I'm kind of in love with Secrets of the City. They send me an email every day telling me about something exciting and cheap that's happening in the area, it's published by the same organization that used to be The Rake magazine, it's chock full of good deals, and is TC local.

The newest addition is a Weekend Shopping Page, which lists some good deals and sales going on around the city this weekend. While the current deals are for this upcoming weekend, I'm guessing that the page will be updated with future deals as the SOTC staff comes across them.

Check it out and take advantage of their hard work!

This edition of MN Happy comes with a Friday night of hard research. Last week, I headed to The Shout House at Block E for their Proletariat Hour.

This weekly Friday happy hour runs from 5-7 with the Shout House's signature dueling pianos starting at 6. Arrive early to get a good seat (or call ahead and make reservations - when I was there, the whole floor section was practically reserved) and beat the cover at the door.

The Proletariat Hour lives up to its name by providing good, cheap drinks for people who work hard. When I say good, I mean GOOD. The amazing part of The Proletariat Hour is their drink special - $2 You Call It for ANY mixed drink, beer or wine.  My tequila sunrise with Patron - $2. My friend's 12 year Glenlivet whiskey - $2. The guy sitting next to me's Michelob Golden - $2. Obviously some of us have better taste than others, but regardless of drink or contents, it's TWO BUCKS. 

Like a good girl, I took full advantage of drink specials. Like an unwise drinker, I did not partake in their food. From what I saw at surrounding tables, it looked good and prices were reasonable also. I'm looking forward to heading back to The Shout House for some food in addition to a liquid diet.

Can't make it on Friday? You're in luck. The Shout House has pretty good deals every night of the week, ranging from Diva Night to Birthday Tuesdays. I might avoid the Diva Night just because it sounds like it's shrouded in stereotypes of women who drink - $2 Michelob Golden Light and $2 Smirnoff Cocktails. If you like those, go ahead and enjoy it but I'm going to avoid living into stereotypes of ladies nights.

The Shout House is located on the first floor of Block E on Hennepin between 6th and 7th St.

Like designer clothes for cheap, cheap, cheap?

Head to Cliche for their Local Designer Sample Sale this Sunday. There'll be lots of discounted, yet fabulous, clothes and jewelry. 

The even will feature such designers as Kjurek Couture, Amanda Christine, Charmichael Claith, Jenny Carle, Arwyn Birch, Brianne Jones for Kelson and Andrea Oseland. 

Cliche is located in Minneapolis on Lyndale and 24th St W.  Be sure to check it out this Sunday between 1 and 6... Just get there after I do!

via Secrets of the City.

While most people think of New York as a major publishing hub, Minneapolis/St. Paul is celebrating its literary roots with Around the Literary Twin Cities in Almost 80 Days. 

A local bibliophile’s dream, several presses are sponsoring a literary scavenger hunt/trivia game around the Twin Cities. Each week, they release a new trivia question and send readers to various locations around the metro to record their answers.

For example, this week’s question is : Name the author who has been known to write longhand drafts of a popular mystery series at the St. Clair Broiler in St. Paul. Think you know the answer? Head to any number of bookstores or the featured destinations - Uncle Hugo/Uncle Edgar or the U of M Bookstore inside Coffman Union - for a special prize.

Coffee House Press, Greywolf Press, Milkweed Editions and the Loft Literary Center are sponsoring Around the Literary Twin Cities in Almost 80 Days and can follow the 11 week long scavenger hunt on Twitter.
 

One day this summer, I went to the farmer’s market and came home with two free boxes of vegetables.



How did I end up with a boatload of free food? It’s easier than you think: Enter contests and look out for promotions.

Sometimes local groups, papers and companies will give away free tickets or items to promote the event or the company. All you have to do is enter in the contest – if you win, then you got something for free. If you don’t win, then all you lost was the 30 seconds it took to sign up. Keep an eye out for these promotions on local websites, Twitter or local newspapers.

Even Gal’s Guide gets in on the freebies now and then!

In the Minneapolis area, I sign up for free promotions from City Pages and subscribe to Secrets of the Cities, which often has email contests. The MPLS Onion AV Club/Decider page also has free tickets from time to time – just last week I went to an advanced showing of The Informant! through the AV Club.

Even though you should sign up for free contests, be careful with the type of information you’re giving out. If an organization wants financial information or something too personal, it’s probably a scam and avoid it. Give out the amount of information you feel comfortable with – don’t risk your identity or safety for 10% off at some shady restaurant.

This afternoon, my sister and I are going to a movie showing at the Walker for free – just because she entered the contest and won. Not bad, right?