THE OC FRUGAL FINDER

Now that Mervyn's has gone bellyup, Kohl's is the new replacement. I compare Kohl's to JCPenney's, or maybe a step above Target. I like going here for kids clothes and picture frames. I'm amazed at the selection they have on whimsical frames, and many times you can get a BOGO plus use your discount coupon! What a deal! Anyhoo, if you want to find bargains, this is a place to go. Click here for the 15% coupon, valid this Memorial Day weekend.

Today's Perk: Get $70 worth of food + drinks for just $35 at Vintage Steakhouse What’s more romantic than the combination of quaint locomotives, a timeless atmosphere, fine wine, and a hot, sizzling dinner for two? The Vintage Steakhouse is the embodiment of romance, and you can either get there by driving – like everyone else – or travel in style by taking the Amtrak train down to the San Juan Capistrano station. The restaurant is conveniently located at the train station, so after traveling only a few more steps, you're off to using today’s Perk: $35 for $70 worth of fine classic American steakhouse cuisine and drinks at The Vintage Steakhouse. Click here for the Groupon. Offer expires in 2 days! (Rated 4.5/5 stars on YELP!). Highly recommended and lasts until the end of the year! The Fine Print: Limit of 3 per person. May buy multiples to gift. Limit 1 per table, 2 for tables of 6 or more. Not valid with any other offers or specials, including happy hour. Not valid on Holid...

Dine at The Cellar for only $30* per person all weekend long! Create your own 3-course menu by selecting an appetizer, soup, or salad to start, then select any entree*, and finish with your choice of souffle. Call 714-525-5682 for reservations, and restrictions, and mention "memorial day". The Cellar is located in the heart of downtown Fullerton. As Orange Counties premier dining destination The Cellar has won nearly every major dining award since 1970 including the AAA Four Diamond Award and the Wine Spectator Grand Award. Location: 305 N. Harbor Blvd. (in the cellar) Fullerton, CA, 92832 Phone: 714-525-5682 Tues - Thurs: 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm Fri: 5:30 pm - 1:30 am Sat: 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm Sun: 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Print this coupon and bring it to Ruby's Diner on Monday. This offer is valid only on Monday for Military Personnel (current or retired)

No purchase necessary, valid 5/31-6/6. One per customer, valid while supplies last. Free panty must be priced at $9.50. If you can't print the picture, click here for the coupon link

Check this site regularly for free samples from Walmart. The samples offered this time are from Crest, Olay, Pantene, and Playtex. The offers can be withdrawn anytime.

Sign up here for 3 kid friendly scissors. The ad says teachers only, but what if you're a home schooler? Hmmm....

H&M is an affordable clothing store. They offers a broad and varied range that allows customers to find their own personal style. The collections are created with H&M’s broad clientele in mind and the aim is to satisfy many different tastes and requirements. They just opened a new store in Orange. They also have a store at South Coast Plaza, and I believe Brea. This weekend, save 20% with the coupon below. For a location near you, click here

Sign up for the Buca Di Beppo eClub and get great discounts! This month's coupon is $10 off when you spend at least $20 (Offer expires 6/7/10). Heck, One dish alone is about $20, so spending the money is the easy part. Here's a great tip to use the coupon: Go at lunch. Most Buca's are open at lunch, and the prices are half of the dinner cost. True, the portions are smaller, but at least 2 people can eat for $20-$25, rather than 1 entree costing $19.99. If you can, print the coupon I attached. If it doesn't work, well, sign up for the eClub ! You'll get a free appetizer just for doing so!

Sometimes stumbling across a good deal is just worth posting! Chilled Coconut is a 500 square feet, smoke-free top floor studio unit at Kihei Bay Surf resort complex located across the street from Kalepolepo beach park and Whale sanctuary. Remodeled in 2008, this island style tastefully decorated airconditioned unit is overlooking a tennis court, tropical garden, palm trees and mountain in a quiet area of this resort complex. Click this link for pictures of the property and availability. Price: $49 madness: Apr14-Oct31 no minimum stay $75 madness:Nov01-Dec20 no minimum stay $99 per night:Dec21-Apr13 (1-6 nights, 155 per night) No damage deposit REQUIRED.

Facebook fans! Go to Victoria's Secret page and "Friend" (or I think its called "like" now) them, and download a special coupon for a free Limited Edition panty with any purchase. Click here for the link.

The Scoop on Cookies, a build-your-own ice cream sandwich shop, will hold a grand opening celebration Memorial Day weekend in downtown Huntington Beach. The new ice cream shop, on Main Street between Walnut and 3rd, features ice cream sandwiches for $2.50 each, as well as nostalgic candies and soda. Beginning Saturday, the store will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. During the three-day grand opening event, the store will feature family-friendly activities including a cookie walk and free face painting. Also, on Saturday and Sunday, kids cones will be sold for $1 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Memorial Day, kids cones will be $1 all day. ***Special treat for readers: Customers who mention they are fans of the FastFood Maven blog will receive a free cookie over the 3-day weekend.**** The lowdown: The concept is similar to that of Diddy Riese cookies in Westwood, which sells its ice cream sandwiches for $1.50 a piece. Customers can choose two cookies, about three inches in diameter, from 10 ...

Hot Dog on a Stick will be hosting free Hot Dog Day on June 15th from 5pm-8pm. (one free Hot Dog on a Stick per person)

On Twitter, @LuckyStrikeLA said it is FREE BOWLING DAY on June 14th. To get a free game and shoes, the secret code is "The Dude sent me". I think the offer is only valid at Lucky Strikes at LA Live and you must say the secret code. Click here for their blog

Remember when the Food Trucks were named "Roach Coaches" (for a reason!)? Now, with the success of KogiBBQ, "GOURMET" food trucks are popping up everywhere in Orange County and Los Angeles. For the most part, the trucks have outstanding food and at very competitive prices. For the same price as a burger, fries and drink at a fast food place, you can easily get a flavorfully grilled skirt steak over a bed of seasoned rice and veggies, grilled fish tacos with sides, or a half dozen Spanish Empenadas! We Eats created a link on Twitter to help us keep track of the trucks in our backyard. Click here and bookmark the site!

I personally don't shop at Old Navy, but I know their prices are affordable, especially if you have growing kids. This weekend, save an additional 50% off PLUS if you click this link , the ad has a coupon (see below) for $5 off your purchase of $25 or more. If you work this out just right, you can bring your family to help you save multiple times. Print out the enough coupons to use every $25, and have each family member buy their own stuff. Or, if you're willing to walk back/ forth to the car, pay for your item, drop off the stuff, go back into the store and buy more stuff. Hey, I'm just suggesting...

The exhibition includes Colleen Atwood’s original costumes, props from the film, and Alice-inspired attire created by FIDM alumni with FIDM Fashion Mentor Nick Verreos. FIDM Museum & Galleries 919 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, 90015 5/27/2010 - 9/30/2010 10 AM-4 PM Alice in Wonderland Events All events are free to the public. Mad Hatter Day Saturday, June 5 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. The FIDM Museum Shop As downtown guides sport their Mad Hatter Hats, bring your child or inner child to the FIDM Museum & Galleries to make your own Mad Hatter chapeau. Tea & cookies will be served. Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Wednesdays, June 9, 16, 23 & 30 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. FIDM Museum Foyer Tea & Cookies and a tour of the exhibition. Downtown Art Walk Thursday, June 10 Join roving Mad Hatters from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Alice in Wonderland Costume Contest Saturday, June 12 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Prizes for best Alice, Mad Hatter & Queen of Hearts. Prizes include the new Alice in Wonderland DVD/BluRay,...

Knott’s Berry Farm will offer free admission to active and retired U.S. military personnel on Sunday and Monday this Memorial Day weekend. The offer is also good for the Soak City water parks in Buena Park, Palm Springs, and Chula Vista. Military identification is required for free admission. In addition, up to six family members of military personnel can purchase discounted admission. The discounted tickets are $29.99 for Knott’s Berry Farm, and $23.99 for Soak City.

THIS WEEKEND AT IKEA! Offer valid Saturday, May 29 - Monday, May 31, 2010 Limit one per customer. Offer valid for one small breakfast (value 99¢) and one cup of coffee (value 99¢). Offer not valid at IKEA Hicksville, IKEA Houston and IKEA Direct. See IKEA store for details.

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR WATER? Hard water consists of minerals such as calcium and magnesium that are picked up from the soil. The minerals aren’t toxic, but they can cause a host of problems within your home – and ultimately affect your health. This free, easy-to-use test kit will help you find out what's in your water - and what you can do about it. Click here for the kit. You will receive the test kit within 4-6 weeks. Offer by Nature's Own Water Care.

El Pollo Loco offers their Facebook, Twitter and eClub members special savings that are not advertised (see picture for a sample coupon). Sign up for their eClub and get in on the secret savings!

In honor of National Doughnut day, Krispy Kreme is offering customers one FREE doughnut of any variety at participating U.S. store locations on Friday, June 4. No purchase is necessary to receive a free doughnut. Krispy Kreme wants everyone to join the chatter about National Doughnut Day. Log on to Twitter to Tweet your desired doughnut variety with the hashtag #KrispyKreme . Take a picture of yourself at Krispy Kreme with your favorite doughnut and post it to Krispy Kreme's Facebook fan page. Also, send a Twitpic to your friends and followers, and remind them not to miss out on getting their free goodie. The offer is good for one doughnut of any variety per customer. To find a participating U.S. store near you, visit www.krispykreme.com. Follow Krispy Kreme on Facebook & on Twitter @Krispy_kreme.

If you're going to Vegas, you'll want to use your money for the gambling, not for the shows, rooms or food! For the most part, Vegas is "owned" by a handful of people. MGM and Harrahs own 1/4 of the strip. Even if you are not a big gambler, stop by the "Players Club", "Total Rewards", or whatever the casinos have for gambling. Earn points toward free stuff, which can lead to comp'd rooms and meals. As I mention, MGM and Harrah's owns most of the strip, so your Harrah's "Total Rewards" card will be good at not just Harrahs, but also Rio, Caesar's Palace, Bally's, Paris, Imperial Palace, and most recently acquired Planet Hollywood. For every $5 you "recycle" in a slot machine, you get 1 point. You can use the card at the "Tables" but there's another formula for points. I don't play tables so you'll have to ask them how to calculate the points. If you acquire 4000 points, you'll...

Sign up for O'Neal Newsletter and race results to get free stickers! Click here for the link

Last year, the Natural History Museum of LA won a Best of LA Award for their Museum Party Night. On First Fridays for the first half of the year (Jan-June), NHMLA offers a sophisticated event for adults to enjoy culture and music. The DJs and free guided museum tour starts at 5:30 PM and the party continues until 10:30. For the performance line up of the next (and last) FF on June 4th, click HERE. The FF tickets are only $15, which not only gets you into the concert hall but also the museum. Regular museum admission is $9, so that's a mere $6 more for a night of fun. As for parking, the lot across the way is $10 unless you get lucky with street parking. Purchasing tickets in advance online is highly recommended because the event usually sells out early. Note: June 4th is the last FF event of the year. Lines start at 7:30 PM but the doors of the performance hall don't open up until 8:30PM for the opening act and then the headliner's 9:45 PM. The hall capacity is 500, but you...

50 Forks will delight, excite and satisfy you. The Art Institute of California — Orange County’s student-run restaurant, is a California bistro that draws inspiration from culinary regions across America. Students demonstrate the skills they’ve learned through The Art Institute of California — Orange County’s culinary arts program and apply their experience in our real-world restaurant environment. The restaurant is a final passage prior to graduation for final-quarter culinary arts students. Before they graduate, The Art Institute’s Culinary Arts students are required to run all facets of a fully-operational restaurant that’s open to the public. The restaurant is under the direction of two professional chef instructors. The chef faculty oversee every menu selection and overall food quality, temperature and timing as well as the front-of-the-house restaurant operation from customer service and traffic flow to menu pricing and managing the P & L. 50 Forks accommodates more than 50 g...

Sign up for the email updates and American Apparel will send you a free thong. Click here for more information. It doesn't say its for women only. So men, go for it.

Ok, DTLA is not the OC, but its always nice to find free stuff to do. If you're willing to venture up the 5 freeway and fight the 10 and 110 traffic, starting Memorial weekend, check this out. A free concert crawl on the last Friday of every month in Downtown Los Angeles. The program includes performances by local emerging bands, indie, eclectic, world or any other genre. Included is also free music events at Grand Performances, Pershing Square, LA Live and Friday Night Sessions. The concert series is a collaborative effort by all the participating venues, lafreebee, Isgoodmusic, Dramaturgy Promotions, Casa Downtown and by the artists themselves. Concerts/Musical Performances are scheduled year-round on the last Friday of each month. Performances begin in the eventing and go on all night. Several venues, all within walking or shuttle distance, will host a variety of “free” live music performances. Event location: Downtown Los Angeles at various locations including California Plaza,...

Get 25 Songs FREE, courtesy of Urban Outfitters . The songs feature some really cool bands that will be available for a short time only, so download them while you still can. Simply go to this link , click the download link(s) and your iTunes will open up automatically and start downloading. There are no strings attached and the songs are completely free. Below is a list of the bands. Cold Cave Tanlines Yeasayer Field Music Sister Crayon Beach House Blood Feathers Owen Pallet Janka Nabay Tune-Yards Wolf People Local Natives Fanfarlo Los Campesinos! The Dutches and the Duke JBM Real Estate Avi Buffalo Retribution Gospel Choir Maps Tamaryn Lonelady Pink Skull Tycho Voicevoices

The first step to getting your songs is easy, you must first get an Amazon.com account (no credit card needed). After you have your account and are logged in to Amazon.com and then click here . You will be taken to the page with the 1,690 free songs and then start downloading. It’s that easy!

We know wedding costs can quickly add up. Robbins Brothers wants to help out by giving a free titanium wedding ring. Purchase any wedding ring that's $495 or more by June 27 and they'll give a man's Titanium 6mm ring (with a retail value of $95) absolutely free**. If you don't like any of the free rings, they'll give you a credit toward one that you do like. Click here or stop by a Robbin's Brothers for more information.

After doing some more research, I found that this site, Groupon.com was one of the pioneers of "groupons". If you have questions on how to use a "groupon" this video will demonstrate how to use their site.

Lilith Fair is back in 2010 and Starbucks fans can get 2-1 tickets! Use the keyword, 'coffee' to redeem. Click here for the special link

There is a new way of using online coupons nicknamed as "Groupons". Groupons means a group coupon. Dealperks is a great source. Here's how they work: Dealperks posts a coupon, with discounts ranging from percent off food or service, or buy one get one offer. You have a certain time limit to buy in on the offer. If Dealperks gets enough interested people, the offer is "on". If not enough interest, the offer is "off" and expires. Click the pictures below for FAQ's

Get a free Rubio’s taco for signing up on the Rubio's beachclub . On your birthday, you'll get an email for a free meal (up to $7).

Join Cold Stone's birthday club and get a free ice cream on your birthday

I love getting free stuff, and so do a lot of other people. Facebook has a page called I LOVE FREE THINGS. Click the link and get leads on free stuff.

Watch classic movies, under the stars, with former hollywood stars... in the Hollywood Cemetary! It's Hollywood Forever! The gates open at 7:00 pm, the movie starts promptly at 8:30 pm. No reservation necessary and $10 donation appreciated. There's available gate parking as a courtesy to other moviegoers. PLEASE: NO TALL CHAIRS!! Click here for the summer calendar

Make your reservation for an EXCLUSIVE premiere tasting of the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. From May 31 to June 5, Chick-fil-A is giving a limited number of FREE Spicy Chicken Sandwiches to customers who make a reservation. It will not be added to the menu until June 7. Click here for link

Compliments of Starbucks Download a free Frappuccino beverage music mix Starbucks has created a free music mix to complement your Frappuccino® beverage. Featuring electrifying summertime favorites ranging from Frightened Rabbit to Hot Chip, your free Frappuccino® Beverage Music Mix is available to download on iTunes now!