Swap the Books You Don't Want for Books You DO Want

I'm scared to count how many books I have. 3 bookcases packed full, dozens in my garage, under my bed, at my parent's house... Nonetheless, I'm always craving more but need to get rid of some old ones to make way for new ones, lest my home becomes a firetrap. Last year I became addicted to paperbackswap.com. On this site, you can trade old for new, and it's very cheap. You pay only for the postage on the books you mail. You don't even need to buy packing materials as the service encourages traders to wrap their books in regular printer paper and tape. Most of the books I trade I mail for less than $2, and it's great to get a book for free with the points you earn from mailing your books to others. You mail a book: you get a point. You get a book: you lose a point. It couldn't be simpler. And maybe I'm just lucky but I've received 15 books so far and only one was in less-than-stellar condition (which I dealt with as it's a hard-to-find and out-of-print book by noted scribe Zsa Zsa Gabor.) Go ahead and mock me; I can handle it.

Breakfast For 99 Cents!

Ikea has its place in many bargain hunters arsenal of stores to depend on, if not for furniture, then for things like a slew of martini glasses for a cocktail party or a cheap-but-fabulous lamp. If you've been there, you know how daunting the crowds can be. They can really bring out my inner misanthrope. My solution is scheduling my Ikea trips for off times, like first thing in the morning, and starting my trip off with their delightfully cheap 99 cent breakfast.

Movies in Pasadena for $2 to $3? Yep!

Sometimes I crave an elegant moviegoing experience, like at the Arclight or The Bridge: lots of legroom, reserved seats and fellow moviegoers who, by dint of being willing to pay a few extra dollars for the experience, are probably not seat-kickers or prone to gab on their cell phones during the movie. Other times I'm in the mood for super cheap and am okay with contending with sticky floors and second-run movies.

Wednesday Burrito Madness in Atwater Village!

Hugo's Tacos in Atwater Village is beloved by many for its healthy take on healthy Mexican fast food. Along with the typical meat burritos - steak, chicken, carnitas, they also have a good number of vegan choices, including their popular soy chorizo (aka soyrizo).