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 BEST
ICE CREAM SUNDAE DEAL
The cost of a latte and cafe mocha may be on the rise,
but when it comes to serving ice cream, Coffee People knows
when to pull out the price breaks. Order a Little Loretta
from any one of the franchise's numerous locations for only
$1.10; you'll get a generous scoop of Black Tiger espresso
ice cream smothered with yummy hot fudge. If you ask nicely,
you might be able to convince your server to add a dollop
of whipped cream.
BEST
CAVITY PROTECTION
One of those terrifying realizations of young
adult life is that the toothache you've had for a month
isn't going away--and that you must pay the dentist with
your own hard-earned money. Because this moment usually
occurs between five and 10 years after your last parentally
scheduled check-up, you'll need some fillings--at the very
least. Enter Dental Plus (526-4411), the dental plan
offered by Willamette Health Services. There's not much
paperwork, and you pay only $38 for a one-year membership.
Initial visits, annual X-rays and routine examinations cost
$5 each, and a cleaning is $35. Fillings and crowns (which
you may need in addition to those fillings, if your cavity
has been growing for several years) cost quite a bit more,
but they're discounted 25 percent. Save 20 percent on procedures
that require a specialist. Remember, when asked what they
would do differently if they had their lives to live over,
many grandparents say they would take better care of their
teeth.
BEST
PLACE TO GET EXTRA-VIRGIN
Off-price stores are where we go to purchase slightly irregular
Ralph Lauren sheets, inexpensive gym clothes and designer
handbags in last season's celadon. But don't overlook the
Marshall's specialty-foods section, which falls somewhere
between pillows and platters; Here you'll find an edible
gem in a shade of green that's always in season. Olive oil,
especially the racy extra-virgin variety, is generally pricey
enough to make you eschew that perennially touted Mediterranean
diet in favor of canola-coated vittles. But hit Marshall's
on a good day and you'll find 0.75-liter bottles of Costa
d'Oro Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva Fruttato from the
Verdi region of Italy--for only $5.95. That works out to
$7.44 for a liter, which beats Fred Meyer's cheapest bottle
of extra-virgin by a buck.
BEST
FREE SUDS
Anybody who washes clothes at a laundromat knows how fast
those quarters add up: four to wash and five for a spin
in the dryer. And that's for only one load. Then, there
is the added expense of laundry soap. Add up all the costs,
and you're looking at a pricey exercise. Kinky's Kleen
Korner, at the corner of Southeast 39th Avenue and Belmont
Street, knows your pain--the laundromat survived an unplanned
face lift after a car crashed into its front window a few
months back. To help you save money laundering, the shop
dispenses free detergent 24-7.
 BEST
PLACE TO BUY PLASTIC ANIMAL EYES
AND SAVE THE EARTH
What happens when somebody needs to get rid of nearly half
a million plastic toy eyes and noses? These objects could
go to the landfill and stare blankly at each other (and
sniff each other) for an eternity. If they are lucky, however,
they will wind up in a bin at SCRAP, School and Community
Reuse Action Project (2015 NW 23rd Ave., 294-0769). Located
inside the Rebuilding Center warehouse, SCRAP serves as
a halfway house for our consumer culture's odds, ends and
unwanteds. Besides giving you the unique opportunity to
buy plastic facial features by the scoop, SCRAP offers sought-after
art supplies like trophies, vinyl alphabet letters and magnifying
lenses. The unusual inventory certainly makes fine, inexpensive
art and office supplies, but the main thing is that by buying
from SCRAP, you are doing your part to save the Earth.
BEST
PARKING SPOT
If it's good enough for the Gresham Police--who reportedly
parked there all day, left late at night and came back early
the next morning--it's good enough for the rest of us. The
parking space at the Northwest corner of 4th Avenue and
Alder Street is easily the best place to park downtown.
Mike Hanson, bartender at McFadden's, which has a window
onto the spot, says it's been meterless since an unintentional
benefactor mowed the old meter down. Besides the police
van, Hanson says the most notable vehicle was an R.V. that
camped out in the space during Rose Festival. The beast
spilled out over the lines, though, blocking a fire hydrant.
Hanson says that's the only time he's noticed tickets on
the cars parked there.
BEST
WACKY AND FREE STATIONERY
They may not go down in history as being among
Portland's notable arts benefactors, but the people stocking
the beige, converted Nickel Ads box at the Northeast
corner of 10th Avenue and Washington Street aren't exactly
begging for notoriety. The "Cyclotron" receptacle
is the best place to stock up on free stationery. The ever-changing
stash of postcards includes one of a cyborg labeled "buxom,
yet svelte." Other finds include comic books, stickers and
photos of drainage pipes. On the bottom of the stand, a
blimped-out pony joyously declares, "I, too, am free." Save
some change (you can buy stamps with the money you would
have spent on postcards of the waterfront), and send your
grandma one of the postcards with a little bird-beast that
has thus far proclaimed "blah" and "ham."
BEST
BARGAIN MINI-SPA
Many salons in Portland offer discounted
haircuts from their student stylists, but at Salon in
Vogue's Hawthorne location (1721 SE Hawthorne Blvd.,
239-5395) "new talent" stylists offer $15 haircuts that
include a taste of the pampered treatment regularly received
by moneyed moms. Sip wine or tea while Aveda oils are massaged
into your scalp. Temporarily luxuriate in the world of the
rich as a quickie neck massage eases away stress induced
by your crappy low-paying job. Digits are pampered with
rich lotion during a hand massage. After your hair has been
washed, make sure you breathe deeply into an aromatherapy
face towel, choosing from scents such as jasmine or vanilla.
And if you're wary of a stylist who's still learning, advanced
students offer haircuts for the discounted price of $25.
If the new talent happens to need a model for coloring,
you could end up with free highlights as well. You'll walk
out feeling like a glamour queen and still be able to pay
the rent.
BEST
PLACE TO BUY A WEDDING DRESS FOR
UNDER $100
Can't get a fitting with Vera Wang? Prefer to splurge on
a honeymoon or finance a sensible down payment rather than
blow big bank on a dress you're only going to wear once?
Tower Bridal Fashions (5331 SW Macadam Ave., 274-8940)
carries elegant bridesmaid and wedding dresses. Although
most of the gowns are reasonably priced, the real deals
are found on the rack in the front of the store, where a
rotating cast of bridal gear can be found in the $50-$100
price range--which is amazing considering this is new merch.
"The rack" currently holds a Jessica McClintock ivory wedding
dress with a sheer bodice and slim satin skirt. Several
minimalist sheaths, in shades of gray and cobalt, would
look equally at home in an evening wedding or at a formal
dinner. Tower Bridal also sells sample dresses at reduced
prices.
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