Frugal Update: Where was I last week?

Well, after such a long hiatus I've been dying to get my life back and get a chance to do an update! As Kathy mentioned in one of her previous posts, I spent a little more than half a week as her houseguest. Definitely the best frugal choice, as she was such a lovely, wonderful friend that she did not ask for any compensation from me and my friend from Toronto who also stayed with her! We enjoyed some new forms of self-entertainment (namely Guitar Hero III, my friend left with a severe addiction!) and some friendly meals together. Other fun things included coupon sharing and swimming.
Besides spending time with Kathy, however, which totally satisfied my inner femme-frugal, I also experienced the not-so-frugal side of Boston. Basically, I spent a lot of time going around the city with friends, who although well-meaning, definitely don't have the frugal ways that I've been trying to cultivate. I was able to encourage them to experience some highlights of Harborfest (Boston's Independence celebration, July 1-11) and the fun of window-shopping/poking around. I would definitely recommend walking around Charles Street (everything there is required to look historic--even the 7-11!) and if you've got the stamina like my group did, you can also treat yourself to a walk through the Boston Commons Garden, which looked very lovely with the roses in bloom.
The week definitely took a turn for the better once we got back home, though. On Friday, my friend stayed with me and we had breakfast and a small lunch at my house, followed by spending the rest of the day at Kathy's family picnic! This was probably one of the highlights of our weekend--it was a lot more relaxed than my house would have been, we went swimming in a rainstorm (awesome!), I got to play with a baby (yay!), and Kathy's brother set off some pretty impressive fireworks. Saturday only had one big expense, which was going to see the movie "Hancock" with Will Smith. Unfortunately, it was definitely not worth the $10.75 it cost to get in--and that was the matinee price! Sunday we enjoyed an amazing chance to view Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and "Cypresses"--completely free. This was preceded by a lovely lunch at a Turkish cafe, which served basket after basket of warm bread.

Now that everything has calmed down there will definitely be more updates! We'd love any comments about your frugal trips or experiences travelling with less-than-frugal companions!
Cheers,
Alison