Those of you who are working people with kids know how difficult finding affordable, trustworthy, quality childcare is. In fact, it can be a major hassle: expensive, hard to find, and generally maddening.

Now, we can't promise you totally free childcare. You'll have to move to Sweden for that (a Cheap Bastard can dream!)…. But there is a program you should know about: Preschool for All.

Preschool for All is part of the First 5 California program and offers free part time preschool for kids older than four, but not ready for kindergaten yet. It's not perfect, as it is only part of the day for part of the year, but it's free and kids from all socioeconomic backgrounds are eligible.

Check out their site for full details: First 5 SF Preschool for All.

And, by the way, this is a subject of concern for many folks — if you have any tips, please leave a comment so that we can all benefit from your wisdom!

The Associated Press reported today that it's “becoming cool to be frugal.”

Well, I generally pay no attention to such trend pieces in the national press, but when the Cheap Bastard happens to agree with it, then that settles the matter!

Admittedly, I'm pretty far removed from teenage culture, so you could tell me it's cool to fill your shoes with Cheez Whiz and I wouldn't know either way.

I guess it's bad news for the mall (teen-oriented retailers such as Abercrombie & Juicy Couture are seeing sales down 8%) but it's got to be good news for Goodwill! That's where all the cool clothes are anyway….

I'm reposting this from a mailing list that I'm on, so I truly hope I don't get sued (or worse, flamed). A guy who works at Sports Basement in SF claims that it's his job to loan out meeting facilities for local groups, and no athletic agility is required. Here's the hearsay:

Sports Basement Bryant (1590 Bryant) has meeting space that could be used for meetings. This is part of our effort to open our meeting space to non-profits and community groups. There is no charge, but we do need to reserve the space.

If you are interested or have other questions, please contact me at
jchandler@sportsbasement.com or 415-575-3000.

Sincerely,

Joey Chandler
Sports Basement Bryant Manager

If you're a home or business owner, you ought to be spending more time thinking about your toilet.

At least think about the tank — if it's an old commode, it can use up to six gallons of water per flush! Here in the Bay Area, we really don't have that much aqua to spread around.

The new-fangled flushers use far less water, and, if you qualify as a low-income person or small business, you can get one for free!

Email info@sfpower.org or call (415) 626-8723 to get put on San Francisco Community Power's waiting list.

It all makes sense: firefighters need money, we need ice cream. Thankfully, Baskin Robbins will be satisfying both of these concerns on April 30, 2008, as it offers a five-hour window during which scoops of its cryogenic creamy confections will be sold for $0.31. I'm sure it's void where prohibited, but this one applies well outside of the Bay Area.

Check out the details here:
www.baskinrobbins.com/Promotion/31cent.aspx

Baskin Robbins
April 30, 2008
5pm – 10pm

In 2007 we posted about where you could get free light bulbs from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). Well, that offer was, as they say, for a limited time only, so I think you're out of luck.

In the meantime, though, PG&E is still providing great subsidies for those new-ish Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, like $2 for a 4-pack, which is way cheaper than the incandescent energy hogs. You might as well start unscrewing them and make the upgrade since the energy savings will have them pay for themselves.

Find out where to get the goods on PG&E's CFL site.

They don't mention Walgreen's, but I'm pretty sure you can pick them up there too.

We here at CBSF.com really think that health care needs to be free across the board. The government needs to pay for it and get those insurance companies out of the business. (Yes, higher taxes, but lower health care costs all around, therefore its cheaper in the end, yay!)

But, before you pack up for Canada, you need to see a doctor right now! Don't wait for Big Insurance to deny you coverage for your hay fever, get yourself to the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, which is now celebrating it's 41st year!

They've got two locations, but don't forget to make an appointment:

Integrated Care Center
1735 Mission Street at 13th
Appointments: (415) 746-1940

Haight Clinic
558 Clayton Street at Haight
Appointments: (415) 746-1950

hafci.org

A free movie? In San Francisco? With the price of tickets on the upward march, that's worth taking advantage of in this town, fellow Cheap Bastards! And, as a bonus, you get to support one of the City's remaining independent theatres.

Now, this is only on your birthday, but the savvy cheapskate knows that opportunism works: wait patiently and grab the freebie when you can!

This is where I'll be found every October 17th:

Balboa Theater
3630 Balboa St. (at 38th Ave.)
San Francisco, CA

415-221-8184

balboamovies.com

After the show, take your ticket stub to either the Egyptian restaurant

Al Masri
4031 Balboa
San Francisco
415-876-2300
almasrisfca.com

or the Chinese place

Happy Dragon
3068 Balboa
San Francisco
415-221-9188

for a Balboa theater-goer discount! We're unsure as of this writing what that discount entails, but if you happen to go to either of these fine establishments, please let us know in the comments section!

I began to realize that even though the site promises information on cheap haircuts in San Francisco, there actually is no posting on the subject here on cheapbastardsf.com. For that, you have to but the book, but, this being a site dedicated to all things cheap, a lot of you aren't going to shell out the $15 for that!

So here are few real cheap options taken from the book. I'll add more ideas in the future. In the meantime, feel free to add your own tips!

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San Francisco Barber College
64 Sixth Street
(415) 621-6802
www.bayviewbarbercollege.com

Wednesday, 8:30AM

Free!

Men start lining up at 7:15 in the morning for the limited seating of these entirely free cuts. While there's no official policy that women can't/won't be chosen as models, don't expect to hold on to those lengthy tresses if you make it to the chair.

————————–

Stephen Saiz Salon
560 Sutter St.
(415) 398-2345
stephensaizsalon.com
Tuesday: the cut is free but this is more a “scalpal” donation than a service. The stylists will use your hair as they see fit.

Call and check in often to lean about what hair type they're currently seeking. If the way you're growing it is what they're looking for, you will be invited to come in a sit as a model for their cutting class for the in-house stylists held one day a week. This is one of the few salons that is up front about the fact that there is no consultation with the models. The stylists will use you as they see fit, thus you have just a vague idea of what sort of style you may end up with before the scissors fly.

My current job has taken me into the belly of San Francisco's Corporate Beast (so to speak), and I now find myself, during my 30-minute lunch breaks, wondering, “Where can a Cheap Bastard like myself find a good place to eat?”

The challenge, of course, is balancing my cheapness with my requirement for quality food. Sure, I could run over to that sandwich chain (begins with a “Q”), or settle for a Lee's Deli special, but that's just not going to cut it for me. And, then the question so “how cheap is cheap enough” enters the process. For my purposes, I'm going to have to say that a menu price of below $6.50 (not including tax) is going to have to hold. ($6.50 is the new $4.00).

That said, here are my Cheap Bastard lunch recs for the South of Market area from Market St. to Howard St. and 2nd St. and 1st St:

great sandwiches below $5
————————-
Cafe Algiers (50 Beale St.) — pretty standard sandwiches, but high quality and good prices, plus it's independent!

The Toaster Oven (2nd St. between Howard and Mission) — a chain with two locations (and the other one's in Utah(?)). Anyway, very tasty sandwiches, at least the “Italiano,” which is the one I always get

noodles
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Tea Garden (515 Mission & 1st) — Taiwanese-style street food plus tapioca drinks. I guess the drinks are the main draw, but I usually get the noodles, either the house beef or the pork & pickled vegetables. Runs about $6.50.

falafel
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Flames (88 2nd St & Mission) — main focus is burgers, but I've yet to get one. Falafel is very tasty, about $6 (more expensive than the $5 Niman Ranch burger), but this place is slow……

Japanese
——–
Ichiban Teriyaki (Stevenson & 1st) — this place is a bit of dive and reminds me of some of the sketchier restaurants I've eaten at in Japan, which lends to its strange authenticity. I usually get the veggie or chicken katsu-don (rice bowl) for about $5.

Mexican
——-
I'm not sure of this place's name, but it's a few doors West of Ichiban on Stevenson Alley. $6 even for a delicious pollo asado burrito with jalapeños.

Do you have any recommendations? Let us know here!