It's NIME Time! Tuesday, 12/15, 8pm

NIME: New Interfaces for Musical Expression
Creating new performance tools for digital music.

It's that time again for the eighth annual NIME concert, where performers play a series of newly designed electronic instruments that aim to keep the “live” in the live performance of digital music.

This year's NIME concert will feature such innovations as a musically enhanced sewing machine, sonified floor tiles, performative knitting needles, turntablism for live instrumentalists, electronically controlled cartoon antics, novel realizations of the rock guitar, and a host of other exciting approaches to the creation of music.

When: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
8pm-11pm (Doors 7pm)
Where: Southpaw
125 Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
(1/2/3 Train to Bergen)
Cost: $7 (Free for NYU ID holders)

Golden Girl- Free Girl Talk Concert Today 8/23!

In the final weeks of the Williamsburg Pool parties, today's event boasts one of my favorite artists, Girl Talk. In edition to the free music there will be "Dodgeball, basketball, DJ’s, bands, burgers the works!" all for you to enjoy.

Afterparties are held at Public Assembly. This week also features Max Tundra, and Wiz Khalifa. Show is All ages!

Cost: FREE
When: Sunday, August 23rd
Where: East River State Park
90 Kent Avenue
Kent St btw. N 8th and N 9th Sts on the East River, W'burg

Subway: L line to Bedford Avenue exit; walk 3 blocks west to Kent Avenue, one block north to N. 8th Street entrance
Gates open at 2pm

Dog Days of Summer- 100 FREE Dak-Kalbi Hot Dogs Tonight 8/19!

Today New York Hotdog & Coffee are offering the first 100 customers at 7pm a FREE Dak-Kalbi Hot Dog. Enjoy!

Date: Wednesday, August 19th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: New York Hot Dog and Coffee (245 Bleecker St. between Carmine and Leroy)
Cost: Free
This will be an ongoing special that happens every Wednesday through September with a new item featured weekly.

*Plus for all my Veggie friends, NY Hotdog & Coffee offers Gourmet 100% Soy Hotdogs.Yuuuuuummmy!

Belly Flop! The Pool Parties Start July 12th!

Hey Kids! Get ready for some serious summer fun, starting this Sunday, July 12th. It's time for The Pool Parties Brooklyn...8 weeks of unbelievable FREE concerts on the Williamsburg waterfront. Unlike in previous years, The Pool Parties are being held at East River State Park instead of the now defunct McCarren Pool.

So technically it's not a pool party, but who cares 'cause it's still tons of awesome FREE music. This Sunday the party kicks off with Mission of Burma, F***ED UP, Ponytail, & Jemina Pearl.

Sunday, July 12th
90 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Subway: L line to Bedford Avenue exit; walk 3 blocks west to Kent Avenue, one block north to N. 8th Street entrance
Gates open at 2pm

FREEstyle swimming-NYC Pools

Happy July 1st! I am SO excited about Summer 2009, it's gonna be awesome, as soon as this rain goes away for good... Today also announces the opening of Lasker Pool in Central Park which is the best kept secret in NYC. This is a gorgeous outdoor pool, clean and never too busy. Best part....you guessed it, it's free! This info isn't on they're site but I swam here tons last year and they offer lap swimming early in the mornings (7-8:30am) and in the evenings (7-8:30pm). It's almost like swimming in the ocean because the water is so warm. Did I mention it was awesome yet? Definitely check it out. Other great free city pools include John Jay on the East side btwn 76-78th streets and a great indoor pool is Chelsea, on West 25th Street.

*Note at Lasker pool you can only bring a water bottle, towel, and a book in the facility so bring a lock to use public lockers for everything else. Located in Central Park @ 108th Street-109th Streets (mid-park)
For more information, please call Lasker Pool at 212-534-7639.

Trés Bien....Ladies Lotto 3rd Anniversary Party 6/25

Ladies AND Gentlemen: Look Sharp! Come Celebrate Ladies Lotto's 3rd Anniversary this Thursday, June 25th.

Ladies Lotto is an international women's lifestyle network that works to cultivate an empowered community of women and is one of my favorite things on the planet. I also know for a fact that they host kick ass parties!

DJS + Disco Ball + OPEN BAR + Treats + Gift Bag + Massages = BEST PARTY EVER!

When: Thursday, June 25th
Where: Tribeca Grand Hotel
2 Ave of the Americas
New York NY
Time: 9:30 pm - 2 am
Cost: This event is FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC but RSVP is REQUIRED: three@ladieslotto.com

DJ Benzi 12 Midnight
DJ Jaclyn 10:30 PM
24COURT 9:30 PM

Plus Ladies Lotto is offering guests Complimentary Cocktails, Treats, Massages & Gift Bags!

Signature Cocktails by Combier, will be provided to help celebrate and for the first 250 Ladies & Gents Gift Bags are sponsored by Rhianna's fave new bag MyBagCares Co. MY BAG CARES is a 100% reusable and washable canvas bag that can replace hundreds of paper or plastic bags and help save the environment.
Best of all Vegan Yippee Pies will be passed by Rabbit Mafia. Rabbit Mafia works specifically with the arts industry, non-profits and socially conscious companies to provide excellent cuisine using locally sourced products with A special surprise at midnight from your favorite Hot Blondies!

Beverages will be provided complements to Guru Energy. The perfect drink: powerful and healthy!

Plus Complimentary massages provided on site by NY Healing Touch

AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!

RSVP now and don't miss this event: three@ladieslotto.com

See you there!

Horse Play: My Little Pony Event Tonight 5/29

OMG this event sounds so fun. Decorating blank my little ponies for charity. The My Little Pony Invitational is an exceptional equestrian exhibition. Blank My Little Ponies were given to some local artists to design as they choose and tonight is the outcome!

There’s sculpture, photography and even some diorama-style pieces in this show. All of the completed ponies are currently on sale on eBay and then show at Champion Coffee. Proceeds go to Just Food, an educational and agricultural non-profits in the city. Join the fun with snacks, drinks and a special pony punch.

Friday, May 29th
Champion Coffee (1108 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint)
7:00-10:00 pm
Cost: FREE

A DIY Discotech-Handmade Music Night at 3rd Ward 1/15

Ok..free PABST and creative new instruments & music, I'm SOLD!

The always wonderful 3rd Ward, Etsy.com, Make Magazine, and Createdigitalmusic.com present
Handmade Music Night!

Thursday, January 15
7:30 - 10:30 pm, FREE!

Part party, part mixer, part Science Fair, and
part performance, this is an informal chance for geeksters and the geek-curious to come together, relax, and discover new sounds and drink complimentary Pabst.
The evening is a gathering of inventors of new instruments & music technology.

Featuring circuit-bent toys, custom software and patches,
interactive digital & visual instruments, custom electronics,
electricity-powered noisemakers, DIY robots and new acoustic
instruments.

This event is open to everyone from hard-core hackers &
newcomers to music lovers who want to learn about the DIY music scene.
Got a project in progress? Bring it along! Just want to hang out, meet
some makers and discover new things? Drop in!

3rd Ward is located at 195 Morgan Ave., in East Williamsburg, near the Grand, Montrose, and Morgan stops on the L train

Penny Pincher- That's Me!

Recently Crain's New York Magazine did an article about New Yorkers and their lifestyle changes due to the recession. Since I always live like this it was a great opportunity to share some of my tips and get free press for No Trust Fund! Check out the full article by clicking on the images on the left and below. xoxo

Don't Break the Bank for Art: Banksy's Baaack

If you've walked along Seventh Ave South (Near Greenwich) recently you may have seen some some oddities like Chicken Nuggets dunking themselves in ketchup, fish sticks floating in a bowl, or a rabbit applying a full face of make-up.

Relax though, it's not the latest in genetically engineered pets, it's The Village Pet Store & Charcoal Grill, British graffitti artist Banksy's first US installation.

I love that the show is free, plus if you ever want some Banksy memorabilia, he has an online shop where you can download the artwork to put on your favorite tshirt or hat. Click here.

There are only 5 days left to see the Village Pet Store free show! The exhibit is open to the public daily from 10am-12am through October 31st.

No. 89 Seventh Avenue South
(Between W. 4th & Bleeker)

Pumpkin Party! The Great Pumpkin Festival-Central Park 10/25

Do you love Halloween as much as I do? It' s my favorite Holiday by far because of the opportunity it provides to be creative and dress up. Carving pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns are definitely a key component of the day and why not enjoy this pastime with thousands of other people in Central Park?

This Saturday, join Camp Sunshine & The NYC Parks Department for it's annual Pumpkin Festival.

They'll be live music, games for kids, free pumpkins, face painting, magic shows and so much more! Live music concert by kiddie rockers Princess Katie & Racer Steve at 3 PM!
Saturday October 25, 2008 from 3:00pm - 8:00pm
All Ages are welcome!
Location: Central Park Bandshell (72nd Street (closer to east side)

Have a Happy Halloween!

Art to Art: The 12th Annual Dumbo Art Festival

The D.U.M.B.O. Arts Center is proud to sponsor it's 12th Annual : Art Under the Bridge Festival this weekend-
September 26-28, 2008.

This is a multi-sensory event with art happening everywhere, in all the little nooks and crannys of D.U.M.B.O. art will be displayed and the public is encouraged to be interactive with the installations.

For more information click here! Cost is Free so get out there and see some art.

The festival kicks off on Friday at 7pm until Sunday evening.

PS. D.U.M.B.O. stands for (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass)

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls, Unless it's these!

If you only do one more culturally enriching activity this fall make sure it's to go see these man-made Waterfalls! There are 4 housed in the East River and at night the views are breathtaking, these waterfalls are between 90-120ft tall, as tall as the statue of Liberty!

I also highly recommend viewing them via bike, the total trip took me about 2 hours and it's a lovely way to see the city at night. You get to ride over both the Brooklyn & Manhattan bridges and you guessed it, it's free this way. Circle Line also does a 30 minute boat ride for $10 and shows you all four but I'm telling you via bicycle is the best way.

The journey was the most enjoyable part of this for me as I discovered each waterfall as treasure on my route.

The Public Art Fund worked with the city to map out the best bike route with maps + detailed directions all available here. Best part.. the entire bike route is marked on the streets with waterfall images and arrows to guide you during the trip.

I had a great time and never got lost, plus I got some incredible views of NYC skyline at night. Totally worth it, beg, borrow or buy a bike in order to take advantage of these free works of art, you'll thank me for it.

Here's the info, but hurry these are only available until October 13, 2008
Mon & Wed 5:30-9pm
Tues & Thurs-Sunday 12:30-9pm

The Free-dom of Press

So it looks like dumpster diving is truly paying off. This week NOTRUSTFUND was featured in a USA today article entitled, If you can't afford it then get it for free! It's been very exciting to get some new readers for the site and spread the word about getting great stuff for nothing. Jayne O'Donnell was the reporter and great to work with, she was also featured on Good Morning America today and discussed how to live life on the cheap. I even learned some new tips! Plus since getting free press is the best and giving it is even better, my sister Virginia's blog Badinia is awesome and she did a feature on my roots as a cheapskate.
Thanks to everyone for reading! xoxo

Video Killed the RadioStar- 1st Annual East Village Radio Festival

***ATTENTION: Due to hurricane Hanna festival has been moved to Sunday September 7. Original date was today.

I am SO excited! This weekend is the premier of a new music festival in NYC: The East Village Radio Music Festival. I am a huge fan of this radio station and can't wait to see
a lineup that includes Flying Lotus, Boris, Mark Ronson, Vivian Girls, Devin the Dude, Hypnotic Brass ensemble and more.

It's all happening this Saturday, September 6th from 1-9pm at the South Street Seaport.

Free shuttle bus service will be provided from the radio station at 1st avenue to the Seaport where the festivities take place.

In the spirit of free stuff, yummy gourmet food courtesy of Frank Catering will be served to festival goers including bruschetta, Caesar salad, salmon, and Italian sausage to name a few delish dishes.

The Sample Life-Wednesdays at Whole Foods

In a previous life I was a personal assistant and part of my job was going to all the Whole Foods around NYC and finding the freshest lemons, fuji apples, and chickpea masala. Needless to say I would spend my lunchtime at the various local Whole Foods stores and fill up on all the delicious samples since I was strapped for cash.

Recently I got an inside tip that all the Whole Foods stores in the region designate Wednesday evenings (5-7pm) for food demos. It's great because during that time customers are treated to a free sampling in every department! Yum.

Anchors Away-Free Kayaking

Kayaking on the Hudson is the best NYC experience!
And I found a place that's FREE!
Downtownboathouse.org is an all volunteer organization. If you like to volunteer there are special trips and training available.

The best part is that the public can utilize all the facilities at no charge. They offer walk-up public kayaking, kayak trips on the harbor, evening classes, and a winter swimming pool program.

Kayaking is great exercise, it is relaxing and I think it is the best way to see the New York City skyline. So beautiful!

There are 3 locations in NYC. -Pier 96, Clinton Cove at 56th Street and the Hudson River. Hours from9:00AM to 6:00PM Weekends and Holidays. Open weekday evenings (toAugust 29) 5-7PM. Wed. classes from 6-8PM.-Pier 40 at Houston Street on the Hudson River. Hrs 9AM-6PM Weekendsand Holidays.-72nd Street 10:00AM to 5:00PM Weekends and Holidays.

C'mon over and get your feet wet!

Low-Cost Digs

Recently a friend wrote me and asked:

This is a very odd and almost embarrassing thing to ask but what the heck.

I recently moved into my own place but I don't want to spend a lot on furniture. If anyone has any freebies they would like to get rid up keep me in mind. I guess this is also a great way to "go green."

Geesh! I feel like I'm begging...

I informed my friend that if her email qualified as begging then I was a total smelly hobo. I furnished my entire apartment in New York with treasures from the trash/craigslist including the most fabulous full length mirror for my apartment because I dug out of the trash outside a restaurant and carried it home 15 blocks. And it was raining...I'm definitely more of a beggar.

Anyway, for free/low cost furniture I highly recommend freecycle.org, Housing Works, Craigslist (Free Section), The Salvation Army and your neighborhood!