birthday according to an announcement at Yelp. Just be sure to take your ID! (If you read this in some future time warp and the link isn’t working any more, best to call Church Street Cafe to see if they’re still running the birthday offer.)

$5 off Albuquerque Hopfest when you buy early bird tickets for the October festival by August 15 – all details in our earlier post at the link.

Nothing over $8 on the menu. The new Nob Hill joint Bailey’s on the Beach promises there’s nothing over $8 on the menu, and looking at the breakfast-to-dinner menu most of it is a lot cheaper. I’ve not been there yet. Have you? What’s it like? Tell us in the comments form below…

Cold Stone Creamery 2 Ice Creams for $5 with this coupon. You get two Like It sizes with ice cream and one mix-in for $5. It’s on their Facebook page but you don’t have to be a member of Facebook to get the ice cream coupon. (You do need to download the coupon printer application – quick and free – if you don’t have it already).

Barley Room Bar & Grill Free Meal on Wednesday Nights when you buy 1 meal and 2 drinks, using the coupon from Premium Shopping Guide. It’s not valid on Comedy Night, but othewise is good to September 30, 2010. Other Barley Room Bar & Grill coupons include 50% off an appetizer in Happy Hour (4-7pm) and 50% off lunch on weekdays when you buy 1 full priced lunch and 2 drinks.

50% off Nestle Toll House Cafe. Get $50 worth of certificates for half price at $25, via Clear Channel Albuquerque. Quantities are limited and selling fast so buy NOW if you’re interested, and read the small print (certificates come in $10 denominations and you can only use one per visit.) If you have a lot of self-control, you’ll be glad to know that certificates are valid until August 2011.

80% off Restaurant.com certificates and gift cards till August 16 with the promo code: BIG (Enter the code at checkout to see the discount). Buy by August 16, no expiration date on certificates. Participating Albuquerque restaurants currently include:

• Peppers Cantina, Asian Cafe, Sophia’s Place,  Casa Chaco, Cazuela’s Mexican Grill
• In Santa Fe: Ze French Bistro, Red Enchilada Restaurant, and Casablanca Fine Mediterranean Cuisine
• 80 cents for a $10 certificate
• $2 for a $25 certificate
• $4 for a $50 certificate
• $8 for a $100 certificate
• $8 for a $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card (redeem at 15,000 restaurants nationally/free shipping)

To get the 80% off, select your Restaurant.com certificates and enter the promo code BIG at the check out page. (The full 80% discount doesn’t show till then.) Check the small print for any restrictions.

Kids Eat Free at IHOP in August A child aged 12 and under gets a free meal from the Just for Kids menu, with the purchase of an adult entree, daily between 4pm and 10pm on dine-in only. It’s one freebie per adult entree. According to the location finder at the IHOP Kids Eat Free link, there are seven participating Albuquerque IHOPs.

Gecko’s Bar & Tapas specials after 6 pm:

• 20 cent wings on Mondays
• Three for two tapas on Tuesdays
• Half priced burgers on Wednesdays

Quiznos $2.99 Sub, Chips, Drink with this coupon valid to August 20.  A small sub, regular fountain drink, and of course the chips.

$39 for 10 Lunchtime Yoga Classes. Buy before midnight August 15.  This has only the loosest connection to food, but it happens at lunchtime, and I think it’s a brilliant deal…. oh, and you ALSO get a free protein bar after each class! Get 10 mixed-level lunchtime yoga classes at YogaNow (worth $120) with this Groupon deal available to purchase till midnight Sunday August 15. See details at the link for how/when to use the certificates, it’s this weekend’s side deal (right side of page) and they need a minimum 15 people to buy the Yoga Classes Groupon before the deal is on, otherwise your credit card isn’t charged.

Old Town Salsa Fiesta this Saturday August 14 – free salsa samples and $4 to judge the Best Homemade Salsa contest - all the details at our earlier post.

NOTE: Not all locations may be participating in all offers – call ahead if you want to be sure.
ADDED LATER: If you spotted my not-so-deliberate mistake in this post, enter to win a $25 restaurant gift certificate.  All the facts/info are correct, it’s just a writing blunder.

Thanks to our friends at Florida on the Cheap for tipping us off to a couple of these deals!

–Tania FYI: I’ve given you my Restaurant.com and Groupon.com affiliate links. If you feel like sending a little love this way to support the ABQ on the Cheap site, please use the links.

Free Kid’s Book at Borders

Children aged 12 and under get a free book at Borders – no purchase necessary. If you missed our post on this Borders promotion at the beginning of the summer, you’ve still got till August 26 to get a free book for your child.

In the Borders Double-Dog Dare promotion, kids aged 12 and under get a free book from selected titles when they show they’ve read ANY 10 books this summer.  Here’s how it works:

• Children read any ten books they like - no purchase is necessary from Borders.
• Download the Double-Dog Dare form from the Borders website and print it out.
• Write the names of the ten books on the form and get it signed by a parent or guardian.
• Take it into a Borders store through August 26, 2010 and choose a freebie from the titles on offer.

Select from ten free books (these may change over time) but they currently include:

• Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
• Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
• Miss Daisy is Crazy! by Dan Gutman
• Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
• The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
• Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
• The River by Gary Paulsen

The Borders free kid’s book deal is only available in stores, for children aged up to 12, and it runs till August 26, 2010.

If you like this deal, also check out the free kid’s book from Barnes & Noble Passport to Summer Reading offer, which also requires no purchase, and children read any 8 books to pick a free paperback  from an even larger selection. The B&N promo runs till September 7, 2010.

A smart bookworm would use the same list of books they’ve read and apply for a freebie at both Borders and Barnes & Noble!

–Tania

Free Bosque Nature Walk: Monthly Book in Advance

A monthly easy guided walk exploring Bosque wildlife… and they even throw in coffee and a snack! Next one: September 5, 2010.

The Open Space Visitor Center hosts a free Bosque Wild nature walk on the first Sunday morning of each month, kicking off at 7:30 am.

Biologist, naturalist and birder Elsa Bumstead leads the way, exploring the natural flora and fauna along the river, and filling you in on the history of Bosque. The 90 minute walk is described as ‘easy’ and afterwards there’s coffee and a snack provided by Sunflower Farmers Market.

The walk is limited to 20 people, and the minimum age to join the walk is 7 years.

You DO need to register for these popular free walks, and they recommend booking a month in advance. This is why we’re posting it now, so you’re in good time to book for next month.

• When: First Sunday of the Month (see dates below in case you’re one of those Cheapers who lives so wild and whacky you don’t have a calendar!
• Time:  7:30 am
• Where: Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Boulevard NW – but register with Open Space Visitor Center for the free Bosque Wild nature walk to get directions to the trail head.

Bosque Wild Walk Dates for 2010:

• September 5
• October 3
• November 7
• December 5

Take binoculars to spot the birds and wildlife, water, sun protection, and suitable gear for the weather. And of course Sensible Walking Shoes. (Editor note: What are THEY? Not my pseudo-Manolos, then?)

–Tania

Next Page »